On Oct. 9, “Supergirl” season three premiered on The CW. The episode begins a few months after the devastating separation of Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist)–Supergirl’s human identity–and her boyfriend, Mon-El (Chris Wood). However, Kara is still deeply buried in the grieving process and has begun to doubt whether or not her human identity is worth maintaining at all without Mon-El. As a result, the audience is introduced to a new, dark and brooding Supergirl who no longer takes the time to be with her friends and family nor has any interest in her official job as a reporter.

During the first half of the episode Kara flies around the streets of National City, staring with awkwardly-squinted eyes and searching for someone to save. She has started to devote so much time to crime-control that another character tells her that “the cops can do their job,” voicing a concern many viewers have about superhero narratives.

Benoist did not communicate Kara’s new brooding persona very well. Instead, Supergirl looked like she was in physical pain and no longer remembered the physicality of a normal person. Since the character so far has always been peppy and bouncy, this shift was extremely disconcerting to watch.

However, by the second half of the episode Benoist fortunately figured out how to portray a grieving person naturally.

Along with grief, the episode dealt with other incredibly crucial personal issues involved with a human life. Identity, purpose, the value of a human life and the idea of family were all dealt with in depth in this episode, making the characters and plot relatable for the viewer.

Many of the relationships fans have come to love were also explored and strengthened in this episode. Kara’s sister, Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), and her fiancé, Maggie (Floriana Lima) have begun wedding planning and viewers had the opportunity to see this couple deal with matrimonial stress, especially since Alex’s father could not walk her down the aisle.

Luckily, the focus on girl power in “Supergirl” has not stopped yet. The show’s dedication to portraying strong, complex and flawed female characters has continued in this episode, especially in regard to the relationship between Kara and her friend, Lena Luthor.

Considering Lena is the sister of Lex Luthor and many entertainment outlets tend to create one-dimensional female characters,  it would have been very easy to make Lena into a villain. Instead, the viewers watch a truly beautiful and genuine friendship form between the two characters.

Overall, the premiere episode of season three of “Supergirl” draws the viewer in with a compelling plot and an exploration of the characters already known and loved.

Show: “Supergirl” Season Three Premiere

Network: The CW

Release: Oct. 9

Rating: 3 out of 5