Naomi: Season 1 (The CW)

I really liked it.

There are multiple reasons this would not work for an Arrowverse crossover this year. Superman is either fictional in this Universe or an urban myth. I'm leaning towards the second thing. Either way, it's clearly not what the Arrowverse considers Earth-1.

The second reason a crossover would be unlikely, especially this season, is because Berlanti didn't produce it. That's both good and bad. Good for the quality of the show because all Berlanti shows besides Superman & Lois are in current various states of trouble and / or disaster. You add the non-Arrowverse stuff like Blindspot and Riverdale to that total, and the entire production company is a trainwreck. The bad part of not being Berlanti was not a factor even a week ago. It looks like the CW may be sold. Perhaps Berlanti's shows have the producer clout to be moved over to HBO Max if and when the network either goes under, or it cancels all scripted show in favor of either cheap reality programming or the sappy, conservative, family friendly fare the current top buyer is interested in. What I'm saying is that while not having Berlanti produce the thing would normally mean the show has a far higher potential for quality, not having him means the show is far likelier to get sacked for good when the CW either cancels it or the network goes under. But I hope HBO Max gives it a shot. The first episode hints at some promise.

I like Naomi. I like her her parents. I think the tattoo guy may be Hawkman, but considering the nature of the Universe, maybe not. And I'm pretty sure Zumbado is her birth father. Not just because of the superpowers. But because the very thing Naomi was asked to debate was Nature vs Nurture. The very stance she took towards choice being the determining factor in how a person behaves suggests her birth parents may have been less than reputable, and that her loving real parents may be lying to her about both them, and the nature of her adoption.

I thought it was cool. I think the show will wind up solid. I also don't picture it in for the long-haul because of the CW potentially folding. But I will enjoy it while it is here, and be rooting for it anyways. ****.

I didn't like it as much as the first week. Perhaps that's to be expected. What I liked about the first week was how put together Naomi was as a character. It makes sense that aspect would be absent in the episode where she's both trying to uncover her identity and denying it at the same time. It makes sense from a narrative standpoint. That being said, the show has started engaging in tropes of other youth-based superhero shows that I absolutely hate like the hero lying to her friends, or blowing people off because they forgot they were supposed to do something because they were caught up in the superhero drama. Last week I didn't know this was going to be that kind of show. And now it is. So I like it less.

Also I am very, very disappointed that the writers already wrote some of the characters out of character. It's the second week. They shouldn't be doing that. But at least two boys in Naomi's clique are into her. There is no way in hell a boy with a crush trying to impress a girl, especially knowing their is another suitor present, would ever accept the idea that Naomi could be left alone with the villain because we should trust she knows what she's doing. That's not how teenage boys operate. They'd want to stay behind and protect her to shore up their manhood cred with her and the other rival. And nothing would deter them there. The idea that ALL of the group agreed with that decision is out of character, and I am comfortable stating that already in only the second week. It was an expedient storytelling decision done to simplify the climax. You know what? You should never, EVER write characters out of character to make your story easier to tell. Never. Your show will be MUCH worse for it. And again, this is week two. Them already doing that doesn't fill me with confidence.

It was all right, but I don't think I'll wind up liking this show as much as I thought I might last week. ***.

Man, that was great! Totally sold on this show!

I had a huge crush on Stephanie March from her Law & Order SVU days. She still looks great. I liked Akira's conversation with Zumbado because it was delightfully ambiguous and frustrating. They are never specific what planet they mean when they want to take it back. Akira claims she can't go home because of Zumbato. Did he destroy her home? Or convince her to commit a crime with her so severe they are now outcasts? Inquiring minds want to know and unhelpful pronouns refuse to give it to us!

I can't tell if Jennifer and Greg are bad disciplinarians or simply the best ever. They don't raise their voices even a little. They just tell Naomi what to do and stay put until she does it. Gotta respect that. I loved the ending. It will cause drama and heartache next week, but it's good to make it so that she and her loving parents are back on the same page. I was very concerned last week when they started drifting away from that concept. This will get that right back on track.

This show is awesome! ****1/2.

Okay, I've pinpointed the problem with Naomi's parents. They are TOO cool. They want their daughter's acceptance TOO much. I understand immediately upon their profuse apology and begging for forgiveness why Naomi refuses to stay mad at them. But that's unfair of them to put on her. She should be allowed to be mad at them without them guilting her into forgiving them. They are emotionally needy and controlling. What's interesting is that I do agree that they aren't bad, and Naomi should forgive them. The thing is, that is something that needs to be talked about, addressed, explored, and understood before that can happen. It's not just a given. And it shouldn't be. They shouldn't be putting that emotional burden on a teenage girl.

