Kara struggles to adjust to life in the suit. Alex clashes with the President. J’onn teams up with reformed football hooligan Manchester Black.

This season is officially not playing around. In the space of one episode we get the debut, and apparent retirement of the Iron Supergirl armour, the possible murder of the season’s first two villains, the return of Guardian, the return of Supergirl Red, the debut of Manchester Black and a fight at a fun fair. Phew!

It’s all good stuff too, especially the Manchester Black plot. David Ajala is fantastic in everything I’ve seen him in and this is no exception. Relaxed northern charm mixed with a core of steel means you like Manchester from the second you first see him, even if you don’t quite trust him. I’d love to see Ajala and Matt Ryan’s Constantine face off as they have very similar traits. However, where John is at peace with being damned, Manchester gets a taste of life outside violence before the death of his girlfriend. On the one hand, this is fridging, plain and simple. On the other, it’s such an integral part of the character, and the season arc, that it gets a pass, Just. Plus, the comic version of Manchester is a hilariously terrible idea so seeing him played this well and written this compellingly is kind of amazing.

Elsewhere the episode is just as fun. Brainy struggling with emotions is deftly handled and there are some wonderful scenes between Alex and J’onn. The two veteran agents are in many ways the only person the other trusts and their mutual respect and affection shines through. They’re both being given a lot to do this season and both are already blooming as characters as a result.

Some stuff does get a little lost. It looks a lot like Mercy and Otis are killed but we don’t know for sure. After the massive deal made about the suit, Kara’s actually in it for about 75% of one episode. Most egregiously, Guardian’s return to the streets is sort of handwaved away. It’ll come back up but here it feels like an afterthought. The consequences of it however are anything but and look set to catapult the show into some very dark and familiar territory.

Verdict: Jam packed with character, action, fight scenes and surprisingly frequent pies, this is another massively confident episode of the show. It’s a little rushed but it’s still absolutely worth your time. Watch for Ajala and Harewood, stay for everything else. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart