“Hostile Takeover” is episode eight of season one of Supergirl and the mid-season finale.
At the end of the previous episode, “Human for a Day”, Supergirl had been knocked out of the sky onto the top of a building by her Aunt Astra and, by the looks of it, two other Kryptonians. All of whom are wearing suits with strange glowing badges. Astra says she wants to talk to Kara but the latter isn’t interested and knocks down the other two Kryptonians before going for Astra. Which doesn’t work as Astra waves the kryptonite dagger Hank Henshaw stabbed her with in “Stronger Together” in front of Kara’s face, weakening her. It has no effect on Astra though; according to her the suits she and the other two are wearing shield them from the effects of kryptonite. Astra wants her and Kara to be a family again, but Kara is still not interested and throws herself off the roof and crashes through one of a building below before escaping.
At the DEO, Kara tells Henshaw and Alex about Astra and about the knife. Hank asks if she managed to retrieve the knife, because he really liked it. Kara tells them that Astra says that Earth needs both of them but, according to Kara’s mother, on Krypton Astra’s methods for saving the planet included blowing up government buildings. Henshaw tells Kara that what Astra probably wanted to accomplish was to take Supergirl off the board and that the Fort Rozz escapees may finally be planning a citywide attack.
Alex tells Kara to go home and go to sleep as the DEO will handle it and Henshaw agrees. Alex is noticeably getting along better with Henshaw and Kara notices it, asking Alex about it when Henshaw leaves. Alex tells her they were wrong about Henshaw being involved in the death of her father. When Kara asks how Alex says she just does. To just trust her. The actual reason – and why Hank Henshaw’s backstory seems different – is because he isn’t actually Hank Henshaw. He’s an alien that Jeremiah Danvers stopped Henshaw from killing, as he wasn’t a threat, and one who then took Henshaw’s place, as the latter was also dead, in order to reform the DEO from the inside. Henshaw is J’onn J’onzz of Mars, the last son of a dying planet. He also asked Alex to tell no-one (so, Henshaw’s glowing red eyes weren’t because they were cybernetic, but because his actual eyes are red).
Kara leaves the DEO, saying she hopes it’s a slow day at work tomorrow. Hopefully at some point she will stop saying such foolish fate-tempting things as that, for the next day is not quiet. The news is about a cyberattack on CatCo; Cat herself has had her emails hacked. Her lawyers tell her that there have been no demands; it appears the hacker simply wanted to embarrass her. Cat, who is pouring herself a drink, says that mission has been accomplished. So far, the Daily Planet has published her real age, the fact that she has three personal shoppers on call at Barneys and that she asked Idris Elba out on a date and he said no.
Cat wants to know if her lawyers can do something. Not really is the answer. They ask if someone dropped Lois Lane’s emails into her lap wouldn’t she be interested in publishing. Cat tells them only if she wanted to bore people to death. As Cat is the public face of CatCo, the lawyers tell her the entire company has been embarrassed, not just her, and that she shouldn’t make it worse.
When the lawyers leave, Kara says to Cat that she is sure that it will blow over. To which Cat questions which planet Kara is from. Kara stammers out that she’s from this one. Cat tells Kara that these things don’t blow over; they blow up. Kara says she has to fight, no matter what the lawyers say, and Cat agrees – she just doesn’t know who to fight. Cat is going to meet with the board and she wants Kara to go through Cat’s emails to see if she can find anything damaging before the press does.
Kara wants to know if Cat means all of her emails. She does. Kara says she may need help. So Cat agrees, but only people Kara trusts. Cat suggests James Olsen and the handsome little hobbit who owns more cardigans than Kara does. Namely Winn. Or the two people Kara would most likely have gone to anyway.
Kara wants James to focus on the emails whilst Winn traces the hack. She also mentions that Astra is back, which she had told Winn but not James as yet. Winn is happy about that; ever since he saw James and Kara hug he’s been a bit upset. James and Kara agree, outside of Winn’s presence, that it was just a hug and that they are friends who hug.
Astra has returned to her base and another Kryptonian asks why Kara is still alive, as Astra had said she was going to get Kara to convert or die. Astra tells the man that Kara was stronger than she thought; he asks if it’s Kara’s strength or her weakness. Astra insists that she will make her niece see reason; the man wonders if any of the women in her family can be made to. Astra takes offence to this, but her lieutenant says that he doesn’t judge Astra for being unable to kill Kara; he will do it for her. She tells the man – who, it turns out, is also her husband – that she will die before she allows another world to end.
Kara is back at the DEO sparring with Alex in the room that nullifies her powers. She is doing much better and has Alex down, but hesitates and Alex knocks her down instead. Alex asks why Kara hesitated and she replies that it’s just training and besides, Alex is her sister. Alex asks what if she wasn’t. Alex asks Kara if she’s ready to kill her aunt, as she’s still her family and Kara still cares about her. And that Astra is ready to kill Kara. The discussion causes a flashback to Krypton where Kara was at home when her aunt came and said she had to leave, because Krypton is dying and she has done things to make people realise that.
James has found some emails, but none truly embarrassing according to Cat. Not even the couple of hundred where she calls Lois Lane an, unspoken, thing – Cat says she called Lois it to her face. Winn also can’t find out how the hacker got through CatCo’s firewalls At the board meeting, Dirk Anderson, the chairman of the board, says that if there’s a smoking gun the press has yet to find it. Something about his manner seems suspicious, and indeed it’s true; Kara overhears him saying that it’s going to plan and Cat will be out by the end of the week.
That means the hack is internal, which is why Winn couldn’t find external access. James and he think they need legal advice, but not Cat’s lawyers. Kara points out that they do know someone with a legal background – Lucy Lane. Lucy tells them they can’t go after the chairman of the board without proof and, if they do find it, Anderson will not just be fired, he will get arrested too. But they need hard evidence.
Then Astra turns up, hovering in the air above CatCo Plaza, essentially taunting Kara. Who turns up and fights her. Astra tells Kara that there is blood on the hands of Kara’s mother, for allowing Krypton to be destroyed. Kara gets pretty annoyed during the fight and ends up beating Astra. Or so it seems. Something looks a little off. Astra is still taken to the DEO.
Astra has been claiming that the planet is heading for an ecological catastrophe. Some of what she says seems to show a similar mindset to Maxwell Lord. Although he may not appreciate alien interference. Especially superpowered alien interference. James, Winn and Kara also need to find a way to get proof of Anderson’s wrongdoing, or Cat will be out.
A definite cliff-hanger ending to this episode, leading into the next one, “Blood Bonds”.