Kara investigates a new medical technology developed by an old flame of Lena's.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Amnesiacs are Innocent: Jack is completely unaware of anything he does when Breen controls him; when Lena confronts him about his kills, he's honestly shocked.
- Body Horror: Jack turning into the nanobots and back looks very... disturbing.
- Brick Joke: Snapper tells Kara a story about how awkward it was the last time he ever thanked someone—his divorce lawyer. At the end of the episode, he thanks her, and it is just as awkward he said it would be.
- The Bus Came Back: Lena returns after missing the last two episodes.
- Casting Gag: Rahul Kohli does an extended riff on his best known role as Ravi from fellow CW series iZombie, a scientist who uses rats to find a cure for zombieism, and accidentally becomes part of the experiment when one of them bites him (in that case, nothing happens).
- Clothing Damage: Kara survives the car explosion, but her civilian outfit is badly burned.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: First it seems like Jack is one, having faked the trials needed to get approval for the Biomax nanobots, but then it is revealed that Breen is behind the fake, the cover-up, and the subsequent murders.
- Crazy-Prepared: Jack's computer alerts him whenever anyone copies files from it; because of this, he almost catches Kara and Mon-El.
- Crucified Hero Shot: The nanobots hold Kara in this position when they're about to kill her.
- Darker and Edgier: Two people die in this episode to cover up the faked Biomax trials, one by exploding car and the other eaten by the nanobots. And then Jack is Mercy Killed by Lena.
- Department of Redundancy Department: How Kara introduces herself when Jack calls on her at the press conference.Kara: Kara Danvers, of...karadanvers.com.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Lyra gets very brutal in her attempt to subdue the teenage shoplifter, to the point that James has to stop her.
- Dying as Yourself: Jack, once the nanobots are gone.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Breen is seen only once and very briefly before she is revealed to be in control of Jack.
- Fake Guest Star: This was the first episode to be produced after it was announced Katie McGrath would be upgraded to a regular in Season 3. She is in every episode from now until the end of the season and plays a major role in this and most of the other episodes. Although still officially a guest star, she is effectively a regular from this point onwards.
- Freudian Trio: The James, Winn and Lyra trio.
- James: The most strict and disciplined of the three (Superego).
- Winn: James' best friend and Lyra's boyfriend who is stuck between the two's conflict (Ego).
- Lyra: Hot-Blooded Hero with an F in Good (Id).
- Good Old Fisticuffs: When Breen tells Lena that she is a black belt, Lena only responds that she is a Luthor and smacks her down.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Lyra angrily breaks a glass bottle, shouts at Winn, and threatens him when he tells her James wants her off the team.
- Healing Factor: The nanobots' main (intended) use; they can heal wounds in seconds, leaving no scars.
- He Knows Too Much: A Spheerical Industries lab technician and a human trial volunteer are murdered by the swarm of nano-machines before they can expose that Biomax's human trials were faked.
- Hidden Depths: Snapper Carr reveals his knowledge for danishes by mentioning how sea salt can incorporate well with dough.Snapper: There's a lot you don't know about me, Danvers.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Lena tries this with Jack, which fails until she breaks the device Breen is using to control him.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Kara is dismayed over having failed to save the two people killed by the Biomax nanobots.
- In Spite of a Nail: Technologies from the Earth-1 Arrowverse make their Earth-38 debut.
- The Mind Control device used on Jack is the same one the Legion of Doom used on a Season 2 episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
- Jack's Killer Robot bees are essentially a far more advanced version of the one used by Brie Larvan during Arrow Season 4.
- Instant Expert: Rhea seems to have learned a lot about Earth already despite her short stay, though it's possible that a Time Skip occurred offscreen.
- It Only Works Once: The first time Supergirl faces the nanobot swarm, she can temporarily stop them with her freezing breath; the second time, the nanobots get past this attack and capture her.
- Jerkass Has a Point: This time acknowledged In-Universe by Kara, when she apologizes to Snapper.
- Job Title: Being a professional reporter is the episode's main theme, after all.
- Just Between You and Me: Breen tells Lena everything when they're alone, which Lena lampshades. It wastes enough time for Supergirl to intervene.
