S01.E08: Hostile Takeover

[Tara Ariano]

Kara faces off with Astra after her aunt challenges Kara's beliefs about her mother; and Cat is threatened with being removed as the CEO of CatCo after a hacker exposes her private and damaging emails.

[statsgirl]

Sneak peek of Cat dealing with the hacking:

 

http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/12/supergirl-episode-108-hostile-takeover_10.html

[SimoneS]

Wynn, dude, Kara is just not that into you.

[mtlchick]

Another day in the Berlanti TV universe, another person figures out a superhero's identity.  I think that's the bigger cliffhanger than the real ending.  

 

Pretty heavy stuff when Kara was yelling at Alura's imaging. 

[Trini]

That was probably the best episode yet! Definitely the turning point / game-changer / where things across the board start to gel for the show as a whole.

[tennisgurl]

Kara yelling at her moms reflection got pretty real. 

 

Of course Cat figured it out. Kara, I love you, but you are kind of crap at hiding your secret identity. Not Barry Allen level of crap, but still. 

 

So, in the grand tradition of Superman stories, Superman/Supergirl are the last son/daughter of Krypton, last of their people, etc. etc....except for all these other Kryptonians that are always running around the universe. Holding out for Krypto! 

[AimingforYoko]

Why do evil Kryptonians always have a British accent?

[Senna]

Was this the "winter finale"?  I didn't see a preview for the next episode.  (ETA:  It was the winter finale, per the show's twitter account.)

 

Cat seemed strangely disconnected from the contents of her e-mails.  I mean in the sense of, she wrote/received those e-mails, so why was she acting like she had no idea what might be in them?  And I guess it took Kara saving Cat's bacon for Cat to properly look at her and see Supergirl.  I expected a slightly more dramatic reveal there, but of course there will be more to come.

 

Did the blonde lady on the team of evil aliens have the power of deadly bad breath?!

 

Almost forgot:  I hope/suspect we get to meet Cat's first son soon.  Interesting that he's about Kara's age ....

Edited December 15, 2015 by Senna

[quarks]

Glad that Cat Grant just went ahead and confronted Kara with the increasingly obvious truth.  The overhearing moment was just the latest obvious moment.

 

The fight between Kara and her mother's computer projection was also pretty powerful.  And I liked that Alex was right there, trying to support her sister and try to get her to think.

 

Less excited about James telling Wynn to go for Kara.  Unless James is seeing a lot of offscreen stuff that I'm not, right now Kara is really not into Wynn. At the moment, telling Wynn to go for it is more or less telling Wynn to get his heart smushed.

[stealinghome]

That was probably the best episode yet! Definitely the turning point / game-changer / where things across the board start to gel for the show as a whole.

Yeah, man, I missed a few episodes and came back and it's like a different show! I still wish it was less cartoony and that the action sequences weren't cringeworthy, but the mythology stuff is really starting to come together. I'm legitimately interested to see where the DEO/evil Kryptonians stuff goes. Laura Benanti is killing it, literally and figuratively, as nutty Aunt Astra, and she and Kara play well off each other.

 

I like that the show is delving into the questionable morality of Kara's mom. Supporting the idiots who got Krypton blown up is not a great life choice. Agreed with whoever said the scene of Kara yelling at her mom's hologram was really, really great. Melissa Benoist can really bring it when she wants. The show is so much better when they delve into Kara's pathos.

 

Cat figuring out Kara's Supergirl was A++++, show. So so good! Also Cat has more chemistry with Kara than any of the dudes do. And that scene's score was slightly romantic. But I'm really excited to see where they go with her knowing!

 

The love triangle stuff is still oh so weak. The Four Musketeers stuff was actually fun, and then it just gets blah when we get into love triangle land. Cut that out and we'd have a show that is starting to get legit solid.

Edited December 15, 2015 by stealinghome

[Trini]

So, in this universe, should we assume Perry White knows about Clark Kent/Superman OR should we assume Clark is way better than Kara at hiding? (I want to assume the latter.)

 

(ETA: Crap, how come I can't see my grammar mistakes until they're quoted??)

Edited December 15, 2015 by Trini

[Jodithgrace]

Okay..major fact gleaned from tonight's episode....young Kara did not have pierced ears. Why do I care about this? I guess, if they hasn't made such a point of showing Supergirl's earrings, we wouldn't all be wasting time wondering how she got them pierced. So annoying.

Here I was thinking that we had ol'  Auntie Astra all wrong, but apparently not. Is she really Kara's mother? That was the impression I got. She told Alura, "She's not your daughter." And she acts like Kara's mother (when she's not trying to kill her) Are Astra and her gang really bad guys, or are they eco-terrorists, out to save Planet Earth by somewhat unsavory means? That was what Astra was claiming. 

Cat's emails were more sad than scandalous. But good for her for figuring out Supergirl's identity despite her impenetrable disguise! 

