Do you ever just have a “love at first sight” moment with a form of entertainment? A book? A movie? A dear actor or actress? Well, my love-struck moments usually come in the form of TV Shows. From obsessively watching Powerpuff Girls and Sailor Moon growing up to falling for Buffy in college, the shows I love have a very obvious common denominator; female badassery. So it was no surprise that when I discovered The CW’s Supergirl this summer, I fell head-over-heels into this show.
I really don’t know why I slept on this show for so long, considering how in-tune it was with my viewing patterns. But lucky for me, and any other new fans of the show, because season three is premiering in a little over a week. With a new trailer for episode one premiering this past Monday and new stills to give us all of the feelings, let’s delve in to what to look for in season three! Season one and two spoilers ahead so beware:
A Dark(er) Kara
Obviously after the sob-fest that was the season two finale, we’re left with Kara having to deal with the gut-wrenching loss of Mon-El. A hero’s journey is never an easy one, and Kara Zor-El’s is no different. After the six-month time jump from the last episode to the one premiering on Oct 9, Kara has had some time to stew over what happened and how she’s going to change the course of her superhero career.
In the trailer that was released during the San Diego Comic Con in July, audiences saw Kara without her signature optimism, saying “Kara Danvers was a mistake.” Many have criticized her switch as being a product of losing Mon-El, however this may just be the character development of a hero who has gone through a lot of shit. She lost her whole world when she was a pre-teen, lived as a relative freak to her peers and had to hide a part of her from everyone she ever met while virtually shutting off who she really is, which is Kryptonian Kara Zor-El. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (remember her?) went through a very similar character arc at the end of her second season, running away from home and from her slayer duties at the start of season three.
Verdict: strong women can be sad about losing their boyfriend to deadly circumstances and not lose their feminist character.
Strained Relationships
Another tidbit we were left with at the end of season two (and Comic Con) was that a third Kryptonian (besides Kara and Kal-El) was sent to Earth, but to cause a reign of terror, not to become a beloved superhero. This character, a new one played by Odette Annable, is said to not only be the Big Bad this season, but also is reported to befriend or create relationships with different core characters, obviously causing rifts for everyone when she begins her evil plans to kill Earth.
Could she be tearing them apart from the inside on purpose? Or does she embrace her real darkness later on, causing tension between the characters regardless?
The Departure of Maggie (and Sanvers?)
Another fact that came out right before Comic Con was that Floriana Lima, who plays Maggie Sawyer, would have a reoccurring role instead of being a series regular, begging a lot of fans to ask the question: “What about Sanvers?”
The odds aren’t good. Despite different websites saying otherwise, it seems like this is just a slow exit for Lima and will ultimately result in a single Alex by the end of the season. Fans speculate Sanvers will be through before the crossover (aka episode seven), but it really is still all up in the air. Hopefully Lima will come back in later seasons to reignite that Sanvers glory, or this may open the way for Alex to get another (more notable?) girlfriend.
Time will tell.
The Return of Sweet Karamel (Probably)
One of the key arcs of season two was the epic romance between Kara and newcomer Mon-El. Played by a CW fave, Chris Wood, Mon-El became one half of a beloved ship, while he got under other people’s skin. Despite your opinion on this goofy, burgeoning hero, the effect he had on Kara is undeniable. As she says later in the season, he was her first real love and relationship and the way it ended was not a good one full of closure.
But fear not Karamels, because from the most recent trailer we still get to see this Daxamite grace our screens. Whether in a dream sequence or in a flashback, Mon-El is there despite Kara’s depressed state. That, along with the fact that he’s being brought back as a series regular and was confirmed by multiple show-heads is a guarantee that he won’t be having a hard time breathing on Earth-38’s atmosphere much longer.
The ANGST is Going to be HEAVY
If the above points and the trailers haven’t proven it to you yet, there will be angst and a lot of it. If done correctly, this drama-filled season is going to rock our worlds and deliver some of the best acting we’ve seen on the show yet. Kara has obviously gone through an ordeal (again), but this season is darker and there’s a lot at stake.
There are also leftover problems from last season. Will Lena Luthor find out her best friend is Supergirl, cousin only to her brother’s arch nemesis? How will she deal? After all, Lena also dealt with a lot last season (the death of Jack, the constant belittling and betrayals of her evil mother, etc.); is something going to really make her cross into the realm of Evil Luthors this season? I need answers Greg Berlanti!
Valor will Rise
With the return of Mon-El sometime this season, there’s also going to be the arrival of the Legion of Superheroes. While not fully confirmed that Mon-El will become hero Valor like in the comic books, it has officially been released that Amy Jackson will be playing Saturn Girl, one of the leaders of the Legion. Plus, in one of his YouTube videos, Kevin Smith said that Supergirl will be doing Legion this year as well.
Considering that in some of the comics, Saturn Girl comes up with the antidote for Mon-El to survive on Earth despite the lead and both Valor and Saturn Girl are a part of the Legion, we can definitely bank on this being a key part of season three
That SICK Crossover, though
Probably one of the biggest events in the Arrowverse (aka the CW DC television shows) are the crossovers. Ever since season three of Arrow when Barry Allen (The Flash) made an appearance, the shows have had crossovers often. But just last season, they did their first big event where a lot of the cast from each show (except Supergirl, since it was just Kara to make the journey between shows) popped in on the three episodes. The exception was Supergirl, who only had Kara there to represent it and didn’t have a separate episode in the three-part crossover. THIS year, we are getting a true, four-part event, according to showrunners.
This year, it was released on social media that the four episodes will revolve around Earth X, a dimension where there are evil counterparts of our beloved superheroes and where Nazi Germany was never defeated, leading to mind-controlling technology and all-around squalor. Titled “Crisis on Earth-X,” the four-part series of episodes premieres November 27 and will undoubtedly be epic. Again, there is a lot of speculation about what’s going to be dealt with or whether more than Kara and Alex will appear across the shows (it really doesn’t make sense why Martian Manhunter, aka J’onn J’onzz, won’t make the trek). Many people *cough* me *cough* really want to see Winn, Cisco and Felicity geek out with each other, but we might have to wait another year to get that.
Regardless, this crossover is going to be a tough one to beat.
Despite The CW really holding out on the Supergirl content this summer, the premiere is upon us and it’ll hopefully be one to top all the others (season two was good, so I have high expectations).
Supergirl premieres on Oct 9th at 8/7c on The CW.