Okay, I am starting to see a pattern here. There seems to be yet another battle between DC and Marvel right now and this time it involves the common 'war between races' plot. I say common because I've seen it already. Teen Wolf did it for the final ten episodes. A cancelled show from 2014 called Star-Crossed focused on the exact same thing (for more about this, read The TeeVee No More). Some shows have handled the idea well and some haven't. However, the handling isn't so much what I'm focusing on. I'm instead looking at the design. There are very few shows I am watching right now. But much to my surprise, two I've chosen have managed to become so eerily similar story-wise. Two shows with current seasons fairly identical in structure. Two shows that have really taken this idea seriously and gone beyond simple black and white (by this I don't mean skin colour, but instead two opposing sides in general). I'm speaking of course about Supergirl and The Gifted.
Let's see if I can explain the storyline in a way that supports my view. After an attack (or a string of attacks) on humanity, a fast growing number of people begin to respond negatively to non-human presence on Earth. One person is driven to the furthest end of hatred after losing a beloved one during an attack (Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer)/Jace Turner (Coby Bell)). They later find themselves part of a shady movement that takes action into their own hands (Children Of Liberty/The Purifiers). The war reaches ever so close to a head and certain people find themselves raising questions. Eventually, some start to see little point in seeking equality and instead decide to fight fire with fire by forming a group that encourages the divide (The Elite/The Inner Circle). The remaining virtuous heroes of the story are then left wedged in-between the two enemy fronts, forever persistent and hopeful that peace and justice can be found (Team Supergirl/The Mutant Underground). Don't tell me there isn't any symmetry. I mean yes, the shows explore the idea with different material and different history backing them up, but the outline makes it feel as if I'm watching the same narrative twice.
In terms of which version of the major plot is better, I believe there isn't one because the two here are both the exact same. There is however a superior show out of the two at the moment, when basing views off the finer details. From the approach of the idea to what is happening around it. In this case, I am more attracted to the mystery and intensity of The Gifted. The dark and serious tone breaks through more in this series compared to Supergirl, which is usually recognised for its friendlier and relatively more colourful vibe. What also makes The Gifted appeal to me a little more is the challenge it sets itself. The wider array of characters at focus, with fewer episodes produced. Not to mention how it always keeps hold of that complete unpredictability (never knowing how things are going to play out). So with me having chosen Marvel in this battle, it only seems reasonable that I look deeper into why DC wasn't successful here. What is it about Supergirl that couldn't win me over? Well there could be a few small reasons, but one massive reason really stares me in the face.
I'm not by any means saying that Supergirl hasn't been enjoyable so far this season despite the heavy-handed political aspects. As a matter of fact, I've personally found myself liking the series more and more over time. I've grown to love the family and anticipate the coming chapters. However, the masses aren't lying. Supergirl has long been slammed by general audiences for their habit of throwing away the imagination. To cut away from the story in play, just to preach the crew's political viewpoints of reality. A 'force-feeding' strategy that divides people and aims to shame those who think differently. The habit also sees the series inappropriately weaving around its own set-up and even goes to leave newly raised questions of importance unanswered, which leads to a build-up in confusion. This approach taken by the showrunners, is best described as a 'careless' one. It defies the logic of not just Supergirl itself, but scripted television as a whole. Quality storytelling is thrown out the window. (For a little more, read Arrowverse: The Good, The Bad & Killing The Ugly). The Gifted on the other hand has never had this issue, because its all about being completely 'in the moment'. To truly bring a story to life and take place in a whole world of its own. It gives viewers the freedom and room to connect with the elements.
