“Changing” is episode six of season two of Supergirl.
This episode opens in Svalbard, Norway, at the Thorul Arctic Research Station. A woman is telling a scientist that he needs to see something, and that it’s nothing to do with the permafrost. Instead, it’s a frozen wolf killed by a stone spearhead in about 3000 BC. The scientist, Dr Jones, makes a comment about Bronze Age Viking ancestors (which would be a bronze spearhead) visiting the area and that they are climate change scientists, not archaeologists. The woman tells him that he needs to touch the wolf’s body. It’s been trapped in the ice for 5,000 years, but it’s still warm. Only 1 hour out of the ice and the tissue is soft and at normal body temperature. As they look away, something moves in the body. The woman asks what survives that long under the ice; Jones asks her beside disease, then sticks his gloved hand inside the wound. And something grabs it.
Mon-El and Kara are having drinks in the alien bar. Only Mon-El isn’t paying for them; this is apparently the fourth round a girl has sent over. Kara says that Mon-El has been dodging her for days, and they need to talk about a job. Mon-El says that he has found work. Odds and ends. Kara wants to teach him about his powers, as he needs to know how to handle them. Ashe crushes his glass by accident. Mon-El agrees to let Kara train him. If she drinker her drink. Which she downs. Kara says they will train. Tomorrow. Alex comes over and speaks to Kara, who is now quite clearly wasted. A first apparently. Alex promises to drive her home, then goes over to speak to Maggie.
In the previous episode, “Crossfire”, Alex had admitted to Maggie – and herself – that yes, she was attracted to her. Alex says to Maggie that she feels like a kid again. She sounded like a teenager again at times. Maggie says the first thing she did was come out to her family and suggests Alex does the same. Alex gets a message, as does Hank, and they leave. With Kara.
They arrive at the DEO for Winn had called them. Kara is dumped into a chair. Winn says that the Thorul station sent out an SOS message, which has a female researcher begging for help and saying it’s not human. No-one has been able to get in touch with Thorul since and the place is quarantined until the DEO can take a look. Hank starts saying that he and Kara will fly to the station, then discovers that Kara has passed out in a chair. He corrects it to him and Alex taking the jet.
The research station is dark with the monitors displaying garbage. Pretty stereotypical in other words. There are dead people who look to have had the life sucked out of them but Dr Jones is still alive. But is he okay? At the DEO, Alex wants to keep Jones in for observation but he says he must continue his work on climate change to honour his dead colleagues. They can find him at National City University. As Jones leaves, a leech thing leaves his mouth and enters his ear.
Kara is training Mon-El and he’s coming off second best. He asks if it’s because he got her drunk. That will never be discussed again. She wants to train Mon-El to make a difference, if he is so inclined. Alex opens the door and asks to have a chat with Kara. Alone. Outside, Alex takes quite a while to get to the point. Which is coming out. Possibly. Alex isn’t sure.
Dr Jones is examining his blood in a lab saying that the organism and him are not two distinct beings any longer, but one that is greater than the sum of its parts. He will continue with his work with new fervour. A man tells Jones to go home then, when he doesn’t, tells him that his obsession with climate catastrophe is no longer welcome at this institution. Jones says that they do not accept that.
Winn has found the video of the wolf autopsy and starts playing it for Hank. It shows Jones sucking the life out of the other researchers. So Kara and Alex head to Jones’ lab and find the body of the man who fired him. Jones tells them they cannot be stopped, only they can save the world. Then sucks energy from Kara. Alex’s bullets prove useless and Jones leaves.
Winn tells them that Jones is infected by an alien parasite that is using him to feed. It’s doing more than that, according to Kara, for Jones became more powerful from absorbing more power. James turns up as well, wanting to help, and when Alex asks how James knew, Winn ushers him out. Winn had agreed to make a suit for James, but it isn’t ready yet. No matter what James wants. Until it’s finished, Winn says it is no more than a glorified Halloween costume.
Alex goes to see Kara. Not to check on her after her draining, but to discuss what they were talking about. Which results in Kara apologising, for they always talked about Kara and her secret, not about Alex. And Kara knows how it feels to keep a part of your self shut off. Then Alex gets a message from the DEO about an alien attacking and Kara goes to deal with it.
The alien is Mon-El, who is beating up another alien – Brian – because Brian has a bad habit of not paying his debts on time. Mon-El is working as muscle for a bookie. Mon-El wants to make money from his powers. Kara is not happy, which results in an argument.
When Kara returns to the DEO in the mood to punch someone, Winn has a lead. Rand O’Reilly, a lobbyist for climate change deniers, who has tried to get Jones fired before. Jones confronts O’Reilly but Kara arrives and O’Reilly is actually Hank. However, Jones ends up draining energy from both Hank and Kara and mutates into something big and definitely inhuman.
Neither Hank nor Kara came out of this well, although sunlight will restore Kara, just not as quickly as needed. Hank is in worse shape and his treatment might cause more problems. So, James decides that it’s time to use the suit, ready or not. And Mon-El may have to step up and become the hero that Kara believes he can be.