Who doesn’t love a group of our favourite hero’s getting together to fight Evil but this time the stakes were even higher when the Evil doppelgangers from Earth X invade Earth 1 and at the worst time for Barry and Iris.
Earth X is an Earth where the Nazis won the war The Fuhrer has died, and the new Fuhrer/ Evil Oliver wants not only to dominate other Earth's with the 'Father Land' ideology but save his wife. Yes, his wife Evil Supergirl aka Overgirl who for some unexplained reason flew too close to the sun and the solar radiation is killing her. Overgirl needs a new heart, Kara/Supergirl’s heart to be exact.
It all becomes a race to save Earth 1, Kara/Supergirl and themselves.
One major highlight of these crossovers is it showed love is love with the inclusion of so many LGBTQ characters at one time. I am told this is the first time two males have kissed onscreen in the DC universe. The Snart return and his partner The Ray (a character from the original Freedom Fighters in Earth X comic storyline) was wonderful. However, we hope for a sweet reunion in the future as Snark stayed to help.
Alex who recently ended her own engagement found comfort briefly with Sara who seemed to be the one who truly understood Alex’s need to save her sister.
I suspected with all this fighting we may lose someone, the death of a beloved character at the end shows being a hero often comes with a price as we bid farewell to Martin Stein Aka Grey the other half to Jackson’s firestorm.
We have two weddings, one funeral and a lot of action.
From all the heroes fighting to surprise appearances at the wedding, this Crossover certainly packed a lot in.
As usual with crossovers, I asked my fellow SpoilerTV reviewers some questions to share their thoughts on the crossover. Many thanks to all those who took part.
1. When I heard they were tackling not only the evil doppelganger aspect but in the form of Nazis I was a bit concerned due to the sensitive nature surrounding such an issue do you feel it was handled well?
DC
Like I stated above I was a bit concerned when I first saw what the subject matter was. Such a dark period of history and one we shouldn’t forget but to use in the guise of a comic book show? Well as we know a lot of comics came out of this time to give hope. Earth X is from the comics about an Earth where the Nazis won the war. While certain characters were given the lines to voice why the human race won’t be oppressed, and heroes would always stand up against such foes certain aspects of the storyline gave me pause and I did wonder couldn’t an Infinite Earth Crisis have fared better. The former could easily give us evil doppelgangers but not so extreme.
In this current political climate where supremacists feel they have a voice, the dangers of such are evident here, maybe this was its intention.
MK
Killing Stein, a jew, wasn't their best course of action but besides that, I think it was handled mostly okay. Felicity's monologue was impressive, it was great seeing them condemn the Nazi ideology. Overall they didn't have enough time to dig into the story cause all of the other stories our main characters were going through. But could've it gone down without it? For sure.
LM
I thought this was handled quite well. I also think that it was incredibly brave and timely given the sudden appearance of a white supremacist movement. Showing even a hint of the barbarity of the concentration camps is a good reminder for people. I liked that they pointed out that it wasn’t just the Jewish people who were persecuted but also homosexuals. In fact, I did like the LGBTQ elements as well. I loved that Felicity was a hero on Earth X – and we got to see her as a brunette (still beautiful!). I loved her speech that she was going to honor her grandparents by not letting the Nazis take Kara as well. A slightly more subtle reminder was the Star of David on Dr Stein’s coffin.
JC
Even after having seen it I’m still not sure they should’ve gone with Nazis. Especially not the superheroes we know and love as Nazis. I still have trouble believing that any of our heroes could be Nazis under different circumstances. Even for Oliver, who can be doom and gloom, that’s a line I can never see him cross. Also, I get that they were writing Stein’s character out of Legends, but having a Jewish character be killed off by Nazis really wasn’t necessary. In fact, for me, it was a step too far.
DR
I feel the issue of the villains being Nazis was handled well. Other shows such as Doctor Who have used them as villains before. I think perhaps they chose that because this is a villain that could be recognized as such on all the Earths. That being said, I think they addressed the sensitive nature well. Having Martin and Felicity embracing their Jewish heritage to challenge them was very effective. Think about it, Felicity, without superpowers, stood in front of a weakened Supergirl to protect her from Dark Arrow, while channeling her Jewish grandparents.
