In addition to relying on each other for emotional support, Kara and Alex really felt like sisters, petty arguments and all. The first of those was immediately established in the pilot, when Kara made the crucial decision to use her powers for good and save Alex from a crashing airplane. Looking back, Kara's most powerful relationships in Season 1 boiled down to three other characters: Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), J'onn J'onzz (David Harewood) and Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart). Meanwhile, Winn Schott didn't make much of an impact this season either, save for in his one spotlight episode, "Childish Things," which was a notable exception for actor Jeremy Jordan. Not only did the obvious pairing of Kara and James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) take way too long to reach the payoff, but the show never really went out of its way to convince us why they were a good match - you know, besides them making goo-goo eyes at each other all the time.
It didn't help that said dynamic was bogged down with an unnecessary love triangle - or square, when Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum) was involved. In Supergirl's case, Kara and a few friends working out of an abandoned CatCo office felt like the more natural way to tell stories, but time and again that dynamic was hampered by Supergirl's obligation to visit the DEO for a debriefing. More often than not, it got in the way of Kara doing what she does best: saving people on her own terms, and not in spite of orders. With characters like the Flash and Arrow on The CW, the "Team" aspect seems like a natural fit, but Supergirl having her own HQ run by a secret government organization never quite meshed with the formula of the show. Honestly, I think one of the show's fundamental flaws was introducing the DEO. Arguably some of the character's finest moments were when she was using her tenacity and wit to overcome an obstacle, instead of punching her way through it - like that time she convinced a criminal to hand over his gun just by talking to him in "Human for a Day" (an episode in which Supergirl didn't even have powers, by the way). I don't think I'm alone in saying this show was at its best when Supergirl was just being Supergirl - chasing cars, stopping bank robberies, rescuing people from burning buildings - you know, superhero stuff. As a result, it felt more like a spiritual successor to Donner's Superman or Lois & Clark, rather than the dark and gritty Superman we've seen in the recent Snyder films. This of course carried over into the show itself, which nailed the hopeful, cheery tone it was going for right away. The character was also written very well: strong, capable, upbeat, but also not above making mistakes and owning up to them. Melissa Benoist, for example, totally encapsulated the lead role and portrayed both the vulnerability of Kara Danvers and the determination of Kara Zor-El. So much about Supergirl was flawless right out of the gate.