[cambridgeguy]

So Superman is the other person who knows about MM?  Superman, Supergirl, and MM would actually make for a pretty good trio against the big threats, like a bunch of alien villains with superpowers. 

 

I'm not sure that Jeremiah Danvers would consider this keeping his kid safe. 

[statsgirl]

Maybe Kara's ears were mysteriously pierced those years she was in limbo?

 

All in all, not bad for a midseason finale. Not great, but not bad.  I think the best part was the Kara/Astra/Alura conflict.

 

I thought Cat would figure it out in February sweeps but I forgot Berlanti burns through storylines.  Good scene though.  I wonder how the dynamic with Cat and Kara is going to change now. I'm glad Cat told her that she has a job with her any time before the Supergirl reveal.

 

I like it that Hank is on our side now.  And Harewood has a nice fatherly chemistry with Chyler Leigh.

 

I couldn't figure out why Kara couldn't zip through all the e-mails with her super speed but I guess they needed something for James to do so he could tell Winn to go get Kara.  Bring on the ship stalls.  (That quadrangle feels like someone read the paint-by-numbers book and decided to try it out.)

Why do evil Kryptonians always have a British accent?

That's Chris Vance's normal accent.  His American accent on Rizzoli and Isles was excruciatingly awful.

Apparently he was in episode 2 of Supergirl Stronger Together but I don't remember him.

 

Casting spoiler:

Blake Jenner (Mr. Melissa Menoist) has been cast as Adam Foster for "multiple episodes" so I guess we'll be seeing Cat's other son soon.)

Edited December 15, 2015 by statsgirl

[Writing Wrongs]

Best episode yet. I loved the scene between Cat and Kara. But why does Cat insist on calling Kara Kira?

 

I laughed when Kara was dragging Astra into the DEA.

[Trini]

I couldn't figure out why Kara couldn't zip through all the e-mails with her super speed but I guess they needed something for James to do so he could tell Winn to go get Kara.  Bring on the ship stalls.  (That quadrangle feels like someone read the paint-by-numbers book and decided to try it out.)

 

Seriously, this show might have one of the most boring triangles ever. Don't at least 2 corners have to be together officially for the drama that these things are supposed to generate?

 

Anyway, almost everywhere else, Dead Mother is a saint. It's a nice change that Alura has some shades of grey.

[kitmerlot1213]

MB was on fire tonight--the tears in her eyes when she was yelling at her mom's image was extremely well done and I liked her nervousness when she realized that Cat had figured out her superheroeness--nicely played all around.

 

I also liked seeing the bond between Kara and Astra and how her feelings for her aunt are going to interfere with Kara's being able to ultimately stop her aunt.

 

Alex was wonderfully protective of Kara and then Kara got to save her from her psycho uncle--for just a second I'd hoped we were going to get a General Zod mention but then we got Non, so it's all good.

 

And maybe it's petty, but whenever Cat goes off about Lois Lane, I picture the bimbo version on Smallville--I could stand thatr chick. :):)

Edited December 15, 2015 by kitmerlot1213

[sjohnson]

Unless James is seeing a lot of offscreen stuff that I'm not, right now Kara is really not into Wynn. At the moment, telling Wynn to go for it is more or less telling Wynn to get his heart smushed.

That's the plan, I think. James is following up on their moment, even if he's clever enough to agree that it was just a friendly hug. 

 

The Win/Kara/James triangle fails because it's not a triangle. I believe she has no feelings for him whatsoever. And he's too much of a fool to become an interesting villain, so it can't set up a Toyman story line either. 

 

The James/Lucy/Supergirl triangle suffers in my opinion because they haven't given him much personality beyond being a groupie for someone with superpowers. 

 

Every second of the DEO is starting to grate on my nerves. It's ruining the Astra story line. I know we are supposed to be loyal citizens of the empire and applaud when the covert operatives commit their necessary crimes to protect us, but why should Supergirl want to put her own aunt in jail forever and ever without even a trial? 

[mtlchick]

 

But why does Cat insist on calling Kara Kira?

 

I think that seems to vary; there are moments where Cat pronounced it properly when she's having a moment and being nice to her (or when she's tipsy) and Ker-rah (per the closed captioning) when she's full on boss mode snapping at her subordinate.  

[BkWurm1]

Glad that Cat Grant just went ahead and confronted Kara with the increasingly obvious truth.  The overhearing moment was just the latest obvious moment.

 

 

They may never go there but I'd always thought that Cat suspected it was Kara (Kira) since her first interview so it was nice that she just came right out and had that conversation.  The change in the dynamic should be interesting.  I mean, I have a hard time believing the Ms. Grant would be capable of not treating Kara like her lackey even if she respected her for being Supergirl, lol.  I kind of love that she slaughters her name.  Not sure if it's intentional of just CF not getting it right but it's believable to me. 

