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The cat’s out of the bag, in more than one way, by the end of the Supergirl winter finale! Season 1 Episode 8, Hostile Takeover, originally aired on December 14, 2015 and is the final episode of this year. Luckily, we only have to wait until January 4 before seeing the results of all the secrets that came out in this episode. Cat’s personal life, Astra’s mission on earth, and Kara’s identity are all brought to the surface, each bearing very different resolutions and very different consequences.

Cat’s Bag, and What Came Out Of It

Cat Grant Hacked. Or, sort of. The walking personification of white male privilege, a.k.a. Dirk Armstrong, orchestrated a series of events that would lead to what he hoped would be a hostile takeover of Catco. Instead, thanks to Kara, James, and the Handsome Hobbit, Dirk was escorted out of the building and Cat was able to hold on to the only secret that really meant anything to her.

There is something to be said for having tough skin. We’ve seen Cat vulnerable several times over the course of this series so far. She’s been a worried mother, she’s felt failure as a mother figure (to Leslie), and she’s been a hurt daughter. But she’s tough. She can dish it out and she can take it, and it doesn’t seem to be because she doesn’t care, but because she knows what is most important to her.

The truths that came out of Cat’s bag were injurious, but other than being a wee bit mortifying, are not impossible to overcome. The personal shoppers at Barneys, taking the private jet to Burning Man, spending hundreds of dollars on a haircut, these are expenditures that are infuriating to taxpayers when they learn their governor or mayor is spending ridiculous money, but not necessarily to the owner and face of a public company.

Even though Dirk Armstrong was arrested and escorted out of the building, seemingly unaware of gold mine hidden inside Cat’s leaked emails, they are still out there for someone to dig through and find the smoking gun. As we know, from rumors of casting, Adam Foster will be joining the Supergirl fray, at least for a time, so the question is why and how. Could it be that some media outlet refuses to let go of Cat’s emails and uncovers the truth anyway?

Save the Planet(s)

So, Auntie Astra is an Environmental Warrior, is she? The personality we see from Astra in present-day, leading up to her discussion with Kara in the DEO dungeon, is very different from the one we see in flashbacks. This would make sense, as she spent a great deal of time being hardened by her time in Fort Rozz and fixating on the betrayal of her sister. She had to become the General in order to survive on Earth.

But her mission here on Earth is an interesting one. She says to Kara: “Much like Krypton, this planet is on the verge of ecological destruction.” She appeals to the part of Kara that once loved her, becoming that woman from her childhood instead of the woman whose memory was marred by that of her mother. It is really hard to tell which side of Astra is the true one! I wanted an evil smirk after Kara left her presence, but we aren’t so lucky as to get such an indication.

Now, I acknowledge that this might all be a ploy for something bigger and more sinister. Why would Astra’s intentions toward Earth be altruistic? We saw what happened when General Zod wanted to turn Earth into the second Krypton in Man of Steel; he went so far as to begin terraforming. Astra says she wants to save Earth from itself, “but the people of Earth will not like my methods.” She needs Kara to help persuade them.

What I always come back to in situations like this, when someone flips their personality from hostile to friendly, is why didn’t you start with this approach? Astra reintroduced herself to Kara as an enemy, what Kara was expecting from her, so if her intentions really are good, why didn’t she appeal to Kara as Aunt Astra and not as General Astra? With someone as intelligent and strategic as Astra, I’m less inclined to believe this change is altruistic.

SHE KNOWS

There were subtle moments throughout the episode that highlighted Cat’s growing suspicions of Kara’s secret identity. And because she’s so tough skinned, and a very good journalist, and likely a good poker player, she kept a very tight lid on those suspicions until she had enough data to confront Kara and reach an affirmative conclusion. When she finally approached Kara about the facts she’d gathered, she had no doubt that she was right.

The members of our Facebook group have been going back and forth over whether it is a “good idea” for Cat to learn about Kara’s identity at this stage of the game. Most, I think, don’t like it. This is one of those story decisions that is easier for me to give up to the writers. Anyone who listens to Arrow Squad will know that I have had my qualms about a certain character deciding to keep a certain secret from a certain person, and the reason for that is because I feel it is largely inconsistent with the characters involved at this stage of the series. However, in this case, I feel that if Cat didn’t work out Kara’s secret identity for herself, simply because of how closely Cat and Kara work together, I would have started thinking it was totally absurd.

Honestly, after Cat said: “Well, let me start by saying thank you…” I thought she was going to follow it up with, “But now you work for me.” After Kara was taken away by the phone call, I started thinking that this isn’t really in line with what we know of Cat. While I can see Cat taking advantage of the situation in the form of exclusive interviews or….whatever…I don’t really see her using blackmail. But I am really excited to see what happens next!

Supergirl Returns…

January 4, 2016! We’ll be back for episode 9, Blood Bonds, the first week in January.

Cougar’s Comic Corner

Hopefully our 2 week break will give you time to catch up on homework!! This week, our Scarlet Cougar has another recommendation… [[[Superman: World of New Krypton]]]. A Soldier from Fort Rozz, “Gor” appears in this episode, and there is a “Commander Gor” Featured in WoNK, a story theme that seems to keep popping up here and there in Supergirl’s first Season.

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