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.

Blu-ray Review: ‘American Horror Story: Asylum – The Complete Second Season’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘American Horror Story: Asylum – The Complete Second Season’ on Blogcritics.

Calling this release American Horror Story: Asylum – The Complete Second Season is a little confusing. FX’s American Horror Story is not a continuing series, but several stand-alone, 13-episode miniseries, a new one of which is presented each fall. Thus, while Asylum is, indeed, The Complete Second Season of American Horror Story, the installments on this disc tell a complete tale, featuring characters and plot that are not connected to the first or third seasons, even if some of the cast is the same.

Asylum begins in the present day, with a sex-crazed couple (Maroon 5′s Adam Levine and Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Witches of East End) exploring the run-down and abandoned Briarcliff. It’ll be quite awhile before Asylum really delves into the present again, fully explaining what happens to the pair, as well as moving past those events, but it does eventually get around to it.

Most of Asylum takes place in 1964 and 1965. Briarcliff is a mental hospital for the criminally insane, run by strict, judgmental Sister Jude (Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven). Jude lusts over Monsignor Timothy O’Hara (Joseph Fiennes, Camelot) and bullies the younger, meek Sister Eunice (Lily Rabe, American Horror Story). She also hates the twisted Dr. Arthur Arden (James Cromwell, Six Feet Under), and is cruel to her charges.

Into this environment, brave Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), a closet lesbian and daring journalist, marches forth to expose Jude’s wrongdoings. It doesn’t take long for her to realize just how out of her depth she actually is, and Dr. Thredson (Zachary Qunito, Star Trek: Into Darkness) proves both friend and foe. But Lana does find some friends within Briarcliff’s walls.

Chief among them is Kit Walker (Evan Peters, American Horror Story), a man framed for killing his wife, Alma (Britne Oldford, Skins), who soon takes up with murderess Grace (Lizzie Brochere, R.I.S. Police scientifique). Kit and Lana’s lives are not completely intertwined, with the two traveling very different paths for awhile, but they interact quite a bit over the run.

Asylum is full of twists and turns, with plenty of surprises popping up when they are least expected. Among the more strange developments are human experiment subjects, alien abductions, artwork made from dead people, a truly creepy patient named Pepper (Naomi Grossman), and a son violently reunited with his mother. It’s not as overtly scary as the first season, but its dark tone and sick minds definitely make it disturbing, with a very unexpected last couple of hours, which take the show far beyond the walls of the hospital.

Why the miniseries works so well, though, is mainly the character development. It’s hard to think of one character who ends up anything like the person they started as. I won’t get into specifics, because you really should watch these episodes for yourself, but bad guys can be good and good guys can be soured into villains. There’s a lot of grey area in the middle, and it can be argued whether a few of the main players ended up on the side of right or wrong. What is certain is that each is changed by the experiences we bear witness to, which makes the story that much deeper and richer. And, as in the first season, guest stars pop in and out in memorable turns.

There are a quartet of featurettes and some deleted scenes on this three-disc set. One of the extras is called “What is American Horror Story: Asylum?” which will hopefully clear up the confusion I mentioned in the introductory paragraph. “The Creatures” is fascinating because the makeup and effects of AHS:A really are top notch, though it could remove a little of the fear factor if viewed before the series.

Blu-ray is definitely recommended for Asylum. There are lots of blacks and shadows, Briarcliff being a dreary place. You’ll want to catch those layers and detail as much as you can, though some are obscured purposely for effect. The score is also excellent, with undertones that reinforce the style of the piece, and a certain song played repeatedly will start to make you feel a  bit like the inmates. The blu-ray experience here adds a lot, both visual and auditory, and the result is beautiful, in a macabre manner.

You may have noticed a lack of complaints in this review. That’s because, while I do consider Asylum weaker than the first go ’round, it’s still a very strong presentation, with remarkable acting and production, and they did a pretty good job on this release. American Horror Story: Asylum – The Complete Second Season is available now.

American Horror Story checks into an Asylum

Grade: 94%

Some who have heard the premise of AMERICAN HORROR STORY ASYLUM might be surprised when the story begins in present day. Leo (Maroon 5′s Adam Levine) and Teresa (Jenna Dewan-Tatum, The Playboy Club) are a fear-addicted couple on their honey moon, intent on having sex in the scariest of places. Their travels bring them to Briarcliff, a former mental hospital. While there, something attacks Leo, making their good times turn to bad.

