SUPERGIRL Takes Flight

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Supergirl - The Complete First Season' on Blogcritics.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray reviewed in this article. The opinions I share are my own.

The first season of CBS’s Supergirl arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download this week. The 20 episodes set up the titular character just as she becomes a superhero, introducing us to her life both with and without the cape. It’s a rollicking fun time, and while it doesn’t quite hit the quality of some of the other DC Comics shows on the air right now, it is far better than what the comic brand is churning out for the big screen.

Glee‘s Melissa Benoist stars as Kara Danvers, a.k.a. Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl, a young woman who has been living on Earth for awhile after her home planet was destroyed. Having had plenty of time to adjust to her new home, Kara is an adult as the series begins, working as an assistant for media mogul Kat Grant (Calista Flockhart, Brothers & Sisters, Ally McBeal) and trying to start a career. This is somewhat derailed when Kara finds she can no longer sit still, creating a costume with the help of her best friend, Winn (Jeremy Jordan, Smash), and saving the day. These actions gets her noticed by the DEO, a military organization devoted to protecting the planet from aliens, and which secretly employs her sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh, Grey’s Anatomy). But even after joining up with DEO leader Hank Henshaw (David Harewood, Homeland) and his crew, Kara manages to balance both lives, a modern woman who can have it all.

The girl vs. woman issue is addressed head-on in episode one. Supergirl is a show to which no feminist should object. Kara is strong, independent, and fierce. She’s also brave and loyal and very capable. The only other character that even comes close to her level of accomplishment is Cat herself, so strong females are well represented on the series, lest anyone think the title is a step backwards for the fairer sex.

Sadly, since production is moving to Canada, Cat will be a less frequent presence in season two, which is a shame because Cat and Kara’s relationship is pretty much a linchpin of the show.

Unlike Superman, her already famous and successful cousin, Kara was old enough to remember their world of Krypton when it was destroyed, which influences the way she sees the world, as well as her hopes and dreams. Due to a flight into the Phantom Zone, Kara’s arrival on Earth (and waking up for her pod to begin aging again) was delayed awhile. Unfortunately, when she arrived, she brought the horrible prisoners of Fort Rozz with her, including her Aunt Astra (Laura Benanti, Go On) and Uncle Non (Chris Vance, Transporter: The Series). This sets the stage for the baddies Kara will face in her new crusade.

There are a lot of fun bits for those already familiar with the world of Superman. While the Man of Steel himself only makes fuzzy and at-a-distance appearances (though he has recently been cast for season two), we see the likes of The Martian Manhunter (no spoilers), Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli, Nurse Jackie, Twilight), Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum, Witches of East End), and Sam Lane (Glenn Morshower, Bloodline) in this series. Not to mention, Jimmy, sorry, James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks,Necessary Roughness) is a main character and love interest. There are also tributes to previous Superman and Supergirl incarnations, such as casting former Clark Kent, Dean Cain, and former Kara Danvers, Helen Slater, as Kara’s parents. So I appreciate the tributes paid.

But Supergirl is also its own world. It’s very clearly not the same universe as the recent DC films are set in, nor is it on the same Earth as the CW shows take place on. Thanks to a multiple Earths theory, DC has the freedom to portray lots of different versions of the same characters and places at the same time. Which doesn’t prevent a guest appearance from The Flash‘s dimension-hopping Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), nor preclude more crossovers with its small screen peers after Supergirl moves to the CW this fall.

So, while the series starts out as too case-of-the-week, and while it ends with some exaggerated and easy outs, most of this run is pretty good. It’s easy to root for Kara and her friends, and I like the positive approach and outlook the series supports. I look forward to seeing where future seasons go, and can recommend this first season without hesitation.

On The Complete First Season, we get a fair amount of extras. A pair of ten-minute featurettes reveal how the show approached their version of Krypton and The Martian Manhunter, two wonderful elements in the story. We also get a too-short look at the cast attending Comic-Con, a gag reel, and deleted scenes for almost half of the episodes. My complaints are the very outdated menus and the extra padding at the start and end of every deleted scene. But other than that, it’s a decent batch of bonus material.

Supergirl – The Complete First Season is available now.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES Speeds Into the U.S.

Article first published as TRANSPORTER THE SERIES Review on Seat42F.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES, a French-Canadian spin-off of the successful film franchise of virtually the same name, first premiered two years ago in Germany, and is just starting a second season there. After Cinemax declined to air it in the States, it finally finds a home on TNT as it premieres this weekend.

Note: I have not seen any of the movies in the series, so this review is strictly about a single episode of the television show, the first in the American broadcast order.

Frank Martin is The Transporter. A man who can get anything he is hired to from point A to point B (or C or D, for that matter), he is focused on his work, which he does extremely well. This, despite the fact that he consistently breaks the only three rules he has: never change the deal, no names, and never open the package. He’s a capable, smooth bad-ass, the type of guy women want to sleep with and men want to be. If that sounds cheesy, well, it’s no cheesier than the dialogue.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES is fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping. There are numerous car chases in the first installment alone, with the promise of plenty more where that came from. Action sequences are frequent, often with a slowed-down camera to better highlight the stunts being performed. There are guns, of course, one-note villains and sexy, exotic women for our hero to sleep with, though none he’s tempted to begin a relationship for. Clichés are tossed about freely, and we know Frank will always win.

There is something to be said for predictable popcorn fare. Many people enjoy seeing such scenarios played out, the fantasy of fast cars and willing women, living a life they will never live. It’s escapism entertainment, to be sure, and the writing is not particularly smart or high quality. But the production looks cool, with neat, foreign landscapes (the show is filmed in Canada, France, and Germany) and attractive individuals inhabiting it.

