In what comes as no surprise to me, Laura Vandervoort will reprise her role as Supergirl on Smallville. Here is the link of the scoop from tvline: http://www.tvline.com/2011/01/smallville-scoop-supergirl-returns/
I have gone back and forth on this issue many times. I think Laura Vandervoort does a great job of playing Kara when the script allows her to. She is strong, determined, and heroic when she is written correctly.
The problem is that the show sometimes forgets what to do with her. She has been mind-wiped, duped by Lex, and sometimes acted rashly.
Still, I think that for the most part, Vandervoort has done a great job with the role. I wouldn't mind seeing her reprise the role in other forums - spin-off, movie, etc.
I reviewed the episode she was in this season when it came out (here is that link: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2010/10/smallville-supergirl.html ). In that episode, she really was as close as we have got to a live action Supergirl since Helen Slater. Her costume was just missig the S-shield.
But the announcement that she is coming back only adds to my concern that they are setting Kara up to be possessed by Darkseid in the finale. In the episode she was in earlier, it was reiterated over and over that the biggest threat to Earth would be if Darkseid possessed someone with Clark's abilities. And since Clark being possessed won't happen, the threat (to be a viable conflict) needs to have that level of power.
Could it be Supergirl? Sure.
Great ... another rendition of Dark Supergirl, this time the vessel of Darkseid.
But I heard that General Zod is also back for an episode coming up. Maybe Zod returns and gets possessedby Darkseid, making him the big bad.
But then I can imagine him killing Supergirl, letting Smallville ape the Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 cover (I can totally picture that in my mind, the League members surrounding Welling), spurring Clark to finally accept his destiny as Superman.
So I foresee Supergirl as either being the villain ... or killed.
That is the pessimist in me rising to the surface. Maybe Smallville will treat her right. Maybe.
I can only hope.
O.o
ReplyDeleteno wonder I stopeed watching this, despite having a 'kara/supergirl' on it.
Yeah I agree Anj, Smallville is a thoroughly untrustworthy venue for Supergirl. The producers have a past history of cavalier treatment for DC characters, most especially Supergirl.
ReplyDeleteWhat worries me is, that Smallville is BIG transmission belt for the Superman mythos into the non-comic book buying public, if they kill off Supergirl as the season finale, this gives the aud the notion that "Supergirl is Dead". It perpetuates and renews the whole notion that Supergirl was simply created to die and make "The Blur" look good.
This in turn is NOT good news for her solo book and could well give DC ideas about how the comic book character should end up.
I know I rant and rave about ythis topic ceaselessly but honestly, they've done everything wrong to the character since she was introduced, and STILL audiences dig her sort of having Supergirl kill puppies the only option they have left is to sacrifice her in the season finale.
I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.
John Feer
I, for one, am glad that she is reprising the role and I'm hopeful they'll do good by her as they have her last two appearances (Bloodline and Supergirl). You are right though, Anj, those are only two good episodes compared to the multitude of episodes in season 7 in which she was written just so poorly. But even in season 7 there were still a handful of episodes where she shined. It was pretty much all but said by Laura and the producers that her character was becoming TOO heroic in season 7 and that was hurting Clark. But her appearances in Bloodline (Season 8) and Supergirl (Season 10) seem to indicate the writers no longer mind if she acts heroic and proactive around Clark. If Clark is going to have a group of heroes fight on his side at the end of the series, I think Kara should rightfully be one of those heroes. Besides, she HAS to appear from a practical standpoint since last we left off she was still in Metropolis. I still wish we could've seen Alura on Smallville too. We got to meet the whole house El (Clark's parents, Kara's dad) except for Kara's mom. At least we got a mention of her during Kara's last appearance.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind, Smallville's default position is "No Head Can Be Higher Than Clark's".
ReplyDeleteEven if the premise of the show is cowardly and evasive with Clark dashing around as "The Blur", as if anyone would ever watch a show called "The Adventures of The Blur" if it hadn't the Superman mythos to buttress it.
So if Supergirl has temporarily superceded Clark as a hero, don't worry don't fear Smallville's producers will make her pay for that with her very life if they can get away with it.
Count on it.
John Feer
I am going to wait and see how it goes with the way they handle Kara in Smallville.
ReplyDeleteIf the worst happens, a combination of mail and email campaign could be started up to save the comic book version of this beloved Supergirl from having to face the same fate again.
ANJ, I hope you're wrong, but I suspect you're right.
ReplyDeleteThey're going to be looking for a reason for Clark to stop being a mope and get around to being Superman. The most likely one would be the CoIE retread, making Clark into Superman because of grief/anger/guilt/blah. If Clark becomes Superman because of some self-indulgent Spiderman/Batman neurotic reaction to her death it winds up being completely contrary to the mythos where he does it for the good of the world. Instead he would be doing it because he can't afford counseling, and he becomes just another modern super "hero" that needs a few more really bad days before he has to get a room at Arkham.
And yes, the second would be our old favorite Dark Supergirl (though probably not called that since the TV audience isn't familiar with that DC bad penny.) I'm just so bored with that storyline that I just tried to yawn and scream at the same time. It's embarrassing, let me tell you.
I really hope that the finale doesn't feel like Groundhog Day for those of us familiar with Supergirl.
I really, really, really hope they put the cliche machine in the drawer and decide to do something creative.
So... I guess the twitition worked! lol. -ealperin
ReplyDeleteSee the link: http://twitition.com/fu4a3
:P
Gear-"I really, really, really hope they put the cliche machine in the drawer and decide to do something creative."
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that,Gear. It's been done waay too often. -ealperin
i dunno, smallville has done very well with it's female characters recently (speaking as soemone who's nearly comeplted season 9 but not season 10)
ReplyDeletelet's be optimistic. I reckon if they wanted to give clark a motive to get a move on and become superman they'd kill someone closer to him. like chloe, or lois.
basically, I can't see them going down that route. but then again, i haven;t seen season 10.