The Man of Steel’s favorite cousin Kara Zor-El flew from CBS to the CW cable network to offer another episodic collection of super-powered adventures last year.
This four-disc, high-definition set, Supergirl: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated TV-PG, 968 minutes, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, $54.97), compiles the entire 22 episodes that found Supergirl dealing with the Luthor family, a potential relationship with Mon-El (an alien survivor from a planet near Krypton), Cyborg Superman, Parasite, Metallo, Mister Mxyzptlk, and a potential invasion of Earth by Queen Rhea and the Daxomites.
Life was equally challenging for Hank Henshaw (aka Martian Manhunter) when confronted with a White Martian; Jimmy Olson, now fighting crime as the Guardian; and computer geek Winn, falling in love with a Valerian refugee from the planet Starhaven.
It was another fun season loaded with action and emotional impact and, as always, highlighted by the enthusiastic performance of Melissa Benoist as Supergirl.
It was also infused with an enormous amount of pop culture for the superhero-watching historian — guest appearances included Linda Carter (“Wonder Woman”), Kevin Sorbo (“Hercules”), Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain (“Lois and Clark”), and cinema’s original Supergirl, Helen Slater.
However, the series is starting to fall out of the family friendly realm (the first, tamer season was on the CBS network) due to an uptick in graphic violence and some too-risqué moments (reference Mon-El in CatCo Worldwide Media’s office supply closet having sex with Eva Teschmacher).
Also, worth noting is what I consider the poor casting of the latest TV Superman in this season. No disrespect to Tyler Hoechlin, but he exhibits none of the boyish charm of Tom Weller (“Smallville”) nor the wonder and transformative good looks of my favorite movie Superman, Christopher Reeves.
Brandon Routh (Atom in “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”), or Chris Wood, who portrays Mon-El in “Supergirl,” would have been a much better choice.
Best extras: Leading the way is a 20-minute overview of the season’s alien makeup effects, but more focused on the story themes tied to human prejudice toward extraterrestrials living on the earth.
It offers interviews with producers and writers discussing the stories as they parallel both America’s current immigration challenges and the real world refugee crisis.
The interviewees also remind viewers that both Superman and Supergirl are in essence illegal aliens. It’s a bit preachy and one-sided, but it’s still an informative look at the second season’s narrative.
Next, give a listen to a humorous and informative optional commentary track on the episode “Supergirl Lives” with director Kevin Smith and executive producer Andrew Kreisberg.
It’s vintage Mr. Smith, dropping in pop culture references like firecrackers while equally interviewing Mr. Kreisberg on the story arcs and production.
Other extras worth a look include a 30-minute segment from the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con panel starring the principal cast and a 10-minute, behind-the-scenes look at the episode “Survivors” that found Supergirl in an underground alien fight club.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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