Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

The fun doesn’t stop! We have waited months on top of months for this crossover to go down. Even without Legends of Tomorrow backing it up, the Arrowverse persisted and found a way to crack down on what started the crossovers in the first place: Barry Allen and Oliver Queen.

The first part of the crossover focused heavily on their relationship and their different views on being heroes. Yes! There were so many callbacks to previous crossovers, Diggle throwing up in response to super speed, Iris West’s crush on Oliver Queen, and Easter eggs to other DC properties, and the major Smallville bomb was revealed! The theme song, “Somebody Save Me”, was perfectly in sync with Oliver and Barry’s escape plan to the Kent Farm on Earth-38.

Superman and Lois Lane were brought into the fun, bringing Lois Lane officially on board to the Arrowverse. Her chemistry with Superman was refreshing and 100% believable. They also committed the majority of Lois’ dialogue to her need for reporting. She’s no Erica Durance, but I can learn to accept Elizabeth Tulloch.

Kara and Clark do not get many chances to interact, but whenever they do, the cousin-love is transparent. They briefly talked about his time on Argo City with Lois and how the President is demanding she expose her secret identity. Please refer to my episode review of Supergirl’s mid-season finale if you’re interested in knowing the context behind their conversation.

Barry and Oliver arrive and explain the situation before Lois can bash their heads in with a hammer. They also get to meet “Super-Cousin” Clark Kent aka Superman. Stephen Amell is having the time of his life and it’s only the first part of Elseworlds. Puffing out his chest was unexpected but not unusual at this point in the episode.

The training sequence on the farm was a nice callback to the first crossover, which felt earned since The Flash is coming off their 100th episode. Barry got his revenge on Oliver by shooting arrows on his back, which gets Oliver “mega-pissed off”. Their heart-to-heart about being the best versions of themselves was super poignant just by having it in front of the Kent House. My mind went to the numerous times “Smallville Clark” had deep talks with people there.

The fight scene with Amazo, villain of the first part, was super exciting. I used “super” way too many times, but I have no shame. This crossover is SUPER! It’s fun! Let’s continue on! Having Superman and Supergirl help our Earth-1 Heroes made the entire sequence more engaging, especially when Barry channeled his darkness and blasted Amazo with a clean shot.

The ending scene has our heroes (Barry, Oliver, and Kara) heading to Gotham City. Cisco had a vibe of The Monitor with Dr. John Deegan on the streets of Gotham. Oliver recognized Wayne Tower in the background, where we—the audience—see also Batwoman overseeing her city.

Overall, the first part prioritized the relationship of Barry and Oliver and added loads of fun to their dynamic. This is a good set-up for the next two parts, where reality will change again as we know Kara will get trapped at some point and Superman goes literally dark.

See you all tomorrow for Part 2!

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