- Lethal Chef: Downplayed, as Kara's cooking skills are nowhere near dangerous, but still leave something to be desired. The one danish that she successfully doesn't burn? Snapper takes a bite and advises her not to start a food truck business. (Then again, this is Snapper we're talking about).
- Male Gaze: Kara and Lena's final scene in the episode opens with a slow shot of the latter's legs.
- The Man Behind the Man: Breen, Jack's CFO, is secretly controlling him through the Biomax nanobots.
- Mercy Kill: Jack asks Lena to shut down the nanobots and kill him, since he has no control over his actions.
- Mundane Utility: Kara's Kryptonian physiology means that she doesn't need oven mitts to take a piping hot dish out of the oven.
- Nanomachines: The Villain of the Week controls a swarm of nanobots made by Spheerical Industries.
- New Old Flame: Jack and Lena were an item a few years back. The episode has them trying to rekindle their romance.
- Never Trust a Trailer: The trailer for this episode was shot in such a way that it implied that someone (hinted to be Lena) would uncover Kara's secret identity.
- No Body Left Behind: The human trial volunteer gets eaten up completely by the nanobots. Not even a puddle of blood is left behind.
- No True Scotsman: Snapper has a very low opinion of bloggers, not considering them true reporters.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Snapper actually compliments Kara and thanks her for her help, showing just how proud he is of her and that he's willing to accept her apology and have her back.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: You can hear a bit of Katie McGrath's Irish accent before Jack walks into Lena's office.
- Out of Focus:
- Alex and J'onn each only appear in the opening scene, while Maggie is completely absent.
- In an inversion of most of the series so far, Mon-El only has a couple scenes, while James gets a sub-plot centered around Guardian and a scene in the Catco office.
- People Puppets: Thanks to the nanobots, Breen has full control of Jack's actions, and he's completely unaware of everything he does when under her control.
- Professor Guinea Pig: Jack Spheer tests his Biomax nanobot swarm on himself.
- Punny Name: Jack Spheer is the founder and CEO of Spheerical Industries, which uses round shapes in its designs and iconography.
- Running Gag: Snapper continues Cat Grant's tradition in loudly shouting for poor Miss Tessmacher.
- Sadistic Choice: Lena can deactivate the nanobots to save Supergirl, but doing so will kill Jack since he's bonded with them. She chooses the former, since he's begging her to do it.
- Shout-Out:
- Lyra (possibly) jokes about eating cats, which may be a reference to another alien with the same culinary preferences.
- Mon-El is continuing his education of Earth literature; he's not quite halfway through Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when Kara ropes him into helping with her investigation.
- Spoiler Opening: Kara getting her job back was never really in much doubt, as she never stopped calling herself a CatCo reporter in the show's Opening Narration.
- Status Quo Is God: By the end, Snapper rehires Kara.
- The Swarm: The nanobots are a technological version.
- Take That!: Snapper is again used to take a not-veiled-in-the-slightest swipe at the Trump administration, as he blasts Kara for "alternative facts," the term Kellyanne Conway infamously used as a euphemism for Blatant Lies.
- Took a Level in Kindness: At the end of the episode, Snapper softens his stance towards Kara, sincerely thanking her for helping him with the Biomax story, even putting her name on the byline with his, and giving her back her job on the grounds that they need more reporters dedicated to the truth like her.
- Trailers Always Spoil: Not so much the trailer, but an early episode synopsis revealed that Beth Breen was the true villain of the episode
- The Un-Hug: Mon-El hugs Jack when he and Kara are leaving the date they crashed. Jack finds it incredibly awkward, while Mon-El is using the opportunity to swipe Jack's security pass.
- The Worm That Walks: The nanobots, once fused with Jack's body, can alternate between the humanoid form and The Swarm.
- Victory Is Boring: In the beginning of the episode Kara is once again bored by having nothing to do, as everything is unusually quiet and she doesn't have her civilian job to distract her.Kara: Whoo! It is another beautiful day in National City and the Girl of Steel is ready to take on the world! I am here to kick some ass, take some names, and do it all with an endearing smile on my face. So, bring it on; what do you got for me?
J'onn: There is literally nothing for you to do. - Wham Shot: Rhea shows up at Lena's office to offer her a deal.