WM
In terms of crossover villains, you’ve got to go big or go home. Legends is the only Arrowverse show I’m current on, and they’ve kind of lived by that philosophy when it comes to twisting history for their romps of the week, so I remember thinking, “Evil Doppelgangers? Cool. Nazi Evil Doppelgangers? Even better” I think that there isn’t really a right way to handle to Nazi’s because they are Nazi’s. How else do you portray them, then as chaotic evil? So, when you talk about bringing the all of these heroes together, I expect it to be because there is a threat that is so bad that it needs them. So, evil Nazi Versions of themselves seemed like a nice follow up to alien invaders. I think the show handled the Nazi’s well. It didn’t shy away from giving us lines or attempted acts of violence that go in line with what they represent, and I never got the impression that the crossover was glorifying them. There are some naysayers out there, who are mostly apart of a certain fanbase, that I have seen attacking people on Twitter for calling out other aspects of the crossover and not commenting on the Nazi portrayals and basically attempting to shame viewers for not taking offense to the violence of the Nazi DG’s. Maybe it’s because I’m so far removed from the other shows, and Legends is genuinely more playful than the rest that my mindset about all of this is that it really isn’t that serious. The Earth X DG’s served their purpose, what more could you ask for?
AM
I think the topic of Nazi’s was handled very well. They were shown to be nothing more than evil villainous beings and that’s a very good depiction of Nazi’s. They never glorified Nazi culture or really gave the audience any reason to root for the evil Nazi’s. Now, had they made them sympathetic in any way then that would have been in very poor taste, but they tackled the very sensitive and tricky topic with great care. Most importantly, in the end, the Nazi’s were shown defeated and deflated. Good prevailed over the villainy of the Nazi propaganda. I can see where some could have taken issue with it, but I think when you look at the whole story as a whole you see that what they were aiming to convey and in my opinion they did it well.
JZ
Having the team call a concentration camp “a dump” like they were just in some sort of motel was unbelievable. The explanation of Nazi Germany by the team was just clunky and unnecessary exposition. I think as an audience we know “Nazi’s are bad” we don’t need to hear the pissing contest about just how much they sucked and who hates them the most and in NO WAY should we be using hashtags when describing them! Instead of TELLING me how bad they were, I would have rather SEEN just how bad they were. For all that talk, there was no follow through by the Nazi’s actions in this crossover and I think that was a huge problem because it didn’t allow us to connect with the emotion of the situation they describe by immersing us into that universe.
I don't need to be told that Eobard was trying to be Mengele, I want to SEE IT and FEEL IT! Put the fear of God into me! The show made a big reference to the execution pits, but they were entirely pristine and could have just as easily been mistaken army trenches if you didn’t know what they were. For all the villain’s talks of being the leaders of the dictatorship, there was barely any actions taken suggest that they were that powerful in their positions. All we got from Kara/Oliver was their “love story”.
I get that this is a network television show, so they can’t do some of these things, but if they had these sorts of limitations then they just should have not even tried to go there. Make it a fictional dictatorship, looking at how weak this show set up the environment it wouldn’t have been that hard to do. The only people I think managed to capture the appropriate tone for this event were Paul Blackthorne and Colin Donnell. They spoke about the Reich with believability. I got chills at how sinister they were. I also enjoyed Paul’s accent. The only thing even remotely Germanic on the show, yet another issue that completely perplexed me.
2. Evil Kara / Overgirl or Evil Oliver/ The Fuhrer: Who did you prefer and do you feel their marriage was a good or bad plot point?
DC
Evil Kara was so dark she killed The Greatest American Hero (The priest at Barry and Iris wedding). I loved seeing Overgirl vs Supergirl as complete opposites. Oliver didn’t appear much different as we all have seen dark brooding Oliver. I found Paul Blackthorne’s Characterization of Quentin Lance as an Evil SS Captain more chilling.
The marriage, seriously why. So he would fight for his love .. would have worked but for the fact they had zero chemistry and the scenes looked awkward. The face Supergirl pulled when she saw it ..yep that was me too.