 

The fight between Kara and her mother's computer projection was also pretty powerful.  And I liked that Alex was right there, trying to support her sister and try to get her to think.

 

 

Really moving.  I like that she has some real justified anger about what happened to her life.

 

I guess all Kryptonian AI's are asshats.  "I'm not programmed to give you that information."  Sigh.  Still,  much better than Jor-El.  At least mom hasn't tried to brainwash or freezer her in a block of ice.  Yet.

 

Oh and why can't Kara know about Hank being MM?

Less excited about James telling Wynn to go for Kara.  Unless James is seeing a lot of offscreen stuff that I'm not, right now Kara is really not into Wynn. At the moment, telling Wynn to go for it is more or less telling Wynn to get his heart smushed.

 

I think we were supposed to see James' advice to Wynn as a hint of what is in James' head/heart.  If HE was free, HE would go for it.  So he's living vicariously through Wynn, at least right until Kara says, I'm sorry, I just don't think of you that way.  So...do we think they plan on killing him? 

[ottoDbusdriver]

I thought the fight scenes particularly bad this episode -- wobbly wire work most noticeably.  But when the evil Kryptonians were flying around they turned on a dime (since it was CGI).

 

How many people did Kara kill when she shoved her aunt through that building ?  Sure, she saved the people on the ground from the falling debris, but what about the people IN the building at the time ?

[Athena5217]

Finally a journalist who can see beneath Supeman and Supergirl's clever eyeglasses disguise!

[statsgirl]

I think that seems to vary; there are moments where Cat pronounced it properly when she's having a moment and being nice to her (or when she's tipsy) and Ker-rah (per the closed captioning) when she's full on boss mode snapping at her subordinate.  

I wonder if that will change now that she knows Kara is Supergirl.  They've had a lot of fun playing with Cat being self-absorbed but can she remain so after knowing that Kara is Supergirl?

 

 

 

Oh and why can't Kara know about Hank being MM?

Greg Berlanti shows and their secrets. I think his show DC shows might fall apart if there were no secrets.

 

I think we were supposed to see James' advice to Wynn as a hint of what is in James' head/heart.  If HE was free, HE would go for it.  So he's living vicariously through Wynn, at least right until Kara says, I'm sorry, I just don't think of you that way.  So...do we think they plan on killing him?

It's too soon to kill him. I'm not even sure he's going to go evil like in the comics.

 

If you're wondering what's going on in James' head, there's an interview linked in the James thread with Mechad Brooks where he tries to make sense of the writing for James.  Briefly

 

James is caught in a predicament where he’s heartbroken. We’ve all been. And he’s afraid to go back to his ex, but also intrigued by this new lady, but she’s off limits. So, I think there’s just more, “Am I making a mistake going back here? Am I making a mistake not pursing the new thing?”...

... There are plenty of reasons why that wouldn’t happen, like even in the conventional sense, but also, James really respects [Kara] and wants to keep it professional. If he can be her liaison into the superhero world he’s seen before, then he wants to do that. Is there a mutual attraction? Of course. Does James recognize that? Of course. He’s not blind, but should he go there? That’s the scariest question known to any dude that’s maybe thinking of dating a friend. But, once again, if the friend could also heat vision you, and blow arctic wind on you and destroy you at any given moment, you don’t want to piss her off either.

I think it's part that he can't date her and part that he wants her to be happy and if Winn is the one to do it, he's going to step back and let it happen.

[MarkHB]

The idea of Alura being a law-and-order type and her sister being the lefty eco-revolutionary/terrorist actually reminds me of the old Green Lantern/Green Arrow comics from the early 70's, where Hal was being his typical space cop and Ollie was half a step from joining the SDS.

 

My favorite line: "Congratulations, you got the looks."

[Trini]

Okay, I'm kinda glad that Cat figured it out, but I'm still somewhat annoyed that SO MANY people know Supergirl's identity so soon. (Don't get as bad as The Flash, show!) Struggling to balance the civilian and superhero identities/lives is one of the staples of the Superman mythos*, and I wouldn't have minded seeing more of that in this show. [/pet peeve]

 

*Not that they have to adhere to the mythos strictly, of course.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Trini

[lion10]

This was a great episode.  Kara's confrontation with her mom's hologram was powerful stuff, especially when she lost control and started to heat vision the hologram.  I also liked that it was Alex who brought Kara back down to stability.  I really want to see what Kara's aunt has planned and how seeing rogue Kryptonians flying around killing people will affect the public's view of Supergirl.  I've got mixed feelings about Cat knowing Kara's Supergirl.  On the one hand, I found it unbelievable that someone as intelligent as Cat wouldn't realize that Kara was Supergirl, especially since she barely tried to hide her identity.  And I think it will open up a lot of different story choices going forward for the show.  On the other, now it makes it that much harder for me to not believe someone like Maxwell Lord or Lucy Lane wouldn't realize Supergirl is Kara.  The fight between Kara and Astra was done pretty well and I liked that Alura was portrayed as being in the wrong for not telling people that Krypton was unstable.  I really want to know why Cat hates Lois so much as well as what she thinks about Clark Kent.  Lol at Cat referring to Lois as "that bitch" and Kara dragging her defeated aunt on the ground to the DEO headquarters.  I legitamely cracked up when Kara said "Superman doesn't kill."

