In Supergirl episode “Hostile Takeover,” Grant’s position as CEO of CatCo is threatened when a hacker exposes her private information, while Kara’s Aunt Astra reappears and challenges her beliefs.
Continuing the trend of no wasted episodes, “Hostile Takeover” seems like any other episode at first, with a seemingly inconsequential plot about Grant’s private emails. The revelation that she has another, illegitimate son with another man (Lord, perhaps?) didn’t seem to payoff… at first.
Turns out, in a clever red herring, the whole subplot was an excuse for Grant to find out Supergirl’s true identity. While it’s clearly unresolved by episode’s end, Grant’s enigmatic reaction seems to plant the seed that she’s more or less on Kara’s side- despite STILL getting her name wrong- and Supergirl’s secret is in good hands. Of course, given Grant’s track record, evidence exists that she’ll blab the next day, but still.
The Aunt Astra plot took over most of the emotional angle of the episode and again, the whole story isn’t revealed here. Mostly that’s due to the AI of Kara’s mother saying conveniently silent, while Astra, if she’s hiding some big secret, also doesn’t spill the beans. There’s a line between plot convenience and smart character choices and Astra’s crossed it.
Astra’s motives are still unclear and the ending implies that there is a master plan going on. It’s an interesting game to play with who to believe here: Is Astra bluffing, or does she really have a soft spot for Kara? There’s also a hint that Kara’s mother isn’t her biological mother, and with Astra being her twin, it’s either an obvious reveal with a twist, or another red herring.
“Hostile Takeover” starts off innocently enough, but once again, plants a lot of seeds for what’s to follow. Yes, the dead stop of the coolest fight scene the show has brought us yet was extremely frustrating, but it will hopefully set up a great follow up next week.
Encores of Supergirl are currently airing Mondays on The CW. Season 2 premieres Monday, October 10, at 8pm on The CW.