This glimpse into the present day, while one hell of an opening scene, is not just that. Some scary movies may have a stand-alone tease before getting to the main story, but the fact that Leo and Teresa are visited later in the episode, “Welcome to Briarcliff,” points to a different agenda. Like season one, time is fluid, and what has happened influences what will happen and vice versa. The two are not main characters, but it is very likely we will see them again.

Thus, AMERICAN HORROR STORY ASLYUM establishes right off the bat that it is going to be as good and complex as the first season. The actors are fantastic, the setting is rich and detailed (and even more creepy), and the story is just as interwoven with itself as ever. Little tidbits are teased out, with many things remaining a mystery. The characters are written in such a way that feel authentic, and yet, remain unpredictable. Viewers cannot possibly see where this is going from one episode alone, but the first installment is so tantalizing, they should want to keep coming back.

The main plot, as advertised, happens in 1964, when Briarcliff is still a functioning facility. The institution is run by Monsignor Timothy O’Hara (Joseph Fiennes, Camelot, FlashForward). His favorite nun, Sister Jude (Jessica Lange, American Horror Story), is quick to judge and likes to whip people, considering sin a horrible thing, but not hypocritically above engaging in it herself. She has plans for Briarcliff, and O’Hara has plans for her. She just wishes that they included sex.

Jude is definitely the most interesting, right out of the gate. Played with a strange accent that doesn’t quite define itself, she has an iron fist, and even her compassionate acts come across as trying to force what her narrow mind thinks of as god’s will, rather than to help people. She wants to cleanse the place, making it her own. It would not be surprising if she gets her way, at least for a time, but it won’t help the patients interned there any more than playing the same cheery song on loop, which she insists happen in the common room, does now.

Jude is challenged by Dr. Arden (James Cromwell, The Artist, Six Feet Under), a man of science. Or so he says. His “advanced” techniques include removing brains from still living patients, and he doesn’t use anesthetic because it messes with his tests. As cruel as Jude can be, and make no mistake about it, Jude is cruel, Arden, with whom she clashes, does not present a better option.

And then there’s poor Sister Eunice (Lily Rabe, also AHS), who is torn between Jude and Arden. A pathetic soul, she may just turn out to be a hero of the piece. At least, that’s my initial guess. Or she may remain too weak to do anything of note.

There’s also another doctor played by Zachary Quinto, the lone main character billed who does not appear in the season premiere. I wonder what role he’ll play in this dynamic?

The hospital’s entire world is threatened by a reporter named Lana (Sarah Paulson, AHS again), who wants to know what is really going on in Briarcliff. Jude tries to shut her out, but Lana is determined, which leads her into serious trouble. Unfortunately for her, Jude is not at all above resorting to blackmail to protect her work, and Lana, being a homosexual in 1964, is ripe for the picking.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY ASLYUM deals with bigotry in an interesting way. Jude, the only obvious hater from the start, is, of course, a detestable character. But it’s interesting there is both a lesbian (Paulson and Clea DuVall, Carnivale) and a interracial couple in this episode, given the time period. It’s not that this sort of thing didn’t exist back then, it’s just that both are living as openly as can be expected, given the societal norms, and both are part of this story, which has only a limited view of the world. Credit Murphy and Falchuk for their continued themes of inclusion in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

The black and white pairing are Kit (Evan Peters, AHS) and Alma (Britne Oldford, Skins). When Alma is found dead, skinned alive, Kit is assumed to be the serial killer behind it, and it placed in Briarcliff. Yet, Kit thinks he was abducted by aliens that night, an occurrence backed up when Dr. Arden examines him. So it Kit real, or crazy? And is Dr. Arden’s involvement in the story imagined, or does it actually happen? My instincts tell me that Kit is not the killer, because that was Peters’ character’s secret in the first season. And having aliens actually be a part of this story doesn’t seem likely. But you never know.

It’s this blurring of reality that is bound to make AMERICAN HORROR STORY ASYLUM great. In a mental hospital, who’s to say what is real or not? It is a place stocked with crazies (including Lizzie Brochere, R.I.S. Police scientifique, and Chloe Sevigny, Big Love), and depending on the perspective of the scene, things might be seen that don’t really happen. Add to that, visual fantasies and an actual monster, and this is a very strange, terrifying place.

Let’s be honest. What viewers really want to get out of this series is a good scare in a vivid world. Like season one, maybe even more so, the latest installment delivers this in spades, and with a large, talented cast that will provide plenty of tangents to keep the plot moving at an acceptable intensity. If you liked the first season, season two should not disappoint.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on FX.