MK
Oliver wasn't really much different than pissed off Oliver from E1. He needed to be a bit more cutthroat. Overgirl was a bad bad girl, she was really convinced in their "cause" and wouldn't back down.
LM
I thought the marriage was a good plot point. If I was forced to choose one, it would be evil Oliver. Benoist was simply awful at trying to play evil.
JC
I guess I preferred neither. I agree with those that said that the performances weren’t that convincing, a bit theatrical in fact. Melissa did a much better job with Red K Kara. I wasn’t a fan of them as a couple but I wish the writers had kind of milked the disgust from Kara and Oliver a bit more. I felt that a lot more “ew”’s were warranted.
DR
I preferred Evil Kara/Overgirl, Melissa Benoist was brilliant playing her doppelganger, and there was a clear distinction between Evil Kara and Good Kara. However, I do not think the lines of distinction between Evil Oliver and Good Oliver were as clear. They even said it in the episode, he needed to tone down his brooding, and his scowling nature reminded me too much of brooding Oliver from seasons past. There was no mistake Evil Kara was evil and Melissa Benoist is to be commended for her outstanding performance, especially for the scenes she had with herself. She created two very distinct characters. I think their marriage was a good plot point because it did show the one difference between Evil Oliver and Good Oliver. Evil Oliver, while committed to the cause and the Fatherland still had room in his life for love and commitment, while good Oliver had to be convinced by Barry that there was room in his life for love and still be committed to his cause. Benoist and Amell both did a commendable job conveying their characters closeness, despite how evil their characters were.
WM
I prefer neither Overgirl or the Fuhrer. My choice is a toss-up between Quentin -X and Reverse Flash. I felt those two were just way more interesting and menacing than the married evil couple. QX’s remark about his own daughter’s compulsions and RF’s line about no one knowing Felicity in his time were some of my favorite moments. Some actors can play different versions of themselves and it be convincing because they have something called range, and unfortunately that not something a lot of actors in the Arrow-verse have, so sometimes we get stuck with cartoonish bad acting at times. This crossover was one of those times.
AM
Easily Evil Kara was the better of the two of them. She was more in charge than her husband and overall the eviler of the two of them. The marriage between Evil Kara and Evil Oliver was an interesting twist and might have worked better if Melissa Benoist and Stephen Amell had better romantic onscreen chemistry, but sadly they don’t. Kara and Oliver are best left off as friends because on the friend level they do have a great dynamic. On the romantic level that’s one of the unexpected relationships in the crossover that simply did not work. Sara and Alex, Ray and Citizen Cold (who by the way gave the comic book television world its first-way overdue same-sex kiss between guys) played brilliantly and gave the episode some nice added elements. The same can’t be said about Evil Oliver and Evil Kara. It was, however, fun to watch both Melissa Benoist and Stephen Amell play evil. Individually and even in shared scenes, it was clear these two were having a ridiculous amount of fun playing evil. Melissa really committed to it and when Evil Kara told Evil Oliver to kill Felicity there was an incredibly dark intensity in her eyes and her voice. Melissa Benoist absolutely dominated the dark evil side of the storyline. She was solid playing the dual roles and the double duty didn’t impact her performance on either side. She tried very hard to lock into that connection with Stephen Amell, but they could never quite lock it in and it might have been from his side, though, he was excellent in every other aspect of the event. The only place their dynamic failed was when they tried to convince the audience their characters were in love. Perhaps with a bit more setup time and the performers having more time to forge a bond outside of the chaos of crossover work then it could have had better chances of success. Melissa Benoist was the absolute star of this dynamic and a standout in the whole crossover event.
JZ
God, that was terrible acting on the parts of Stephen and Melissa. Two broomsticks would have more chemistry than these two and in an episode where EVERYONE had amazing interactions, they stood out in a bad way. Something that you should not have to say about two leads. Because of the acting, none of it worked. But the idea of having them be husband and wife intrigued me and I think if it could have worked.
