Superhero Weekly: Crisis on Earth-X

That was good.

I had my reservations regarding a second crossover for Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and the Legends of Tomorrow. The first one was particularly awkward as the real threat was pure CGI and just having the heroes facing each other appealed a lot more. It’s in the same vein that the new antagonist are not only flesh and bone, they’re also the doppelgangers from Earth-X.

Highs, Lows and Evil Twins:

I loved Kara’s participation here a lot more than in the previous crossover. Not only did she seemed to be featured prominently, she was central to the plot.
That being said… She does have to take the role the damsel in distress as she is the proverbial MacGuffin that the baddies are after. Once she’s free, it was back to her kickass self.
LOVED the fling between Sarah Lance and Alex Danvers. They should meet again while Alex is still single.
That Thunderclap move was amazing and straight out of the comics
Kara gets to utter the legendary line: “General, would you care to step outside?” YASSSS.
Why did we needed a scene with Nate Heywood/Steel holding or even catching Kara? The ground was softer than “steel” to catch her. Plus if Supergirl weights is off the charts as Superman is, Steel would’ve end up flattened as a pancake.
The surprise appearance of Winn as ruthless resistance leader General Schott was a little unexpected twist, albeit a short one.
Overgirl was a scary nemesis but that kiss with Fuhrer Oliver was just creepy AF. Also, notice how the name should’ve been Ubergirl but it was probably changed to prevent any association with certain private taxi service.
The Flash’s storyline acted as the prime motivation first as Barry and Iris are the ones to invite everyone onto Central City. However, it doesn’t stay that way and everyone does get a somewhat balanced spotlight.
I do think Killer Frost should have won that first encounter against Nazi Oliver since his hand and bow were frozen already. A simple flash bomb wouldn’t have been able to ignite (AND supposedly knocks her unconscious?). No, sorry. Frost had him dead to rights there. Yes, I am biased. No, I think had to put some lame ass way for him to get out of it just because.
Frost still got some really cool scenes, including using the ice-coaster again. Plus, mainly she got to play a freaking heroine!
Of course everyone ends up fighting their doppelganger. Understandable for Kara, but not necessarily for everyone else.
Green Arrow having a kryptonite arrow is a bit of subtle reinterpretation of Batman having a kryptonite ring in case Superman ever went rogue. However, does Oliver ALWAYS carry not one but several kryptonite arrows with him? I know he had some sort of thin layer to encapsulate the tip, but I still think Kara should have sensed/felt he was carrying it.
Tommy Merlyn appearing behind the mask of Prometheus-X was a throwback to the old theory that he was one of the suspects back in the day. That was really a personal gut-wrenching low blow for Ollie.
Congratulations to both Fuhrer Oliver and Nazi General Overgirl for officially being the most hated villain couple ever. No, actually the opposite of congratulations are in order.
Felicity facing down Fuhrer Oliver was really tense. You almost believed she was going to die then and there.
Red Tornado. Good look, but good looking CGI is still CGI. As much as the effort is appreciated, only Barry’s human face was saving that scene from being video game cutscene material.
The Legends of Tomorrow got some decent screen time at the end, but they also won the most touching story of it all. Professor Martin Stein, played by actor Victor Garber, after being so close to being human once more and almost rejoining his growing family was taken down by bullets. Hurt and unafraid, he performs two valiant acts: he saves the team and later in his deathbed, he takes the formula that separates him from Jackson. That was such a heroic way to go.
Jackson trying to say a eulogy for Stein was just heartbreaking.
The fighting was ok at best, and a little hokey if you look at it really close. Acrobatic flips just done for show, nazi soldiers missing by a mile or falling down too quick, etc. But the overall look and feel is quite solid if you don’t look too close. This might sound illogical, but crossovers are not about the battle, but about the once-in-a-lifetime encounters. There must be a battle, but it’s more background than foreground.
The plot was simple and not overly complicated. This worked better because of the quantity of side stories available. With the exception of Kara, most of the villains were believable. Melissa Benoist did try her best, you just will have a really hard time believing her adorable face is supposedly evil.
Snow/Frost got some great scenes there. Very balanced overall. I wasn’t that onboard for Barry/Iris and Felicity/Ollie at the end. Seemed way too last minute but I guess they wanted to end on a high.
Sarah Lance and Alex Danvers must meet again. They were just way too adorable. Alex doesn’t get to play awkward often but she was on point.
Barry lets Eobard Thawne go. Oliver just kills his enemy. Kara almost ends up Iron-Giant-fallout as she flies out Overgirl before she goes nova. All in all, their personal traits defined their victories. Barry is not willing to kill. Oliver doesn’t hesitate. Kara is willing to give up her life. So while Kara wins at everything and Barry would rather risk a draw, Oliver is a little too ruthless in my book.