Line #70 Recap/Supergirl2015S5E7Tremors


1	Supergirl finally learns the truth about Lena while tangling with Leviathan. J'onn J'onnz makes a discovery about his brother's whereabouts.
2	----
3	!!Tropes:
4	* AllForNothing: How Lena feels about killing her own (evil) brother, all for her friends who've been lying to her the whole time.
5	* AllMythsAreTrue: One of the past catastrophes Rama Khan is believed to have caused is [[TheGreatFlood Noah's Flood]].
6	* AndIMustScream: Malefic's description of life in the Phantom Zone is unpleasant, to say the least.
7	-->'''Malefic''': Lifetimes of nothing. No air, no time, no sight, no smell. Nothing but my heart, suspended mid-beat. An excruciating suspense that never stops. A breath you can never exhale.
8	* TheAtoner: J'onn chooses to try and make up for his crimes against Malefic, even risking his life by opening his mind to Malefic in order to mend the rift between them.
9	* TheBadGuyWins: Lena gets away with Myriad free and clear, leaving a morally and emotionally devastated Kara trapped in the Fortress.
10	* BadassBoast: Rama Khan has quite a good one, but Kara isn't impressed.
11	-->'''Rama Khan''': You thought you could hide her from me? I am ancient. I am the earth! What are you?\
12	'''Kara''': Me? I'm just peeved you didn't knock.
13	* BatmanGambit: Lena purposely puts herself in Leviathan's crosshairs to get Supergirl to rescue her and secure access to the Fortress of Solitude to steal the Myriad device for her own plans. It works perfectly.
14	* BeenThereShapedHistory: Leviathan's arrival on Earth wiped out the dinosaurs, while Rama Khan has been personally responsible for several "natural" disasters throughout history, including the destruction of Pompeii.
15	* BittersweetEnding: The good: Alex and Kelly manage to avoid losing their relationship, while J'onn and Malefic appear to be reconciling. The bad: Lena has revealed her duplicity to Kara, railing against her for betraying her trust, then trapping her in the Fortress of Solitude while stealing Myriad for her mass-brainwashing plan.
16	* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: J'onn and Kara are seen sparring at the beginning of the episode.
17	* TheBusCameBack: Once again, M'yrnn J'onzz returns via a projection of his memories in J'onn's mind.
18	* CallBack: With Myriad returning, Kara recalls the fight against her aunt and uncle's forces.
19	* CelebrityParadox: An ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' reference was made by saying "Earthbending", and Alex's reaction suggests the show exists in this universe. Creator/PhilLaMarr, who voices the Earth King, plays Malefic. If one counts TheMultiverse, then there's Creator/MarkHamill (Earths 1, 3 and 90 James Jesse) voicing the show's BigBad and Creator/ClancyBrown (Wade Eilling) voicing a RecurringCharacter.
20	* ChekhovsSkill: Supergirl wins her sparring match with J'onn by using a backflip which leads into a face kick while she's flying. She uses the same move on Rama Khan when they battle at the Fortress.
21	* TheChessmaster: Lena rather impressively plays both Leviathan and Supergirl in order to get access to the Fortress of Solitude.
22	* CrazyPrepared:
23	** Lena foils Margot's assassination attempt in her apartment with a DeflectorShield, having anticipated that Leviathan would try to kill her for the amulet.
24	** Superman built an Anti-Luthor defense mechanism in the Fortress of Solitude.
25	* DishingOutDirt: Rama Khan has the power to control earth, drawing power from the planet. He's responsible for various natural disasters throughout history.
26	* DoubleMeaning: Lena remarks that the sonic cannon was "designed for evil, but perhaps we can use it for some good". As she said this immediately after spying Myriad, the audience is well aware of what she [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood really]] means.
27	* DramaticIrony: Little did Kara realise, the Fortress' anti-Luthor defense was actually quite right to detain Lena.
28	* EcoTerrorist: Turns out that this is what Leviathan really is - they want to protect the Earth from the humans harming it.
29	* EurekaMoment:
30	** Rama Khan has one when he can't feel Lena and Kara anywhere on the globe - because they are in the one place on the planet that is ''not'' of terran descent.
31	** Brainy has one, putting together all the clues of where Leviathan's headquarters are after the explosion improves his mind.
32	* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
33	** A tragic example from an AntiVillain; Lena believes that Kara's tears as she confessed to being Supergirl in the season premiere were nothing but CrocodileTears, especially compared to [[ItsAllAboutMe her own emotional devastation]].
