Supergirl Recap With Spoilers: Kara Faces Her New Reality in “The Bottle Episode”

With “Crisis on Infinite Earths” in the books it’s time for The CW’s Arrowverse to settle into its new normal. For Supergirl, that new normal is one that’s set to be quite different for it’s titular heroine. As we saw at the conclusion of “Crisis”, Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) remembers the Earth-38 that was before and was quite surprised to discover her new Earth-Prime reality includes a Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) who is not only Supergirl’s boss at the DEO, but also a Nobel Peace Prize-winning “good guy”. Now, in this week’s midseason premiere “The Bottle Episode”, we find out just how this new reality is settling in and what it means for Supergirl.

Warning: full spoilers for “The Bottle Episode” below.

We open with a Lex Luthor voiceover in an advertisement for the DEO. Walking down the street with her sister, Kara is having a very hard time with things and venting to Alex. It’s also explained that they can’t restore the world’s memories because of its impact on relationships and that it would literally blow minds. But Supergirl’s friends know the truth and while Kara wants to talk to Lena, Alex tells her that she shouldn’t because in this new world, Lena is their friend and partner.

Elsewhere, Lena wakes up with her memories intact and finds herself in her brother’s presence. Lex reveals that his deal with The Monitor was that Lena would survive with her memories intact. Lena says that she is in hell and Lex explains that their public philanthropy is a cover for their real plans and Lex claims that he wants to be her partner going forward and then claims to not know who or what Leviathan is.

Brainy and Nia are out for a walk and to get smoothies when they inexplicably encounter a second Brainy. The two Brainys tussle with each other, each wanting to arrest the other. Supergirl then shows up at Lena’s office and tries to warn her about Lex, but Lena knows and tells her so. Supergirl tries to pitch Lena on helping her using similar language that Lex used. When Lena reveals that, Supergirl cautioned her to be careful and leaves without pressuring her.

At the DEO, turns out there are a lot of Brainy’s, including one who is female and DEO director and one that starts glitching out and says everyone is in grave danger. Turns out someone killed the glitchy brainy and Alex confirms that they are all Brainy. Turns out that the Brainy we’re used to is Brainac-5-Prime and thee issue they are facing is the Anti-Life Equation. Brainiac-5-Prime also reveals that there is no more Multiverse so these other Earth Brainaic-5’s can’t go home. At Obsidian, Gemma Cooper, the Leviathan lady, walks in and Andrea greets her warmly.

Whatever wormhole brought the many Brainy’s to Earth-Prime also brought over all the patrons of Al’s Bar from various worlds with them, including other versions of the Kryptonian witches responsible for Reign.

At the Luthor Foundation, Lena meets with Lillian. Lex also restored her memories, but Lena wants to team up with her. Lillian isn’t interested and Lena tries to push things by saying she’ll just team up with Supergirl. Lillian suggests that Lena would end up being her friend again and suggests that a partnership with Lex would make more sense because Lena will never trust him.

At the DEO Lady Brainy accesses Lex’s computer and finds information about Leviathan. She then meets with Brainy-Prime at Al’s. He tells her that he uses personality blockers which is why he’s so detached from the Big Brain. Lady Brainy tells him her story and explains that love makes us better. Elsewhere, Nia encounters Emo Brainy as he goes to steal the bottle that contains his entire world. Emo Brainy bottled his world before the Anti-Matter wave and he is the one killing the others. He then attacks Nia and escapes before Brainy-Prime and Supergirl can stop him.

Emo Brainy’s evil plan revealed, Lady Brainy explains that the bottle can’t be opened because it will destroy both worlds. At Obsidian, Gemma – really Gamemnae – gives Andrea the idea of a true virtual world.

Brainy-Prime reveals to Supergirl his own history with his people’s bottling of worlds and explains that it was his father put three personality inhibitors on him Supergirl gives Brainy a pep talk, assuring him that he his good. When Brainy tells her that her skill to inspire hope is magic, they realize that Emo Brainy is going to ask the Kryptonian witches to open the bottle world.

A bar fight breaks out between Emo Brainy plus witches and Supergirl with Nia and Brainy-Prime. The fight damages one of Brainy-Prime’s personality inhibitors. Nia convinces him it’s okay to take them off. He turns to his true self and is able to stop the witches. Brainy-Prime at his full power is able to reach Emo Brainy, promising him that they will find a way to safely open that bottle and restore his world and then pulls the witches and Emo Brainy into the bottle so they can wait with their world together.

With the danger solved, the remaining two Brainys decide to join with the Big Brain. However, Lady Brainy tells Brainy-Prime what she’s discovered about Leviathan and Lex and cautions him that if they want to save Earth-Prime, he has to work with Lex and do it alone, giving up everyone until he saves the world. She then removes her life projector, places it on him and joins the Big Brain.

Lex tries to convince Lena to work with him and uses a Truth Seeker to convince her. He tells her the truth about when he’ll betray her but also says he doesn’t want to be alone. They partner up. Later, Brainy goes to visit Nia and he breaks up with her.

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As the episode closes out, William tells Kara that he doesn’t trust Lex because he thinks that Lex is responsible for the death of his friend. It’s also revealed that Lillian and Lex are also working together, planning to take over the world. At the DEO, Brainy teams up with Lex, offering to help defeat Leviathan. Lex says he needs the knowledge from the future and reveals a doppelganger of Winn exists and may be the key to bringing the real Winn from the future.

Supergirl airs Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.