“Crossfire” is episode five of season two of Supergirl.
At the end of the previous episode, “Survivors”, Kara had Mon-El released into her custody. Kara had decided to be the mentor for Mon-El that she never got to be for Kal-El. This episode opens with Mon-El asleep when Kara runs in and telling him it’s his first day of work. Kara helps get Mon-El, which includes cutting his hair with her eye beams. She has glasses for him as well, so that if Mon-El decides to help people like she does, nobody will know that Mike is Mon-El. Mon-El wants to know who Mike is. He’s Mike. Mike Matthews. Winn ran him up a fake ID.
At CatCo, Kara has coffee for Mon-El. When she started work, she found it useful to have some for the other assistants. Ah, bribery. They had that on Daxam. Kara insists it’s just niceness. Kara introduces Mon-El to James’ assistant, Eve. Who seems a little taken on him. Then introduces Mon-El to James. Mon-El is still trying to keep clear what he is and isn’t supposed to do – although at least he remembers his fake name. Unlike Kara. Mon-El can’t use his powers, not even to go through the giant pile of boring paper on his new desk. Kara claims she has never used her powers to do that. She’s clearly lying. Which Mon-El realises. It probably would have been a good idea to introduce him properly to Earth tech before he was supposed to start using it.
Alex is playing pool with Maggie. Apparently Maggie’s girlfriend dumped her. Hmmm. It seems Maggie is hard-headed, insensitive and obsessed with work. Alex doesn’t think that’s so bad. Also borderline sociopathic and her ex never wants to see Maggie again.
Outside, talking to James, Kara compares Mon-El to an outer space stray puppy. Who’s going to be an Earthling way faster than Kara did. Then a car nearly hits them and armed run out to rob a bank. When they come back out, Kara is there as Supergirl. She tells one of the robbers who is pointing a gun at her that bullets aren’t going to work. The one behind her removes his mask and hoists a clearly high-tech weapon, saying it’s a good job he didn’t bring bullets then. And blasts her with an energy weapon. In the ensuing fight, both Kara and James come out badly and the robbers flatten James camera as they drive off.
At the DOA, Winn is going through weapons and Kara spots the one she was attacked with. An Anndrannian Photon Cannon. When Alex asks, Kara is sure that the robbers weren’t Anndrannian. Because they weren’t purple with fins. At which point a Cadmus message comes on the televisions. Cadmus says they told everyone that the alien invaders were dangerous, and now their technology is falling into the wrong hands. The aliens should have been locked an had their weapons taken away. Now people are paying the price of the alien amnesty. Alex thinks it’s a bit of a coincidence that Cadmus releases a new video just after robbers use alien guns. Not, as Kara points out, if Cadmus were the one handing out the guns.
After the meeting at CatCo, Kara tells James she is worried, because the weapons used are more advanced than the ones they had on Krypton. Then they both see Eve with a huge pile of work. She is helping ‘Mike’ out. Kara heads to deal with Mon-El, who is sitting with his feet on his desk eating sweets. Kara is not happy. Then Lena Luthor shows up. L Corp is having a fundraiser to fix the damage done to the children’s hospital building done by the photon cannon. She hopes Kara will come, as she is literally the only friend Lena has in the city. Kara agrees, and Mon-El gets himself invited as well.
At the DEO, Winn is talking and Alex is clearly not paying attention, despite what she claims. Alex talks about Maggie; Winn doesn’t get involved in other people’s relationships. Kara was different; Winn was into Kara. It’s not like Alex is in to Maggie. Hmmm. Again. Then news come in of another attack, by the same group, and Kara has to rescue an officer whose police car was blasted towards space.
The robbers get away again, although Kara damages the photon cannon, and are met elsewhere by the Cadmus woman who is giving them weapons. She thinks they are being reckless and lazy. The leader, Miner, plans to attack Lena’s gala. He is told that is too high profile and that Supergirl can stop them. The aim is not to make Miner rich, but to make the populace ready for Cadmus’ leadership. No, they don’t want to rule the world – they want to save it. By ruling it, it looks like. Semantic justification. She does have a new weapon for Miner to replace the one Supergirl damaged. A bigger one.
Alex meets Maggie at the aftermath of the latest crime. Alex suggests going a whole bunch of places. To have fun. Maggie wonders if she read Alex wrong. That she wasn’t into girls. Alex claims she isn’t. Odd, she’s really obsessing over Maggie then. Perhaps Alex hasn’t thought this through.
At CatCo, James tells Kara that 63% of the population is now in favour of getting rid of the amnesty act after the various attacks. Mon-El has disappeared and Kara uses her superhearing to find him. Given what she overheard, she shouldn’t really have been surprised to find Mon-El and Eve together in a storeroom. And yes, it’s exactly what it looks like.
James turns up at the DEO because he’s missed Winn. And asks if the DEO0 are managing to predict places going to be attacked by Miner’s gang. Winn mentions the Federal Reserve, and James leaves after that. Which was weird. Then, that night, a hooded and masked man watches the robbers turn up at the Federal Reserve, and attacks two of them with a baseball bat as they come out. Miner has his new toy, though, and uses it to start bringing down a building. It’s not a great surprise to discover that the would-be hero is James.
James wants to do something, to be a hero, as he feels he isn’t fulfilling his purpose running CatCo. Kara has to deal with trying to force Mon-El into her own mould. Which isn’t going to work. And Alex is definitely having to come to terms with some personal feelings. And something is learned about the Cadmus woman at the end.