Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 18 - Truth or Consequences

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

With Lex and Nyxyly joining forces, Kara is more determined than ever to protect her friends and doubles down on patrolling National City so that Alex and Kelly can enjoy their engagement party, though Alex still feels torn between her duty as a hero and her new family. Meanwhile, as Brainy receives some heart-breaking news, William clashes with Andrea over her newfound efforts to brand Lex Luthor as a criminal in the press without any real evidence. 

Influences

Marvel's Infinity War (the hunt for the Totems mirrors the search for the Infinity Stones, Nxyly now has a gauntlet to hold the totems)


Goofs

While William gets some amazing moments here giving Andrea the dressing down she's needed to get for the better part of two seasons, I can't help but feel this should have been Kara's speech to give instead of his and that she should have been the one standing up for Truth and Journalism. 

The CGI of the Super Friends falling through the Dream Realm looks cheap.


Performances

It has to be said that Staz Nair shines in this episode. It makes you wish the writers had given us THIS version of William before now.

Again, the interactions between Peta Sergeant and Jon Cryer as Nyxly and Lex are the best part of the episode.


Artistry

Most of the effects work during the fight scenes is good.


Super Trivia

At one point a reporter refers to Lex Luthor as "The Man of Tomorrow." This is a title that is more often applied to Superman in the comics, but which Lex has just as often applied to himself.


Technobabble

Lena says that she can create a data interception program that can track Lex through his Lexosuits.

Lex modifies Nyxly's new Lexosuit by planting the Hope Totem in the left arm cannon and the Truth Totem in the chest plate.

Lex uses 31st century nanobots to take apart Supergirl's armored suit.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Lex has just seen the news report about his love poems for Nyxly.)
Lex: I'll nail gun their drivel-spouting tongues to their pinheads.
Nyxly: (laughing) Looks like someone should have hidden his diary a little better. What is it they called you? The Man of Tomorrow? Quite a lofty title. Did you give yourself that name?
(She pauses and smiles softly.)
Nyxly: Truth be told, I actually quite like the part about... the burning oceans. 

William: I became a journalist to tell real stories, to report the truth. Your "ends justify the means" excuse makes you just as bad as Lex. You both have no ethical code. I was hoping that you'd wield CatCo's power and influence for good, but instead, your pathological obsession to be number one made you selfish and shortsighted. What's important is what you stand for, what you contribute to make the world a better place. And you, Andrea Rojas, stand for nothing.

(Lex and Nyxly are searching for the Truth Totem in a room full of rare antiques.)
Nyxly: Why would someone collect all these trophies just to store them where no one can see them?
Lex: It's not about flaunting what you've got. It's about having it and knowing no one else does.

(Nyxly uses the Truth Totem on Lex.)
Lex: What are you doing?
Nyxly: Making sure of your intent. I can't risk giving my heart to a dishonest fool. But luckily, I have the powers of the Truth Totem, so... Tell me, your poems, did you mean what you wrote?
Lex: Every word. My only desire is to rule by your side while destroying everyone who gets in our way.
Nyxly: And after we've rebuilt the AllStone, you're going to betray me?
Lex: Betray you? Betraying you is... inconceivable. I've spent my whole life believing no one was worthy of me, until you. It's why I came back to find you at this time. I want to help you achieve everything you want and deserve. And I know I can do this for you, because I have. It is my only desire.
(Nyxly releases Lex.)  
Lex: Did I pass?
Nyxly: (smiling, in imitation of the Totems) You have performed admirably.

Brainy: Never thought I'd say this, but... I really could use my personality inhibitors. All this happiness is making me quite sad. I can't stop thinking that soon I'll have to leave everyone. Especially you.
Nia: Don't think about that. Right now, you're here with me. See? Do you feel your hand in mine?
Brainy: I do.
Nia: And my head on your shoulder?
Brainy: Yes.
Nia: That's all that matters. Tonight's not the night to be Debbie Downer. We're here to celebrate Alex and Kelly.
Brainy: (sighing)You're right. I do not intend to be this... Debbie with a sad surname. You know, actually, I am grateful... to feel so much love and loss... because then I know... it all truly meant something. And that you'll always be with me, Nia Nal... no matter where I go.

