Crisis on Earth X

[JD DeLuzio]

I realized that this crossover covers all four CWDCTVU shows, so I've started a separate discussion. I hope that is okay.

Thoughts on Parts One and Two (with some spoilers):

The Big Day arrives for Barry and Iris. Several people encounter trouble getting to town. Two guests are squabbling, while two others have a too-public debate about their relationship.  One guest acts like a drunken obnoxious doof.  Two others drink a little too much and wake up in bed together.

In short, it begins like every wedding ever—until the point where it resembles every superhero wedding ever, and Nazis, accompanied by alt-reality versions of some familiar heroes, crash the party at the most predictable point imaginable….

This crossover plays like an actual crossover comic movie, instead of linked episodes. We have DC’s traditional Crossover Event title, and some fun examples of superheroes coordinating their efforts and powers.

Mick Rory is the perfect obnoxious wedding guest, and provides laughs almost every moment he’s onscreen.

The encounter between Ollie and a certain villain seems a little off—until we learn the full truth.

I could have done with fewer CW musical scenes (Melissa Benoist notwithstanding), but at least the CW drama feels character-driven, and integrated with the story, rather than slathered on top of it.

The CW Earth-X combines Earth-X with Earth-3 and, of course, ignores questions like multiple doppelgangers would exist on an earth where the Nazis won World War II by nuking multiple cities.

Why does the episode treat the two key Nazi villains’ identities as a big reveal—twice? They can only be alt.Ollie and alt.Kara. We know that from the start, and the heroes, despite their frequent lapses of intelligence, should figure it out, too.

Behind-the-scenes and contractual issues can affect the story, and we have to accept that. Still, it seems odd that, with so many heroes, only the three leads turn up for the confrontation with the three major villains—and then they banter before going head to head. They’re like kids meeting to fight after school.

If you want to catch Kid Flash, don’t blink; however, the episode gives him a reason to disappear. But the combined teams seriously need help. Can we have an in-universe reason why Supergirl doesn’t call in her overpowered cousin to help, given what is at stake? It would be wrong, dramatically, but it should be explained. Cisco isn’t the only one who can open portals.

It’s great to see an actual DC Crisis tale on the screen, with the superpowered fight scenes we expect. Believe it or not, that was William Katt, star of The Greatest American Hero (and Carrie White’s doomed prom date) playing the Minister.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Agreed 100% CK! 

I don't want a steady diet of musicals, but a good one is *amazing*.

I do think that if you're going to do a musical episode of a regular non-musical show, you should have a good in-story for it. Buffy did, back in the day. And the Batman: The Brave & the Bold cartoon did a very nice job with its introduction of The Music Meister. But the Flash/Supergirl musical episode didn't manage that as well -- the Music Meister was changed into a Mxyzptlk figure, and the much of the music seemed incidental because it never got justified by the plot (IMO). 

But I've had "Running Home to You" in my head since I heard Melissa Benoist sing it earlier this week.

[Richard Willis]

I don't understand why they didn't just use Mxyzptlk in that episode.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Possibly because Mxyzptlk had just appeared on Supergirl about a week or two prior.

[Captain Comics]

Afraid it's my fault, CK -- I just don't like musicals. I only mentioned it as a reference point about my enjoying Melissa Benoist singing at the wedding. I didn't mean to start anything!

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

I don't understand why they didn't use the Music Meister as originally created -- as a guy with mind control powers, but those powers have a side effect of making people sing and dance as they carry out his plans. When I heard he would be the villain, I thought it was a perfect choice...and then they  threw out what made the character special.

Richard Willis said:

I don't understand why they didn't just use Mxyzptlk in that episode.

[ClarkKent_DC]

They re-ran the first half of "Crisis on Earth-X" last night -- that is, the Supergirl and Arrow episodes. Tonight they'll show the second half, that is The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Watching "Crisis on Earth-X" again, I realize I never commented on Parts 3 and 4. Let's remedy that ... 

