Kara Zor-El certainly seems like a happy-go-lucky hero compared to, say, Jessica Jones, but don't think that Supergirl doesn't have angst. "Red Faced" proves that even a Kryptonian as kind as Kara has a breaking point, and gives our protagonist new depth.
The episode begins calmly with Kara flying around to relax. Unfortunately, the residents of National City aren't that chill, and Kara has to go deal with a case of road rage. She stops two warring cars right before they hit a bunch of kids. When one of the drivers tries to punch Kara she grabs his fist, hurting him and shocking the spectators.
“It’s always men who go crazy behind the wheel,” Kara complains when she's back at the DEO. Hank's more concerned about Kara going crazy. Hank warns that people fear Superman because they worry about what havoc he might wreak if his temper gets the best of him. The incident certainly gives Maxwell Lord fodder, and he takes it as an opportunity to go on about dangers of Supergirl in front of news cameras.
Tensions are also high in National City because a bunch of parents are in town, including Lucy Lane's dad. James is not happy about this news. He tells Kara why he's riled up: Lucy’s dad is one of those anti-Superman people. But James' relationship with Lucy is going well enough that he invited her to game night on Kara's behalf.
Cat’s obnoxious book editor mother, Katherine, has also come for a visit, armed with criticism for her daughter. She even calls Cat's superhero naming into question: “Supergirl. Shouldn’t she be called Superwoman?” This discussion again?
Elsewhere at CatCo, Alex is searching for information about her father. She wants Winn to hack into the DEO. Winn is resistant until he hears it’s about her dad. Remember: Winn's got some "daddy issues" of his own.
Hank calls Kara and Alex to DEO base camp where they meet up with General Sam Lane. Sam needs Supergirl to help the military with a test. Lucy's there too, looking not quite so friendly in her work attire. Kara agrees, partially to prove something to her sort of romantic rival. All she needs to do? Fight a robot. “It’s an anthropomorphic pseudo entity with combat capabilities,” a man who we later learn is Dr. Morrow corrects. Morrow calls it “Red Tornado.”
Before Kara deals with Red Tornado she has to deal with Cat. Katherine cancels on Cat for dinner in order to hang with Toni Morrison and Margaret Atwood. We can’t totally blame Katherine, but Cat looks disappointed and takes her anger out on Kara, telling her to correct a fashion spread and stay until it’s done. When Kara mentions it’s office game night, Cat calls her out on her crush on James. Seems Kara's not as discreet about that as she is about being Supergirl.
At game night, Lucy and James are much better at reading each other's cues than Kara and Winn. Then talk turns to Supergirl. Lucy says she’s not that “impressed." So now Kara’s really pissed as she goes off to fight the not-robot known as “Red Tornado.” Seems this won’t exactly be a hand-to-hand combat fight. Red Tornado can actually create tornados. But Kara outwits the robot. Even when she clearly has won their fight, she keeps punching and deploys her freeze breath. It would have been a great victory for her if her outburst triggered Red Tornado’s preservation instincts. He goes into stealth mode and leaves terrorize National City. Sam wants the Red Tornado destroyed. Morrow protests, and Sam fires him.
By the time Cat starts laying into Kara at the office, Kara has had enough. She lets Cat have it: “Don’t talk to me like that, please,” she says. She finishes her rant with a question: “Why are you so mean?” Kara catches herself. She can’t believe she said that out loud. But surprisingly, Cat doesn’t demolish her. Instead, she says, “forward the phones.” They are going on a little jaunt.
Alex also takes a trip: she plays Maxwell Lord a visit. She presents him with Red Tornado’s arm. She wants his help; He declines.
James also isn't having a great evening. He's at an awkward dinner with Lucy and her dad. When Lucy goes to the bathroom, Sam tells James how he really feels: “You’re not good enough for her." He calls James a “glorified paparazzo,” clinging to those he thinks are “special,” without being “special” himself. He's hit right at James' insecurities.
Kara, meanwhile, is in luck. Cat's not punishing her, she's taking her drinking. As Cat guzzles martinis, she doles out advice to Kara about dealing with anger. “Whatever you do you cannot get angry at work, especially when you’re a girl,” Cat instructs. Cat tells her to find “that anger behind the anger."
Outside of James and Lucy’s dinner, Red Tornado emerges, and knocks Lucy out. After Supergirl arrives Red Tornado unleashes a tornado on National City, distracting Supergirl and escaping. Sam criticizes Supergirl for letting the robot get away. But Hank counters: Red Tornado was specifically made to kill Kryptonians. Sam should be thanking Supergirl instead of targeting her, Hank argues. Alex interrupts; Apparently, Maxwell wants to talk to her.
She goes over to Maxwell’s place, which looks like it's set up for a date. There's even candlelight and wine. Alex doesn’t drink anything, but suddenly she’s divulging secrets, telling Maxwell that her father died. Maxwell also has figured something out about Red Tornado. Morrow is still working with his creation.
James joins Kara for some therapeutic exercise to deal with their feelings. James has a bag to punch while airing his grievances; Kara has a car. As she hits the car, Kara's emotions spiral. “I hate that I’m never going to get to have a normal life,” she finally declares. She’s realizes hit upon what Cat was talking about, the root of her anger. “Being myself doesn’t make me feel more normal and it never will, because my normal life ended the second my parents put me on that ship and that makes me so mad,” she says.
She doesn't really have time to work through those thoughts, because gets a call: It's time for her to head to the DEO. Alex wants Kara to keep Red Tornado occupied while she hunts Morrow. Hank lures Red Tornado — which is targeting Sam Lane because of Morrow's grudge — with a hologram of the general.
Alex finds Morrow's lair and discovers that Morrow is controlling Red Tornado telepathically. As Morrow and Alex grapple, Kara and Red Tornado battle. Alex ultimately shoots Morrow, but that doesn’t shut down the robot: It has become sentient. So Kara channels all of her rage into her heat vision, which she aims straight at Red Tornado. As she fires at him, she flashes back to the moment her parents sent her to Earth. Red Tornado is nothing compared to the fury of a young Kryptonian woman.
The experience has had a profound affect on Lucy. She decides to side with James over her father and leave her military job. Her father has no kind parting words: "I hope that one day, when you realize what a terrible mistake you made it won't be too late," Sam says.
On the subject of fathers: This whole time Winn has working on the Jeremiah Danvers case. Jeremiah was on a mission in South America with another agent. They both were "presumed dead," but the other agent actually survived. That agent? Hank. And Hank redacted the files on Jeremiah's death.
Cat’s still nursing that hangover while her mother berates Kara for not ordering a car for the airport. But Cat jumps to Cat's defense, saying her assistant is “excellent at her job.” Kara thanks her, but Cat says it was "just for effect" and demands some Advil. Cat's glass accidentally shatters. Kara goes to pick it up. Broken glass won't hurt her, right? Well, it does. She starts to bleed.