Re - watched the pilot. Better than anything in season 2.

Quoting Romulus:

The only drawback for me regarding the pilot was that the introduction episode was only 60 minutes (45 if you remove the TV commercials) and to have truly made a fan statement, it should have been a 90 or 120 minutes (i.e. a TV movie) one to compensate for the rushed feel of the production and to flesh out the story slightly.

Pilots often suffer from having to fit too much information into too little time, and Supergirl is no exception.

Personally, I think episode 1 should have ended after she saves the plane and Cat names her Supergirl, or perhaps right after she gets the final suit and looks in the mirror. The extra time could be filled with more of Kara as a child, experiencing life on Earth for the first time, the car rescue and getting glasses that was shown later in the season, and her relationship with Alex, so it's even more meaningful when she saves her.

Episode 2 would have then focused on the DEO, her sister's secret life as an agent, telling Winn and James, and expanding on the Vartox sequences so it didn't feel so rushed.

In the leaked version you see Alura give the necklace to Kara...you also see a conversation that is pretty funny with a co-worker as she is walking into Catco the morning after she saved the plane. There is also a bit of dialogue cut during her first encounter with Vartox, and a bit of the dialogue between her and Hank when she is trying to convince him to let her go after Vartox.

Quoting Romulus:

The only drawback for me regarding the pilot was that the introduction episode was only 60 minutes (45 if you remove the TV commercials) and to have truly made a fan statement, it should have been a 90 or 120 minutes (i.e. a TV movie) one to compensate for the rushed feel of the production and to flesh out the story slightly.

Pilots often suffer from having to fit too much information into too little time, and Supergirl is no exception. Your suggestion of a longer timeslot reminded me of the pilot audio commentary that was on the CBS website and CBS All Access during parts of season 1. The director talked about a couple of scenes that are in the episode but were originally longer and had to be trimmed for time. Also, the sequences in Midvale and Kara’s job interview which were filmed as part of the pilot, cut from the pilot, and later incorporated into the episode “Manhunter.”
Even with the deleted/trimmed scenes restored, I’m not sure the episode would be long enough to justify a 90 minute timeslot, but it would be interesting to see it all cut together as originally intended.

Before someone asks, the trimmed scenes were the opening scene with Kara and her parents on Krypton, and the “it’s not an S” scene with Kara and Winn.
At the beginning of the opening scene, Alura is wearing her necklace, and at the end Kara is wearing the necklace, but in the episode as aired, we never see the handoff. It was filmed, but as I said, cut for time.
I don’t remember them saying much about the scene with Kara and Winn, other than Kara told Winn about the House of El. My guess (and it’s just a guess) is that it was an early version of what would become the “El Mayara” conversation that Kara and James had in “Stronger Together.”

S1 was better by the sole virtue of having Cat, Lucy Lane and Astra. That alone tips the scales for me.

Well I would hope so considering it cost them 14 million to make it, as opposed to not quite 4 million an episode now.


But I agree ready to see some joy back in Kara's eyes.....and not just coming from Mon-el making her breakfast.....although that is important.

Right, jdbop? Ugh... I so miss seeing the pure JOY she had for her powers...that innocence.

Speaking of innocence... It still erks me that the writers this season, especially in the argument scene between Kara and Maggie at dinner, took away some of that innocence...making her appear to punch first ALWAYS.

To an extent, I'll agree with your take. The only drawback for me regarding the pilot was that the introduction episode was only 60 minutes (45 if you remove the TV commercials) and to have truly made a fan statement, it should have been a 90 or 120 minutes (i.e. a TV movie) one to compensate for the rushed feel of the production and to flesh out the story slightly. Nonetheless, the pilot did what was intended and led to the show being picked up and the rest is now history. So, all in all, no complaints.