Supergirl: Pilot

This show could have really good. Instead, it was only mediocre.
The premise is complicated as most comic books ultimately are. Kara (pronounced Kar-A, not Kare-A) is sent to take care of her baby cousin, Kal-El, except her ship is blown off course and this stunts her age for twenty-four years. She is still thirteen and her cousin doesn't need her help, becoming a national hero by saving the day. Kara tries to fit in like normal with a normal family, even gaining a sister.
Time goes by. Kara (Melissa Benoist) isn't living up to her potential despite her vulcan hearing. She's a lowly assistant for Kat Grant (a great Calista Flockhart), and even wears glasses. Her sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh) works for an organization that tracks the aliens on Earth, a job she got because of her close relationship with her adopted alien sister.
After a disastrous blind date (he asked that the waitress write her number on the bill), Kara sees the news report that her sister's flight is having engine troubles. She is not going to just let her sister die and finally uses her powers to save the flight.
Kara enlists the help of her good friend, co worker and potential love interest, Winn (Jeremy Jordan) to help her create a costume and find crimes or accidents to solve. Another ally is the new photographer at the paper, James Olson (Mehcad Brooks), someone who knew Superman personally. He could also be a potential love interest.
But things get crazy. Turns out that when Kara's spaceship got knocked off course and then got back on course, it took a huge spaceship of international criminals with it and that also crashed onto Earth. For whatever reason, these criminals aren't after Superman, only Kara so things get sticky especially when the government agency, led by David Hare-Wood, don't even want her to pursue her talents of saving others. She disobeys their orders even Alex's.
In this episode, she doesn't save the day, but rather she saves herself even though she will undoubtedly have to do that time and time again before this show is over.
Now, I do have some problems with the series including the casting of Laura Benanti as both Kara's kind mother and evil aunt. That is just weird. Also, the time line Kara narrated in the beginning of the episode. She said that everything started just twenty-four years ago, but she was lost in the time warp for twenty-four years and at least ten have past since she finally arrived on Earth.
Though the cast is good, and the acting is there, the show lacks vital character interaction and development which will hopefully come in time. This is a disappointment especially when a show is filled with good actors. Jordan was completely wasted in the pilot with only one really good scene when Kara finally reveals her powers to him. At least Benoist is great, though she shined better in the few episodes of Glee that I saw her in. She needs more and deeper material to work with here.
I also thought they tried to make the pilot too epic too quickly. It wasn't just enough for Kara to finally decide to use her powers but she also must battle the worst villains in the galaxy, something that will continue throughout the course of the series, however long it lasts.
I will probably continue watching the series, but it didn't pull in as much as Scream Queens, which is currently the craziest show on TV right now. Still, this one could and should ultimately be the better show. Grade: B