written by Dayna Abel, Jason Froikin and Cara Russell

SPOILER WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT

BLESS EVERY SINGLE INCH OF YOU CATHERINE GRANT. The Queen is back, long live the Queen. Ever poised and unflappable, Cat’s return brings back the no-nonsense advice and leadership – and all that mixed with a kind heart – that Supergirl needed. Not only is she a major tether to humanity and wisdom, but she is a shining example of someone who will never, never, ever back down, no matter the cost.

Cat’s speech to National City was desperately needed, both to the characters and the viewers. It’s blatantly obvious that Rhea and the Daxamites are a parallel to the Trump administration – the metaphor is so thinly-veiled it may as well be transparent – and dear reader, I care not a whit about how corny and hamfisted it was. It has barely been five months of this clusterfuck, and we’re watching the tangerine-in-chief do a speedrun of the Nixon presidency. It has been a bad time for my anxiety disorder, is what I’m saying. Bless the writers for acknowledging how frightening everything is while simultaneously steeling our resolve to resist the hate and fear being spread throughout the nation. Calista Flockhart delivered her speech with fiery passion and an air of absolute confidence which no other character can touch. I fervently hope she returns for Season Three.

Sidebar: the number of times it was plainly stated how much Kara loves her best friend Lena has me a bit wary. I know damn well they’re not going to be in a romantic relationship for a zillion obvious reasons, but there’s a pretty fine line between a shiptease and queerbait, and I’m keeping an eye on that line. Canonically, Lena and Kara have been presented as nothing but heterosexual, so it doesn’t quite count as queerbait (I’m looking at you, Shannara Chronicles), but there is absolutely a possibility that we could see at least Lena confess some stronger feelings for Kara. Honestly, I wish they could go there completely, because there is so much drama to be wrought out of a relationship between a Super and a Luthor. I mean, jeez, imagine Clark’s reaction. Imagine Lex’s. Sure, pocket lint is more interesting than Mon-El but come on, it would be awesome.

-Dayna

* * *

I skipped a couple of reviews due to high work demand, and during that time I very nearly missed being thankful for my hopes in an earlier review coming true: that the slower plots in the last few episodes might be filling space because the writers simply had more episodes than they thought they would, and the “real” plot was still to come. We’re now in the closing episodes of Season Two, and they finally delivered.

There was a lot of action going on in this episode. Some of it I felt was positive, and some negative. I wasn’t initially amused by Lena Luthor taking the victim’s role again, but she recovered nicely. Alex or Kara being forced to choose between each other and the world again is getting a little old, but it was still nicely done one more time.

And slightly over the top was Supergirl insisting on giving the Daxam invasion force one more chance to surrender peacefully…maybe. I say maybe because you kind of expected the “magic solution” particle cannon to fail whether Kara caused her sister to delay or not; it was too easy and neat a solution, and there was still a second half of the show to air.

Obviously I really enjoyed the return of Cat Grant. I always like her ability to cut right through to the point with very few sharp words. And I especially liked how quickly she figured out James Olsen’s disguise. And set the city against the Daxam invaders. There’s really no comparable character in Superman’s Metropolis.

-Jason

* * *

As the lead-in for the season finale, there is little more that we could have asked for – there is action, tied-up plot threads, beloved returning cast members, and a whole lot of suspense. Cat Grant makes her glorious return as a negotiator with her fellow college alumni, President Olivia Marsden, who is revealed to be an alien refugee herself – and thus overly protective of her new home from foreign invaders (although we don’t learn how she managed to become president as someone born outside of the U.S. – a question that will nag me to the end of my days).

With Cat comes her insights and guidance, along with an arcing theme of human connection and unity, community, and finding fulfillment in each other and our actions towards our loved ones – a call to use these feelings to overcome fear and resist those who would force the world’s populace into submission. A message that could be repeated for nearly every situation that we now face in our daily lives and one that bears repeating. We may be feeling powerless, but we do have power, and we have a job to do. Shoulder to shoulder, and arm in arm with folks we may have been at odds with just a short time ago.

I really have to hand it to Mon-El – he does play the damsel in distress trope perfectly. After being kidnapped by his evil mother, who is hell-bent on remaking Earth in Daxam’s image, he spends much of the episode delivering pithy remarks and waiting for his girlfriend to show up and save the day. It’s not until Lena Luthor – the other captive, whom Rhea intends as a new daughter-in-law – shows some initiative that he tries to help, with his familiarity with Daxamite language and technology…just in time for Supergirl to arrive to rescue her girlfriend(s). A for Affort!

-Cara

Supergirl airs Monday nights at 8 Eastern/7 Central on the CW. Dayna can be reached on Twitter @queenanthai, Jason at @Mangacool, and Cara at @virtualcara.

Like our content? Please consider supporting us on Patreon!