The reputation of Supergirl has taken many blows to the head. So much so, that it has people seeing certain things incorrectly. For instance, there is this misleading point surrounding the pro-alien stance coming from Kara (Melissa Benoist) and her team. A point which I feel I have to disprove. Starting from what we do know to be true. Is Kara pro-alien? Of course she is (she is an alien herself after all). In fact, all of her friends and family are pro-alien. But people are assuming it's them just thinking that aliens have rights and nothing else. People seem to ignore the fact that Kara has helped fight and punish misbehaving aliens over the past three or so years. People are ignoring her saving humans along with her love for young children. In this situation of 'aliens vs. humans', we have to accept that both the show and the main protagonist are standing exactly where they're supposed to. It's not a case of whether Supergirl is siding with the republicans or the democrats. We're simply shown a non-political side that represents all that is morally correct. A side that looks beyond the classification tag and judges by the discrete qualities. A side that chases equality and consequences for action. A side that doesn't give up and finds any appropriate way to swap friction for harmony. A side that is never afraid to point out something it sees as being wrong. This is exactly the same goal coming from the Mutant Underground.
It's also important to remember that Supergirl isn't portraying this version of Agent Liberty as a villain purely because he is anti-alien. If that were the case, we wouldn't have been given an entire episode dedicated to his gradual transition to such an extremity. An episode that too had shown plenty of damage aliens have caused. We rightly stand against Ben Lockwood because of his approach to the hatred. Look at what he has done so far. He has disregarded all the good Supergirl has done for humanity. He has openly deceived the public with his cause. He has allowed his followers to mark alien houses, break into them and straight up assault the owners just for being aliens. And the reason for all of this as mentioned by him a couple of times, is 'self-defense'. Really? Does self-defense mean looking for trouble? Does it mean provoking aliens to retaliate? Does it mean putting a target on their own back? It's nothing but an absolute lie to people's faces. Ben Lockwood and the Children of Liberty are deservedly scorned for their recklessness.
What can be understood is that this series unlike The Gifted, has long been trying so hard to stick out by treating the smaller percentages as the larger ones. What this means is that the things we are encouraged to respect and recognise are swapping places with the common ideas. Everywhere we look in this show, we see LGB(T). We see women winning battles as men struggle to throw a punch. We see females being talked up through the disparaging of males. We see the desperate efforts from the crew when it comes to drilling their collective frame of mind into our heads. There is no doubt about it that representation of different people and different views is vital nowadays. We have to embrace the variety within humanity and respect separate hearts and minds. However, there is such a thing as excessive representation. It can get to the point when a show starts weighing itself down. The logic gets discarded and people are only encouraged to grow more and more irritated. Supergirl here, is chasing for what's impossible. It's a scripted superhero drama that doesn't seem like it wants to be a scripted superhero drama. Not only that, it's wanting control over its audience. Because of this, the negative responses are increasing. And they will continue to increase if this is the path the showrunners choose to take.
Then again, I absolutely love the character of Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) and I find both her and her sisterhood with Kara as two of the few pillars of the series. While it may have simply been intended by the crew for Lesbians to get recognition in general, I found the detail of her interest in women to be something that only made her better than ever before. Alex has in fact been arguably the best developed character on the show so far. She's shown her raw emotions. She's shared her passions and is learning something new about herself all the time. I can't help but stick by her and hope she gets everything she desires. I'm even crossing my fingers she finds another long-term girlfriend this season. Perhaps someone she will marry later on down the track. I too am enjoying both the strength and sweetness of Nia Nal (Nicole Maines). Although the grey area regarding her powers bugs me a little bit (as it has not yet been explained properly), I just cannot hate this beautiful fresh face to the show. There is still a lot yet to be revealed with her, but ever since her entrance it has been smooth sailing. These characters are two of my favourites as of now, and I look forward to seeing them on my screen during each episode. And since a majority think similar to me, it tells me that there is some representation Supergirl can get right.