 

I liked how the city fight between Kara and Astra payed homage to the Man of Steel fight when Superman punches Zod through Metropolis.  

 

[catrox14]

Holy cow. This was a surprisingly emotional episode for so much action.

 

I sure didn't expect Cat to find out so soon! I got a little emotional over that. But I shed a tear when Kara confronted her hologram mom. Wow that scene was amazing. I am so impressed with Melissa Benoist.

 

Great episode.

.

Edited December 15, 2015 by catrox14

[Actionmage]

As Kara was taking on Astra, I was thinking "Get out of the city, get out of the city!" Then Kara knocks Astra through a building and has to save civilians and the civilians in the building aren't addressed and ... while it isn't Man of Steel, you'd think Kara's savvy enough to realize that a fight in the middle of town benefits no one but Astra and Max.

 

I think that James' encouragement is going to be read by Winn as a bad faith/ meant-to-be-doomed move.  Regardless of how James meant it.

 

Lucy's reaction to Cat's reaction was fun.

 

I enjoyed Cat knowing corporate law well enough that Lucy or the CatCo lawyers needed to be around for exposition duty.  I also enjoyed  the getting of the M&Ms. She is a rich person who can be extravagant, and ridiculously so, but at the same time, seems to enjoy little things she can do because she's rich.

 

I enjoyed the mid-air bobbing. It seems kind of realistic.

 

The AI scene and Cat's explanation of A. Foster were really good, imo. 

 

I also love how Alex never really wavers in her support and love for Kara. She wasn't concerned about Kara's performance or results, but something felt off and Alex kept digging until she figured out what bugged her.

 

I enjoy Chris Vance, so seeing him get his Kryptonian on will be fun.

[Artsda]

Love that Cat figured out so soon and confronted her to take the glasses off. Finally a smart media mogul/journalist that also isn'tfooled by glasses.

James bores me, they need to make him more interesting. I enjoy Wynn and Lucy too.

[AudienceofOne]

Well, that was a noticeable step up.

 

It still has problems, some of which it's going to need to overcome soon. But after last week's disaster, this episode had some promise.

 

Can I vote for her outfit to change sometime soon though? It's fucking terrible.

[VCRTracking]

Surprised but glad that Cat figured out Kara was Supergirl so soon. Loved the reveal scene. Calista Flockhart has been great these last few episodes.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Kara yelling at her moms reflection got pretty real. 

 

Of course Cat figured it out. Kara, I love you, but you are kind of crap at hiding your secret identity. Not Barry Allen level of crap, but still. 

 

So, in the grand tradition of Superman stories, Superman/Supergirl are the last son/daughter of Krypton, last of their people, etc. etc....except for all these other Kryptonians that are always running around the universe. Holding out for Krypto! 

 

A) I have mixed feelings about SG's rage and so forth at dealing with Astra/Alura. She just strikes me as, well, super immature. My mom's the bestest woman ever! All the good's been sucked out of you! All these extremes with not really much basis for either. I wish Kara was more subtle. Like we still have no idea what Astra's plan is, other than supposedly it involves saving Earth from experiencing ecological disaster. Which again, with the benefit of Kryptonian science, you could probably do that without being EEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeevil.

 

B) For all the grief Barry gets for telling his secret identity to villains and random people alike, at least Barry doesn't have conversations about his Flashiness often in locations that are filled with other people, let alone journalists. Every episode, Kara, Jimmy and/or Winn have talked about her being Supergirl in Catco and at least one other location. I would have liked it if in her confrontation, Cat was like, "And Ed from Accounting heard you and Jimmy talking about how you were glad to get your powers back"

 

C) Technically, we should be keeping our fingers crossed for Streaky the Super Cat and Comet the Super Horse...Krypto is Kal-El's pet.'

Cat seemed strangely disconnected from the contents of her e-mails.  I mean in the sense of, she wrote/received those e-mails, so why was she acting like she had no idea what might be in them?  And I guess it took Kara saving Cat's bacon for Cat to properly look at her and see Supergirl.  I expected a slightly more dramatic reveal there, but of course there will be more to come.

 

Although Cat knows generally what she might have said/what was said to her, she probably doesn't have a perfect memory of either. Nor would she necessarily know what was caught by the hack. Also, she might want a second opinion as to how she comes off in the e-mails. 

 

Glad that Cat Grant just went ahead and confronted Kara with the increasingly obvious truth.  The overhearing moment was just the latest obvious moment.

