Supergirl 4x1 : American Alien review

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it

Supergirl returns for a fourth season on a new date and a new time but it's the same old Kara Zor El we've come to know and love for the past 4 years. The episode begins in super fashion (pun intended) as Supergirl is show doing various heroic duties throughout the world. She recovers a child's balloon, she helps retrieve a piece of Art in Madrid and helps stop a train from completely derailing in Kasnia. It's all fast paced and a great opening to the episode. Back in National City the president of the USA has agreed to be a part of an Alien meeting in Camp David, this is where Kara multitasks and enters her Kara Danvers persona and asks the president some questions before ultimately telling James Olson that for the first time in a long time it feels like everything in her life is under control. Of course Kara may have spoken too soon as various hate crimes against Alien inhabitants begin to randomly happen throughout the city. We also learn that Jonn Jones who left control of the DEO at the end of last season to Alex is now involved with the Alien community and has vowed to protect them and make the world a better place. Later in the episode Kara asks him for help to fight against the people who are organizing these hate crimes but he refuses telling her that it isn't his battle anymore. It's all incredibly interesting and well thought out. 

Lena Luthor returns from her trip to Metropolis and tells Kara and James that both Sam (Reign from last season) and her daughter Ruby are living a happy life now as Sam is working for L Corp again and she's also coaching Ruby's soccer team. This was a nice nod as I hope they wouldn't just leave Sam & Ruby's outcome unsolved. James continues to feel the pressure from the DA as the case against him being Guardian continues. Lena offers to help but he refuses claiming that he's got it all under control but later Lena goes to visit her mom in prison with Supergirl in tow whom she asks for help on identifying the 2 main antagonists of the episode. They're named Otis and Mercy Graves, a brother-sister combination who previously worked for Lex Luthor but actually ended up betraying him and aided in his imprisonment. So as Supergirl goes to try and find them Lena and her mom talk and Lena learns of a previous friend of Lex's who was heavily involved in money laundering is still walking free as her half brother rots away in jail. She asks her mom for more info and this leads to Lena going to the DA and bribing her to stop the case against James Olson as she's got something more valuable. The DA agrees and the case against James is dropped on one condition..that he will never be Guardian again. He also doesn't know that Lena went behind his back so it will be interesting to see how that plays out throughout the season. 

Brainiac-5 returns and is now a full fledged member of the DEO. Taking over Winn's position he finds it incredibly difficult to fit it and becomes somewhat of an annoyance to Alex. The two eventually make up and agree to try and work out the differences in what feels like an almost empty DEO now that Winn and Jonn have left. That being said there's more than enough in the relationship dynamic for it to feel a bit full with Alex and Brainiac's 5 constant verbal jousting throughout the season. The episode ends as after a power outage Supergirl manages to catch one of the Grave siblings (Otis) and he tells her that she's too late as the fuse has already been lit and boy has it as later on the news the president is outed as an Alien after footage appears of her Alien form briefly appearing as she was shot at in all the chaos before one of the siblings capture. Soon after this we're shown our very first glimpse of the Agent Of Liberty who is working with the Grave siblings and he looks comic accurate for definite. Remember earlier when I mentioned that Supergirl stopped a train from derailing in Kasnia? well just before the episode ends we're taken back there below, well below where the train is to where we see that same 2nd Kara from the end of season 3. Surrounded by soldiers she continuously punches the wall in a tunnel area. So what is happening there? who knows but I am intrigued to find out. 

This episode was solid, as a season premiere episode it worked well and offered a lot of glimpses into just what this season of Supergirl has in store. Kara Zor El is back and she is flying high once again.

★★★