As an adopted kid I found something very not true to life. Naomi says she's spent all her time wondering about her birth parents. That does not describe me at all. And in absolutely fairness to this show, my experience is not that of all adopted kids. But the truth is fiction refuses to show my viewpoint. EVER. And that's the problem. And I had a VERY troubled and problematic relationship with my parents growing up. When my birth parents barely cross my mind ever, how I am supposed to react to someone like Naomi who has the best and most seemingly well-adjusted parents ever for being on the specific end of that spectrum? If anything, it should be the other way around. And the fact that it isn't drives me crazy about fiction. Deep down all writers of fiction believe adopted kids are illegitimate and only want their "real" parents. Every writer of fiction. And as an adopted kid, that moral hurts. And I'm fed up with it and I would like to hear more adopted fanboys and girls talk about how they personally don't find anything missing in their lives in that department. Because fiction loves to tug at the heartstrings with stories of adoption. But every adoption story's moral appears to be that you can't beat the real thing. I find it offensive. I wouldn't if the perspectives were varied (just like all adopted kids feel differently about any given subject) but it's uniform and designed to make us feel less-than. It's not okay.

One last complaint. And this is an Arrowverse complaint, but it's a problem with all genre too, and can even be a problem with procedural drama. But Naomi trying to stretch the moral of honesty over the controversy of candy bars in the snack machines is beyond a stretch and clunky as hell. For some reason, all genre, especially comic book genre, believes the B story must resonate thematically with the A story. If the A story isn't actually teaching Naomi the most virtuous way to run for class President, genre believes it must be adjusted so that it does. And it doesn't work here. And it doesn't work usually. And it's certainly not a good thing to wedge into every given episode (I sneering at you, Lucifer). Sometimes I think all genre would be better off if I ran it. Not wrote it. But ran it. Shows like this need competent story editors in the worst way.

I liked the tension the show found between Dee and the McDuffies. The brilliant thing is that all three of those characters are reasonable, friendly, honest, and want what's best for Naomi. And they found ways to make it beyond awkward anyways. And what's best is those ways were actually completely believable. Most shows in that position with those specific characters would wind up creating false drama out of pure laziness. Every ounce of cringe and concern between those adults felt 100% in character instead which impresses the hell out of me.

So-so week. There were things I liked and things I didn't. ***1/2.

The kids getting so heavily into sleuthing is getting old.

I thought Naomi's parents "victory" seemed too easy. The truth is they were careless.

Zumbado's team-up with Dee was interesting.

Solid episode but the premise is already starting to wear a little thin. ***.

I never trusted Bell, and think Naomi was a fool for going back to her. Her instantly confronting Naomi over being an alien crossed over the line from suspicious, to outright uncool, and even vulgar. I don't exactly trust Zumbado, but I certainly always trusted him more than Bell. I instantly disliked her.

I heard Zumbado is the villain in the comics. It sounds to me like his portrayal on the TV show will be a lot more nuanced. I theorized in my review of the Pilot that he'd turned out to be her biological father, and although that theory hasn't been close to disproven, I still now think they will probably go in a different direction. If her parents weren't already in on the secret, it would make a bit more sense for the long-term arc of the show. Since they already are, that specific reveal would have less weight than it might otherwise have, which is why I'm leaning away from the theory. If it were true, they'd be taking steps to play it up for maximum conflict, not making it easier to deal with.

I love the sign in the bar reading "Act human". I totally believe that's a thing on Earths with superpowers.

Nathan pointing out to Anthony that maybe he actually knew something about his people's history being erased may be my favorite thing ever.

The one thing in the episode that made me groan was Anabelle's reaction to the X-Ray Vision. She asks Naomi if she could see inside her, and if she could, is her heart getting enough iron? Geez, dummy, even if she could, how is she supposed to be able to tell that? She's not a doctor. Dumb TV character is TV dumb.

I liked it, but think Naomi is a bit TV dumb herself for ever trusting Bell. ***1/2.

My favorite episode so far. Zumbado's origin story was well worth the wait.

Few thoughts about it.

I'm thinking the idea that he's her father has regained a bit of credibility in my mind. He never outright said it, but I felt he was pretty careful using pronouns when describing her parents and his relationship to them. It frankly felt like Obi-Wan level b.s.. Except I expect this show will be smart enough to have Naomi be mad about it later on whereas Luke was such a dope he accepted it as if it wasn't the hugest crock of dren ever spilled, and Ben Kenobi wasn't the single worst person who ever lived in the Star Warsverse (and he would be if Yoda didn't exist).