Continuity

William tells the Super Friends that Lex is building a new Lexosuit army  - a fact he learned from Otis Graves, who agreed to go on the record with him.

The VIP suite at Club Rialto is booked that evening for Alex and Kelly's bacelorette party.

Esme reportedly gets into trouble at school.

Andrea publicly publishes Lex Luthor's love poetry and credits William as having broken the story.

William reads Andrea the riot act for using his name on her story, not only for the breach of journalistic ethics but also because now people are laughing at Lex and Nyxly and treating them like a celebrity couple instead of being afraid of them.

Winn chats with Brainiac-5 and tells him that Lex traveled to the future and fell in love with Nyxly.

The Super Friends recover the Dream Totem after tracking the Lexosuits to a location near National City's waterfront.

The Super Friends affirm that the Totems cannot be destroyed and will eventually reform if their physical form is destroyed.

Dreamer says she can use the Dream Totem to try and track Lex and Nyxly while Lena tracks the Lexosuits.

Nyxly still doesn't trust Lex and suspects he may have sabotaged her crystal ball, until it detects the Truth Totem.

Lex confirmst that Nyxly conquered the Fifth Dimension and killed her father before they met in the future.

Esme's trouble at school was losing control of her powers after a mean girl made fun of her chocolate roulade at a school bake sale, saying it looked like an ugly log.

Alex notices an odd rose-shaped tattoo on the back of Esme's neck.

Brainiac-5 talks with one of the variant Brainiac-5's sharing his body and tells him that Winn informed him that the Big Brain powering the Coluan hivemind in the 31st Century has suffered greatly due to the AI plague last mentioned in 323. As such, Brainiac-5 has been asked to return to his own time and merge with the Big Brain to save it. This will cause him, and the other Brainiac-5 doppelgangers, to cease existing.

The other Brainiac-5 says he will try to figure out a way that they can stay in the present, but he doesn't see how it will be possible.

Brainiac-5 does not want to return to the future because of his love of Dreamer and his sense of duty to his friends in this moment. He resolves to stay until the fight with Lex and Nyxly is resolved.

The Truth Totem is an old camera, apparently of some historical importance.

The gauntlet of the Truth Totem requires the wielder to confess all the truths they would rather not admit. In Nyxly's case she has to confess that she's afraid she's too much like her father, that part of her still wants his approval despite his abuse and treachery and that she wants to be close to someone again and not be afraid of her loved ones betraying her.

Kara assures Esme that she used to have trouble controlling her powers when she was young.

Kara suggests that they could find something like a pair of glasses that Esme could use as a focus, like she did. Alex prefers to run some tests to make sure Esme is healthy and not encourage her to hide her powers.

Alex and Kara have a fight because Alex wants to raise her daughter as she sees fit and Kara says she doesn't think Alex understands what it's like to be an alien on Earth struggling to control your powers.

Dreamer has a vision of Brainiac-5 and an hourglass. She immediately concludes that his time is running out, somehow, and that he's hiding something.

When confronted, Brainiac-5 admits that the Legion ordered him to return to the future once Lex and Nyxly were defeated and that he was trying to find the words to tell her.

Dreamer offers to come to the future but Brainiac-5 says she has to stay in the past for the sake of the timeline.

According to Lex, Nyxly develops a sweet tooth in the future and butterscotch sticky buns are her favorite.

Nyxly uses the Truth Totem on Lex and forces him to honestly tell her how he feels. He honestly does want to win her heart and rule the universe with her.

Andrea calls Lena and asks her if she's a bad person. Lena says she isn't, but she has to be careful to not cross the line in trying to do good.

J'onn tells Kara she should back off of telling Alex how to be a parent, because despite her good intentions that isn't her job.

William is revealed to be the one who taught Esme how to make chocolate roulade.

William tells Esme his Aunt Bindu's secret for baking with chocolate - add a pinch of cardamom, a touch of turmeric and a sprinkle of cloves.

Kelly gets a call from the school saying that one of Esme's new classmates is a Tattamite - an alien species with short fuses whose skin can manifest distinctive skin markings, which they use as camouflage. Alex accepts this as an explanation for Esme's tattoo and losing control of her powers more easily than normal.

