Red Kryptonite-influenced words are a sober girl’s thoughts. 

After last week’s hiatus, CBS’s Supergirl came back in full force with “Falling,” which picks up shortly after the events of “Solitude” and marks a rapid (but temporary) 180° turnaround in Kara’s demeanor. After spending a morning playing the All-American Heroine by helping a schoolgirl shut down her bullies, Kara is dispatched by the D.E.O. to save some firemen from a building fire. Just before leaving the rooftop, Kara feels a strange sensation and a red glow briefly shines across her face. The camera pans down to a strange red glowing cluster beneath one of the building’s satellite dishes. What is this mystery material? Red Kryptonite, naturally. But where did it come from? That much isn’t revealed until after the halfway point of the episode.

Upon waking the next day, it’s clear that there’s a brand new Kara Zor-El in town. She’s bolder than ever before, and she is not tolerating any basic shizz. Her hair is more coiffed, her garments better accentuate her figure, and her attitude is just a few degrees shy of Mean Girls‘ Regina George. The all new Kara ups her rivalry with assistant Siobhan, which eventually results in Siobhan’s inevitable firing. Since we already know that Siobhan will be returning as the Silver Banshee, this one-two punch from Cat and Kara looks to no doubt be the catalyst for her eventual revenge episode.

Her newly defiant attitude manifests itself in every aspect of Kara’s life. At the D.E.O. she’s downright indignant toward Hank/J’onn, even nearly blowing his dual identity in front of a cadre of agents. At CatCo, she uses Cat’s personal elevator and somehow manages to sway a reluctant Cat to her side by insisting that Cat’s latte is now 90 seconds warmer that it otherwise would have been. She becomes shockingly forward with newly-dumped James Olsen, and she mouths off to her sister Alex. It’s clear that the more time that passes, the more potent the effects of her exposure to Red Kryptonite become.

In one of the more shocking scenes of the series, Kara throws Cat Grant from her CatCo balcony. It’s obvious that a save was inevitable, but for a moment, it really looked as if Kara was just going to let Cat go splat. (I’ll see myself out.) By the time that the D.E.O. figures out what has Kara all torn up, Maxwell Lord shows up to take the credit/blame for Red Kryptonite. Sidebar: for a secretive governmental agency, they sure seem to allow civilians walk through the front door with some disturbing frequency. Though Maxwell ultimately still distrusts aliens, his willingness to help Kara for the second time proves he’s softening at least toward Supergirl. That may have more to do with his frequent and thinly veiled flirting with Kara’s sister Alex than it does with being a Supergirl supporter, though.

The ultimate showdown between Supergirl (wearing a very Astra-inspired jupsuit) and the D.E.O. results in J’onn J’onzz revealing his true form to take down the out-of-control Kryptonian. He shapeshifts on the street, mid-battle, in front of everyone. His distraction allows Alex the clear shot she needs to use Lord’s reversal beam to completely neutralize the effects of the Red Kryptonite. When Kara wakes up at the D.E.O., Melissa Benoist pulls out some quality acting and imbues Kara with a real sense of deep, deep regret. Kara may have been under an awful influence, but “Falling” really nails home the point that words once spoken can never be retrieved. Only forgiven.

How did you feel about this week’s episode? Was the dark and twisty Kara too much for you to handle? Sound off below!

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Notable Quotables:

Cat Grant: “I know you see yourself as a plucky heroine who broke a story as big as Watergate, and then gave it to my biggest competitor, and I know that you think once the Daily Planet runs the story that you will have a fancy job there, and I know that you believe, in the end, that I will admire your gumption for scooping me and I will beg you to come back.”
Siobhan Smythe: “Won’t you?”
Cat Grant: “No.”

Listen For:

“Confident” by Demi Lovato

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Image: CBS