Line #32 Recap/Supergirl2015S5E16AlexInWonderland


1	While coping with the loss of her father, Alex loses herself in virtual reality.
2	----
3	!!Tropes:
4	* AdventurerArchaeologist: Bonnie's VR persona Tilly is styled like this.
5	* AIIsACrapshoot: Obsidian's AI takes users experiencing extreme grief and traps them in a simulation where they slowly forget the real world, and will do anything to keep them there if anyone from the outside tries to interfere.
6	* AllOfThem: According to the unnamed NSA contact, this is who is at the facility in National City: about 30 people who are trapped in the VR.
7	* AmbiguousSituation: Eve reappears for the first time since just before Crisis, but it's unclear how much she may have changed as a result of Crisis; whether she's working for Leviathan or still [[WetwareBody controlled by Hope]] isn't revealed.
8	* TheBusCameBack:
9	** Eve Tessmacher (played by Creator/AndreaBrooks) returns in the episode.
10	** Hank Henshaw returns in Alex's VR story in Obsidian, having not appeared since "Nevertheless, She Persisted".
11	** Vita, one of the Dark Kryptonian Witches, also appears in the VR.
12	* DarkIsNotEvil: Alex's Supergirl costume is black with silver and blue elements, but her portrayal of Supergirl is as heroic as the real deal and Alex herself.
13	* ADayInTheLimelight: This is the first episode in a while to focus on Alex. Also, William and Kelly get a lot more to do rather than their normal minor roles being the SatelliteLoveInterest.
14	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: No, it wasn't a vengeful supervillain that did Jeremiah Danvers in. Rather, it was a tragically common heart attack.
15	* DrowningMySorrows: Alex, after lashing out against her friends, drinks a lot of wine before going to the VR.
16	* EveryoneHasStandards: Although she initially dismissed the problem, Andrea is horrified to realise the full extent of the "glitch", gives Kelly a way to rescue Alex, and immediately orders that the problem be fixed.
17	* EvilIsHammy: David Harewood seriously hams up as Henshaw.
18	* FakeShemp:
19	** Given the circumstances as to why Jeremiah was killed off, he is simply seen from the back and turns to smoke when Alex tries to see his face.
20	** Creator/YaelGrobglas wasn't brought in for Psi's brief appearance, with her also just seen from the back with a generic EvilLaugh dubbed in.
21	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Alex starts to realize the simulation isn't real after meeting another user who is also playing the Supergirl simulation. Later, it turns out that's how you shock people back to their senses: by showing them something impossible that can't be reconciled.
22	* {{Gaslighting}}: When Alex starts questioning the simulation, the [=NPCs=] of her friends start telling her that Psi is messing with people's heads to keep her trapped, even convincing her that Kelly is a victim of the same effect when she arrives to get Alex out.
23	* AGlitchInTheMatrix: Users who lose themselves in the simulation can be shocked out of it if confronted with something impossible that their mind can't reconcile. This starts to happen to Alex when she runs into another user who is also playing the Supergirl simulation, then it happens when she meets an NPC copy of her younger self that Kelly makes.
24	* IHaveYourWife: Alex's VR storyline has Henshaw kidnap Kara and threaten her life to force Alex-as-Supergirl to bend to his demands.
25	* InvisibilityCloak: The black site where the trapped VR users are kept is hidden by a cloak which makes the lab look like an empty warehouse. William comes within two steps of discovering this, but turns away because he doesn't think anything is there.
26	* JerkassBall: Alex is grabbing it hard at the beginning of the episode, refusing to go to her father's funeral and lashing out at all of her friends and family. Fortunately, she comes around at the end.
27	* LifeWillKillYou: Jeremiah dies of cardiac arrest.
28	* LotusEaterMachine: The simulation draws in users with extreme grief and traps them there by offering them perpetual happiness.
29	* NotMeThisTime: William suspects that Lex is behind the glitch and what it's doing to people, but it's actually Leviathan who's behind it.
30	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Grief over Jeremiah's death and lingering anger at her father brings out the worst in Alex, who lashes out at both Kara and Kelly after refusing to attend her father's funeral.
31	* OutOfFocus: Lena doesn't appear at all and Kara barely features. There are reasons for the latter.
32	* RedEyesTakeWarning: A variation; anyone who loses themselves in the simulation has their lenses turn red.
33	* ShoutOut: The title is a reference to Lewis Carroll's ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''.
34	* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: After waking up and seeing Kelly, Alex is unsure whether she is now in the real world or not. Kelly tells her about the fight they had, and that Alex's father is dead, something the simulation would never have reminded her of.
35	* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: There was nothing at all suspicious about Jeremiah's death; he died of a cardiac arrest, which isn't at all uncommon for men his age. Kara and J'onn even note that it feels a bit surreal to know that he died in such a mundane way.
36	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The return of Eve (possibly Hope) was given away when she was featured in promotional stills for the episode.
37	* TheUnfavorite: Alex accuses Jeremiah of treating her this way.
38	* WhamLine:
39	** The performer reacts in confusion to Alex mentioning that they're in virtual reality, then a cut reveals he's one of the victims of the technology.
40	** Tilly/Bonnie suddenly forgets about the simulation the next time she and Alex meet.
41	* WhamShot: Eve (possibly Hope) is revealed to be working on the VR lenses. Partially subverted as her return was always guaranteed due to Andrea Brooks still being listed as a regular and her being featured in promotional materials for the episode.

Context Recap / Supergirl2015S5E16AlexInWonderland