Supergirl’s 21st episode (“Resist”) made me gawk and cheer in equal measure. I mean, sure the earth was overrun by murderous aliens (as Winn said, “full-on Independence Day), whose queen is so evil that Lady Macbeth would have great concerns. And yes, J’onn is still in his hell coma. But Kara makes an R2-D2 joke (bless that Cyborg Superman’s interface resembled R2’s!) and Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) is back. (More on her shortly, because SQUEE.)
The major theme of this episode is resistance, standing up when it matters, even when people think you’re bonkers or say you can’t. Maybe especially then. Jimmy sweeps in and saves the day as Guardian. Kara refuses to give up on rescuing Mon-El and Lena from Rhea’s machinations. While the dire situation did make for strange allies, it was nice to see Momma Luthor back and scheming. Although watching the newly born hope drain out of Lena’s face when she realized Momma L left Supergirl and Mon-El to die was…heart-wrenching. It was an emotions-based Lucy-with-the-football moment. Ouch.
But, obviously, we have to talk about the return of the Queen of All Media, Cat. Brash as ever (equating her resilience to having once had dinner with Bill O’Reilly), Cat is flawless (except the CGI when she tumbled out of the president’s plane—that was not the best). Snapping and sniping, while pitching in to save the world, it was vintage Ms. Grant. It felt like old times, with her giving a pep talk to Kara: “It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you love. … Wanting to rescue them is not selfish. It’s everything.” That handful of lines deserves attention, because she’s right. Loving isn’t selfish. Wanting to help the help we love is a pure, good thing. And imagine being so cool that you can hang out next to a dumpster and dispense sage advice.
Of course, she also tries to reason with Rhea, trying to negotiate and appeal, fiercely as ever. But when she can’t, Cat fearlessly calls Rhea out in the best speech ever. I think it’s something we all need to hear right now, living in inarguably tumultuous times: “Now, I can imagine that you’re feeling afraid and feeling like your world is spinning out of control. But believe me, you have power. And right now you have a job to do: resist. Resist these invaders with everything you’ve got. They come with empty promises and closed fists. They promise to make our world great again, and yet they know nothing about the people who make this world great. They think that they can con us. And if that doesn’t work, what? They’re going to beat us into submission? They have no idea who they’re up against. Aliens and humans, we need to band together and we need to stand up and fight back. Everyone needs to be a superhero. Everyone needs to get up and say, ‘Not in my house.’ Let’s prove to these thugs that we are strong and we are united—and we are not going to be conquered.”
Y’all, I got chills. I sat up and paid closer attention. It was inspiring. And whether it’s a tiara-wearing miscreant or someone else, Cat’s right. Working together and standing up for what’s right, no matter who might be urging otherwise? That’s what makes greatness, planting yourself like a tree. Like Kara does, when she sends Mon-El back to earth and tries to talk sense into Rhea one last time. Even though it’s arguably batshit bananapants. Even though most people would’ve hauled tail and left her to fry. Kara has a sense of honor and goodness, and she abides by that.
Sure, the end result is her cousin punching her in the face, after knocking out the canon that was going to destroy the ship. And sure, that’s absolutely not good. But sometimes, doing the right thing means getting in the fight. Sometimes, it means standing up to those closest to us.
I mean, Kara was warned. She was given an explanation. And…I’ll wager a guess: nevertheless, she persisted.
So say we all.
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