If you did not watch last night’s final two episodes of the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover than, STOP READING. It is spoiler city from here on out.
Okay, I warned you.
If you thought that parts 1, 2, and 3 of this crossover extravaganza were nuts, well, you have no idea what was in store for the final two parts. I dare to say that the final two parts were better than the first three, and I think it’s because of all the emotion that was explored in them.
I’m going to break down some of my favorite moments and parts from the final two parts! As always, I’m sure I missed some things, got some things way out of order, but that’s what you get here because I am not perfect people.
In the Arrow hour, while in the speed force, Oliver says to Barry “ There are few things more powerful in the universe than memory and connection” and I truly fell in love with that line. Not only was it an essential line for Barry to understand in order to save his friends from being lost in the speed force, but it’s something very real in the real world as well.
At first, I hated listening to Olivers voice, and I couldn’t help but laugh when I read a tweet that said “Hey Oliver, you need a cough drop bro?” but as the episode went on I realized that his regular voice wouldn’t have brought about the different, otherworldly element that the raspy tone did and that it was a necessity.
Oliver simply poking Barry in the forehead to unlock his potential and make it so that he can save his friends by bringing them all into the speed force, was hilarious. I truly hope someone asks them how long they took to shoot because I cannot imagine not dying laughing every time.
I’m happy that in the very beginning they explained how Mar-Novu became the monitor and how the anti-monitor came to be. I don’t know if it’s in the comics, I’m sure it was, but for me, I was clueless, and it was a good fact to know.
While I read that some thought that the first hours walk down memory lane was boring, I could not disagree more. I thought it was incredibly important. On Arrow, Oliver has been able to say goodbye and reminisce with the members of that cast for the most part, but Oliver’s connection doesn’t stop there. His presence is felt throughout all of the shows and this was their chance to close that up and they did a wonderful job.
“Dyings the easy part. The dead are at peace, but the real heroes are the ones who have to keep going” You guys, there was so much good writing in this crossover, but this line from Oliver really makes the top three, at least. He’s so right. Death hurts, but the next day and the next day after for the ones still here, are twice as hard.
At first, I didn’t understand the scene when Kate sees Ray and Olivers tense conversation but later Kate mentions something along the line of them being similar and not trusting people and people not trusting them, and I think she’ll have hope that it is possible to open the way Oliver did when her time comes to want to do so.
In the last few episodes, Grant Gustin has truly blown me away. When Barry learns of what Olivers sacrificing for him and Kara, and for everyone really while in the speed force, you could 100% feel the emotions coming off the screen.
I had forgotten how much Kara and Oliver distrusted one another in the beginning of their relationship, and to be reminded of just how far they’ve come was a nice treat.
Having to relive Sara dying was not fun, at all, but I see why it was necessary and we got to see Earth One Laurel and Diggle having their moment, and Diggle pushing Laurel to put on the mask.
Ezra freaking Miller. I screamed, honestly. It is so amazing that they managed to not only get that cameo but also keep it a freaking secret. You can’t keep any surprises a secret anymore, but the fact they were able to with this, made the moment even better. Miller and Gustin played so well off each other and it was really cool to see the lines blurred between the Movie and TV DC world.
Jon Cryer is so talented I cannot say enough about him. His portrayal of Lex Luthor is so beautiful; so much so; that for me, watching someone else play him, wouldn’t work now, because I love this portrayal so much.
“You have failed this Universe” What a well-placed freaking line. I got chills when Oliver said it. His fight with the Anti-Monitor was simple, they used their powers rather than fists and yet it was so powerful.
When Kara puts two and two together and realizes that in order for them to “fan the flame” as Oliver described it, they have to have a laser focus on the idea of what Paragon they are (Eg. Kara needs a laser focus on hope). The moment was, and I know I’m using this word a lot, but it was powerful.
What was even more powerful was when Sara has Barry race them up the mountain to check on Oliver and he’s down. The first time Oliver “died” it hurt, but not as much as this one did. I think it was because Caity Lotz, Grant Gustin, and Stephen Amell knocked the scene out of the park. The chemistry these three have is mind-blowing and this scene had me teary-eyed right along with Barry.
As we enter the second hour, we’re exposed to a brand new universe, thanks to Oliver and his sacrifice. I thought it was incredibly smart to start off with only the paragons remembering the old world because that just makes sense. I laughed, probably too hard, at Lex Luthor winning a Nobel Peace Prize, and Kara’s reaction to the world believing he was the best kind of human being. It made incredible sense for J’onn to use his powers to help everyone else remember the old world, all that had happened, and Oliver’s sacrifice.
