Lena has a crisis of faith as Lex and Leviathan move toward their endgame.
Tropes:
- All According to Plan: Lex was betting on Brainy impulsively trying to capture Rama Khan, as it would allow Rama Khan access to the DEO without having to fight his way in.
- All for Nothing: All of Lena's attempts to use Q-waves to make people better end in miserable failure, as the human brain will always adapt to survive. Lex knew this and afforded Lena whatever resources she needed simply so she'd see this for herself.
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Rama Khan utterly destroys the DEO headquarters.
- The Atoner: Lena wishes to become this at the end.
- Bag of Kidnapping: Eve puts a bag over William's head before capturing him at the end of the episode.
- The Big Damn Kiss: M'gann and J'onn share one at the end of the episode.
- Blatant Lies: Kara once again makes up a very poor excuse to get away from William, this time that her sister's cat ran away. And when William tries to help her, as he is good with cats, she tries to sell it to him that this cat hates tall people with accents
- The Bus Came Back: Several.
- Rama Khan returns.
- Nia, after a few episodes of absence.
- Steve Lomeli comes back, being affected by the failing of Non Nocere, just like the other prisoners.
- Kelly's Army friend Pete Andrews helps Alex investigate Leviathan, though this is actually the first time he himself appears, as he was previously impersonated by Malefic.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Nia throws down the gauntlet about Brainy keeping her in the dark about his true plans, but he simply can't bring himself to tell her because he still believes it's the only scenario that will end in Leviathan's defeat.
- Continuity Snarl:
- Earlier episodes established that, in the post-Crisis reality, Leviathan hasn't made any overt moves, with Nia specifically mentioning early in this episode that Rama Khan hasn't been seen in centuries. Yet he and Gamemnae both reference his earlier fights with the supers, meaning they either still happened in the current reality or the pair somehow remember the previous reality.
- Non Nocere itself. It fails here and Lex tells Lena that he knew it would never work. However, on Earth-38, the process worked and Lena would have been successful if Kara and Malefic hadn't stopped it. However, this could be handwaved as a result of Q-Waves being altered by Crisis.
- Darkest Hour: The DEO building has been destroyed, Nia's relationship with Brainy is damaged further, William is captured, and Lex is closer to his goals.
- Easily Forgiven: May be subverted. Lena, after her Heel Realization, feels that she doesn't deserve Kara's forgiveness, but wants to help take down Lex for good. Kara, who's been listening while still upset, just pulls up a chair and wishes to learn what she knows. It's clear Kara doesn't forgive Lena but obviously needs to hear her out in order to stop Lex. It remains to be seen whether Kara will forgive Lena let alone the pair become friends again.
- Entertainingly Wrong: Kara is extremely angry at Lena's behavior from last episode and suspects her to be working with Leviathan as well.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Lex believed that Lena finding out that Non Nocere can't work would convince her that world domination was the only reasonable course of action. When she rightfully calls him on it, he blows up at her.
- Evil Is Petty: Lex responds to Lena refusing to help his schemes of world domination by blowing up the prison, killing the prisoners Lena was trying to help.
- Hate Plague: After one prisoner is affected by Non Nocere failing and attacks another, the aggression spreads rapidly.
- Heel–Face Turn: After her Heel Realization, Lena chooses not to become like Lex and, swallowing her pride, goes to Kara to offer her help in stopping Lex and Leviathan.Lena: [to Lex] You're a monster. But that doesn't mean I have to be one too.
- Heel Realization: Lena finally acknowledges her actions were wrong and she has become the villain she spent her life trying to avoid.
- Hero of Another Story: Malefic apparently brought the Martian Civil War to a near-stop.
- Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: During Rama Khan's interrogation, Brainy reveals that he is also working with Lex by speaking to him in his native language so that Supergirl and Nia won't understand them.
- Hobbes Was Right: Lex is convinced that humanity needs to ruled with a firm fist to overcome their base instincts.
- Ignored Expert: Andrea completely blows off Kelly's concern about launching a huge VR event after Obsidian Platinum just had a major glitch.
- Internal Reveal: Kelly learns about Eve working for Andrea.
- It's All About Me: Unsurprisingly, Lex was only helping Lena because he expected her to fall into his way of thinking when her efforts inevitably failed. He's furious to find out that he'll be getting nothing but her scorn for all the support he offered her.
- It's All My Fault:
- Alex blames herself for putting Pete and his family in danger.
- Lena realizes that she helped her brother get closer to world domination.
- It Has Only Just Begun: Said by Rama Khan during his fight against Supergirl and Dreamer.Supergirl: It's over, Rama Khan.
Rama Khan: Oh, no. It's just begun. - Know When to Fold 'Em: Lena eventually realizes that Non Nocere simply can't work successfully at all, and it's an impossible problem that even her and Lex's Super Science brains will never be able to solve, a fact that Lex has secretly already known for months now.
- Minored In Ass Kicking: Lex takes down two prisoners who attack Steve Lomeli.
- Moment Killer: An Almost Kiss between M'gann and J'onn is interrupted by Nia snoring.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Lena is absolutely crushed by how she was used for the sake of Lex's plans.
- Brainy, for playing right into Lex's hand.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Lena tells Lex to his face that he only believes that humanity has to be controlled because he'd be the controller.Lena: (mirthless laughter) Honest...you never change. This was always...all about you!
- Play-Along Prisoner: Rama Khan allowed himself to be captured in order to be brought to the DEO so that he could raid it for Kryptonite and level the place. Turns out it was organized by Lex.
- Prison Riot: One breaks out on Stryker's Island when the Non Nocere project goes wrong and all the prisoners go berserk.
- Shout-Out: Lex makes a reference to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
- Spotting the Thread: Eve spots William following her and ambushes him.
- Suddenly Shouting: Lex, when Lena accuses him of sabotaging her. He makes it clear that he did no such thing, he just knew that her plan would fail and wanted her to see that in order to join his side.
- Tantrum Throwing: Though we don't see it on-screen, Lex trashed Lena's lab at the prison after she rejected his offer. He then has the building blown up for good measure.
- Too Dumb to Live: After being told that Eve is extremely dangerous, William follows her down a dark alleyway alone. He gets a black bag over the head for his trouble.
- Trash the Set: DEO Headquarters is completely destroyed, building and all, by Rama Khan.
- Villainous Breakdown: Lex completely loses his shit when Lena rejects his offer to work together to Take Over the World, screaming in her face in rage.
- Weaponized Teleportation: Lex uses his transmat watch to lead the rage-filled prisoners away from the lab and into a sealed room.
- We Can Rule Together: Lex offers Lena a place at his side if she works with him to rule the world.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Brainy calls out Lex for his manipulative tendencies again, with the latter naturally not caring in the slightest.
- Brainy later gets called out himself by Nia for his duplicity.
- You Monster!: Lena calls Lex a monster when he shows his real colors.