 

The fight between Kara and her mother's computer projection was also pretty powerful.  And I liked that Alex was right there, trying to support her sister and try to get her to think.

 

Less excited about James telling Wynn to go for Kara.  Unless James is seeing a lot of offscreen stuff that I'm not, right now Kara is really not into Wynn. At the moment, telling Wynn to go for it is more or less telling Wynn to get his heart smushed.

 

Thank Rao that Astra tanked the fight. I was hoping that was the case, because that excuses the weakness of the fight. 

 

Re: Winn, there is some possibility (at least from Jimmy's perspective) that Kara has not considered Winn as a potential boyfriend because he hasn't manned up and told her how he feels about her. Although I think that Winn all but told her, there's the possibility that Kara is ignorant of how Winn feels, although it's painfully obvious to us. There's also the possibility that they will by fiat have Kara start to feel something for Winn that's more than just friendship, because at present the love rectangle is deadly boring.

 

Winn's trying to step to Jimmy and all but set him up to be caught was atrocious, btw. Why not bug White Male Privilege's computer at night? Also, how does Jimmy not get noticed sneaking into White Male Privilege's office?

 

Okay..major fact gleaned from tonight's episode....young Kara did not have pierced ears. Why do I care about this? I guess, if they hasn't made such a point of showing Supergirl's earrings, we wouldn't all be wasting time wondering how she got them pierced. So annoying.

Here I was thinking that we had ol'  Auntie Astra all wrong, but apparently not. Is she really Kara's mother? That was the impression I got. She told Alura, "She's not your daughter." And she acts like Kara's mother (when she's not trying to kill her) Are Astra and her gang really bad guys, or are they eco-terrorists, out to save Planet Earth by somewhat unsavory means? That was what Astra was claiming. 

Cat's emails were more sad than scandalous. But good for her for figuring out Supergirl's identity despite her impenetrable disguise! 

 

There is presumably about  a year between the Kryptonian events in this episode and Krypton's exploding. Plenty of time for young Kara to pierce hr ears.

 

I got the impression Astra might be Kara's bio-mom too. But if Astra is Kara's bio-mom, then Kara and Kal-El are just cousins-in-law. Not that it matters too much, but I think it is not something DC would allow them to do.

 

So Superman is the other person who knows about MM?  Superman, Supergirl, and MM would actually make for a pretty good trio against the big threats, like a bunch of alien villains with superpowers. 

 

I'm not sure that Jeremiah Danvers would consider this keeping his kid safe. 

 

If SM knows Henshaw is MM, add that to the list of secrets he has kept from his cuz, along with Kryptonite, the possibility of burning through her powers.

 

I think that seems to vary; there are moments where Cat pronounced it properly when she's having a moment and beingdon't nice to her (or when she's tipsy) and Ker-rah (per the closed captioning) when she's full on boss mode snapping at her subordinate.  

 

I don't think Cat has pronounced Kara the correct way on this show, which is "Car-a" as opposed to "Kira" or "Kare-a."

[pennben]

Surprised but glad that Cat figured out Kara was Supergirl so soon. Loved the reveal scene. Calista Flockhart has been great these last few episodes.

 

I'm hoping they don't do some sort of misting of Cat so as to make her forget what she knows.  That would annoy me greatly.

[thuganomics85]

Glad Cat knows the truth and figured it out for herself.  Considering how horrible Kara's pokerface is, Cat would have to have been an idiot not too.  Now, I just hope they keep it this way, and don't find some bizarre reason to have her lose her memory of this or something.  There is only so far they could push the whole "Kara makes excuses in front of Cat" aspect of this show, so it is better to end it now, I think.

 

The whole "corporate takeover" thing wasn't all that suspenseful, since they aren't going to have Cat lose her job, but I guess the reveal she has another son, is kind of interesting.  I'm sure he'll eventually show up somewhere down the line.

 

So, it turns out that Alura wasn't as good as she pretended to be, and maybe Astra wasn't as bad.  Sure, Astra is still kind of on the eco-terrorist side of things, but it seems like she was right about Krypton dying, but not only did Alura ignore her, but used Kara to have her arrested and thrown in that infamous prison.  Kind of hoping we get more flashbacks to what went down with Astra.

 

Melissa Benoist continues to pretty much elevate the show any time she's on screen.  She is even making the hokiest of dialogue bearable.  And Alex supporting her will never not be awesome.  The sisters are the best.

 

Wish I could say the same about the guys, though.  Winn is still an annoying jerk, and now James is pushing him to go for it with Kara.  Some friend you are, James. Why would you inflict Winn on poor Kara, James?!  Of course, I'm sure he's suppose to have underlining feelings for Kara now, so I hope poor Lucy is prepared to be abandoned very soon.

 

Biggest reveal of the night is that Idris Elba exists in this universe!

