After Supergirl drops off Cat's limo, Cat points out that she named the heroine Supergirl. She takes out a recorder and asks where she's from. Supergirl gives her origin and Cat confirms that her powers are the same as Superman's. She wonders why they're just hearing from her now and Supergirl says that she had to be ready. Cat asks if she plans to start a family, and Supergirl admits that Superman is her cousin. She flies off as Cat asks if she has a day job.
The next day, Kara is having breakfast at a diner and Alex joins her. Kara says that she fell asleep and didn't answer Alex's calls, just as James comes over. He knows that Alex works for the DEO and assures her that she'll keep the organizations existence secret. Once he leaves, Alex figures that Kara likes James. Kara insists that they're just friends, and Alex warns her not to tell people who she is. Cat Grant comes on the news and reports that Supergirl and Superman are related.
Kara arrives at Catco and Wynn warns her that mentioning that she's related to Superman may not have been a good idea. Cat calls Kara in and boasts that she scooped the Daily Planet. Kara suggests that Supergirl might have wanted to keep her relation to Superman secret, and Cat spells out her coffee needs so she can write out an exposé of Supergirl. She's going to publish a special issue of the monthly magazine and wants a party to celebrate the issue.
At a junkyard, a scarred and mutated Ben Krull watches a newscast about Supergirl. He puts on his nuclear battle armor and powers up, and then blasts the TV with an energy blast from the suit.
At the DEO, Hank complains to Supergirl that she did the interview. Once he leaves her, Supergirl meets Alex and says that she did the interview for herself so she could get some perspective. As Alex assures Supergirl that she'll figure it out, the DEO gets a report of a multiple-car pile-up in National City. There's no sign of alien activity, but Hank runs a thermal scan to be sure. Hank turns to Supergirl only to realize that she's already flown off.
Supergirl arrives at the pile-up and rescues a driver trapped in a bus. Ben blasts Supergirl back and announces that he's just a ghost. Ben says that he wants Superman to know what it feels like to lose everything and blasts Supergirl instead. She dodges the next blow, flies over, and punches Ben. She kicks him back and he blasts her, and Supergirl uses a car door as a shield against his blasts. Supergirl then throws it at him, shorting out the projector on his chest armor. Ben's blasts don’t work and he flies off.
Back at the DEO, Hank tells Supergirl that the Planet dubbed Ben "Reactron" when he showed up in Metropolis a few years back. No one knows who he is, and he fought Superman several times to a standstill. Hank says that they're going to do nothing because he's human, and falls outside of the DEO's jurisdiction. He figures that they can leave it up to Superman.
Later, Kara checks on Cat and finds her staring up at the ceiling. Cat complains about the air conditioning making a noise and distracting her from writing, and tells Kara to have the techs look into it. The CEO nervously orders her out, and Kara runs into James. Wynn whispers to them to join him and they go up to Kara's new office which previously belonged to a dead accountant. He has loaded up the office with some state-of-the-art tech, and he and James start talking over each other. Wynn explains that he's searching for variable changes in radiation, and then Supergirl takes him on. James suggests that Kara call in Superman, but she figures that if she does then any villain will figure that National City is an easy target. The photographer lets slip that Superman is Clark, and Kara explains that she knows that she's more than Superman's cousin and she's going to be defined by her victories and losses.
At Lord Technologies, Maxwell is working with his team on his new maglev train project. An engineer points out that they have six days until the test, and Maxwell makes it clear that he wants the train to reach 500 miles per hour. He fires the engineer on the spot and insists that the train is a gift to National City. Reactor breaks in and easily knocks aside the guards, and then demands someone with a background in nuclear fission. Maxwell speaks up and Reactron removes his mask. He insists that he needs a mechanical genius, and Maxwell says that he's the best.
Kara and the Catco staff are watching a newscast about Reactron's attack. Kara flies to Lord Technologies and one of the engineers, Carl, tells her that Maxwell has been taken.
Twenty-four hours later, Kara is making plans for the party. She then asks Wynn how she's going to find Reactron, and Alex comes in and offers her help. They go to Supergirl's new lair and Alex uses the DEO satellite to isolate the nuclear signature of Reactron's weapon system. It's powered by Thorium 232, which can only be found in one place: the Bakerline Nuclear Power Station. Superman stopped terrorists from overloading it five years ago, and two reactor engineers were killed: Ben and Alyssa Krull. They realize that Ben survived the meltdown and is now seeking revenge on Superman for Alyssa's death. Wynn gets an idea for how to find Reactron.
At the junkyard, Ben orders Maxwell to figure out what's wrong with his arm. Maxwell says that the moderator is damaged and offers to find a cure for Ben's condition. Ben says that he had a normal life and looks at a photo of Alyssa. He tells Maxwell that his normal life didn't work out and orders him to repair his suit. Maxwell agrees and rattles off a list of materials he needs.