Lena is able to track Mitch's ship and suggests a raid on it.

Kara goes to the ship in her Kryptonite-proof suit. It barely protects her when Nyxly hits her with the Truth and Hope Totems.

J'onn and Kara are able to claim the Hope and Truth totems just before Mitch's ship self-destructs. This leaves Lex and Nyxly with no totems and no Lexosuit Army.

The Totems are moved to the Fortress of Solitude for safe-keeping.

Esme won her school's baking contest.

Alex and Kelly's babysitter gets the stomach flu, so it looks like Kelly won't be able to go to the party.

William offers to babysit Esme in the Watchtower so the rest of the Super Friends can go to Alex and Kelly's party.

Kara apologizes to Alex for being pushy about Esme. Alex likewise apologizes for reacting so harshly.

Lex, Nyxly and Mitch take refuge in the Dolemites in Italy. 

Mitch is confirmed to have survived the ship blowing up.

Nyxly admits she is starting to fall for Lex.

As she says this, her crystal ball begins glowing and reveals the Love Totem.

J'onn encourages Kara to relax, as the tower computers are autoscanning for any sign of Lex or Nyxly and he's running psychic scans subconsciously.

Brainiac-5 and Dreamer agree to enjoy whatever time they have left and not worry about their conflicting destinies. 

William notices a proximity alarm in the Watchtower go off and tells Esme to go hide in J'onn's office.

William sets his phone up to record the room.

Lex and Nyxly teleport into the Watchtower.

Nyxly finds where Esme is hiding and convinces her she's a friend of her mothers.

Lex shoots William as retribution for publishing his journal and tells him that he intentionally set up the meeting with Otis, allowed Lena to track his Lexosuits and set it up so that her scanning the Lexosuits activated a Trojan virus that delayed Esme's test results. This prevented Alex from discovering that the Love Totem formed within Esme.

William sends the footage to Andrea just before he dies, with the subject in the e-mail being "Here's your real story."

Andrea watches the video of William's death and Lex confessing to his murder and setting him up.

The Super Friends discover Esme is missing and William is dead.

Location

The Dolemites - Italy


Untelevised Adventures

William details his meeting with Otis Graves, which was teased at the end of 617.

According to Winn, Nyxly and Lex conquered the known universe in the 31st century and ruled as King and Queen until the AllStone began to fail. The Legion of Superheroes attacked in that moment and Nyxly died.


The Fridge Factor

William is killed purely to give the Super Friends angst about relaxing for a night and to add an edge to Esme's abduction.


The Kryptonite Factor

Alex, usually the most observant of the Superfriends, doesn't notice that Esme's rose tattoo matches the design of the Love Totem.


The Bottom Line

Largely satisfying, though surprisingly dark at the end. It's a shame the show couldn't find anything better to do with William before now but at least he gets to go out a hero and shames Andrea one more time in death. It's also odd that he gets all these great moments now when Lena and J'onn barely seem to have any screen time at all. Still, not a bad episode all things considered.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 17 - I Believe In A Thing Called Love

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

With Lex Luthor and Nyxly joining forces, the Super Friends must face their two greatest enemies together as the hunt for the Love Totem begins. Meanwhile, Alex tries to plan the perfect proposal to Kelly, but work keeps getting in the way.

Influences

Marvel's Infinity War (the hunt for the Totems mirrors the search for the Infinity Stones, Nxyly now has a gauntlet to hold the totems)

Performances

The interactions between Peta Sergeant and Jon Cryer are easily the highlight of the episode.


Artistry

The effects work is generally good.


Super Trivia

The episode title comes from a 2003 song by The Darkness.


Technobabble

The Nyxly AI is revealed to have been made from a future variant of Nyxly whom fell in love with Lex Luthor. 

Lena uses her magic to create a fake Love Totem by replicating the energy signature of the totems the Super Friends control. 

According to Lena, magic is heavily influenced by the caster's emotions so if she tries to cast a spell while angry, the magic will reflect that, assuming she is able to maintain the focus to complete the spell at all.

Brainiac-5 identifies the weapons Lex used to save Nysly as 31st century technology.

Reversing the Totem energy signatures can theoretically create a baseline for protecting against the Dream Totem.