The second thing is I am positive father or not, Zumbado is a black hat with bad intentions for Naomi, whether he attempted to sacrifice himself for her tonight or not. It's not his origin that damns him, or the convenient gaps in the story that could potentially incriminate him that make me think he's no good. It's the reaffirming of his catchphrase: "Don't believe what you think." Narratively speaking, that would be a DAMN good thing to throw in Naomi's face after she's learned to love and trust him (possibly after learning he's her father) and his true nefarious agenda is revealed. Before this week, I was convinced Zumbado was, if not a good guy, a guy whose interests aligned with the good guys. I no longer believe that. The catchphrase damns him.

Anabelle's scenes with Dee were great. His reactions to her were very cute.

I thought it was very interesting to learn that racism never existed on Earth-29. Thought Zumbado having to get used to that was very thought-provoking.

The best episode yet. *****.

Pretty good.

Batman is a fictional comic book character in this world too, which suggests to me, that if Superman is real, he must come from a different dimension. Tyler Hoechlin appearing eventually doesn't actually strike me as the craziest idea ever anymore.

Lourdes really annoyed me with her attitude. I'm glad she came around at the end.

Zumbado's alliance with the good guys reminds me of where Smallville wound up taking Lionel Luthor. Smallville actually entirely botched that really cool plotline. I hope this show has a better handle on it.

I like Anabelle saying "Yeah, we were in a fight. A pretty traumatic one. That's what people do. They fight." Whatever else Anabelle is, she has a pretty healthy perspective on human friendships and relationships. And that's something Naomi desperately needs, and wasn't aware she needed it until it was said.

Pretty good, but the cliffhanger suggests this week was more about the set-up. I'll be able to more fairly judge it when I've seen the pay-off next week. ****.

That was a pleasurably shocking ending. Most shocking endings are not pleasurable. I take note of and praise the rare ones that are.

To be honest, I've never been crazy about the framing story of The Usual Suspects. It worked for that movie, but I don't often like TV episodes that pay tribute to it. Here though, it totally built towards that twist ending properly, and worked like gangbusters. I approve.

I love when Dee suggests crashing, the party, Zumbado looks at him like he has two heads, and says, "In that?" Whatever else Zumbado is, he's actually stylish.

Naomi has some making up to do with Nathan at the end. I think she'll be up to it, and that he'll forgive her. But I realized by the end of that why he was the exact wrong person to accuse.

Great episode. I loved the ending. *****.

That was very well-put together, and the drama landed, and the performances were pretty great. I suspect fans will really have dug this.

I couldn't stand it. The fact that fans will dig it sort of enrages me. Not at the fans. But on their behalf. They'll never understand or appreciate how wrong this episode did by them. Why not? Because it is exactly how genre approaches this kind of storytelling, so fans have foolishly been led to believe over the years that it's acceptable. It's not. Fans put up with a LOT more crap than they should because they don't understand they deserve better. I normally have nothing but bad things to say about fandom, but it REALLY rankles me when I need to be outraged on their behalf. It makes me feel bad. You guys deserve SO much better.

After last week, Naomi refusing to talk to her parents is a cop-put of the highest narrative order. The episode is literally jerking the audience around there. Because they know Greg and Jen will be truthful and they want to drag the mystery out. That's bogus. If they didn't want to reveal this stuff at this stage of the game, they shouldn't have done the reveal at the end of the last episode they did. The producers of Naomi are doing what ALL producers of bad genre do, and finding excuses NOT to tell their story. The fact that no fan understands they should be pissed off at this method of storytelling is a damn shame. They just TAKE being jerked around like this. It is not right. At all.

Naomi's excuse for not wanting to talk was so bad because even a slightly competent critic could poke the major flaw in her reasoning. Will most fans see it or will I have to point it out? Naomi says she doesn't want to hear explanations from aliens because she is tired of being lied to. She believes she should find those answers on her own. That is the biggest load of b.s. a writer could ever try to sell a viewer, and I am dismayed to realize a lot of people would accept that idea at face value. It's not remotely credible. If Naomi is tired of being lied to, but still wants information, it makes sense to get as much of it from the people who have it as they are willing to give. See, she doesn't have to BELIEVE them. But if she is as desperate for answers as she claims she would listen to every single explanation given by her parents, Zumbado, and Akira, and make up her own damn mind. Refusing to talk to them is done because this is television, and television producers believe you are stupid, and will believe anything. Don't let them get away with that, fans. It's never okay. And it never was. You deserve better.

Speaking of bad television, the reason Nathan doesn't text Naomi back isn't because Nathan is unreasonable, or that what Naomi accused him of was unforgivable. It's because his actor wasn't contracted to appear in the episode. That's it. And that is another bogus reason for conflict.