34	** Subverted with Malefic; he initially dismisses J'onn's desire to reconcile as nothing but a lie, but after looking into his brother's mind, recognises his sincerity and extends a hand of friendship to J'onn.
35	* EvilIsPetty: As much as she denies being evil, Lena's resentment towards Supergirl sees her make some passive-aggressive digs at Kara, calling her an "excellent actress" for keeping her identity secret for so long, cheerfully commenting on the near-crash they went through [[Recap/Supergirl2015S4E20WillTheRealMissTessmacherPleaseStandUp on the way to Kasnia]], trying to hide her anger at being desperate to save someone who can fly, and pointing out how bad an idea it is to bring a Luthor to the Fortress of Solitude.
36	* FateWorseThanDeath: What Malefic describes his imprisonment in the Phantom Zone as, being trapped in the same moment for eternity.
37	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Brainy mentions being less inhibited, something that becomes very important three episodes later.
38	* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Kara blasts a huge hole into Rama Khan's torso with her heat vision, only for him to regenerate in moments.
39	* HeelFaceTurn: It's too soon to tell, but Malefic ''appears'' to be making one.
40	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Fortress has a security protocol designed to imprison and possibly kill those with Luthor DNA, which targets Lena due to her relation to Lex. After Kara disables it, Lena reprograms the system to non-lethally subdue Kara so she can escape with Myriad.
41	* HomeFieldAdvantage: Invoked by Supergirl when she realizes Rama Khan's power over the Earth doesn't extend to the non-Earthen Fortress of Solitude. By sealing the cracks he gained entrance through, he's deprived of his power.
42	* InternalReveal:
43	** Kara learns that Lena's been lying to her, and that she killed Lex. She also learns that Lena already knew she's Supergirl because Lex told her.
44	** J'onn learns that Malefic wasn't sent to the Phantom Zone, though it's not yet clear if he realises that Lena was responsible.
45	** The heroes learn Rip Roar's dead.
46	* KickTheDog: [[ShootTheDog While she sees it as necessary]], Lena exploiting Kara to further her own plans is quite low.
47	* KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand: J'onn offers his mind to Malefic, at the risk of being killed. Instead, his brother sees his true self and intentions and forgives him.
48	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Rama Khan retreats when Supergirl figures out his LogicalWeakness and Lena blasts him with a sonic weapon, knowing he can't fight both of them when Supergirl has the HomeFieldAdvantage.
49	* LampshadeHanging: Lena even tells Kara that it is a bad idea to bring a Luthor into the Fortress of Solitude.
50	* LargeHam: Rama Khan acts extremely melodramatic.
51	* LiteralMetaphor: When M'yrnn tells J'onn that his brother is still ''here'', he doesn't mean in his mind - but across town.
52	-->'''M'yrnn''': Your brother is here.\
53	'''J'onn''': You mean here in my mind?\
54	'''M'rynn''': No, he's across town.
55	* LiteralMinded: When Gamemnae makes a reference to "the snowflake generation", Rama Khan asks "what, do they melt?".
56	* LogicalWeakness: Rama Khan has power over the Earth; he has no power over elements that can't be found on Earth, such as the Fortress. Supergirl exploits this by sealing the cracks he used to enter the Fortress.
57	* LuredIntoATrap: Leviathan lures Brainy and Alex to Rip Roar's corpse, blowing it up.
58	* MotiveRant: Caught red-handed while stealing Myriad, Lena bitterly explains her motives to a shocked and heartbroken Kara.
59	--> '''Lena''': I shot my own brother in the chest. His final words to me were that I was a fool. That my best friend, that every friend I had was lying to me. With his dying breath, he told me you were Supergirl.\
60	'''Kara''': Lena, you have to believe me, I never meant to humiliate you.\
61	'''Lena''': No, when I came to this city, I promised myself that [[NeverBeHurtAgain I would never trust anyone again]], and then, [[HopeSpot I met you]]. You chipped away at my armor with your warmth and your earnestness, and you convinced me to trust in people and in friendship again. And against my better judgment, I did. All the while, telling you about my Achilles' heel: betrayal. I confided in you that everyone in my past had betrayed me, about how much it hurt to have someone you love lie to you and betray you. I spelled it out to you over and over again, essentially begging you not to violate my trust, begging you not to prove that once again, I was a fool! You reassured me ad nauseam that you'd never lie to me, that you'd never hurt me, and all the while, there wasn't a single honest moment in our friendship--\
62	'''Kara''': No, no, that is ''not'' true!\
63	'''Lena''': [[SuddenlyShouting NO! I KILLED MY BROTHER FOR YOU, FOR OUR FRIENDS]]! [[WhatTheHellHero DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE DONE]]?!\
64	'''Kara''': When you found out, why didn't you come to me right away, so I could explain--\
65	'''Lena''': "Explain"? [[SarcasmMode Yeah]]?\
66	'''Kara''': ''[crying]'' If you hate me so much, why not out me at [[Recap/Supergirl2015S5E01EventHorizon the Pulitzer party]]?\
67	'''Lena''': [[{{Revenge}} Because I wanted you to experience what you did to me. Feel what I felt]].