Lena claims that the Totems are most effective when used as weapons and that while they can be used defensively, there's no way one Totem can protect against the power of two Totems used offensively. This also makes it impossible for her to create a defense based on using the Totem energy against one another. 

Despite this limit, Lena does come up with a way to protect Kara from the effects of the Humanity Totem.

Lex is able to fix Nyxly's crystal ball without magic, thanks to his studies of magic and science being melded together in the 31st century.

Lex claims that while the Totems' physical forms can be destroyed temporarily, the power inside them will flow into something else. This means that the destroyed Hope Totem was bound to be reborn, allowing him to claim the Hope Totem.

Dialogue Triumphs

(Lex is trying to convince Nyxly they are fated to be allies. Suddenly, Mitch enters the room.)
Mitch: Sorry I'm late. What is Lex Luthor doing here?
Nyxly: You're Lex Luthor, the madman who sent Supergirl to the Phantom Zone.
Lex: That was some of my best work.
Nyxly: Do you know what I really, really loathe? Men who send women to Phantom Zone!

Otis: Oh, I missed you, boss!
(Otis tries to hug Lex, who deftly ducks under his arm and keeps walking down the hall.)
Lex: Now, why couldn't Nyxly have given me that kind of reception?
Otis: So what if she rejected you? You're Lex Luthor! And your timing couldn't be better. Luthor Corp's returns are through the roof this quarter! Your mom gave me a board seat! 
(Lex freezes up. His face remains neutral but his eyes betray his shock and horror at this.)
Otis: And the way you left everything covered, I think I'm the only one who noticed you were gone. My point is, you don't need that imp.
Lex: See, the thing about that imp is she's the only thing I want. Nyxly is the love of my life.
Otis: I'm sorry, what?
Lex: I know. Me? In love? (scoffs) I've always shouldered this world alone. I've never known what it meant to have a true partner. Who could possibly match my wit, my flair, my unfiltered genius? But when I met Nyxly, I knew. She was the one. This was supposed to be so easy. Come to this time, help Nyxly get the Love Totem before the Super Friends find it, and then return to the future where my Nyxly would still be alive. I can't save her if she doesn't trust me. And she won't trust me if she doesn't even like me. And if she doesn't like me now, how will she love me in the future?
Otis: I did not understand a word of that. But if she loved you before, why don't you just do that again?
(Lex spins on Otis. Otis cringes, expecting to be hit or yelled at. Instead, Lex grins manically.) 
Lex: You big, beautiful idiot. That's exactly what I should do!

Nyxly: How did you know where I was? (sees the small drone hovering above her) What is that? Is that a surveillance drone? Are you stalking me? Creep!
Lex: I was protecting you. If I hadn't shown up when I did, you would be powerless in a prison right now.
Nyxly:You claim to be on my side. But I am no closer to finding my Totems. So get out!
Lex: Uh, this is my home.
(There is a brief pause as Nyxly realizes this.)
Nyxly: Fine!

(Otis suggests Lex brainwash Nyxly into loving him.)
Lex: Otis, my good man, forcing women into loving you is the underpinning of a toxic relationship.
Otis: But you love toxic relationships?
Lex: Not as much as I love Nyxly.

(Lex regards a tied-up Mitch.)
Lex: (mock cheerful) Hello, courier minion.

Kara: I'm not afraid to become that phantom. I've been letting Nyxly convince me that if I stoop to her level, I'd become a monster just like her. But you know what? I have something she doesn't. This team, this family. And no matter what happens, I know you all will pull me back from the edge, which is why I need your help now.
Lena: If I use my magic, I could end up hurting you.
Kara: You've been afraid to become the worst version of yourself because for so long, Lex was the only family you had. He wanted you to be a monster, and there was no one around to pull you back when you went too far. But he's not your family anymore. We are. Focus on the good. On your real family. Use that to fuel your magic... and you won't lose control. 

