Supergirl 3×01 Review: Girl of Steel

The Girl of Steel is grieving. It’s been six months since Mon-El had to leave Earth, presumably forever, and Kara is not dealing with his absence very well.

Grief is different for everyone. I would never begrudge anyone the chance to grieve in the manner that works for them. And many heroes suffer loss and then turn into mopey, broody, grumpy pains in the butt, so it’s unfair to get upset that the Girl of Steel does the same. (Though, to be fair, it’s often annoying with male characters as well.) I suppose that my frustration with Kara’s attitude is that I didn’t like or even particularly buy her relationship with Mon-El, and as such that made it difficult to tolerate her behavior.

Kara’s way of dealing with her loss is to try and suppress anything that may make her vulnerable. She has decided that it isn’t worth being Kara Danvers if Kara Danvers is going to feel this weak. Supergirl is strong; she saves people. It’s much better to be Supergirl. However, in doing this, Kara is denying herself the ability to heal. You can’t move on if you deny there is a problem in the first place. And in the end, it isn’t the confrontation with James or Alex or Lena that snaps her back to herself, it’s Mon-El’s voice in her head telling her to wake up. That was a little too Twilight for me. That bothers me in a way I can’t adequately articulate.

Kara’s isn’t the only Danvers dealing with relationship issues. Alex has become increasingly lackluster about planning her and Maggie’s wedding, and Maggie assumes this means that Alex doesn’t really want to get married. Considering Alex has been all in on this relationship from the beginning, I have no idea why Maggie came to that conclusion, other than we needed to have some more drama in this episode. Eventually the two talk about it, and Alex admits that she doesn’t want to have a big wedding because her dad can’t be there. Maggie convinces her that they deserve a big party with all their loved ones, and Alex asks J’onn to walk her down the aisle.

Elsewhere in National City, a misogynistic jackass is trying to take control of CatCo in order to direct the manner of their reporting. Morgan Edge reminds me very strongly of a certain politician, so at least you know that Supergirl will continue to provide commentary on the real world this season. (This is further emphasized by Cat’s new position as White House Press Secretary.) In the end, Morgan’s plan is thwarted by Lena, who buys CatCo instead. Morgan vows vengeance, and seeing as he is the mastermind behind the attack on the waterfront, I think we’re right to worry about Lena’s safety.

“Girl of Steel” was a perfectly fine premiere, seemingly setting a slightly darker tone for season 3. I wouldn’t call it spectacular – it had nowhere near the fun or flair of last season’s opener – but it sets up the season well enough. But I don’t want to see a mopey Kara all season. I want us to finally get the Kara taking charge of her life we were promised last season that took a backseat to a lukewarm love story instead.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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