68	* MythologyGag: Lena and Kara's confrontation in the Fortress mirrors the one between Clark and Lex in the ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' Season 7 finale "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E20Arctic Arctic]]." Both confrontations end with a Luthor getting one-up on the other party.
69	* OffscreenTeleportation: After a failed assassination attempt, Margot instantly disappears into the shadows.
70	* OlderThanTheyLook: Rama Khan has been on Earth for millions of years, but looks no different from a 60-year-old human.
71	* PhlebotinumKilledTheDinosaurs: The spaceship that brought Leviathan to Earth was the size of an asteroid, and it was what killed the dinosaurs.
72	* PlotParallel: Lena and Kara's falling out mirrors J'onn and Malefic's reconciliation.
73	* PsychologicalProjection: While she does have some legitimate points, Lena shows signs of this during her rant against Kara, voicing a belief that Kara's crying in the season premiere was nothing but CrocodileTears and refusing to accept or believe that Kara is or ever was her friend. She also claims Kara treated her like a villain, despite the fact that the bulk of her plans relied on Kara trusting her implicitly.
74	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: After revealing her treachery, Lena goes on a [[MotiveRant long rant]] against Kara, calling her out for lying to her.
75	* RecycledTitle: The episode shares its title with [[Recap/ArrowS2E12Tremors the twelfth episode of the second season]] of ''Series/{{Arrow}}''.
76	* RedOniBlueOni: Rama Khan is the red one, wanting to solve everything with brute force, while Gamemnae suggests subtlety and using technology instead.
77	* ShoutOut: Brainy refers to Rama Khan's power as [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Earthbending]], earning a brief double-take from Alex. Brainy evidently doesn't get the reference, as it seems like a perfectly apt description to him.
78	* ShroudedInMyth: Rama Khan, despite having orchestrated several historical events.
79	* ThatLiarLies: When J'onn expresses his desire to make amends with his wayward brother, Malefic furiously shouts "LIAR!".
80	* ThenLetMeBeEvil: Much as she denies it, Lena's descent into extremism is based heavily on being treated like her villainous relatives. Believing Kara did so is the last straw.
81	-->'''Lena''': [[BelievingTheirOwnLies I'm not a villain]]. You shouldn't have treated me like one.
82	* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Not only does M'yrnn know that Malefic is still on Earth, but he knows he's held captive by Lena. M'yrnn tells J'onn he has to find out on his own who's holding Malefic prisoner. He also tells J'onn he alone has to decide whether to send Malefic back to the Phantom Zone or take a chance to reconcile.
83	* TimeAbyss: Rama Khan, and presumably Gamemnae as well, has been around since the extinction of the dinosaurs (their arrival on Earth [[PhlebotinumKilledTheDinosaurs being what caused said extinction]]), making them over 65 million years old at minimum. Furthermore, Rama Khan refers to an "elder" who tasked him with protecting Earth, implying the existence of someone [[TheOlderImmortal even older]].
84	* TookALevelInBadass: After the explosion of Rip Roar's body destroys Brainy's inhibitor, the peripheral vision of his mind expands, making him even smarter.
85	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The episode's given synopsis prior to airing blatantly says that Kara finally finds out the truth about Lena, even though in the episode proper this doesn't happen until the ultimate climax.
86	* VillainHasAPoint: Lena's issues with Kara have a fair bit of basis in reality; regardless of her reasons, Kara did lie to Lena during their entire friendship.
87	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Lena finally comes clean to Kara and admits that she has been manipulating her all season. She gives a villain rant claiming that Kara betrayed her and was never really her friend. Tellingly, after this (and also in the next episode) Lena only refers to Kara as Supergirl and not by her real name, implying that Lena now considers Supergirl her true identity and that Kara was the fake alter ego.

Context Recap / Supergirl2015S5E7Tremors