Nyxly: You had a clean shot at the Love Totem. And you abandoned it to save me. Why?
Lex: Did I? I must not have seen it.
Nyxly: Tell me the truth. What do you want from me?
Lex: You want the truth? The truth is I love you. I love you so much that when you... died, part of me died too. And you don't understand. I don't love anybody. In fact, I hate everyone. From a very young age, I knew I would move through this world alone, riding that solitary high-speed train towards progress and greatness all by myself. But there you were. This radiant, powerful being, vibrating with your own brilliant madness. I never thought anyone could match my ambition, my genius, but... Then I met you. In all the timelines, in all the dimensions, in all the universes, you... were the only one that could match me. But of course, you don't know any of this, 'cause you weren't there. Yet. You haven't met me yet, and I sound insane.
Nyxly: No one has ever selflessly sacrificed something for me like you did tonight. So, no, I wasn't there. But... If what you say is true and you really are here to help me succeed... Well, I don't see why we can't be friends.

Continuity

Lex explains that the AI in the suit he gave Nyxly in 615 was based on her future self and that it used the Dream Totem to manifest him in the current time.

Lex claims that, in the future, he and Nyxly became allies after she assembled the All-Stone, but the All-Stone eventually killed her because she didn't assemble it the right way. Thankfully, he was able to preserve her mind as an artificial intelligence and send her back in time to try and do it right.

Nyxly is not impressed and tells Luthor she will never work with him.

Kara works with J'onn to come up with a strategy to disarm Nyxly once they draw her out.

Nia, Lena and Kelly head to the Watchtower lab to work on the scientific aspects of their plan.

Alex just got the ring she plans to use to propose to Kelly. She wants to do it on the next evening, which is the anniversary of the night she realized she truly loved Kelly. This occurred when the Super Friends were at Al's Bar arguing about what was the best movie ever and they both said Die Hard.

Alex takes Esme with her to set things up at Al's Bar, but Al informs her that they booked the bar for a private event the next evening. Shockingly, Alex didn't think to ask Al if he did private bookings.

According to Otis, LuthorCorp returns for the past quarter have gone through the roof and Lillian Luthor gave him a chair on the Board of Directors.

Otis suggests that Lex do what he did to make Nyxly fall for him in this time so the present day Nyxly will trust him.

William agrees not to publish any new Super Friends stories until their next plan succeeds. 

The Super Friends conferred with the witch hologram to determine the next totem Nxyly needs is the Love Totem.

The Super Friends plan to use a fake Love Totem to lure Nyxly into a secure location where they can ambush her.

Ironically, the location they choose is on Lover's Lane Road.

Lena loses control of her magic when she sees Lex, who shows up to save Nyxly and helps her escape.

Kara is knocked out for several hours thanks to the Kryptonite energy of Lex's weapons. When she wakes up, Lena informs her that she'd rather not try and use her magic until she's sure she's able to do so without Lex interfering with her emotional state. 

Andrea pushes William to write a full expose on Lex Luthor working with Nxyly and refuses to listen to William's reminder how badly going after Lex worked for CatCo, even when they had evidence of Lex's wrong-doing, back in 602.

Andrea gives William until the end of the day to find proof of Lex's wrong-doing or she'll run a story about him anyway.

The Super Friends decide to use the Courage and Humanity Totems as shields from the Totems Nyxly controls, rather than trying to weaponize them.

It is suggested that Brainiac-5 contact the Legion of Superheroes to see if they know what Lex was doing in their time, but Brainiac-5 is reluctant to do so given that the last time he acted on future knowledge it led to his working with Lex Luthor behind his friends' backs.

Lena tries to create a shield against the Dream Totem.

Dreamer tries to forsee where the Love Totem is.

J'onn undertakes the gauntlet of the Courage Totem and is forced to relive the moment he was separated from his children in the concentration camps on Mars. 

J'onn is able to claim the power of the Courage Totem after fighting back against the White Martians to try and save his daughters.

Lex claims that in the future he and Nyxly had matching surveillance drones so they could track each other at all times.

Lex dismisses the idea of mind-controlling Nyxly as creepy. Instead, he kidnaps Mitch and gives him the location of the Love Totem one hour before the Super Friends found it in the original timeline.

Lex also says he can't just tell Nyxly they fall in love, as he believes admitting your feelings to a woman will only scare them off.