In today’s world, it’s very easy to see Nazis as these big supervillains and monsters, at times some people lose focus on the fact that Nazis were just people. They were regular people who were either indoctrinated and/or held so much hate in their heart that they performed the greatest atrocities on their fellow humans. They were people’s fathers, mothers, friends, doctors, teachers. To try and “humanise” them by giving them love interests and trying to mirror some semblance or normal behaviours that they could be somewhat relatable makes a story like this all that more terrifying. (Make no mistake though, I do not believe they are)
But that being said, there is a limit on how much “humanity” and “normalization” you can put into characters like this because after all this is television. The show tried too hard in the cases of Kara and Oliver and in the absence of ever seeing these two performing any of their duties as rulers, I think it they tried it made their relationship look sympathetic. The writers made Kara/Oliver a “Love Concurs All story” with Oliver more than willing to give up being Führer for Kara. I’m sorry but in what reality does a tyrant do that after years of indoctrination and a pathological enjoyment (as Quentin only told us) of oppressing others? What commentary was the CW trying to send with that message?
It failed because rather than showing us how despicable and terrifying these people are, they stuck to poorly acted villain monologues that did nothing for me. It was wasted potential in my eyes.
3. There were several little stories within the main storyline which of these shone for you in the crossover and why?
DC
The Jackson and Stein storyline, Victor Garber proved what an outstanding actor he is. Yes, tissues were needed.
Mk
Firestorm story all the way. I loved Sara and Alex and Cold and The Ray were sweet but Victor Garber was phenomenal here. His scenes with Danielle and even the ones with Franz worked so well, really emotional. It was really beautiful.
LM
I did like a couple of the subplots – though they also had problems. My biggest issue was the plotting/pacing was terrible. Each of the four episodes followed the same pattern – fight, subplot, subplot, subplot, crisis, fight… or it seemed that way to me. However, even though the death was obvious from the beginning, I thought Stein and Jefferson’s storyline was nicely done. Stein is going to retire and then them working through their father/son issues – and Garber got a really nice death scene. I also liked the Alex/Kara hookup – and how it helped both of them work through some issues. My favorite, however, was probably the Leo/Ray relationship. Although I have to add that it was ruined by Leo deciding not to go back with Ray – your lover is going back to your Earth which will be in chaos because the Fuhrer has been killed and you aren’t going to go back and make sure he’s safe?? The Oliver/Felicity storyline was annoying – but having this power couple – and Barry and Iris for that matter – get married on another show is really a slap in the face to Arrow fans (and Flash fans).
JC
My favorite parts of the crossover were the relationships between Sara & Alex and Leo & the Ray. I also enjoyed the interactions we’d never seen before. And Mick’s comedic timing was brilliant.
DR
For me, the stories outside the main storyline that shined for me were the dissolution of Firestorm which ultimately led to Stein’s tragic and heartbreaking death. The exploration of Martin and Jax’s father/son relationship during the crossover was especially poignant and made Martin’s death even more devastating. It was no secret that Victor Garber was leaving the show, however, I think that many, myself included, were not prepared for him to depart in that manner. It was fitting he died as the result of a heroic act to save the others, as befitting a legend. Garber was outstanding, but the performance of Franz Drameh as Jax was exceptional and heartbreaking, I dare say some of the best work he has done as a Legend.
The other secondary storyline that was done amazingly well was the meeting between Alex Danvers and Sara Lance. Their first hookup was handled perfectly, even giving Chyler Leigh the rare opportunity to display her gifts for physical comedy. However, it was their connection as warriors and sisters and their growing bond as friends that I loved about this storyline. These are two very special women who have a great deal in common, and their connection in the crossover had a very Casablanca type feel to it, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The chemistry between Leigh and Caity Lotz was amazing and I would gladly watch should the producers decide to send Alex and Sara on any further adventures together. I had correctly called to friends that Sara would be the perfect person to help Alex as she dealt with her breakup with Maggie, equating Maggie to Nyssa. But, for me, the best scene between the two was when they bonded over sisters in the bunker. I noticed too, just the touch of irony, that when she addressed Alex the warrior she called her Danvers, and in the more personal moments called her Alex, just like another special woman in Alex’s life did. Alex and Sara made a good team as warriors, as sisters and going forward as friends.
