Doug: I've only seen about the first 2/3 of the show -- but I'd like to finish it. This show is the breath of fresh air DC has needed (admittedly I don't watch the Flash). What I saw was light, perfect fare for the 7:00 hour. And Melissa Benoist is charming in the lead role, both as Kara Danvers as well as our heroine. She looks great in the suit as well -- and I understand why they went with the tights after seeing a few of the flight sequences. There's a cute nod to the fashions of superhero women (see below). I couldn't figure out, however, why no one could utter the name "Superman". It's not like he's Y_HW_H or anything... Some of the plot seemed like it was getting a little wonky, and as I mentioned I'll need to find time to finish my viewing. But overall I thought I liked what I did see. Your thoughts?
Hank Steuver, the Washington Post's television critic, has been loving and praising this show for weeks, it seems like. It's his dead-favorite new show of ALL the offerings this season. And I tend to like him, as he does a great job of recognizing middle ground in different shows, and has the ability to like things very much in spite of flaws. (Unlike our primary theater critic. . . ).
ReplyDeleteI. . . will almost certainly wait until I can see it in a format w/out commercials, as I've become incapable of following any show when it has a three minute interruption every 6 minutes. . .
But boy, I do like what I'm seeing and hearing.
HB
I haven't seen "Supergirl" yet, but definitely intend too. Looks great, and there has been so much positive word about it. We do follow "Flash" in our house, and love it. Seems like every week they delve into the comic book mine for more elements, and it works. Give it a try, Doug; I don't think you'll be disappointed...
ReplyDeleteI missed it last night (putting furniture together from Ikea..), but it looks pretty good. Like you Doug, I haven't had any interest in watching 'The Flash'.., I really liked the '90s outing, and I would watch the new series just for Shipp alone (I did watch the Trickster one obviously..).
ReplyDeleteBut the new show doesn't do anything for me, doesn't seem all that distinctive.., more like yet another show with 20somethings solving weird crimes, office-relationship dramas, and, oh there's a guy that has super-speed.
I'm just not an Arrow or Gotham (or Smallsville) fan either. I'm ok with that. :)
I thought the tone of the show much more mirrored Marvel's Ant-Man flick than it did any of the darker stuff that's hit the large or small screen. Sure, a lot of the characters were stereotypes -- sort of been-there-done-that. I just liked that it was good, clean, family fare. You know, the kind of programming that's really not on television anymore here in the States.
ReplyDeleteDoug
HB, that's what is so great about the BBC - no commercials. We have to pay an annual licence fee of £145 (about $230) though but it's worth it to be free of commercials - and particularly on the radio which is what I mainly care about :)
ReplyDeleteYou guys certainly must have other networks/channels, though, right (Colin)? There is such a thing as British television commercials?
ReplyDeleteOne of our local Public Broadcasting stations has British-television option (WETA-UK), and that has become a staple of my life. Although some shows have become sooooo long in the tooth that they're edging into nostalgia viewing (ARE YOU BEING SERVED?, PIE IN THE SKY, AS TIME GOES BY, etc.)
Hey, I'll throw in a thumbs-up for FLASH as an enjoyable diversion. Superhero shows are gonna be formulaic to some degree-- but so are cop shows, detective shows, hospital shows, sitcoms, etc, etc. But if they're done with heart and honesty and don't rely on glib, easy shortcuts, they're always quite watchable. Heck, I can still enjoy DRAGNET when it's on. . . !
HB
No Supergirl on tv here yet:(
ReplyDeleteDespite some negative reaction to previews - wasn't BAB a touch worried, or am I misremembering? - this is pretty much the only tv superhero adaptation that I'm interested in, so good to hear it might be worth while.
Hopefully it'll turn up on tv here soon.
Btw, HB - Are You Being Served?!? Really? (And I thought the Tomorrow People was an odd viewing choice)
-sean
I thought Supergirl was pretty good overall. Some of the "messages" are a little heavy-handed at times, and the revelations about her sister seemed kinda shoehorned in, but in general, I liked it. It'll probably take a while for the cast to find their groove, but I'm definitely going to keep watching. I still like Flash better (so far)...watching Flash just feels more like reading a comic book, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI used to watch Are You Being Served?..."Are you free, Mrs. Slocum?"
Mike Wilson
Interestingly enough, as I've mentioned in the past, I tend to like the Silver/Bronze Superboy and Supergirl much more than ol' Supes himself.