David Ramsey was the one to truly bring me to tears in this part of the crossover as he remembers that not only is Oliver gone, he died twice, both times he wasn’t there, and he feels as though he’s failed him. Diggle might have become far more than Oliver’s bodyguard from the first few episodes of the series, but he always did what he could to protect him. The heartbreak in Diggle’s eyes, man, it got me good. I continued to shed water from my eyes when Sara is forced to come to the realization that while everyone else is back, Oliver is not, and he isn’t going to be coming back. The embrace between Diggle and Sara was therapeutic to watch.
The scene where Barry and Kara realize that in this new universe all the heroes are on the same Earth and everyone thinks they’ve been working together, all the time, since the very beginning. We’re quick to learn that, that is the case. Star City might still be Star City, Central City is Central City and National City is still National City and so on but they’re all on the same Earth, and I really like that.
Kara’s reaction to seeing Kate ALSO on the same earth made me so happy. It was quite adorable and I’m hoping this means showing more of their friendship ( like them watching the president’s speech together with Alex at the end of the episode).
BEEBO. I screamed at Beebo’s appearance also. It helped to see something happy (even if it was terrorizing the city and being used as a distraction) after all the sadness that had just occurred.
Sara’s handling of Oliver’s Death.
I think it was incredibly important for them to showcase how Sara is handling Oliver’s death. His death affects everyone in their own way, but with Sara, it’s an even bigger effect, and even more so after she explains it a little more while talking to Barry. During their incredible heart to heart (I’d like more of those please), Sara admits the fact that Oliver was the last tie to her old life, to who she was before she got on that boat. I think because Sara isn’t on Arrow, and she’s off doing her own thing, it’s easy to forget how integral Sara and Oliver were in each other’s stories. Exploring her grief process is important, and I do hope that we get more Sara and Barry scenes because they are always amazing, and it’s a friendship I’d really love to see explored more.
Can we talk about how underrated of a character that Mick Rory is?! His facial expressions are priceless, his attitude towards alcohol is so relatable, his writing shenanigans are beyond entertaining and he just brings this whole different vibe to the crew and any scene he is in. We seriously should talk about him more.
It was nice to see when they had to fight the still alive Anti-Monitor, that they brought black lightning back. It would have sucked if he just got a one–off introduction and that was the end of it. His character, his life, his story is all very different and brings a lot to the table.
I also loved the Ray, Ryan, and Nash Wells “nerd” team up to stop the Anti-Monitor. I really was missing Cisco at this moment though, I really wish he was a part of it. I love when science comes in to save the day because it shows that just because you don’t usually physically kick ass (even though some of them do that too!) you can kick some serious ass with your mind that can make or break the fight.
Uh hello BABY SARA. I thought this was really cool. It was always so weird that when they took away baby Sara after Barry messed with the timelines, so it was a nice treat that they didn’t need to include but I love that they did.
The President’s speech and witnessing our heroes watching it with their loved ones was special. From the Oliver Queen who was a vigilante in a hood that no one trusted, to be recognized by the president of the United States for not only saving the Universe but for being a hero was special and if you had told season one Oliver that, he’d be getting a national memorial by the President, he would have laughed at you, as most of us would have.
Last, but certainly not least. The Oliver tribute, and THE TABLE.
The tribute to Oliver in the warehouse was simple, yet perfect. (Well almost perfect, there were plenty of people missing but for the sake of the paragons, plus black lightning, it was nice). I do hope that in the final arrow episode, Felicity and Diggle and hell even Earth 2 laurel and the kids all get the proper chance to say goodbye to Oliver as the heroes did in this one.
When Barry reveals the table, I got chills and even more chills when they revealed the logos on the chairs for them and that Oliver had a chair too. The Flash, Superman, Supergirl, Black Lightning, White Canary, Batwoman, and J’onn. I thought this was the perfect scene to end on, and yeah I know we got some more things after that, with the president’s speech. But nothing crazy happened after, because it couldn’t. All the heroes are now going to go off and do their own things again but they’ll have a special place to come together if it is necessary. They all have stories to tell still, and I’m interested to see how the new universe impacts those stories.
I mean baby Sara, how does the 2040 future change? LuthorCorp owning the DEO, does Lena still know Kara is Supergirl?, What is Lexs next move?, Does Sara’s grief continue to impact her on-screen still, what the heck does The Flash do next? How about Kate and Alice? So many questions to be answered for all of these shows and I’m so looking forward to them and witnessing what an Oliver Queen, Arrowless-verse ends up looking like.
I’m sure I missed some super cool things that I should have talked about, but that’s just what happens when you have a terrible memory and so many good TV moments in a two–hour span. This year’s crossover was, to me, better than I could have even imagined. From the directing, the writing, the acting, the story as a whole, as well as the mini-stories all intertwined. Everyone from top to bottom, behind and in front of the camera truly put on one hell of a series of episodes and made a crazy ambitious multi-show crossover work! Bravo to everyone involved, I cannot wait to watch what’s next for everyone!
Miss Raee 