WM
My favorite little story within the crossover was honestly the Ray and Leo relationship. I missed Snart, but I never knew that what I really needed in my life was Citizen Cold Snart. Wentworth Miller seemed to be enjoying playing this version of Snart, one that was different from previous versions that we have seen because he has the range, and it showed on screen. The best part of the crossover ending was that Leo has decided to stay for a bit, and no matter how much I wish Ray was staying with him, I’m okay just having Cold back for a bit. Watching the scenes with Ray and Leo made my heart flutter and I genuinely believed the chemistry between these two. This universe needed some real representation when it came to non-hetero ship that included two males, so this was past overdue, and I loved every minute of it. Truth be told, I need more of it, and I honestly have already started lurking the web for posts about these two.
AM
There were two that tie for my pick as the top subplot. Those are Sara and Alex teaming up and the other is Iris and Felicity working to rescue Kara. In terms of Sara and Alex, it was no surprise that they hooked up. It was probably the most expected part of the whole crossover. What was less expected was just how well they meshed together. They are so similar yet so different and their dynamic somehow just worked perfectly. They must find a way for those two to cross paths in the future. The other big subplot was when Iris and Felicity were working so hard to save Kara. Here they are, two humans with no superpowers, trying to rescue arguably one of the most powerful powered heroes amongst the group. It was nice to see Kara’s vulnerable side and yet still see her heroic side willing to give her own life to protect those trying to protect her. Here’s the thing, Iris and Felicity don’t really know Kara all that well. Felicity even used herself as a human shield to keep Kara safe. Yet when it came down to it they were both willing to die for her and the cause. It was a beautiful display of pure heroic teamwork between the women.
JZ
Without making this too much of a gushing essay, I think it’s obvious which subplot stood out for me and that’s the relationship between Leo and Ray.
For years we have known that Wentworth has always expressed an interest in portraying Leonard Snart as Pansexual and this is something many fans have fought for over on Legends only to have that idea squashed completely when the writers decided to go down a path of heteronormativity. (Another story for another day) But as one of these fans who believed in a queer!Snart, I was relieved to finally have Wentworth’s vision finally on my screen, ESPECIALLY seeing as this is Wentworth’s final go around in the Berlantiverse.
With such an historic pairing, you couldn’t have asked for better actors in Wentworth Miller and Russell Tovey. Both men are hugely positive forces in the gay community and we wouldn’t have had the same authenticity or sincerity or intimacy had this been done by actors who don’t understand or can tap into the emotion required to portray an m/m relationship.
I felt like I was watching a 20-year marriage in the space of 10 minutes. Their performances were jam-packed with emotional nuance that I’m still watching days later and finding new things about it. They had far more development and chemistry in two episodes than some relationships have from seasons of development. It was something special because for the first time in the Berlantivese we are seeing a queer relationship being portrayed by two openly gay men. Take note writers, THIS is what REAL queer representation should look like. Let us tell our own stories!
4. Like Cisco who doesn’t love a popular culture reference in a time of crisis and Crisis Earth X had more than it's fair share. What was your favourite?
DC
As we are near Christmas The Diehard reference, Felicity saying to Iris in the air vents 'lead the way Mcclane' had me laughing the most. However how many Terminator references did they throw in there, I counted three. I also loved the nod to Superman 2 when Supergirl asked the General to step outside.
MK
I enjoyed Jax saying Stein wants to turn him into Spiderman. Quite hilarious.
LM
Almost too many to name. I’ll give my vote to one that might not garner a lot of love: “Oliver in the High Castle” – riffing on The Man in the High Castle.
JC
I’m actually having trouble recalling the popular culture references right now but I do remember that Jax mentioning Spiderman made my head spin.
DR
There were so many pop culture references in the crossover with shout-outs to such icons as Die Hard, Terminator (which had at least two, although Iris’ “Come with me if you want to live” to Kara when she and Felicity rescued her was a bit cringe-worthy), Lobo, and Greatest American Hero. For me, my two favorites were the casting of William Katt (Ralph Hinckley in the Greatest American Hero) as the officiant at Iris/Barry’s wedding and Supergirl’s call out to Overgirl, a la Superman 2. Benoist was perfect in striking Christopher Reeve’s iconic pose and perfectly delivered the “General, would you care to step outside?” line.
