"Stronger Together" is the second episode in the first season of the CBS television series Supergirl, which aired on November 2, 2015. It was written by series developers/creators Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kreisberg, and directed by Glen Winter. The episode centers on Kara's attempt to put a positive image on Supergirl as she attempts to capture a Kryptonian prisoner from Fort Rozz, while Cat pressure James' connection to Superman to get an interview with Supergirl.
Plot
In the week after becoming Supergirl, Kara is ridiculed by the media after her attempt to stop a fire results in a massive oil spill in the ocean. Among those condemning her is businessman Maxwell Lord, who blames Supergirl for bringing problems to National City. Cat pressures James to use his connection to Superman to get her an interview with Supergirl, to which she eventually agrees. Kara continues her training at the DEO, where Alex defeats her in a room containing Kryptonite. Kara enlists James and Winn to help Supergirl tackle smaller situations, desperate to prove she is capable of handling any threat, like her cousin. It works, though Alex is upset Kara revealed herself to James and Winn, and apologizes for the tough training. In a flashback to Krypton, Kara wishes to more time with her mother, and learns about a Hellgrammite, an insect-like alien able to disguise itself as humanoid and shoot icicle-like venomous darts. In the present, Kara examines a plant attacked by a Hellgrammite – escaped from Fort Rozz, who needs DDT to survive. Alex and other agents bait the Hellgrammite by taking DDT from National City's local plant via truck escort, but he knocks out the agents and abducts Alex to an abandoned warehouse. She comes face-to-face with General Astra, who reveals she used the Hellgrammite to lure Kara, intending to kill her and take over Earth. Informed by Hank that Alex is missing, Kara finds her at the warehouse with Astra, shocked to see her alive. Astra reveals her plan to wipe outEarth's population as revenge against Alura, who sentenced her to Fort Rozz for attempting to speak the truth and save their world. Astra asks Kara to join her, but she refuses; they battle while an injured Alex kills the Hellgrammite. Hank arrives with a Kryptonite knife and stabs Astra in the arm. Astra escapes with the blade. Recovering, Alex gives Kara a gift: a room with an artificial intelligence in Alura's likeness, found in Kara’s crashed pod. Unbeknownst to Kara or Alex, Hank's eyes glow red, hinting that he is not human. Astra has her commander examine the blade and holds off the invasion, realizing Supergirl is stronger than she thought. Cat, after threatening James with termination, gets the scoop she wanted as Supergirl meets her for an exclusive interview, telling Cat that this is "her story."
Reception
Ratings
The episode placed a 2.2/7 among 18-49s, with more than 8.87 million viewers tuned in to see the episode, a 29 percent drop from the debut episode, and once again tying it with NBC's Blindspot as the top scripted program of the evening. The episode attracted 1,263,000 viewers for its British premiere, making it the 2nd most watched programme on Sky One for the week.
Critical response
The episode received positive reviews, mostly for adding more layers to the story's elements. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly notes in his assessment of the review, "Stronger Together is strong follow-up to last week’s fun, albeit super-stuffed, series premiere that includes some great character development for Alex and starts to reveal what kind of a superhero Kara hopes to be." Cliff Wheatley of IGN gave the episode an 8, saying, “Stronger Together” is a great episode that gives us less of the stuff we didn’t love about the pilot and plenty more of the stuff we did. The show’s takes on Kara, Cat, and James are inventive and appealing, while the action remains fun and there are easter eggs aplenty. Also: was that Perd Hapley as the TV anchor?!. Caroline Siede of The A.V. Club gave the episode a positive review, giving it a B-. In her assessment of the episode: "Though Supergirl may be a little shaky on the execution this week, much like its central hero, its heart is in the right place." Stacy Glanzman of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 5.0 out of 5 stars.
