This James-centric episode was all about connection: James, aka The Guardian, makes a connection that helps him find his inner hero. Mon-el re-unites with his misbehaving mother and discovers that a maternal connection is hard to break. And Lena and Rhea connect as partners, in a surrogate mother/daughter relationship that may lead to the end of the world. Yeah, you heard right. This episode had a lot going on that didn’t get resolved. But that’s okay, because the episode was mostly a set-up for the two-part finale.

Here’s what happened: The Guardian saves a woman from being attacked, but James is caught off-guard when the woman is more afraid of him than her thuggish attackers. He wants to be a beacon of hope like Supergirl and Superman, but finds himself feared instead of admired. More like Batman, who is alluded to but never mentioned by name. But before James can continue his pity party,  an alien woman uses a psychic attack at a street fair, and all heck breaks loose. James is powerless to stop the attack, but Supergirl swoops in to save the day, once again, making James feel insignificant by comparison. BOO HOO! Man-up James, you’re supposed to be doing the hero thing to help people, not acquire accolades. And in case you didn’t notice, Superman and Supergirl have super powers and you don’t, that’s why they can handle the big stuff and you can’t. Just saying!

Elsewhere: Mon-el sees Rhea coming out of a restaurant and freaks out. But when she vanishes, he begins to question if he really saw her, or just though t he did. He has Winn check to make sure his Mom’s space ship isn’t in Earth’s orbit. It isn’t. So he relaxes, though Mon-el is unsure about how he feels about his mother’s absence. Is he glad she’s gone forever, or does he miss her? But Rhea isn’t gone, she’s on Earth and working with Lena Luthor, being the supportive mentor that Lena wishes her mother had been. But Lena doesn’t know that Rhea’s a bad girl with ulterior motives. Or that she’s helping Rhea build a device that could facilitate an alien invasion. Oops! Maybe next time Lena chooses a business partner she’ll Google her first.

James befriends the psychic attacker’s son. And he thinks he may be able to help the D.E.O. by finding out where the boy’s mother is. In an effort to bond with the boy, James brings him to Catco. It must bring your alien to work day. And that’s when things go horribly wrong. The boy slips into a trance and begins to attack Catco with his own psychic abilities, almost bringing the building down. Thankfully Supergirl is there to thwart the attack. Again. And she realizes that the boy and his mother aren’t provokers, they are victims. Something is triggering the attacks. Supergirl just doesn’t know what the trigger is. And as it turns out, the machine that Lena and Rhea are working on is the cause of the attacks. When the power is turned on, the vibrations drive this particular alien race bonkers. YIKES!

Villains love to gloat. That’s why Rhea tells Kara her plans over the phone. So Supergirl, Mon-el and Hank track her down. But it’s too little too late. Rhea uses a White Martian device on Hank, to incapacitate him. Then Rhea activates the machine she built with Lena, which is a kind of Star Gate.  And thousands of Daxamite ships come through the gate and invade National City. What’s a lone Supergirl to do? And though Mon-el threatens to shoot his mom, which could kill her because Daxamites are allergic to lead. Mon-el finds that he can’t pull the trigger. He can’t kill the mother he grew up loving, even if she is a bit crazy now. And when Rhea lies and tells Mon-el that his Dad committed suicide because of Mon-el’s rejection, it emotionally incapacitates him, leaving him numb and conflicted. So to sum up; Supergirl is up against thousands of Daxamite ships that are descending on National City. Martian Manhunter is down and out, trapped in his own mind. And Mon-el is having serious Mommy issues… STAY TUNED.

LAST WORDS: James stops a third psychic attack by reminding the alien kid that they are still buds, and hugging it out. Which didn’t make much sense, but somehow confirms that James is a hero, even without powers…Huh?   Honestly, I’m not even sure why James is still in this series. But with an alien invasion about to commence, I can see why Supergirl is going to need Superman’s help. And I guess the alien threat will also draw out Cadmus and Lillian Luthor, because they hate aliens. And Cat Grant will also show up for the showdown. And though I’m not sure what good Cat can do, it will still be good to see her again. And my fingers are still crossed for a possible Dean Cain/Terri Hatcher reunion.