Review: ‘Supergirl’-‘Flash’ Crossover Speeds Right Past ‘Batman v. Superman’ Comparison
Warning – FULL SPOILERS for Tonight’s “Worlds Finest”:
The first thing anyone will say of the Supergirl-Flash crossover is “See, Batman and Superman, superhero teamups can be fun!” It’s a fair comparison, given the proximity to this weekend’s controversial reviews, and from a critical standpoint, the unbridled glee of “Worlds Finest” is obviously more palatable. Still, the real feat behind tonight’s crossover is that the hour made sure to work as a Supergirl episode first, genuinely adding to Kara’s arc inbetween the ridiculous fun of bringing these two characters together.
And really, the glee feels packed into every crevice in such a way that you’ll catch yourself smiling dozens of times. Little moments work best, like Kara and Winn silently geeking out at Barry’s presence, Kara’s reaction to Barry bringing everyone ice cream, or Barry’s adorable envy that Supergirl’s world gets to traffic in aliens. These are two characters who love everything about superherosim at their core, and it’s fitting that Barry’s added year of experience* would lend some wisdom to matters like charging in without a plan, or sweeping the perimeter, something he himself had to learn with Oliver.
*It’d be interesting to imagine what the alternative plan was, if a Flash crossover wasn’t in the cards, perhaps Kara simply squaring off against Siobhan in public to win back the city’s trust. It fit really well, to have a more experienced hero offer some advice after the Red Kryptonite rampage, though there were surely other characters producers thought capable of dispensing that wisdom.
That said, it fit well to double up on villainy as well, especially as both Siobhan and Livewire’s goals both boil down to little more than professional revenge, something Cat glibly points out, bless her heart. It didn’t feel particularly rushed that Siobhan would turn to the dark side either (though the elaborate costume is another story), keeping Winn actively involved as he attempted to talk her down. We’ve spent significantly more time with Siobhan than Livewire, making the former’s battle with Supergirl just a little more personal, and leaving Barry to handle the latter. Either way, the public display worked to rally citizens back to Supergirl’s side, just as Barry said it would, and that fireman helping Kara to her feet made for a strong visual.
It also understandably tracks that Barry’s presence would edge out any room for Alex, Hank or Maxwell Lord, though Jimmy still ended up feeling a bit steamrolled, and only partially on purpose. Sure, a new man in Kara’s life would understandably inspire a few sneers of jealousy, and kudos to Cat for encouraging Kara to keep that up for his sake, but the ultimate kiss between the two ended up a bit robbed of its moment anyway, the creepy closer activating “Myriad” and turning the whole of National City into mindless zombies. Good thing Barry got out when he did, I guess.
I buy the chemistry moreso than Melissa Benoist and Mehcad Brooks anyway, despite the #Bara and #Karry shipping tags surely surging through the internet, the latter’s chemistry more akin to good friends genuinely excited by the other’s existence. What Cat figuring out Barry’s identity* represents is anyone’s guess, given we’ve already once walked a path of whether Hank’s shapeshifting trick managed to assuage her suspicions of Kara’s alter-ego.
*So, does Kara have to explain why the new superhero on the scene suddenly vanished so soon after his climactic debut? Does Cat Grant get a Pulitzer for breaking word of a multiverse to this Earth?
Definitely a few head-scratchers here and there, but logic was never Supergirl’s endgame; joy was. Fans still haven’t quite taken to Supergirl the way Arrow or The Flash have broken out over The CW, but moreso than any comparison to Batman v. Superman, the real joy was that a Flash crossover served as icing on the cupcake of an otherwise solid story. Ridiculous, giddy, super high-five nerdgasm icing, but icing nonetheless.
AND ANOTHER THING …
- So many questions. National City is akin to Los Angeles, right? And Central City somewhere in the middle of the country? And Supergirl has a Central City, if not its inhabitants, so does The Flash have a National City?
- One of my notes reads “Oh no, can’t boob you.” I recognize this was Barry hesitating to pat down Kara’s flaming sweater, but still.
- I’ll presume Barry looked up every potential counterpart, including Oliver Queen, Felicity and Ray, moreso than just his Flash friends.
- Did Barry steal three bystanders’ ice creams? Does his money work here?
- If we’re going to see Silver Banshee again, definitely going to need some acknowledgment/question as to why she chose that specific getup.
- Kinda surprised no one told Barry about Superman, but perhaps to avoid getting fan hopes up for a TV Justice League.
- Something about staging Barry’s super-speed did nottttt translate well to CBS. Looked more like Grant Gustin skiing in place by a greenscreen.
- Supergirl villains will finally get fair trials, while The Flash will continue locking criminals in a toilet-free basement.
Supergirl will return April 11 with “Myriad”, airing at 8:00 P.M. on CBS.
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