Kara comes in and tells Cat that she's proofed the article. She finally asks if the tone is a little nasty, and says that Cat is taking Supergirl out of context. Cat dismisses Supergirl as a millennial who will call Superman in when she gets in over her head, and Kara suggests that Supergirl is trying to say that she's more than a consolation prize for Superman. James comes in and calls Kara out on an excuse. Once they're alone, he explains that Wynn found Reactron by finding a mold at Chernobyl in National City at a junkyard. As Kara starts to go, James says that she just has to take Reactron out. She plans to talk to him just like she'd want someone to talk to her. If that doesn't work, she'll punch him.
Supergirl arrives at the junkyard and calls to Ben, saying that she's not there to fight. She sees the glow from a shed and goes in, and finds Maxwell there. As he says that Reactron forced him to fix his suit, Reactron bursts in and blasts Supergirl back. Maxwell runs out and Reactron says that he plans to make Superman suffer like he did. They fight and Reactron gets the upper hand. As Supergirl starts to pass out, Superman flies down and blocks the next radiation blast. After a moment, Reactron flies off.
Later back at her apartment, Kara wakes up and finds Alex and James with her. They confirm that she has been out for several hours and Superman had to go. On the new, Maxwell is giving a statement to the press that he owes Superman his life. James admits that he called in Superman, and reminds Kara that he made a promise to protect her. Kara figures that he doesn't believe in her and tells him to get out, and James says that he's not sorry that she's still alive.Once he's gone, Kara tells Alex that she can't become a hero if Superman keeps saving her. Alex says that her story is just starting and one day she'll save Superman, and Kara remembers that Cat's party started ten minutes ago. Her sister has borrowed a dress for her.
Kara arrives at the museum party and Cat demands her magazine for framing. Wynn comes over and says that Kara is foggy because she was up all night autographing them with Cat's name. Once Cat leaves, Wynn invites Kara to dance with him. Meanwhile, Cat approaches Maxwell and says that she's surprised that he came after being kidnapped. He assures her that it was nothing and they dance. Cat continues sniping at him and says that Supergirl recognized power and came to her. She excuses herself and leaves her party early.
At the DEO, Hank senses Alex at the computers and his eyes glow red. He finds her and asks what she's doing, and Alex admits that she's helping Kara stop Reactron. Hank points out that she is having trouble following orders, and Alex reminds him that he said that they'd save the world. She can't separate the aliens from humans, especially when Kara's life is at stake. Hank asks who else knows about what she's doing, and Alex confirms that it's no one else. He then asks how they defeat Reactron.
Kara and Wynn are dancing when James cuts in. He says that he brought in Superman because he always calls him when things get tough. James was scared that he was going to lose Kara and pushed the button. Kara tells him that he has to let her walk her own path, and James says that she's amazing.
Reactron smashes in through the skylight and demands Supergirl. Kara runs off to change into costume, while Reactron advances on Maxwell and prepares to kill him. Supergirl smashes him away and tells Maxwell to get somewhere safe, and then tells Reactron that he's going to jail. He blasts her repeatedly and a stray blast knocks a pillar down. It falls toward Wynn, and Supergirl catches it, leaving herself defenseless. Reactron prepares to kill her, but James says that killing him would hurt Superman. He runs off and Reactron goes after him.
Alex and Hank call Supergirl and explain that Reactron's chest unit is powered by a subcritical mass of plutonium. If Supergirl can remove it then the suit will shut down. However, the plutonium will melt down once it's freed from the containment matrix. Supergirl needs to encase the core in lead before she pulls it free. Supergirl scans the museum statues and finds one made out of lead, and then melts off a handful with her heat vision.
James runs outside and Reactron blasts him until Supergirl grabs him. She slams him to the ground and Reactron kicks her into a nearby construction site. He advances on her and fires another blast, and she blocks it with her hand. When Reactron gets close enough, she grabs the plutonium with her lead-covered hand and pulls it out. Powerless, Reactron collapses and James runs over to assure her that he knew she'd save the day.
Later at the DEO, Supergirl thanks Hank and Alex for their help. Hank figures that they'll just have to help her rather than throw Alex in prison. Alex suggests that her sister get together with James. Back at Catco, Kara runs into James' office and finds him with a woman. He introduces her as Lucy Lane and she confirms that Lois is her big sister. James says that he'll catch up with Kara later, and she quickly leaves. However, she listens in with her super-hearing as Lucy says that she came a long way to see James. She doesn't like the way they left things and just wants to get dinner and talks. James agrees, and a disappointed Kara goes to her desk. Wynn asks if she's okay and Kara says that she's fine and has a lot of work. Clark texts her and Kara thanks him for saving her life. She wonders how he does it, and Clark says that it was a job for Supergirl.
Later, Alex and Kara order Chinese takeout. Alex has a copy of Cat's exposé and assures Kara that she respects Supergirl. She tells her sister that she should be proud of herself for doing things Superman couldn't do, and Kara assures Alex that she'll always need her. Sirens sound in the distance and Supergirl flies off.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 10, 2015