Supergirl is finally back for its final 13 episodes, and this week’s installment, “Welcome Back, Kara,” shows what the Phantom Zone has done to Kara’s mentality, while her father pledges to fix Earth’s problems. Let’s dive into the recap!
Hug-Athon | With Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) finally back from the Phantom Zone, albeit heavily traumatized from her experience, Alex (Chyler Leigh), Lena (Katie McGrath), Nia (Nicole Maines), Brainy (Jesse Rath) and J’onn (David Harewood) throw a return party for her, involving lots and lots of hugs.
Kara’s father, Zor-El (Jason Behr), vows to stick around and see what Kara’s life has been like on Earth, as he tags along with her and Nia at CatCo, where Rojas (Julie Gonzalo) demands a huge scoop from Kara on the Phantom attacks in National City. Kara is upset that Phantoms terrorized people while she was gone, but is quickly distracted by a falling satellite, which she and her father team up to stop from doing damage.
Save the Environment | As Kara reads about the Phantom attacks, she is called up by Zor-El, who is suddenly concerned that environmental damage on Earth could lead to Earth suffering the same fate as Krypton and tells her that they need to fix the environment… good luck with that.
Kara takes him to the Fortress of Solitude to find out more about how Krypton was destroyed. He modifies a Kryptonian robot to convert the waste in Earth’s oceans into energy, warning Team Supergirl that if they don’t act now, Earth could go the same way as Krypton.
I Gave It A Cold | Unfortunately, the robot malfunctions and starts adding waste to its body instead of destroying it. This causes it to go rogue and potentially detonate, endangering the city. Brainy’s plan is to copy “Independence Day” and give it a computer virus that will short circuit it, but Zor-El is concerned that doing so will accelerate Earth’s demise. Alex overrules him and orders Brainy to upload the virus.
After shutting down the rogue program, Brainy rescues the intact robot and Supergirl flies the trash into space. Afterwards, Zor-El tells Kara that he’s going to Argo City to see her mother and bids adieu to her, while Rojas orders William (Staz Nair) to profile the superheroes saving National City.
As Lena calls Nia to inform her that she’s going off in search of her birth mother after her Phantom induced vision, Kara finally breaks down in her apartment over her trip to the Phantom Zone. Alex promises to help Kara through it, while Nia wakes up from a dream and says one word: “Myxly!”
Supergirl airs Tuesdays on The CW.