2018-2019 Arrowverse Roundup - Week 27 Review

What a week in the Arrowverse! There were two finales and two penultimate episodes that set up the finales. Lots of things happened, and it looks like the seeds are already planted for the Crisis next season!

You can read all of this season's Arrowverse reviews right here.

  ***

Supergirl - Episode 4.21- "Red Dawn"

The penultimate episode paid off a lot seeds planted throughout the season, but one thing I wasn't expecting was the suggested redemption arc of Ben Lockwood. I don't think it will be full redemption. Instead, it will be not going through with the most extreme plan that Lex wants to have happen, and instead maybe helping along the way. I fully expect him to die or go to jail when all is said or done though.

It was nice to see a young Kara flashback again. Those used to be a staple of the show, and have long since disappeared. But it was brought back for good reason - Alex's memory is now restored. Seeing them reunited without Supergirl having to hide her identity is great. It is a strong aspect of the show, and was missed most of this season.

Two of the best things of the entire season happened in this episode. The first was Brainy acting like the first Braniac. He might be a new villain, or at least a problem they have to deal with. The second one was Sam Witwer's acting. He has been so callous and calculated the entire season. To see him have to do an impression of Brainy pretending to be Lockwood was a pure joy to watch.

Lillian Luthor being involved will make the Lena/Lex thing so much better. She's been a recurring character very early on. I have a feeling that could come to an end next week.

I appreciate the work that the writers have put into Colonel Haley's character, to make her an ally to Alex. But for her to just flat out believe Supergirl was innocent and that a decoy attacked the white house (even though it was the truth) is weird. She would at least question it. But maybe its because she was lied to about things, and Alex is the only one who has been truthful to her.

Overall, this episode did a great job setting everything up. Dreamer and Manhunter are on their way off the planet. Lex is back. This could be a finale for the ages. If it is like the Arrow and Flash finales, it will also tease Crisis next season.

*** 

Arrow - Episode 7.22 - "You Have Saved This City"

There are only 10 more episodes of Arrow left total. We don't know how Crisis On Infinite Earths will play into it - is that part of the 10 or not? But we do know there isn't much story left to tell, so they wrapped things up pretty well.

The episode was uneven, but for the most part, they accomplished exactly what they needed to. Storylines in both time periods were wrapped up, yet opened the door for more.

There were several shots of the entire team, with the new addition of Michael Jai White's Connor, who I hope we see more of. Curtis returned, as did Laurel. To see a 9 person team Arrow was quite impressive. 

The Emiko storyline was about as predictable as it could be, but still somewhat satisfying. The real payoff was seeing The Monitor appear, and finish what they started in Elseworlds.

There has to be enough story for 10 more episodes either leading up to Crisis, or post-Crisis. Unless most of next season is Mia and William in the future. Regardless, they will do it all without Felicity, whose last episode was this one.

I am glad the episode got the opportunity to spend some time with Original Team Arrow near the end. The show was Felicity, Oliver, and Diggle for a long time. Sara, Roy, Laurel, and Thea came and went, but it was always those 3 before the expansion.

It is curious that Felicity was the only one we saw in the flashforwards, and the only one whose story won't continue. Diggle is hopefully off world as Green Lantern, and Oliver's fate is still a mystery. Felicity's future story ended with her reuniting with him. While some took that to mean The Monitor was essentially taking her to her death, I figured that meant to a physical location. I have a feeling we might see Emily make a cameo in the series finale of Arrow, where we will see Oliver and Felicity on some other Earth, old and happy. This is a superhero show after all, and I would be shocked if they didn't find some way to leave the door open for Stephen Amell to appear in future crossovers.

It seems that the Arrowverse is going all in on Crisis, and hopefully they pull it off. As far as the last full season of Arrow goes, it started off great, but got a bit uneven in the middle, as most of the seasons do. It finished pretty strong, all things considered. Let's hope they can do the same thing in 10 more episodes.

*** 

Legends Of Tomorrow - Episode 4.15 - "Terms Of Service"

Pieces of this episode felt like it could be an episode of Constantine on NBC. I did not watch the show so I am not sure if anyone from that show was back, but the focus on his past was great, and very much needed.

Seeing young Zari in 2019 was an obvious set up for something, but it wasn't clear what. To make it the dragon egg was brilliant. That should start to trickle into Zari's present and slowly change things. She will be the mother of dragons, and knowing this show, it will be too tempting to resist Game Of Thrones references.

Gary was full on annoying this episode, but Mona wasn't. She was actually quite sweet. The show got way more mileage out of the whole Fairy Godmother thing than I ever thought possible. Having her be Tabitha, and putting the curse on Nora Darhk was good storytelling.

Speaking of Darhk, there was a Damien reference in this episode, about how he was going crazy in hell. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he showed up in the finale next week.

Out of all the storylines, Gary being Captain of the Waverider was the least entertaining. The Neron stuff was interesting, and the Constantine stuff was great. But the rest of it was unnecessary fluff so the cast could get screen time. I would have just as soon as had them written out.

The finale next week should be interesting. Constantine escaping from Hell with Ray is the thing I am invested in the most. Everything else will be secondary.

***

The Flash - Episode 5.22 - "Legacy"

When The Flash has Eobard Thawne at its disposal, the show is better than ever. To make the season a long con with different villains, and have Thawne be the one to be pulling the strings is genius on paper. The execution of it struggled a bit, but for all intents and purposes, the idea stuck the landing in the finale.

I knew in my heart of hearts that the premise of Nora West-Allen couldn't sustain itself for more than a season. So they made her exit count. Thawne manipulated to her to be released, and she decided to die in the process of him freeing himself. The way Nora died looked like she got snapped by Thanos.

Joe West got the Captain job just as I thought. The seed was planted only last episode, but it was still effective. It's about time Singh figured out Barry was the Flash. He was getting into the Quentin Lance territory. The way they revealed it made it feel like he knew for a while though, which was a smart move.

Cisco and Kamilla took a huge step, and Cisco is no longer Vibe. I don't know if that will be permanent. But at least Carlos Valdes didn't exit the show like I thought he would. Also, Caitlin received a new super suit, and that will be fun to see next year. It also seems like Kamilla is around to stay, which might offer some fun possibilities.

There was a line in the episode that could lend itself to a storyline next year. I thought maybe Barry and Iris could adopt Grace. They might not, but the seed was definitely planted if the story wanted to go that way.

Overall, this was a strong ending to an uneven season. If the things they did makes Crisis all the better, then it will be worth it.

***

The best episodes this week were a tie between the Arrow finale and The Flash finale.