The President takes a page from every dictator's book as he declares curfews, "random" stop points for aliens, and proclaims that he will do whatever is necessary to bring forth justice at the start of this week's episode.
Lena mutters, "Justice... what a crock," voicing what every decent person is thinking - justice doesn't include targeting someone because of where they were born.
As Lena and Alex try to stop Supergirl from outing herself to save someone, she says, "If the government wants to stop me from helping people, let them try." As she helps a man in a burning car, a genius starts firing off rounds in a misguided attempt at a citizen's arrest. Instead of making a dent in Supergirl (the girl of steel), he only succeeds in making the situation worse as she tries to explain that she wasn't THE ONE who attacked the White House. Even the man she saved didn't buy it.
Supergirl pays a visit to the warden of Lex's prison after Lena relays the information she gained from her mother - that he's been coming and going from prison for a year. Nothing is more unsettling than a group of the worst prisoners chanting your name as a hero.
Alex goes James' sister Kelly for advice on how to get Colonel Haley to put down the rule book for five seconds and stop pandering to the White House when she knows Supergirl is innocent. While Kelly gives Alex advice to appeal to what Haley cares about, some serious vibing happens. Maybe we'll see a Danvers/Olsen relationship after all.
James attends a therapy session where he learns coping mechanisms for his PTSD and anxiety. While he's working through a flashback, black spider veins course up his neck.
While Supergirl continues to hunt for clues at the prison, she gets a verbal smackdown from a whistleblower who says, "You're a malignant narcissist, everything you touch, you ruin."
Brainy wants the National Alien Registry gone, fearing that the government will start going after every alien. He goes to Nia and begs her to tell him what to do by prophesizing the outcome. She fakes it by pretending to have a vision of him not destroying the registry, and he insists that that's impossible, proving that he knew the answer all along within himself. Despite the outcome being a 50/50 shot at ending well for aliens, not everything is quantifiable, sometimes you need to use your gut - even when you're the smartest AI alive.
Alex's appeal to Haley's morality backfires when she says, "Some orders are immoral and following them doesn't make you a good soldier, it makes you complicit." She brings up Haley's daughter and Haley is not pleased as she lets Alex know that she lied about THE WATCH to apprehend Supergirl. Haley gives an ominous warning that one day Alex will cross the line too much and she won't come back from it.
Meanwhile, in Stryker's Island, Otis Graves lets all of the inmates loose in the prison, promising freedom to whoever can capture Supergirl. Her heat ray is an asset as she welds Lena safely in the cell and barricades the prisoners.
Otis and Supergirl battle while a slew of soldiers surrounds the prison. Supergirl ditches her super suit and turns back into Kara, deceiving Otis with a very flimsy excuse. She almost gets shivved by the same man who called her a narcissist, but he ends up waxing poetic about her articles instead. Having a knife bend on her skin might have been awkward to explain...
As the soldiers barge into the building, Supergirl (back in disguise), forces the prisoners down so they don't get shot. She finds Lena in Lex's underground lab as Lex detonates a kryptonite bomb on Otis as Supergirl barely manages to fly Lena away in time.
Nia wakes up from a premonition of Brainy getting carted away by a member of the Children of Liberty. He takes the information in stride when Nia calls him, pointing out that she's not very good at decoding her dreams. Ouch. He reveals that while he deleted the Registry from the DEO, he stored a copy in himself, making him a potential target.
Ben Lockwood comes back to the DEO with an order to take weapons. He commands Haley to call Supergirl with the watch, but she clicks twice, alerting Supergirl to the trap. Ten points for Haley for proving that she's capable of doing the right thing even when it goes against orders. She questions her past of blindly following orders when her daughter is looking for moral guidance in the mess that's happening in the world.
Supergirl fears she's doing more harm than good as she views a broadcast that accuses her of attempting to break out the prisoners at Stryker's Island. She decides to lie low for fear of making things worse in the current political climate.
The President gives Ben Lockwood permission to deputize the Children of Liberty, giving credence to Nia's ominous vision about Brainy.
Meanwhile, Tess has pieced Otis back together following the explosion at the prison. Kara goes back to the prison to the prison to interview Steve, and he gives her Lex's hard drive. Kara says, "There's nothing more powerful in the pursuit of justice than the power of the press." Steve responds, "The pen is mightier than the sword." Kara closes out the episode with the sentiment, "Maybe even mightier than a cape."
Kara was able to succeed where Supergirl failed, which was somewhat of a wake-up call for Kara. This season, Kara's journalism has taken somewhat of a back seat to Supergirl's fight for justice on the battlefield. But sometimes, it takes the wit of a journalist to blow a case wide open.
Photo Credit: CW
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