I believe Naomi believes she is straight and not into Lourdes. I think Lourdes projecting those feelings are inaccurate (at least as of now). That being said, when Lourdes accuses her of using her as a prop in selfies to make her boyfriend jealous, that's A Damn Good Point. Naomi can innocently protest Lourdes has gotten the wrong idea. The truth is she was being flirtatious with her for selfish reasons and didn't expect to be called on it. Why is honesty such a deal-breaker for Naomi? It's not like she's great at it herself.

The Kents being namedropped suggests that in this Universe (where DC heroes are fictional), Superman's Secret Identity is actually widely known. For some reason, this strikes me as a bad idea that could create problems for the continuity down the line.

I'm giving that a single star in my final grade because the episode's craftmanship was well-done. The episode itself however is still utter crap. *.

Great episode title.

The way Nathan broke up with Naomi at the end was SO freaking sweet. I have mentioned before my love of "Good hurts". That almost qualified. Except it was so damn romantic, I didn't actually feel any hurt at all. Damn good trick, there.

I railed against last week's episode. Naomi being given so much information at the beginning of the episode says my disdain was absolutely justified there. The show was definitely screwing us around for an extra week which is something I hate.

This episode however was pretty great. ****.

I watched the last two episodes kind of late so I got notice of the cancellation before I saw them. Let's see if these are good episodes for a series finale.

The last scene of this one does not make me hopeful. It suggests a drawn-out longterm arc that we'll never get to.

Lourdes and the boy who has a crush on Naomi being let in on the secret is interesting, especially since through refusing to deny it, Zumbado and Dee practically handed them her secret too.

I don't like the "Trust no one" thing at the end. It bears bad tidings for the next episode.

I liked Naomi and Anabelle pondering if there are differences between this world's version of Superman, and the comic books that star him. This is the exact type of question the show needs to be raising and I wish they did it more often.

I like Red Eye saying "Above my paygrade" when Naomi broke his electric daggers. Says everything.

That was interesting but it left me with a bad feeling. I think that rather than a satisfying finale with a tag setting up next year, we are about to be stuck with a big fat cliffhanger ending. We'll see if I'm right in 45 minutes. Please let me be wrong. 4 stars.

I was right. There will be fans of the show who will put ALL of the blame on The CW's cancellation for that ending, but the truth is, as far as superhero shows go, Naomi was always a risk. A show featuring a black teenager female superhero with few actual DC Comics ties? The show should have understood what a tough sell renewal would have been, and crafted a satisfying wrap-up for the first season at least. THAT type of game-changing and devastating cliffhanger should only be attempted by shows that have both been around for a bit, and also are in no danger of cancellation. The CW didn't make that story choice. The producers did. The show going out in a frustrating manner is on them, not The CW.

I was a little surprised we saw Brutus the way we did. Normally an appearance by a character that important is done in silhouette in the last shot of the finale, so they can cast a big name actor when the show returns. Brutus is just... some guy however, that Naomi actually meets face to and face and fights. On some level that's an underwhelming turn. On another its refreshing. Or it might be if the show weren't cancelled.

On some level it's good the show was cancelled. Because I think the thing that peeves me most about the cliffhanger is that I get the distinct impression the show wants to walk it back next year. Just based on what we've seen in that vision, Naomi's parents are monsters, murderers, and kidnappers. They are also series regulars that the show would not want to write out, and the only way for that to happen is for Naomi to either forgive them or come to an understanding with them. And that's one of television's biggest problems when it comes to surprise betrayals. The show will often ask the viewer to forgive unforgivable things. It's unforgivable to ask Naomi to someday forgive the people who murdered her parents. I certainly shouldn't be expected to. And that's why the Surprise Betrayal Trope not only never works, but has to be bought back in most occasions. And part of me is thinking the show is better off gone than seeing the writers retcon exactly what we just witnessed in that flashback and acting like it's possible they were acting in their world's best interest. Because that's what they'd have to do, and that would suck ass.

Also, speaking as an adopted kid, I always found Naomi's relationship to her adopted parents quite refreshing in that there was no trauma attached to their relationship. Television demands that adopted kids pine for their biological parents because most television writers believe adopted families aren't real families. And this show proves that cynical opinion of mine about TV writers right. And what pisses me off the most is this show was trading on goodwill for showing a positive adoption scenario only to repeatedly pull the rug out from under the viewer, finally leading to the revelation they killed her parents and stole her. I and my entire family are always ALWAYS made to feel less-than on television. It hurts especially learning this show's initial positive portrayal was a meaningless platitude, and the show hates adoption as much as the rest of fiction does. It pisses me off, and depresses me at the same time.

Still, even keeping all that in mind, my reaction to that would have been very different if it were a season finale rather than a series finale. I would have hated it, but I might have gotten over it. But making the last episode completely unsatisfying and annoying was a specific choice the producers made, NOT on the network, and I didn't like it. 1 1/2 stars.