What can be understood is that this series unlike The Gifted, has long been trying so hard to stick out by treating the smaller percentages as the larger ones. What this means is that the things we are encouraged to respect and recognise are swapping places with the common ideas. Everywhere we look in this show, we see LGB(T). We see women winning battles as men struggle to throw a punch. We see females being talked up through the disparaging of males. We see the desperate efforts from the crew when it comes to drilling their collective frame of mind into our heads. There is no doubt about it that representation of different people and different views is vital nowadays. We have to embrace the variety within humanity and respect separate hearts and minds. However, there is such a thing as excessive representation. It can get to the point when a show starts weighing itself down. The logic gets discarded and people are only encouraged to grow more and more irritated. Supergirl here, is chasing for what's impossible. It's a scripted superhero drama that doesn't seem like it wants to be a scripted superhero drama. Not only that, it's wanting control over its audience. Because of this, the negative responses are increasing. And they will continue to increase if this is the path the showrunners choose to take.
Then again, I absolutely love the character of Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) and I find both her and her sisterhood with Kara as two of the few pillars of the series. While it may have simply been intended by the crew for Lesbians to get recognition in general, I found the detail of her interest in women to be something that only made her better than ever before. Alex has in fact been arguably the best developed character on the show so far. She's shown her raw emotions. She's shared her passions and is learning something new about herself all the time. I can't help but stick by her and hope she gets everything she desires. I'm even crossing my fingers she finds another long-term girlfriend this season. Perhaps someone she will marry later on down the track. I too am enjoying both the strength and sweetness of Nia Nal (Nicole Maines). Although the grey area regarding her powers bugs me a little bit (as it has not yet been explained properly), I just cannot hate this beautiful fresh face to the show. There is still a lot yet to be revealed with her, but ever since her entrance it has been smooth sailing. These characters are two of my favourites as of now, and I look forward to seeing them on my screen during each episode. And since a majority think similar to me, it tells me that there is some representation Supergirl can get right.
I'm pretty sure the showrunners know that a complete eradication of extremists is impossible. Fiction or not, it's both an illogical idea and a contrary move that goes against much of what the show openly supports. That being the acceptance and fairness of difference. Not just by appearance, but also the way we think and feel. Then again, Supergirl has often gone with breaking its own principle already. There have been times when it felt as if the crew selected their viewers. There have been times when it seemed like they have disrespected men. They have even indirectly attacked the current US president. Supergirl has mostly been about morals, the proper procedures and giving every beating heart both chance and choice. But the show has been seen playing dirty. Walking in without any thought. Bringing people down to pick others up. Given the show's poor record, it wouldn't surprise me the least if Jessica Queller and Robert Rovner took Supergirl down the 'perfect world' path. It won't do them any favours though, because the truth is that everybody thinks differently. There are always going to be people with extreme views.
If anybody is like me here and watches both Supergirl and The Gifted, do try to look closely. Ask what the current seasons are about. Look at where the heroes sit. Look at where the enemies sit. See the problem, ask what the solution is and determine who is the closest to it. Get where I'm coming from? The stories are like identical twins. They look roughly the same, and it requires a greater focus on the features to find the differences. Having done so, I found Marvel to be the better flavour (and I think a lot would agree with me here). But this doesn't make me think any less of the 'Girl of Steel'. It instead tells me that some feedback has to be taken into consideration and some improvements need to see the light. In spite of all this, I love both series. I tune in every week they are on, and will continue to do so until they reach their conclusion. I just felt the need to point out the crazy thing they have in common right now, especially given that it's somewhat simultaneous.
If anybody is like me here and watches both Supergirl and The Gifted, do try to look closely. Ask what the current seasons are about. Look at where the heroes sit. Look at where the enemies sit. See the problem, ask what the solution is and determine who is the closest to it. Get where I'm coming from? The stories are like identical twins. They look roughly the same, and it requires a greater focus on the features to find the differences. Having done so, I found Marvel to be the better flavour (and I think a lot would agree with me here). But this doesn't make me think any less of the 'Girl of Steel'. It instead tells me that some feedback has to be taken into consideration and some improvements need to see the light. In spite of all this, I love both series. I tune in every week they are on, and will continue to do so until they reach their conclusion. I just felt the need to point out the crazy thing they have in common right now, especially given that it's somewhat simultaneous.
Travis "TJ" James
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