SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for tonight’s episode of "Supergirl," titled "The Last Children of Krypton," which has not aired on the west coast as of publication.


Monday’s episode of "Supergirl" needed to pull out all the stops to come close to topping last week's widely viewed and critically celebrated season premiere. It certainly didn't skimp on the cool stuff, including some terrific action sequences and the introduction of a classic "Justice League" character. But while most of the big changes and surprises were let loose in "The Adventures of Supergirl," they saved a big one for "The Last Children of Krypton": the exit of Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart).

Supergirl -- The Adventures Of Supergirl -- Image SPG201b_0297 -- Pictured: Calista Flockhart as Cat -- Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW -- © 2016 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

We’ve known that Flockhart would be taking a more limited role in the show's second season for some time, and it's still unclear how frequently she'll return. In a pair of stirring scenes, however, Cat details the reasons for the character's exit and bids farewell to the woman she thinks (or at least pretends) is actually two separate people. First, she pushes Kara one last time, encouraging her to acknowledge her power and come into her own — something she'll have to do on her own, as Cat will be taking a leave of absence. "I've done all there is to do here," she tells Kara of CatCo.

What she plans to do next isn't specified. The closest the show comes to that is acknowledging that even Cat doesn't have a plan, a fact she reveals to Supergirl in the second of Cat's farewell scenes. Both stand out as episode highlights, and that's unsurprising, given that Flockhart's performance was widely considered one of the inaugural season's greatest strengths. The scenes may be good, but they won't make the absence of Cat Grant, for however long it may be, sting any less for the show's fans.

Check back later tonight for CBR’s full recap.

Starring Melissa Benoist as the title character, “Supergirl” airs Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on The CW. The series also stars David Harewood as Martian Manhunter, Mehcad Brooks as Jimmy Olsen, Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers and Jeremy Jordan as Winn Schott and features appearances by Calista Flockhart’s Cat Grant as well as Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman.