‘Supergirl’ season 9 review: Are Kara, Astra at a truce?

“Supergirl” returned from hiatus on Monday night, and what we learned was that even in the midst of mass violence, there’s still room for a little bit of diplomacy.

Right when we were on the cusp of war between Astra, Non, and Supergirl, the faith that she showed her by making a prisoner exchange was enough to keep the attack at bay … for now. General Lane is probably right that this is only temporarily stopping the problem, but it restores a little peace and ensures Hank Henshaw’s safety without having to out himself as J’onn a.k.a. the Martian Manhunter.

Yet, Hank did reveal his alter ego to none other than Kara, which helped her to ensure that another problem was taken care of: Cat Grant thinking as though she was Supergirl. She had pieced everything together, but having J’onn pretend to be Supergirl was enough to ensure that she doesn’t have to worry about her alter ego being exposed anymore. It was a funny scene, and a great bit of technical brilliance.

The one bummer with this reveal is that it brings us right back to square one with Cat and Kara, and also feels a little bit of a cop-out to use Martian Manhunter in order to ensure that the secret doesn’t get out. We would’ve much preferred that they go ahead and explore the storytelling possibilities that come with her knowing the truth.

As for the ending with the obviously-evil Maxwell Lord, that’s interesting. Is Bizarro-Girl on the horizon? Certainly feels like it. That at least sets us up for something great after an episode that feels like not too much was accomplished other than Hank revealing himself to Kara. Grade: B-.

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