• Things begin with Our Heroes in dire straits. The main stars are captured and dumped in a concentration camp on Earth-X; the second-string is locked away in cells in Star Labs. The commander of the concentration camp is the Earth-X version of Quentin Lance, Sara's father, which makes things uncomfortable.
• With all our heroes out of action -- Supergirl has been captured, too, and is trapped under artificial red sunlight -- who can save the day? Why, Iris and Felicity! Iris figures they can bust Cisco out of his cell, and he can cut the power, thus preventing the Reverse Flash from carving up Supergirl. This dynamic duo may be without powers, but they are not powerless. You go, girls!
• A nice surprise is that one of the inmates in the concentration camp is The Ray. Another is that they all get rescued from execution by Captain Citizen Cold!
• And Jimmy Olsen Winn Schott is the leader of the resistance! (I'm sorry; I always see Winn as Jimmy Olsen under another name.)
• I never wondered why Superman wasn't part of the goings-on, since he is hardly a factor on Supergirl's show. But seeing Winn made me wonder about the Martian Manhunter. But Cap's explanation for why Superman wasn't called in works for the Manhunter. (Still, they ought to make sure he plays a part in the next one.
• Winn is bent on blowing up the gateway that brought the villains to Earth-1, and doesn't want to wait until the Earth-1 heroes go home first, which I thought was pretty unreasonable. Sure, the place is defended by a phalanx of Nazi soldiers, but what difference would a couple hours make to figure out how to get in? Especially once they realized they had a pretty easy way: the ol' Trojan Horse gambit.
• Regarding the bit where the villainous Quentin Lance brings in a prisoner for Ollie-masquerading-as-Evil-Ollie to shoot, I didn't catch the first time around that the woman was the Earth-X Felicity. Maybe it was the brown hair and lack of eyeglasses.
• However, it reminded me of a similar scenario in an Unknown Soldier story I read many moons ago. The soldier is impersonating a Nazi officer and his mission is to thwart a plan to round up and execute some 8,000 Jews who are planning a mass escape from Europe. One collaborator is assigned to his care; a woman who is selling out her neighbors by giving them a list of people who have changed their names. The Nazi whom the Unknown Soldier reports to doesn't trust him, and once the list is complete, he orders the Soldier to kill the collaborator "here and now!" And, well, the Soldier weighs the importance of the mission and the needs of the many against the one -- and shoots her dead. (Read it here.)
• Nice bit of bonding between Professor Stein and Jax.
• I think Melissa Benoist did well in differentiating sunny, hopeful Kara and evil (but admittedly kind of hot) Overgirl.
• Nice bit where Felicity stands up to defend Kara against Evil Ollie.
• No, I did not see it coming that Professor Stein was going to go out like that. I had to go get a case of Kleenex.
• Man, I felt for Jax, losing his spiritual father like that ... and having to tell Clarissa the bad news.
• The little interplay between Mr.Terrific ("Your superhero name is your real first name?") and The Ray ("Mr. Terrific? That's a little boasty, don't you think?") was fun, but I have a bigger problem with Mr. Terrific's costume; it looks even more stupid in live action than on the page.
• Y'know, Barry, I get that heroes don't kill, but letting the Reverse Flash just walk away was beyond stupid.
• I had to get a second case of Kleenex for Professor Stein's funeral.
• And, finally, Barry and Iris are wed! But first -- since I lauded Joe for not proposing to Cecile at the rehearsal dinner, I've got to ding Felicity for hijacking Iris's wedding. I love ya, Felicity, but that wasn't right. 

And there you have it!

[Captain Comics]

That was fun reading, CK!

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Great recap, CK! (And I love that Iris groused a bit about Felicity & Ollie piggybacking onto their wedding on the next episode of Flash.)

[ClarkKent_DC]

Thanks, guys!

[ClarkKent_DC]

I liked what Legends of Tomorrow did in its next episode. It brought back Young Martin Stein -- the one who became a father thanks to Professor Stein telling him to start paying attention to Clarissa or he'll lose her. The episode begins with Young Martin Stein buying the newest, hottest toy for his kid for Hanukkah. (Is that a thing? I always understood Hanukkah was not a major holiday, nor a big gift-giving occasion.)

Thanks to a time anomaly, the goofy doll becomes the god of a cult of Vikings who have taken over the world -- yes, really -- and there's a lot of shenanigans as the Legends try to undo this mess. Along the way, Jax tries to warn Young Martin Stein of his fate, giving him a note with instructions not to open it until Nov. 28, 2017.

Naturally, and rightfully, and wisely, Young Martin Stein destroys the note. Not only because you aren't supposed to know the future --

... but because he calculated that when 2017 rolls around for him, he'd be 67, and he figured that he would have lived a full life, and that's enough for him. 

I hope there's some more Kleenex in that case ... !

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

I loved that episode. I think Legends has done really well this year in embracing its sillier side, and that doll (Conquer-Me Elmo?) is a great example of that.