I’m afraid to admit that the second part of Crisis on Earth-X is less successful than its predecessor in bringing this team of superheroes together without seemingly trying too hard.
While the Supergirl part of the crossover spends a lot of time building up to an epic fight between Good and Nazi superheroes, this hour relies heavily on the romantic woes between Oliver and Felicity, a couple I absolutely loathe and detest. The worst part is knowing that the writers are introducing needless drama for the sake of drama because we’re still probably headed towards an Olicity wedding before the end of this crossover event. Sigh.
The episode still has its moments, but it’s all played for laughs instead of forming a well-structured narrative. The cute one-liners and sharp zingers are amusing, as is the hilarious shot of Evil Oliver and Kara kissing, but I wish the hour had heavier stakes. And no, Firestorm splitting up for good does not count seeing as I have very little investment in these characters.
The action is luckily still as on-point as ever. Director James Bamford takes advantage of the huge cast (and budget) by including several long shots as well as some POV-shots that truly stand out and go along perfectly with the episode’s multiple action sequences. Also, it’s worth noting that the slow-mo as Oliver reveals his Kryptonite arrow like a Batman Batarang is one of the most pulse-pounding sequences I’ve seen all week. Absolutely thrilling.
Bits & Arrows
– As if the titles for these episodes wasn’t confusing enough (what if someone only watched Supergirl on Netflix, for instance?), they ended up releasing an episode of Arrow on a Monday. Umm, ok.
– The Tommy Merlyn reveal is pretty nifty (although it was spoiled for me on Twitter). I do wish Black Siren was paired up with him though. Imagine the possibilities.
– Hilarious moment as Oliver catches up to The Flash and Supergirl on his motorcycle with the line “just a quick reminder—super speed: I don’t have it”.
– It’s amazing how little I care about the new Team Arrow now, but I’ll admit that the decision to have them fight off Evil Arrow is smart.
– Super predictable ending with most of them waking up on Earth-X. I can’t say I’m dying to watch the second half of this crossover.
Quips & Canaries
Reverse Flash: Here’s what I suggest. I will stop vibrating my hand. (looks at Supergirl) You stop breaking my wrist. (looks at Arrow) And you be 10% less brooding.
Kara: Is that a Kryptonite arrow? Why do you have a Kryptonite arrow?
Oliver: In case an evil you ever showed up.
Felicity: I thought we were gonna die. If I had a dime for every time I thought that… I’d have $2. I really thought I’d have more than that.
Felicity: It was Oliver, but it wasn’t Oliver. It was Oliver in the High Castle.
Conclusion
While certainly less exciting than the first hour, Part 2 of Crisis on Earth-X is still a enjoyable (albeit mediocre) affair.
Chris Rating
B-
Ditto. I liked the ending a bit more than you, but still the relationship stuff was groan-worthy. Evil Ollie and Kara amused me most!
Also, while I enjoyed the many long take action sequences, I kept getting distracted by the knowledge that it was ALL stunt doubles in those wide shots. Ugh.
So true about the stunt doubles! Extremely distracting, especially with the wide shots.