 

The final cliffhanger would have been more impactful, if we had actually seen more of this Non guy in past episodes, but instead it was just "Oh, look, it's a Flying Chris Vance.  That's.... bad?"  Nothing against Vance, but I can think of a few other former Prison Break actors who would have been more menacing.  Or entertaining (waves to Captain Cold.)

[Kromm]

I think most of us thought Cat either already knew or would figure it out. But I had it pegged at the season ender, not the Winter Break point.  So in that way it was a good fakeout aimed at us.

 

I DO wish she's already known though and only chose that point to reveal it.  Maybe over break, if the next episode isn't done, they can tweak the next scene with Cat to make it clear that maybe she DID already know and just thought it was time to press the point in a way to get past the denials.

 

I actually think her disdain of Lois is pretty funny. They've played that aspect really well (and in a previous episode implied it's because Lois keeps beating her for all the awards, presumably because of her access to Superman).  I also like that they've put a twist on the "Cat is a good mother" aspect they established and set a real tangible backstory to why she seems to work so hard at it (now). 

 

Like others I got the implication that Superman knows Martian Manhunter. And really... of course he does. Superman always knows MM.  No way around that. What's not 100% clear is if he knows that MM is currently Hank Henshaw. He PROBABLY does, but I suppose we can't assume. He would if he was in Hank's presence ever, I suppose.  

 

I suppose we need to learn why Max's company was the target. I mean Max is a real dick, but how would the Fort Rozz crowd know that?

 

Although everyone will be talking about Cat getting in the know (assuming still she always wasn't), another status change certainly has to be Winn's feelings being outted to Jimmy.  Can't say I expected them to take that tact with the triangle--because traditionally the only time that happens with triangles is when the two men are hostile to each other.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Kromm

[Kromm]

Holy cow. This was a surprisingly emotional episode for so much action.

 

I sure didn't expect Cat to find out so soon! I got a little emotional over that. But I shed a tear when Kara confronted her hologram mom. Wow that scene was amazing. I am so impressed with Melissa Benoist.

 

Great episode.

Oddly enough I think the way they're playing this (and it's very different from the comics) is with Cat being a proxy mother figure for Kara. It's worked really well, and I think it's because (and this surprised me) Calista Flockhart has acted the shit out the role. The show took some serious crap online for hiring her and IMO she's totally proved the haters wrong.

 

I also gotta say it can't be a coincidence that Cat's older son is just about Kara's age (well her seeming age, since we know chronologically she's a lot older).  I smell another Kara romance when they summon that character onto the show eventually. It makes sense if Cat has become Kara's surrogate mom figure to toss the 20-something son into the mix. It will happen, mark my words.  EDIT - Ah... Senna caught onto the same thing as me.  

Edited December 15, 2015 by Kromm

[Izeinwinter]

The only logical reason for the Kryptonians going for Max in that way is if he is working on the same power source that eventually blew up Krypton. 

 

Even then, I got to wonder why they didn't just send him an email explaining why this is a bloody bad idea, but maybe they did, and he ignored it? 

"We are aliens. The thing you are working on is a world destroyer. Design a better nuclear reactor or something instead" -> trashbin. 

 

I got to say, Astra has one hell of a motivation for being  a radical. I mean, she tried to save the world, got stopped, and then her world *got destroyed*. 

That's not a back story that's going to make her inclined to back down. Ever. 

Edited December 15, 2015 by Izeinwinter

[Writing Wrongs]

So Astra is married to Non. Wasn't he the big dumb mute in Superman I & II?

[Chris24601]

So Astra is married to Non. Wasn't he the big dumb mute in Superman I & II?

Yup. Though the comics have elaborated on that a bit in different versions. One version had him be a visionary friend of Jor-El's who helped him confirm that Krypton was dying and spoke out about it publicly before he was abducted by the Science Council and given a space-lobotomy to shut him up. That's when Zod (who was also Jor-El's friend and aware of their findings) decided that, in order to save Krypton, its corrupt government needed to be overthrown by any means necessary.

 

Needless to say, he failed, and would have been sentenced to death, but Jor-El convinced the Science Council to only send him and his followers to the Phantom Zone (where he knew they would survive Krypton's destruction) in exchange for publicly renouncing his own findings (which is why he only had the resources to build one or two small ships instead of something to carry the entire population to safety). Zod, not being aware of the behind the scenes reasons for it, blamed Jor-El for letting Krypton die and locking him away where he couldn't save his people and went mad from it, not realized that Jor-El was actually trying to SAVE him.

 

I could see some variation on that playing out with Alura/Astra here. We don't know much about Krypton's actual government and how pure or corrupt it was. Maybe Alura was stuck in a bad system and was forced to choose between Astra and Kara... but pushed for putting Astra in Fort Roz because she knew it would survive the very destruction Astra had been trying to prevent (and we still don't know WHY its engines suddenly turned on and followed Kara's ship out of the Zone).

