Note: there will be spoilers below!
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Does Kara have more to prove than your average, everyday superhero because she’s a woman? And in tonight’s episode, when she prevents a ship from exploding due to a nearby dock fire, she accidentally rips the front of the hull and creates an oil spill in the ocean. Unfortunately, in attempting to move the tanker away from the fire, she accidentally breaks the bow of the boat, thereby flooding the bay with oil. The public reaction isn’t too happy. Here’s he’s just another voice of disapproval, though none rings out quite so forcefully as Cat Grant’s. Which is why all the tests and all the training that Henshaw and the DEO want to put her through are just so boring. When he says it doesn’t work this way, she insists someone make it happen by the end of the day. There’s no reason for Cat to know that her assistant is Superman’s cousin, and the show is smart to keep the tension of her not knowing while still embracing the team aspect of Kara’s journey. As her sister puts it, Kara has the strength but not the technique. She was late because they were dealing with an alien called the Hellgrammite. Alex takes Kara into a room with Kryptonite emitters. For instance, the story about Alex showing Kara the popcorn maker is far more memorable than any of the more nebulous conversations they have about their faith in one another. Kara’s sloppy and not ready. Along the Way, Alex also gets her own licks in, thumping on the MOW Helgramite.
Kara talks to Jimmy about the threat from their boss. Sparks are flying. But Kara steps away, still unsure if she wants to go through with the interview and face Cat. She should start small and work her way up.
Slowly, Supergirl starts building a name as she picks smaller situations in which to be a hero.
A few Kryptonians track down Hellgrammite.
Supergirl rushes over to save her sister, but (of course) it’s a trap!
The heart-to-heart between Kara and James on the CatCo balcony is this episode’s best scene because it allows Kara to take ownership of her crime fighting style and it also goes a long way towards fleshing out James. While the bug-like creature doesn’t nab Kara, he does get something, or rather someone, that will lure Kara to Astra: He kidnaps Alex. “Elsewhere, Cat pressures James to use his connection to Superman to land her an interview with his cousin”. She lifts and ambulance, but gently. She also tells him she’ll do the interview. He was hoping to escape that and be his own man in National City. She tells him about the culture of Krypton in which asking for help is not weakness but worthy of honor.
“Stronger Together” focused on Kara’s growth as a fledgling superhero – and all that comes with that in a media-driven society. The Hellgrammite doesn’t want to participate in whatever she’s up to, but she insists. Hankshaw calls her about her sister being taken.
Supergirl flies around, trying to listen for her sister. We saw Robert Gant and Laura Benanti on Krypton.
Found family vs. blood familyfist-to-face face-to-face with The General – aka, Aunt Astra.
Kara doesn’t have much time to mope because a guard has been killed at a local plastics manufacturing plant. Astra attacks. Kara is surprised to see her aunt. She thought she was dead. If she only knew. Yeah, Kara definitely isn’t going to agree to that. There is a likable quality here that make her – and the freshman series – interesting. But how was Altra still able to fly back to her headquarters with a kryptonite knife stuck in her arm? Supergirl is going to have to work harder to get the same respect, she says, and she is making a really excellent point about both Kara and the show. Alex helps to teach her how to fight, just in case her powers are ever weakened, but instead it just discourages Kara. There’s a program made from a living memory. It’s nothing compared to her bumpy airplane landing in the pilot, but still, yanking a giant ship through the water using nothing but your hands is a pretty major feat. Kara asks about her aunt and how to stop her. Alex thanks Henshaw for helping to set up the room.
To be clear, Superman doesn’t need to show up to make this show watchable. James almost turns down the offer because for most of his adult life he’s gotten opportunities exclusively based on being friends with Superman, not necessarily because of his own merits. With a number of Kryptonians on the loose, she could be facing foes with similar abilities. At times Supergirl doesn’t even know what power to use! We don’t need to be reminded every week. Are you scared of Kara’s aunt? The episode’s rating edges out NBC’s “Blindspot”, which previously held the record for the most-watched new series debut of the 2015-2016 season. She’s the superhero we’ve been waiting for, and most importantly, the one we deserve. They should know what they’re capable of doing. Who we think our parents are and who they actually are is something that challenges every single one of these characters.
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The twist with Hank Henshaw makes things interesting. Again, it feels a little fast or sudden. We also got our first glimpse of DC character Maxwell Lord, while a brief moment at the end of the episode also set-up the more villainous, out-there side of Hank Henshaw, which I won’t spoil for anyone in the dark. Heroes, just like the rest of us, don’t show up in the world fully formed.
