By now, we've all come to love, respect, and yes, even sometimes fear Supergirl 's media mogul boss Cat Grant. Between her admirable career ambitions and feminist approach to what a female superhero can and should be, Grant has proven to be a mentor to Kara in more ways than one. However, even the most fiercely independent characters still have an Achilles heel. And for Cat Grant, that weakness would be her mother, Katherine Grant, played by Joan Juliet Buck. You see, while Supergirl will be busy fighting off the Red Tornado during Monday night's episode "Red Faced," Cat will be facing a battle of sorts as well when her mother Katherine comes to town for a visit. And as you can probably surmise, this little rendezvous won't be all smooth sailing.
Much like many of us probably encountered at the Thanksgiving dinner table, family get togethers can be highly stressful. If your relatives weren't constantly prodding their way into your personal life ("When are you going to get married already?"), then they were undoubtedly going off on some uncomfortable religious/political tangent that made you thankful this holiday comes but once a year. And given what little information we know about Cat's mommy dearest, this Queen of Media knows your pain and has quite a bit of experience when it comes to dealing with overbearing family members.
Katherine may be a mere mortal compared to the array of metahumans Supergirl goes up against on a weekly basis, but that doesn't mean we should underestimate her abilities. In fact, her judgmental persona makes Cat look like a fluffy teddy bear in comparison. She comes to town for part of her book tour where she immediately butts heads with her daughter after she refuses to make time to visit with her grandson, Carter, because she's too busy with work.
Now, of course, I can always appreciate a career-driven woman, but there's no denying that — while Katherine's fiercely independent demeanor helped make Cat into the powerhouse lady she is today — she's somewhat lacking in the love department (or at least in the ability to show it to others). In a rare and vulnerable state, Cat recently shared with Kara how hard it's always been for her to receive her mother's approval. But given how well Cat seems to have her own priorities in order (her love for her career doesn't take away from the love she has for her son), it seems as though Katherine should be the one trying to emulate her daughter, not the other way around.
The way I see it, Katherine's arrival will serve two major purposes: Not only will it help to further establish Cat's background and upbringing, but it will also allow us to fully appreciate the struggle that every working mother goes through when trying to find that perfect work-life balance. Sure, it'd be easy to simply paint Katherine as the villain of this story, but there's usually more to these dynamic characters than meets the eye. And I, for one, can't wait to start peeling back some of those Grant family layers.
Images: Darren Michaels/CBS; Giphy (2)