ReplyDeleteMost of the covers back then were done by Adams (talking Superboy now..), and getting 'em in VF/NM condition doesn't break the bank either.
It was OK, but there were a lot of things really irritated me. Since this is not a Spoiler edition of this discussion, I'll save my critique for another time.
ReplyDeleteHB, yes there are commercial channels in the UK too - in fact ITV (Independent Television) has just celebrated its' 60th anniversary, also there's Channel 4 and 5 plus cable and satellite TV such as Sky (owned by Rupert Murdoch) and there are plenty of commercial radio stations too. But the BBC gets its' revenue solely from the annual licence fee which everybody must pay - if you don't pay and get caught watching TV without a licence (there are TV detector vans for this purpose) then you have to pay a £1000 fine or even go to jail as a last resort (only for a couple of weeks or so). The end of the licence fee has been forecast for a long time but it hasn't happened yet. And I'd still rather pay it than have commercials.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say that the TV licence is free if you're 75 or over so rich old people get free TV - and if you're blind the licence is half price.
ReplyDeleteColin, it's similar here in Croatia, we have a national broadcaster, HRT, to which everyone pays a license fee (it's called a subscription over here, and it's paid every month - comes to about $160 annually) and it's mandatory - which causes no end of griping. The only thing is, its programming is not entirely free of commercials. While its radio stations are largely commercial free, TV channels 1 and 2, the ones that are most watched, do air commercials, which is also another cause for griping. And it only got worse in the early 2000s when two commercial broadcasters were granted nation-wide broadcasting concessions...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, sorry for the threadjack. Haven't seen Supergirl, by the way, but I've loved all of the previews and publicity I've seen for it. Like Doug said, it looks like really fun, all-ages fare. It's the only one of these newer super-hero series (and by that I mean everything from Smallville onward) that I really want to see.
BTW, for anyone who is not watching either "Arrow" or "Flash" (or both), you are denying yourself some pretty cool old-school superhero comic fun.
ReplyDelete"Arrow" (who as of this season is now called Green Arrow), is basically Batman without the pointy ears and cape. So far in the past 3 season Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) has faced such comicbook adversaries as Merlin, Deathstroke (in his full comicbook costume), Brother Blood, The Bronze Tiger, Professor Ivo, Amanda Waller, and most recently in season 3, he just finished up an epic clash with Ra's Al Ghul. Who was portrayed much much better than he was in the Nolan Bat-movies. He even has a Lazarus Pit that heals all wounds and extends life.
Green Arrow's allies in the show have included The Flash, Black Canary (two versions), Arsenal, Speedy, Guardian, The Atom, and Katana. And these are all pretty close to their comicbook incarnations with masks, and costumes. The series does not apologize for it's 4-color roots.
The same can be said of "The Flash" series. So far (in just one full season) Barry has faced off against Reverse Flash, Gorilla Grodd, The Weather Wizard, Captain Cold, Heatwave, Golden Glider, The Trickster, and many other classic Flash villains.
The Flash has also teamed up with Green Arrow, The Atom, and his regular guest star Firestorm (complete with dual personality and flaming head, etc.).
And just 3 episodes into season 2, we find out there are 52 portals to alternate Earth's in Central City. And Barry has teamed up with Jay Garrick (from Earth 2), to try to stop the villainous Professor Zoom!
Like I said, if you're not watching these shows, then you are missing some pretty good old-school superhero action, that is way better than the recent Supergirl pilot.
FYI, the first 3 seasons of Arrow and the first season of The Flash are both on Netflix.
I thought it was terrific. They didn't cast a beauty that belongs on runway with no brains. This version of Super Girl is smart, and very modern. I hope it lasts. My mother, who never watches the super hero shows like I do, loved it and thought it was well done and would watch it again. That's a says lot since Mom tells me she can't follow Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Flash and Gotham. Not only will it reach it's target audience but some one who wouldn't ordinarily watch a show like this.
ReplyDeleteAlly McBeal or Harrison Ford's wife was great as Kara's boss. I hope she stays with the show. She's the perfect enemy for Super Girl.
William: great descriptions of "Arrow" and "Flash". Another thing noteworthy about these shows is the abundance of "Easter eggs". Such as last night on "Arrow", someone speculating on Green Arrow's identity stated their belief that it was someone named "Neal Adams"...I hope "Supergirl" maintains the fun, and it sounds promising!
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