X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

9 Burning Questions We Had While Watching Supergirl's "Fight or Flight"

How involved were Cat and Maxwell?

Hanh Nguyen

[Warning: The following contains spoilers from the Supergirl episode "Fight or Flight." Read at your own risk!]

On Monday's Supergirl, Kara (Melissa Benoist) once again struggled with fitting into her own superskin and trying to prove that she was her very own superhero, not just Superman's cousin. And oops, she just happened to reveal that family relationship to Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) in her very first interview, so really, she's doomed to always be compared to him now.

This also makes her the target of the villain of the week, Reactron (Chris Browning), who has a vendetta against Superman and wants to make him pay by killing off his loved ones. Amidst all of this superhero-ing, Kara's crush on James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) was dealt two blows: 1) when he asked his pal Superman to save her from Reactron, and 2) when his ex Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) hit town and asked him out to dinner.

Everything you need to know about Supergirl

Let's break down the episode into our out biggest questions:

1. Can the show hit us over the head with messages enough? While we very much support Kara's empowerment story, which is the premise of her taking on the super-mantle, this episode in particular resurrected that dead horse and then beat it to death again. We get it: She is in Supeman's shadow, and must make a name for herself. But can we stop talking about it in every other scene? Thanks.

2. Did Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli) conspire with Reactron? In the first scene at Lord Technologies, Maxwell Lord clearly demonstrates that he does not care about his employees. And yet, he saves one of his underlings by volunteering to be taken by Reactron. Later, after he's freed from Reactron's junkyard lair (which, by the way, is really depressing), he attends CatCo's special issue shindig where Reactron shows up looking for Supergirl. Coincidence? We think not.

3. Why did Cat ask Supergirl about plans to start a family? We were surprised that Cat Grant, who's a powerful woman and strong feminist, asked Supergirl about her family goals. Maybe it was just a set-up to have Supergirl slip up and point out that her cousin never got asked that question, but that feels a bit too contrived. Having a family and being strong are not mutually exclusive, so maybe Cat has a stake in trying to prove that.

4. How deeply were Cat and Maxwell involved romantically? The barbed flirtation between the two business leaders at the party made it clear that the two had some sort of sexy past, but we have a theory that it's way more than that. For starters, we know that Cat's son Carter (Levi Miller) will appear next week, and a sneak peek photo (see below) from that episode shows Maxwell and Carter standing together much like a father and son would. We may be reading too much into this, but having Maxwell as a baby daddy or possibly ex-husband would explain so much!

151109-news-supergirl-embed.jpg

Peter Facinelli and Levi Miller, Supergirl


Darren Michaels/WARNER BROS.

5. Why is Superman so careless with secret identities? Superman gave James Olsen a very unsubtle watch that has an "S" insignia panic button on it (hidden under a hatch, but still) that glows. That's not low-profile at all. Also, when he IMs Kara as Clark, he mentions both Supergirl and Reactron. In this digital age, that info would be found out very quickly by any self-respecting hacker. Speaking of getting found out...

6. When will Winn's secret lair be discovered? While it's handy for Winn (Jeremy Jordan) to have a base of operations nearby, it's on the CatCo premises! It would be one thing if the offices were in disrepair, but it's a bright and shiny place where we feel things don't get overlooked easily. It's just a matter of time before someone stumbles onto Supergirl Central.

7. Will James and Lucy Lane get back together? We understand that Kara/Supergirl is cute and powerful and all, but Lucy is Jenna Dewan-Tatum! That's some powerful competition there. Besides, Kara is still feeling really insecure and finding herself, which doesn't make for the best relationship material.

Supergirl: Why the hell does Kara wear glasses?

8. When will Henshaw's red eyes get explained? We've seen the red, glowing eyes twice now, and it doesn't seem like Henshaw (David Harewood) is necessarily evil, so let's find out already. DC fans may have their theories, but we're hoping that this version of Henshaw deviates from canon.

9. Can we please see flashbacks of overweight Kryptonians with acne? It's been explained several times that Earth's yellow sun doesn't only give superpowers to Kryptonians, but it also keeps them from getting acne and gaining weight. But that means that on Krypton, both Clark and Kara would be subject to normal, annoying "human" physical failings. We'd love to see how normal Kryptonians can be, if only just to make ourselves feel better.

What did you think about the episode? Share your theories below!

Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.

(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)