'Supergirl' Season 5 Episode 17 Review: Lex Luthor was, is and will forever be the Kryptonians' deadly nemesis
Spoiler alert for 'Supergirl' Season 5 Episode 17 'Deux Lex Machina'
One of the biggest mysteries of the post 'Crisis' season of 'Supergirl' is resolved in 'Deux Lex Machina' as it firmly cements Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) as one of the main antagonists of the season.
After coming back from the dead and playing his part as the Paragon of Truth during the multiverse-shattering battle, Lex, now a hero in Earth-Prime has one heck of ruthless scheme that sees him destroy his enemies and all that he needs to do is turn them against one another.
The Melissa Benoist-directed episode, 'Deux Lex Machina', takes a trip back to the past where it is the first day after the 'Crisis' and Lex is one of the superheroes who saved the world.
It is revealed that he hired Eve Teschmacher to infiltrate Obsidian North and ensure the glitch in their VR lenses would not be rectified. This would mean earning the trust of Leviathan and using them to destroy Kara Danvers aka Supergirl.
The darker truth about Jeremiah Danvers' death comes to light when the bombshell is dropped in the final minute. It was Eve who kills Jeremiah, another move orchestrated by Lex.
The episode chronicles Lex's nefarious scheme throughout the 90 days post 'Crisis' where he successfully manages to turn Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) against Kara and also manages to gain the trust of Leviathan's Gemma Cooper aka Gamemnea (Cara Buono).
In short, the chapter just traces back each of his moves that he's planned after the multiverse change. The episode starts off with Lex being hailed a hero and Margo lying dead on the floor of the warehouse where there a row of gurneys with the non-responding VR users.
The survivors hail Lex as the hero as William finds a clip that sees Margo threatening to kill everyone saying "technology has been one of the biggest evils". There are also enough storylines that hint at a brief reconciliation of Lena and Kara when the former offers sympathies for Jeremiah's death.
However, it ends soon after Kara attempts to use MYRIAD to track the Q-waves that is used by the lenses to interface with the human brain. Lena finds out about Kara using the device to compress the waves in the atmosphere making it possible to track the psychic signatures of the missing users.
It is safe to say the episode does a perfect job of delving into the psyche of the villains, something it has done throughout the season, starting with Lena and her project Non-Necere and Leviathan's theory of maintaining balance in the world. The episode also gives a look at Gamemnea's true form where she reveals she is a god.
With the end of the season closing in 'Supergirl' ties that thread relates Leviathan and Lex. And despite the clues and the hunch team Supergirl have, it does seem like Lex is four steps ahead, where he's actually solved a major problem quite easily by an unexpected occurrence, which is actually what Deux Ex Machina stands for.
He's won the trust of Leviathan and is counting on them to take down his Kryptonian foe once and for all. For those who thought the series lost track of the bad guys are, 'Deus Lex Machina' hits back establishing Lex and Leviathan.
There is also the sun-eater vs Kara scrimmage that adds to the episode. It gives a chance for Kara to don the Lexosuit that looks awfully similar to Tony Stark's tech. After weeks of waiting, 'Supergirl' doesn't disappoint. At this point, it is safe to say, Lex Luthor was, is and will forever be the Kryptonians' deadly nemesis.
'Supergirl' Season 5 airs on Sundays at 9 pm ET on The CW.