Reality Bytes

"You do this, you take a piece of his darkness, and you carry it with you forever. Now when you put that suit on, you became a symbol. You give people hope. Don't let them down by stooping to his level."

—Supergirl to Dreamer on her duty as a hero

"Reality Bytes"
Information
Season 5 » Episode 15
Episode number	102 of 126
Original airdate	March 15, 2020
Written by	Dana Horgan Jay Faerber
Directed by	Armen V. Kevorkian
Chronology
Preceded by	"The Bodyguard"
Followed by	"Alex in Wonderland"

"Reality Bytes" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of Supergirl, and the one-hundred-second episode overall. It aired on March 15, 2020.

Synopsis

Nia’s roommate, Yvette, is attacked by a man targeting Dreamer because he doesn’t like that Dreamer is transgender and wants her to quit being a superhero. Determined to protect her community from additional harm, Dreamer refuses to give into his threats and puts herself in the line of fire to stop him. Supergirl stands by Dreamer and enlists additional help from Brainy. Meanwhile, Alex, J’onn and Kelly attempt to rescue a man stuck inside a virtual reality escape room.[src]

Plot

Margot is at an unspecified location with multiple victims suspended from the ceiling and on gurneys. They are all alive but trapped inside VR Obsidian Platinum lenses.

Supergirl congratulates Dreamer on taking down a Dominator, before quickly making her escape for a date with William. Brainy arrives to take said alien into custody at the D.E.O. and the two have an awkward post-breakup interaction. Kara calls over her sister for fashion advice before her date, it is her first one since Mon-El and she is having butterflies. Both sisters scoff at the TV at the mention of Lex Luthor who is doing groundbreaking work with obsidian platinum. William and Kate go out for a game of pool, that she is winning.

Nai is at home with her roommate who insists she stop moping about her ex and invites her out on her blind first date with someone she met online. The roommate blows off a guy trying to talk to her and when she goes outside looking for her date, it turns out to be the same man from inside the bar. He attacks her offscreen and is found by Nai. The next day at their apartment they call the police to report it, and Kara shows up concerned. Nai is angry as the man was trying to get to her, through her roommate. At work, Kara calls Briany to inform him of the situation, asking if he could look into it, as he has more resources than the police.

Al comes to J'onn hoping to find his missing friend, Trevor Crane. He explains he hasn't heard from him in a while and after going to a trial for obsidian lenses he hasn't been seen since. Alex finds Kelly wanting to know if she could locate a missing alien who they believe is still inside the game. She gives her the latest version of obsidian lenses and instructs her how to track him. Once inside she skips past her personal options to find the connected world of VR Las Vegas. Once inside she is instructed to an out of place haunted mansion on a hill. Once inside she finds two people trapped in large glasses of water. She has a flashback of almost drowning, but is able to manage and help both escape. They explain they were here with Trevor and another person named Richard Bates. On the right track, Alex uses her Mercian weapon to create a key and enter the obscured replace door. Meanwhile J'onn and Al are searching his apartment for clues. They meet with a woman who isn't able to give them much concrete information about the situation. Once Alex is inside she begins walking down the long hallway but loses communication with Kelly. She goes through a second door and finds Trevor. who is in a state of panic, insisting his body self-destructs randomly every couple minutes to matter what he does. Alex is eventually able to talk him down, but they are interrupted by the infamous unknown Richard. Alex is physically able to take him but they quickly have to make an escape. They find his physical body in the real world, and after being confronted by J'onn he appears to die, as he becomes unresponsive and his obsidian lenses turned red.

Nai is disappointed with the police's investigation and sets up her own upswept profile to find out the assailant. She was able to get a match with the suspected assailant and dresses up as Dreamer for their date. He explains his discuss towards her, and she loses her temper and physically attacks him. Weighing the option of killing him, but before she can, Supergirl arrives to talk her out of her anger. She insists Supergirl could never understand what she is going through, but Supergirl tells her that's not the point and killing is never the answer. Dreamer releases him and he is put into police custody.

Alex was surprised when she receives it unexpected phone call from her mother, informing her of the death of her father's death. She finds Kara to tell her the news. Meanwhile at the hospital, Margot has taken charge of Richard's body. He is transported to an unspecified location where his body is added to the collection of physically suspended people in the air, and on gurneys.

Cast

Starring

• Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers/Supergirl
• Chyler Leigh as Dr. Alex Danvers
• Katie McGrath (credit only)
• Jesse Rath as Director Querl Dox/Brainiac 5
• Nicole Maines as Nia Nal/Dreamer
• Azie Tesfai as Dr. Kelly Olsen
• Andrea Brooks (credit only)
• Julie Gonzalo (credit only)
• Staz Nair as William Dey
• David Harewood as J'onn J'onzz

Guest starring

• Roxy Wood as Yvette
• Pierson Fode as Gregory Bauer
• Patti Allan as Margot
• Donna Benedicto as Agent Reiff
• Jesse Moss as Richard Bates
• Anna Van Hooft as Jennifer Bates
• Corbin Bleu as Trevor Crane

Co-starring

• Doron Bell as Detective Rivers
• Pietra Castro as Kid #1
• Keith Dallas as Al
• Arran Henn as News Reporter
• Tarun Keram as Henry/Man in Tank
• Teresa Laverty as Choking Man's Wife
• John Michael as Kid #2
• Olivia Morandin as Child
• Rico Simonini as Frank
• Owen Walstrom as Choking Man

Trivia

• Off-screen Jeremiah Danvers died after suffering from cardiac arrest.
• The title references the 1994 film Reality Bites.
• This episode shows the first sign that Obsidian North may have a hidden malevolent purpose.
• The dating app Upswipz from DC's Legends of Tomorrow appears.