"Supergirl" Recap: "Hostile Takeover"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Sometimes you're rewarded and rewarded well when you stick it out with a brand new show as it finds its footing and that's exactly what fans of Supergirl have been treated to the last couple of weeks...a grand reward. If last week was the first step toward the show finding its voice, then the winter finale served up the show finding its stride since last night's episode finally put on display what this series can really do storytelling wise.

This was an episode that finally addressed my biggest issue with the show, the lack of respect and trust for Kara all while progressing the plot forward in fantastic fashion all while giving Supergirl a fine challenge at last as she squared off against her crazy Aunt and her army of Kryptonians. So to say the least, this is an episode I completely enjoyed, because the characters managed to drive the entire plot and to top it off, Cat Grant was more than a megalomaniacal monster, she came across as a genuine human being at last. Granted we've seen flashes of her humanity before but at last...it was on full display and that played an important part in tonight's episode as well. 

Actually, Cat's tale took up a good chunk of this particular episode simply because of the fact that the media mogul was in big trouble for a change, courtesy of an epic email hack that sent her personal letters out in to the world. Naturally, the board wants answers and the Chairman of the Board, Dirk Armstrong, a man who Cat thought was a foe, actually supports her from the get go. But naturally Cat is suspicious and Kara's super hearing confirms that suspicion, when she hears Dirk boasting over the fact Cat will eventually have to resign courtesy of his actions. It leads her to use Winn's technical skill and James' cunning to plant a device on Dirk's machine that gets them the evidence they need to reveal Dirk was behind everything and get him out of CatCo. The truth couldn't arrive a moment sooner, since Cat was prepared to resign since it would soon be revealed that she was making payments to an Adam Foster, her other son that she kept in the shadows.

In the middle of all of this, Kara is of course keeping busy dealing with her Aunt Astra who wants Kara to join her in her quest to help humanity in...violent fashion. It leads to a Man of Steel style showdown in the heart of National City where Kara emerges victorious, dragging her Aunt into the DEO and this victory allows her to be able to finally confront her Aunt and her past. We finally see how hard the whole ordeal of leaving Krypton has been upon her and how difficult it is to deal with the fact her mother used her as bait to capture Astra. This was, some of the finest work from Melissa Benoist on the show to date and a fine touch to the story. But it was part of a larger plan. Astra wanted to be captured to distract the DEO as her husband Non and the Kryptonians assault Lord Technologies. It means Kara has to rush in to save the day but before she goes...Cat Grant reveals that she has finally put two and two together from Kara' slip up about hearing what Dirk was up to...and knows her beloved assistant...is Supergirl.

As expected, our super showdown at Lord Technologies ends in a cliffhanger and I'm okay with that, but I'm actually not okay with Cat knowing Kara's true identity. I guess that's my only complaint about the show last night and I suppose super hero storytelling in general these days...the fact that every single hero's true identity is basically the worst kept secret in the history of ever. At this rate National City should know who Kara really is by the end of next season. But I digress, that's really a minor complaint because as I mentioned before, this winter finale was absolutely sublime. Supergirl has finally come into her own, she is a strong and confident hero and it's great to see everyone working together at last. Now to wait a few weeks unfortunately to watch Kara deal with Non and hopefully resolve the Kryptonian threat. Until then.

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