Discussing this episode is likely to prove trickier than prior ones, given that this is the third part in a 4 night crossover event that spanned multiple shows.
Really, it seemed like this one did most of the heavy lifting. Yes, Flash managed to juggle the cast of three shows rather effectively, but it was largely centered on setting up the plot and getting everybody together.
In a way, Arrow benefited from having the episode fall on the 100th as it gave them an excuse to go back to basics and do a more down to Earth plot (ironic because techinically, a vast majority of it took place on a space ship) that paid homage to the show's five year history.
Here, we see, not only the full cast of multiple shows in action, but new plot points are introduced, the villains are finally given motivation, and of course, there's the big finale. It's actually quite impressive how well the episode managed to juggle it all.
We even get some nice character arcs as Stein struggles with his "new" daughter. It's an interesting dilemma and both sides come off as sympathetic. From his daughter's perspective, nothing's really changed, so you feel bad that her dad is suddenly so distant, but we also know that she is almost a stranger to Stein himself, so you understand where he's coming from. I do find it weird that he was thinking about trying to "set things right" when that's exactly what Barry tried to do; and we all know how that turned out.
Speaking of, said change ends up playing a prominent role as it is revealed that this is what sent the signal, as it were, to convince the dominators that metahumans were a potential threat, well, one of the signals anyway. It would have been nice to see that fleshed out and discussed more, but it was a fairly solid motivation. Even though the dominators are clearly the villains, they do have a good point. You do have to wonder, though, why Barry's timeline change sends echoes through time and space, but the acts of the Legends does nothing, but I'm guessing the MST3K rule is supposed to apply here.
It was nice to see Cisco finally put his grudge against Barry to rest. At face value, he had every reason to be mad, but due to the writing it always came off as unnecessarily pissy. Between that and the weird sense of entitlement that Cisco has developed towards coming up with names and making movie references, he was becoming grating. Hopefully this helps bring him back to his roots and become his old, more amicable self.
The episode did a surprisingly good job of raising the stakes in many respects. As I suppose any major comic event should, it really shook up the status quo for the universe as a whole. The federal government is getting involved, it seems like the heroes have an official HQ, and a signal has been sent out to the cosmos about Earth's status. The episode was indeed a blast, but I'm really looking forward to seeing where things go from here. The fact that Cisco gave Kara a device that allows her to jump Earths as a way to facilitate future crossovers was just icing on the cake.
While there is a lot the episode does right, there are some kinks here and there. Much like Wild Dog's grudge against metas, Oliver's sudden desire to keep Kara at arm's length is abruptly introduced and is resolved just as quickly. It just seems like a way to keep Kara out so that the episode has one less character to deal with. Sure, she helps in the big fight, which is awesome, but it would have been nice to see more of her.
On top of that, Oliver's logic really doesn't make much sense. He says she's an unknown variable, but he's already dealt with metas and magic, so the idea that he's having a hard time coping feels flat. Honestly, him saying "you got taken over once and if it happens again, we have absolutely no way to stop you" would have made a lot more sense. I know, it's armchair quarterbacking, but it happens.
I have to say, I agree with Mick. Nate's costume does look really dumb. I don't know why he needs a costume. It doesn't serve any purpose. Frankly, I thought it worked much better when he was just dressed normally and turned to steel. Maybe covering him up gives the producers less to digitally alter? I don't know. It wasn't good though.
It's a shame Kara and Nate didn't get a chance to really hang, though. Both of them being dorks, it seems like a fun pair, plus you'd have the guy who turns to steel making friends with the girl of steel. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me for either one of the characters to even make that direct comparison. In terms of "meta" references, that would be fairly small potatoes to Kara unknowingly making a comparison to the Avengers (which is even more fitting given this crossover's plot) and Ray saying that Kara looks like his cousin.
It was nice to see Oliver and Sara get a nice scene together. With so much else going on, they had limited interaction, but it was nice to see that the bond between the two is still there. Oliver and Barry also get some nice bits together, which are always fun to watch.
Do you think the other Arrowverse heroes were fighting the dominators off screen? I like to think that they were. Mari, Constantine, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Katana, Huntress, Wildcat; yeah, they probably were.
This episode had a lot to juggle. Not only did it have a lot of characters to handle, but it was tasked with not only wrapping up a multi-episode event, but several sub-plots. It does this, but also opens the door for all sorts of new story material. Considering that "The Flash" has, in many respects, been running in circles, it could be for the universe's benefit. Plus, it's just fun to be excited about what's to come now that the Arrowverse is really starting to take advantage of its size.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
No comments:
Post a Comment