WM
There were some great references and then there were some that fell flat, like Iris’ line to Kara when she came to save her. For me, my favorite was just when Wells told Kara to fly Overgirl, “Up, Up and Away”
AM
The Terminator reference was definitely the best. It felt so organic to who Cisco is that he would be laughing about that. Though, to be fair, the Terminator reference was actually made by Black Canary, but his reaction really sold it and made it play even better in the moment.
JZ
I enjoyed hearing “Edelweiss” during the scene with Nazi!Quinten. It’s a harrowing song and I think that it (along with Paul Blackthorne’s performance) was the only time I felt some sort of emotion about the Nazi themes on the show. I also chalk up my reaction to the fact that it makes me reminiscent of the times I’ve heard it on things like The Sound of Music, Man in The Highcastle and even Legends Of Tomorrow.
A little bit of a personal shoutout of mine was seeing Russell Tovey strip off in one scene. I think a lot of his fans can attest to the sentiment that it’s not a Russell Tovey performance without him in some form of undress.
5. The 4-episode arc played like a movie. What where your thoughts on the crossover over and what mark would you give it out of 10?
DC
There was clearly little difference in any of them to say which was each’s own episode. It played like a movie and was interwoven nicely. Of course, trying to get so many characters on screen at the same time wasn’t going to be perfect but within their budget constraints, they did a very good job. It’s always fun to sees how others interact in the universe. The girls really showed their stuff, Felicity and Iris risking their lives to protect Kara whom they barely know. These girls have no powers but their wits and a few kickass moves.
The wedding being interrupted was predictable. Nothing ever goes to plan but I think they should have let them say I do first. The double wedding at the end… I can imagine all the fans of Iris and Barry and Oliver and Felicity will feel cheated with this. Personally, I would have ended it with a small ceremony at Jitters with them getting married and the whole gang there.
I give it an 8/10.
MK
As a fan 8,5, realistically between 7 and 7,5. There are too many superheroes to be handled well in these 4 hours. Also, some stories were spinning into too many circles. Overall very enjoyable and their best x-over since the first one, which really wasn't an x-over as they were only guest appearing in each other's episodes, no really connected storyline.
LM
This was definitely their best attempt at a crossover yet but still riddled with problems in my books. Yes, the stars had lots to do, but the supporting characters were underused and underserved – I know, a cast of too many. I also harbor a real resentment to being held hostage to watch shows that I normally wouldn’t watch. 6.5/10.
JC
I liked the first two parts more than the last two, mainly because there were more casual moments and less Nazis. Overall I’d give it a 7. Not very representative for me, though. I tend to give everything something between 6 and 7.
DR
I thought the crossover was exceptional and I’d give it an 11 or higher if I could. It had the perfect balance of heroes, villains, action, humor, and heartbreak. I also appreciate how ultimately it was the women, most of them without super-powers that led the way in saving the day. I loved how unlike last year’s crossover, Crisis carried through storylines from each series throughout the 4 episodes. The effects and stunt sequences were award quality. I said it many times as it aired and will continue to say it, this was so good it deserved to be shown on the big screen of movie theaters. I think the network and Warner Brothers missed a golden opportunity to allow fans to see it as one cohesive two-hour movie with a one-night special showing as Doctor Who has done with some of it’s Christmas specials. Hopefully, they will release the episodes on one DVD, which would include behind the scenes looks at the massive work that went into bringing Crisis on Earth X to life and the always fun outtakes.
