[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]
Director: Jesse Warn
Writers: Derek Simon, Robert L. Rovner & Marc Guggenheim
Starring: Stephen Amell, Melissa Benoist & Grant Gustin
Summary
Supergirl, The Flash, Green Arrow and Superman face the battle of their lives.
Positives
The best aspect of this episode is how crazy and big it is. The scale of the story is a lot of fun. The Monitor has a private realm in space; Oliver and Barry go there and it’s awesome. Supergirl and The Flash’s part in saving the day is ludicrous and hilarious in all the best ways. The evil Superman fighting Superman is great. I felt the first two parts were pretty dull and uninspired but this episode really kicked it up a notch.
Oliver has one of his finest moments in this episode. He confronts the Monitor entirely by himself in order to save Barry and Kara; it’s really badass. Ollie’s admiration for the other two is endearing. Through body swapping, Oliver has clearly gained a lot of respect for Barry and that is showcased well. It was really nice to see this universe recognize Ollie’s limitations as a hero and use it to move his character forward.
Melissa Benoist and Tyler Hoechlin have wonderful chemistry. Their scenes are a major highlight of the crossover for me. In and out of costume they are a fun pair to watch. Additionally, I loved the scenes between Kara and Alex. It’s sappy and cheesey but I like how strong of a bond they can have with each other even dealing with alternate versions of themselves.
Negatives
Ultimately, this entire crossover is just set up and teases. There really isn’t much story here. The plot only exists to set up the plot of next year’s big crossover. The cool ideas that the crossover was sold on are barely featured; Batwoman and 90s Flash probably have a combined screen time of 10 minutes and only 30 seconds of that was in this episode.
Oliver’s deal with the Monitor is weak. I guess we’ll see where it goes but repeating Arrow’s season 4 grave mystery but with two people is a bad idea. It’s just as gimmicky and lame as it was on Arrow. I can only hope that the writers at least know what’s going to happen unlike last time.
Why can Oliver and Barry remember the old reality? That’s bothered me the entire crossover. I guess the Monitor could be interfering and keeping their memories intact but that’s never said or implied. Everyone else changes but they stay the same; it’s weird.
Verdict
This is a solid episode. The spectacle and scale makes it a fun watch. I love watching Green Arrow and the Flash just walk into space. I do think it’s a little sparse in terms of story and all of the teasing does get to me. But Kara’s scenes with Alex as well as Ollie’s arc give it some personality and weight.