[cambridgeguy]

Is that streak of white hair supposed to help the audience distinguish between Astra and Alura?  Because it looks pretty weird and the clothes alone give it away (evil loves black, after all).  But hey, at least someone listened to Jor-El or he realized that Astra had a point in time to build those ships.

 

Cat knowing will help explain how a high maintenance boss is OK with her personal assistant vanishing at random times but that doesn't mean this will stick.  MM could make sure that Supergirl and Kara appear together in front of Cat.  He could also alter Cat's mind but that's probably too big a betrayal of his character (who showed more of a sense of humor in this episode than he has the entire season).

[Kromm]

Is that streak of white hair supposed to help the audience distinguish between Astra and Alura?  Because it looks pretty weird and the clothes alone give it away (evil loves black, after all).  But hey, at least someone listened to Jor-El or he realized that Astra had a point in time to build those ships.

 

Cat knowing will help explain how a high maintenance boss is OK with her personal assistant vanishing at random times but that doesn't mean this will stick.  MM could make sure that Supergirl and Kara appear together in front of Cat.  He could also alter Cat's mind but that's probably too big a betrayal of his character (who showed more of a sense of humor in this episode than he has the entire season).

There's no way they're undoing this. It's not really in the style of these writers to usually do that kind of thing and they'd be throwing away the story potential of Cat being a mentor/mother stand in for Kara. I've come to realize that whatever excuses they use for why people in Metropolis have for not recognizing Superman in Clark Kent that it wouldn't work here, no matter what excuse they use. Cat's too smart, and the angle that she just didn't notice the "little people" a very weak thread when she clearly depended on Kara quite a lot and outside of bluntness was actually quite kind to her at many points.  Actually the one thing that stands out for me is her mangling of Kara's name... I may have to rewatch the pilot to see if she actually did it before Supergirl existed (since Kara had clearly been working for her for a while). I persist in thinking even still that Cat may have known from the first close up photo she saw with Supergirl's face.  Why Max Lord or Lucy Lane don't know is another issue entirely though (best left ignored for now), since I suspect either or both may have some reveal later about this as well.

 

I wonder if Jimmy jumps up and reveals at some point that Perry, Lois and himself always knew Clark was Superman but played along for years, thinking it made things easier somehow for Superman, since it's been alleged that this version of Superman is more of a loner and likes his secrets. 

Edited December 15, 2015 by Kromm

[Notwisconsin]

Why do evil Kryptonians always have a British accent?

Please check out all those Jaguar commercials.

[Primetimer]

Kara helps Cat Grant keep a secret. Will her boss return the favor?

Read the story

[Jediknight]

Alex was wonderfully protective of Kara and then Kara got to save her from her psycho uncle--for just a second I'd hoped we were going to get a General Zod mention but then we got Non, so it's all good.

I'm guessing the last shot of the season will be the reveal of Zod and him saying "The niece of Jor-El will kneel before Zod." They brought in Non, Astra was part of a group working against the Kryptonian council, and she's taking orders, they've got to be setting up for Zod.

That was an awesome episode. I liked the scenes of Kara, James, and Winn working together to save Cat's job, even Lucy's interactions with them were entertaining. The fight between Kara and Astra was good, but that was nothing compared to the assault on Lord Technologies.

Seriously, that assault on Lord Technologies was great. That's up there with the best of season 1 of Arrow, May vs "May" from Agents of SHIELD, and the fantastic one take of Skye taking down mooks in Agents of SHIELD.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Jediknight

[Chicago Redshirt]

Other miscellaneous thoughts:

 

The whole corporate takeover deal:

 

It doesn't make sense that White Male Privilege would undermine his own stock and Catco by revealing Cat's secrets to the world. Catco minus Cat Grant is presumably worth a lot less than Catco with Cat Grant.

 

It is idiot-plotting that White Male Privilege would leave digital fingerprints on a conspiracy to hack Cat on Catco computers.

 

One would think someone as smart as Cat would retain a majority or near-majority of her stock, and thus be immune to being pushed out.

 

The fact that Lucy is a former JAG lawyer doesn't make her a go-to person for all sorts of law.

 

Alura/Astra/Kara:

 

I find it annoying that they haven't exactly said what it was that Astra (and Non and the rest) did in the name of Kryptonian eco-terrorism.

Kara and Astra having this loving bond seems a little bit of a retcon from the previous appearance.

 

Also, was Kara always aware that Astra had been sentenced to Fort Rozz, and therefore was on Earth? One would think so, since they were spy beacon buddies. (BTW, DEO, nice job letting the prisoner have a device that they couldn't possibly know what it does in her cell). Seems like she or SM should have spent extra effort looking for her.

 

So in this universe, the possibility of anti-Kryptonite shielding exists. Huh. I am curious as to how they will explain why SM and SG do not eventually take advantage of this technology. (Must have sucked for those Fort Rozz villains who had to subject themselves to testing to make it).