Chris Vance (Rizzoli & Isles, Burn Notice, All Saints) brings the titular role to the small screen. Because of the non-American involvement, he may be the only face recognizable to local audiences, and even he’s not a household name. Vance is well-suited for this role, and while I know he can do better than TRANSPORTER THE SERIES, he’s giving it his all, delivering a fine performance for what this is and probably having a ton of fun.

The focus is mainly on Frank and the case-of-the-week, but the show does list four other main characters, who occasionally appear. There’s Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand, the lone actor reprising his role from the movies) as Frank’s police friend who keeps him out of trouble, mostly. Carla Valeri (Andrea Osvárt, Elsö generáció) is former CIA, a tech genius who gets Frank his information. Juliette Dobois (Delphine Chanéac, Splice) is investigating Frank, so he should be careful around her. And, of course, there’s the comic relief, Frank’s pal, Dieter Hausmann (Charly Hübner, Ladykracher).

Our pilot is called “Trojan Horsepower,” which aired as episode two in France and episode seven in Germany. The broadcast order of all of the episodes have varied quite a bit (check Wikipedia for details), but it really doesn’t matter because TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES does not seem like the type of show to introduce long-ranging mythology or a serial story. If you like procedurals and this type of thing speaks to you, you’ll probably enjoy it.

Similarly, there have also been different cuts of the installments for each country. Had TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES aired on Cinemax, as originally intended, each week would probably have differed in running time and we’d get to see some boobs, as that’s the type of story this is. Moved to TNT, it will be trimmed into matching parts, and any nudity or cursing is danced around, with nothing to offend the basic cable audience, which is a bit disappointing, given the format, but it is what it is.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES is not for me, but I was still at least mildly entertained. If you enjoyed the films, check it out, and my guess is you’ll be satisfied.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.

Burn Notice Season Five on DVD

USA's Burn Notice recently began its sixth season. It is appropriate, then, that season five recently came out on DVD. Fans who missed the lead up to the great season six premiere will want to know that back story of how Michael (Jeffrey Donovan), Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), and the others got to the point where they are. This four disc set answers those questions quite nicely.

Season five, itself, is a wonderful story, with more ambitious arcs than earlier runs of the series. Picking up with Michael back in the CIA's good graces, hunting down the people that burned him, Michael's work is finally legitimate. He even has a new partner named Max (Grant Show, Private Practice, Melrose Place)!

But this status quo does not last long. Max is murdered, and Michael comes under suspicion for the crime, leading to the appointment of Agent Pearce (Lauren Stamile, Community, Grey's Anatomy) to oversee things. Michael struggles throughout the year to prove himself to her and to stay on the job. This is made more complicated with the arrival of Anson Fullerton (Jere Burns, Justified, Dear John), a psychiatrist who burned Michael, and now wants to blackmail him for his own purposes. Which Anson does by making it look like Fiona committed murder.


The various factions warring on this season of Burn Notice, with bad guys, CIA agents, a lover, and Michael's regular crew all competing for attention and story time, make the year not only jam packed with excitement, but one of the most complex stories on the network. Michael's focus becomes frayed, often splitting the team into two groups, simultaneously working separate missions. There are twists and turns, many with high stakes and unintended consequences. Bringing in new faces like Anson and Pearce not only mix up the dynamics, but also rejuvenate a formula that had begun to grow stale.

Besides Donovan and Anwar, original cast members Bruce Campbell, as Michael's friend Sam, and Sharon Gless, as Michael's mother Maddie, continue to shine, getting their moments in the spotlight. Coby Bell's Jesse, added to the cast the year before, also settles into the group's chemistry, and cements his status as one of the main players.

Among the highlights of the summer run of season five are: "Company Man," where Michael is first seen working as a government operative; "Mind Games," in which Fiona urges Michael to move on from his past, which he refuses to do when he realizes that there is still an active, ongoing conspiracy; "No Good Deed," which finds Michael trying to avoid blame for Max's murder, while also searching for the real killer; "Enemy of My Enemy," where Sam is abandoned by the CIA during an undercover mission for them; "Hard Out," involving the team tracking a bomb maker, as well as Maddie finding love; "Army of One," in which Maddie is taken hostage at an airport; and the fall finale "Dead to Rights," which clears Michael of Max's murder, introduces Anson, and brings back old foe Larry (Tim Matheson, Hart of Dixie, The West Wing) one finale time.

The shorter fall batch of episodes also has great moments. "Damned If You Do" finds Anson sending Michael and Fiona to Puerto Rico. In "Necessary Evil," Maddie's boyfriend is exposed as an agent of Anson's, with tragic consequences. "Acceptable Loss" features a friend of Jesse's who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring down a very bad man. And the season concludes in "Fail Safe," with Michael running a very important CIA operation, which Anson screws up, and Fiona turns herself into the police to free Michael from Anson's control.

This four disc DVD set includes a number of special features. There are lots of deleted scenes spanning all the discs. "Army of One" gets the extended treatment, while "Fail Safe" has an optional audio commentary. There is also a gag reel and a featurette on the villains of Burn Notice, which profiles such memorable bad guys as Carla (Tricia Helfer), Vaughn (Robert Wisdom), Mason Gilroy (Chris Vance), Larry, and Anson.

Burn Notice Season 5 will likely be remembered as the year when the show raised its game a level. There are still clients in every installment, but the serial elements of the series finally get more attention, and the characters show real growth and development. This is a DVD set any fan should own.

Buy Burn Notice Season 5, on sale now.

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