WM
I want to say I liked the crossover, but there were also so many things about it that bugged me. Maybe it was because I’m not caught up with Supergirl and The Flash and that once I started to find Arrow so revolting that I dropped it, that had me on high alert while watching. There were some characters that seemed pretty forced into the narrative and some characters that seemed to just be there. I love Legends, but the acting from Franz when Stein died was most definitely lacking the range and not even Victor Garber could pull me into the scene. I’m curious about where things go from here on the Waverider, but as I don’t watch the other shows, I’m not invested in anything else. I did find the double wedding bit very pedestrian and if I were Barry and Iris, I would’ve shut that thought from Felicity and Oliver down really quick. The Legends were really underused in this crossover and they were the whole reason I came so I was very disappointed. I don’t get this universe’s obsession with Felicity, but I feel like some of EBR’s acting really put me off at times. I did like what happened with Alex in these episodes and what I thought was most important was that the crossover was still able to give us character moments for not just our superpowered friends, but to their non-powered allies. I knew Stein’s exit was coming, so I wasn’t really taken aback by his death, because just like Coulson in The Avengers, the pain of the death of a teammate was needed to not just push our heroes tow in, but for them to also value what was important. I liked that this year they went for a more cohesive crossover, but if I had to pick which one I liked better, I’d tell you that I liked last years better. I liked/loved things from this one, but there were other things I found really distracting and annoying. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give the crossover as a whole a solid 7.
AM
This was by far the best crossover the CW DC universe has ever done. Big multi-show crossovers are a relatively new creation in television. They are tricky to pull off logistically and very few franchises do them well. This one certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was very well done. There were some flaws in this crossover, but it was the best crossover event for any television franchise yet. They really needed to incorporate the Legends of Tomorrow cast more. But it was nice to see Rory get to be involved more than expected. The women really dominated this crossover event. It was really nice that they made Supergirl the central focus of the story which is surprising because everyone likely expected the wedding to be everything. It was a big part of the event, but it was Kara’s heart that drove everyone into the situation they were in. They were not only trying to protect their Earth but one of their friends who has repeatedly come to their aid. Seeing Oliver take a firm stand that they weren’t handing Kara over was a really nice change from when they first met. Those two have come a long way as friends and teammates. Half the people involved barely know Kara, but they still fought for her every bit as valiantly as Alex did. Alex was quite literally ready to take on the entire Nazi army to try and get back to Kara before Sara talked some sense into her. Speaking of Alex, it was so nice to see her so heavily involved in this crossover. It was also a really nice change that the non-powered characters got in on the action and not just Alex and Sara who are trained warriors. Iris and Felicity were dropped right into the middle of everything and they didn’t fail to surprise with their tenacity and creativity in trying to rescue Kara. Though that first attempt didn’t end well, it’s the thought that counts. The death of Stein was well done, but it was so sad to see him go out like that, however, it couldn’t have been a more poignant or meaningful sacrifice. For the briefest moment I thought they’d actually let him retire in peace, but then again there is no good drama in that. I’m sure we’ll see some version of Stein at some point again. They will surely find some compelling deal to get Victor Garber back for an episode or two if they need Stein in some capacity. This was an action-packed crossover with a coherent storyline though it did have a couple minor continuity issues, overall it was quite epic. For those reasons, this was a solid 8 for me. Quick note, the next crossover really needs to take place on Kara’s Earth. Given how many times she’s helped save their Earth it’s about time they help her save hers. This crossover was the new baseline the CW DC universe needs to use to craft future crossovers.
JZ
I Loved the “cinematic feel” to the show and while I haven’t watched all four shows in succession, I’m sure they would all fit together seamlessly.
It’s very hard to give this crossover an overall grade because there were things I hated and loved with an equal passion.
For the Nazi theme, I give it a 0.5/10. It was a disgusting use of history and I still feel they could have gotten their point across just the same (maybe even better) if they just created “the darkest timeline” or a fictional regime.
The Queer representation: 10/10. The biggest thing for me was, of course, ColdRay but I’ve also got to give my shout outs to Alex/Sara as well as the platonic interactions between queer characters like Ray/Alex and Ray/Curtis etc.
The cinematography and the stunting were the best I’ve seen so I’d give that a 10 too. I loved the fight in the church scenes, especially Sara and Wally’s sequences.
The ending? A 4/10. The double wedding idea was silly. I think Arrow and Flash fans deserved to see these weddings on their respective shows in their entire glory.
Do you agree?
Some varied views from the team here, tell us your thoughts in the commnets below.