 

Is this the first episode where villains have actually been killing people?

[KirkB]

I figured Astra's white streak (Did she always have it? I swear I didn't notice it before this episode but maybe that's just me) existed for the sole purpose of distinguishing her from Alura in the flashbacks.

 

I don't mind Cat only now figuring out Kara is Supergirl. She barely looked at Kara even when she was being nice to her and until she saved her son I'm not sure she saw Supergirl as anything more than a marketing tool. But she's subconsciously been putting the pieces together all this time. It should make their working dynamic more interesting from here on out. At least Kara won't need crappy excuses to run off anymore.

 

On the subject of saving Cat's job, was I the only one wondering why they decided they needed to risk James' job by having him plant the big when Kara could've run in and done it at super speed? Then again, that probably applies to a lot of stuff.

 

I was also wondering why Lord Industries was the first place they targeted. Maybe they wanted a big spectacle and Lord is the biggest public figure in the city? It's not really clear. Then again, I'm not entirely sure what Astra's motivations are. She says she doesn't want what happened to Krypton to happen to Earth, but is that only because it's where they all are or is she genuinely more altruistic than she seems? In the pilot and the first episode she seemed ruthlessly determined to take over Earth because the humans didn't deserve it and was willing to crush anyone who stood in her way, including her niece. Now she is breaking down crying and saying how much she loves Kara. Something doesn't add up, unless it was all an act to get sympathy.

 

MM said, if I recall correctly, until Alex only two people knew who he was. One was Alex's father. He never specified who the other one was, though this episode pretty much implies it's Superman. I particularly liked the delivery of the line "Kryptonians are immune to my telepathy. Superman finds it hilarious."

Winn bores me. I can see the actor is trying his best but I don't quite get why he's necessary, except of course for the love triangle. Which right now isn't really much of a triangle.

[FineWashables]

Enjoyed the episode, actually impressed by the acting.  Here are my embarrassingly superficial observations:

 

Calista Flockhart's hair was so gorgeous this episode that it actually distracted me from what was going on. Well done, stylists. 

 

I don't understand the suit the evil aunt is wearing.  The butt looks like she's wearing it over jeans.  Not good.

 

That giant pink panther -- so bad there are no words.

[StarBrand]

"Do me a favor and take off your glasses"

 

"My glasses? I'll be blind without them!"

 

"I doubt that.". I liked the look on Cat's face when she said that. As in, "bitch, please don't gimme that excuse..."

 

Also, it's not just the glasses that's different-Kara's been wearing hair extensions. Why the hell I didn't I notice that before?

Edited December 15, 2015 by StarBrand

[Tarasme]

I continue to be pleasantly, nay, wonderfully surprised at the depth tPtB are giving this show. The A plots are standard but the cast- led by Calista Flockhart- are giving decent scripts with good layers almost profound performances.

 

The expectation of a genre plot (oh heck, even a "drama" would be a sucker for this) surrounding corporate shark under threat of exposure would be that he or she did often nefarious acts that require cover up in order for said shark to continue operating. Instead, Cat defended her self humanely- in character- and was willing to sacrifice herself to protect her child. From her, again very human, mistakes earlier in her career to her decisions now, the whole thing was masterful.

 

I also appreciated the contrast between the three mother-figures (I guess the jury's still out on Astra's motherhood status). When comparing the three, with the limited perspectives- sorry- I don't trust Astra's oh your mom killed our planet blahblahblah; if Astra's willing to kill- not sacrifice- anyone for the "greater good" I question her definition of "good"- the comparison brings to light the foibles, weaknesses, and strengths of all. Awesome to uplift Cat showing how humans can do great things even though we don't have super physical strength. Good good good stuff.

 

Good work from MB still working through her parental abandonment issues. While the villainy/heroism of both Astra and Alura is debatable, the pain that Kara feels at being left behind is not. I'm glad that production had chosen to give time and depth to that aspect of her. 

 

Now, I'm starting to wonder if we really need Winn and James to move forward. Unfortunately, with the directions this is going, it is hard to see how either are going to be more than superfluous. 

 

Great episode. I'm looking forward to its return from hiatus.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Tarasme

[StarBrand]

The thing about Cat figuring out Kara's identity is that she's the first person to know Kara's true identify that she didn't necessarily want to know. She probably would think up to this point she's been doing an OK job of hiding it. I'm of the mind that Cat has known for quite some time, and the whole "overhearing" thing was pretty much confirmation. She's been mentally keeping track of every "coincidental" incident since Supergirl came along, and put two and two together.

 

Also, Cat's reaction wasn't "HA, I knew it!", but "thanks for all the things you've done for me.". Kara seemed to be rather unnerved by all this, although Cat has been a Supergirl backer since day one-I would think she'd be a valuable ally to have...