Mitch lies to Nyxly, claiming he found the Love Totem in a book, Tale Of An Object Infused with Love, which described Ines De Castro, the Corpse Bride of Portugal and a famous tomb belonging to a pair of lost lovers.

Dreamer also divines the Love Totem as being located in Lisbon, Portugal.

Nyxly is able to keep Supergirl at bay with a waking nightmare that causes her to hallucinate being attacked by Phantom Zone Phantoms and then being turned into a Phantom herself.

The Love Totem vanishes before Nyxly can take it. She also makes her escape.

Legends of the Love Totem say that, unlike the other totems, it has disappeared and reappeared repeatedly throughout history and that it gravitates to people in love or locations associated with love. It is likewise repelled by people who are hateful.

It is theorized the Love Totem teleported itself away when Nyxly got too close to it, as her reasons for seeking the All-Stone are hateful.

Nyxly goes to Lex and asks for his help, but insists that it is strictly business and they will never be friends.

J'onn apologized to Kara for not being able to shield her effectively, blaming the fact that his courage faltered when he saw Kara get hurt by Nyxly's Dream Totem attack.

Kara talks Lena into trying to use her magic to protect Kara from the side-effects of the Humanity Totem, so she can use it against Nyxly.

Alex talks with William about how Kelly was engaged once before and how Alex's attempt to propose to Maggie Sawyer ended badly. (Alex proposed to Maggie in 222, but they broke up in 305.)

William advises Alex to go ahead and propose to Kelly because there's no guarantee they could be alive tomorrow with Lex Luthor on the loose.

Lex tells Nyxly about how they learned to work her magic and his technology together to create "beautiful things." He also says that she glowed whenever she talked about acquiring the All-Stone and how she did ultimately get the revenge she sought. Lex guesses this is why the future her was more receptive to a friend like him.

It turns out that Kelly was the one who booked Al's Bar because she had the same idea as Alex. She sets up a surprise engagement party with the help of Esme, William and Al, who were all in on the plan.

Alex reaches for the ring in her pocket but finds the Love Totem there instead, just as Lex and Nyxly show up to steal it.

Kara is able to use the Humanity Totem to incapacitate Nyxly while Lena's magic keeps her from losing her own humanity.

Lex deflects the blast of the Courage Totem into the Love Totem, seemingly destroying it as he moves to teleport himself and Nyxly away.

Alex says that it doesn't matter if the Love Totem was destroyed because she still feels the love for her friends and family that she did before. In fact, after what Kelly did, she feels more loved than ever.

Lex tells Nyxly the truth about why he is helping her. While she is still cynical about him loving her, she does admit that his saving her is the first time anyone did something selfless for her and she thinks they can be friends now.

Dreamer suggests that they should all chip in and get Kelly and Alex matching motorcycles as an wedding gift.

Brainiac-5 thinks there's something odd about Lex's behavior, having noticed that he risked everything to save Nyxly rather than grab the Love Totem for himself.

Dreamer tells Brainiac-5 to all the Legion and see what they know about Lex in their time.

Lena thanks Kara for pushing her, because she is now sure that she is free of Lex's influence.

William has a secret meeting with Otis Graves in a dark alley.

Andrea uses her Acrata powers to break into Luthor Manor and sneaks a peak at Lex Luthor's diary. It is full of love poetry about Nyxly. 

Lex gives Nyxly the Hope Totem, which he was able to recover after it recontituted itself. He says they can do the same with the Love Totem.


Location

Luthor Manor
Lisbon, Portugal.


Untelevised Adventures

Lex Luthor traveled to the future and fell in love with a future version of Nyxly. It was working with her that allowed Lex to learn how to blend magic and technology together. 

Lex must also have done something to inspire great hope somewhere to acquire the Hope Totem.


The Fridge Factor

Andrea continues to be stupid and journalistically amoral  for the sake of pushing artificial drama.


The Bottom Line

Surprisingly solid, as the series enters the home stretch before its finale. More of Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor is always welcome, and his interactions with Otis are the comedic highlight of the episode, but Cryer also proves to have considerable chemistry with Peta Sergeant and there's just enough of the sly, sinister Lex to make his sudden change of heart believable. It's just a shame that all the other subplots and emotional moments (particularly J'onn confronting his daughter's deaths) don't get as much time. .