“Livewire” is episode five of season one of Supergirl.
The episode opens at the DEO and a huge alien is being escorted by a couple of agents when he breaks free and starts throwing people around. More agents arm up but it doesn’t do a whole lot of good. Supergirl arrives and starts fighting the creature when Alex calls wanting to know where she is. Kara tells Alex she’s busy and Alex replies that Kara said she’d be there. Kara says she just has to deal with an alien prisoner who got free. When Kara finally puts the alien down, she says to Henshaw that he was a tough guy. Henshaw tells Kara that the alien was a she. To which Kara says ‘Respect,’ then asks for the rest of the day off.
At home, Alex is freaking out about her mother coming. Kara tells her that Alex took down a human-sized bug without a weapon and that she has nothing to be worried about. Alex says that her mother was mad at her last year because Kara was not dating enough; she can’t imagine what Eliza will do about Kara coming out as Supergirl.
Kara tells Alex that Eliza sounded fine on the phone and, besides, she’s bringing pie. Kara’s favourite, chocolate pecan, which she says is the best in the galaxy and, having been to 12 different planets, she means that literally. When Eliza arrives, she tells Kara she looks great – she’s still dressed as Supergirl and that Alex looks a little tired, asking if the lab is keeping her busy. Eliza does not know what Alex’s real job is. She tells Kara she’s doing great. It looks like it’s a lot easier for Kara to get compliments from Eliza than it is for Alex.
Shock jock Leslie Willis is broadcasting from CatCo Plaza and, with it being Thanksgiving, she says it’s time for her annual list of things she isn’t grateful for. This time the list is one item – Supergirl. Leslie really starts laying into Supergirl and it seems that Cat doesn’t much like it by her expression as she listens to the show in her office.
Kara tells Winn at work that it’s like Alex is waiting for a bomb to go off with Eliza. Which Winn smiles about – because he’s relieved it’s a metaphorical bomb, not an actual one for once. Kara asks Winn what he’s doing for Thanksgiving and, when this turns out to be nothing, invites him over. She then asks what Leslie is doing in Cat’s office and Winn points out she has superhearing.
Cat really wasn’t happy about Leslie laying into Supergirl. Leslie says she’s always crossing a line and asks why this time it’s different. Cat says that she named Supergirl and is trying to build a relationship between her and CatCo, and that Cat would adopt Supergirl if she could. Cat tells Leslie that Supergirl is off the table and Leslie is not happy about her content being dictated. Cat tells Leslie she’s finished and Leslie replies that she has two years left in her contract and Cat is too cheap to fire her. Which Cat agrees with. Leslie is being transferred to the traffic copter and Cat suggests she takes some Dramamine; the weather suggests it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Kara invites James over to Thanksgiving as well but he’s heading out of town with Lucy Lane. Alex thinks that Eliza is furious; she’s simply pretending she isn’t. Kara suggests that Alex tell her mother what Alex’s job actually is and she says she can’t because they officially don’t exist. According to Kara, Alex would be able to tell Eliza that her job is protecting Kara.
The traffic copter gets in a storm and the pilot says that it’s too much and he’s heading back. Leslie isn’t going to give in; if Cat wants her to be in the helicopter, she will be in the helicopter. Then it gets struck by lightning and goes out of control. Supergirl rescues the pilot but, as she is rescuing Leslie, another bolt of lightning hits Kara and transfers through to Leslie.
Afterwards, Kara is in Leslie’s hospital room with Cat. The latter says she hates hospitals and wants to leave. Cat also doesn’t like Leslie’s new look – her hair has gone white. Kara points out that if Cat didn’t care about Leslie, she wouldn’t be paying her hospital bill. There are flowers and stuff around and Kara asks if Leslie has a family. Evidently not; these are from her fans. Kara comments that Supergirl must feel awful and Cat asks why. She saved a lot of people. If anyone should feel guilty, it would be Cat for putting Leslie in that helicopter. And she doesn’t. Cat dismisses Kara but before she leaves herself, she tells Leslie to wake up as they both know she’s tougher than a bolt of lightning. After Cat leaves, there is a flicker of various electrical items then Leslie opens her eyes, and there’s electricity in them as well.
Eliza is actually upset and Alex says that Kara is an adult and that she’s going to do things her mother doesn’t like. Eliza tells Alex that Kara still thinks everyone is good and Alex needs to protect her as she knows better. Alex responds that she does know better, and that she wishes she doesn’t.
Leslie staggers out of the hospital with electricity arcing around her. A drunk approaches and, when he doesn’t back off, Leslie knocks him down with a bolt of electricity. Which it looks like she enjoyed far too much. The shock jock is now literally shocking.
Thanksgiving dinner does not exactly go well. Alex tells her mother what her job actually is but Eliza is not happy. Perhaps for reasons that will be revealed later, as some old connections are revealed.
Cat calls Kara into work because all of her electronics has shut down. Then the screens light up and Leslie appears on them. Although she says that Leslie is dead, she is now Leslie 2.0 – Livewire. It seems Leslie ahs a bit of a grudge against Cat. And is able to transport herself through electrical wiring and devices and absorb energy.
In “Fight or Flight”, Director Henshaw had agreed to help Supergirl with purely human opponents, rather than just alien ones. Somewhat reluctantly though. He has an idea for a device which may be useful against her. Which, when unveiled, gives off a strong Ghostbusters vibe. Which Kara comments on.
Note: In the original screening, this episode swapped places with episode four, “How Does She Do It?”, due to events in the latter episode having elements similar to real world events at the time.