Review: Crisis on Earth X (TV crossover)
When watching any of the CW DC comics shows you have to keep in mind the network that they are on. The writers are targeting a single market, and alienating others. People who have been fans of the comics and these characters for years (myself included) will often cringe at some of the decisions made by the writers. Children that should be able to watch a comic book show just simply can’t because they are all too adult oriented. And if you’ve got a political view that isn’t what the writers want to push, then you’ll be dissatisfied as well. These are shows aimed at millennials, and I’m not using that in a negative term towards that generation. I get a network wanting to appeal to a certain audience, but as a man who went to school for learning how to gain an audience, I know it isn’t a wise decision to exclude any others. If I were making a show I’d want it to reach as many people as possible (especially the long time fans and the next generation of youth). Sadly, this isn’t the case with Supergirl, Arrow, Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow.
Anyone who has been following me for a while knows that I follow and watch these shows each week. Do I do it because they are great? No. But there is a small element that gives me hope I will eventually see what I know the DC comics shows could be. After this crossover it could go either way.
Stay with me a moment while I explain. When Supergirl was in its freshman season it was lacking a budget, but the stories were told well. Then it was moved to the CW, and it became something entirely different. It got rid of good characters and changed the sexuality of another. It went from focusing on Kara Zor-El of Krypton to focusing on love lives. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if it was done right, but the problem is none of the dialogue in the relationships is realistic, and the scenarios feel forced if not acted out.
I preface with that because that is EXACTLY what we got in this crossover. Now, I’m not entirely hating because there were good things about it. For example: The Nazi Earth storyline, the death of beloved character Martin Stein, the return of Red Tornado, Barry and Iris finally getting married, and some pretty fun action scenes to watch with all the shows’ characters coming together in a Justice League B-Team sort of way.
But that is about it. The rest is riddled with plot holes that make no sense, corny moments, ridiculous relationship moments, and a forced political message. Let’s skip the corny moments because they can be forgiven, and talk about the plot holes…
Plot hole 1, 2, and 3: If Nazis won World War II and ruled another Earth, then why is the sky Red there? It’s still Earth right? And to add to that history would have been entirely changed. There’s a good chance that Oliver Queen wouldn’t even exist. Even IF that was possible how would he have become the Fuhrer? Is he a descendant of some high ranking German officer? That wouldn’t make sense either considering his family’s legacy. Not to mention that all existing character dopplegangers should have looked much different, whether it be facial hair, lipstick or whatever. Something would be different.
Plot hole 4: The Nazis have a wave rider. Why wouldn’t they use it to travel back in time on Earth One and change things? Instead they use it to attack civilians running in panic. It’s instead portrayed as less a doomsday weapon that Overgirl was.
Plot hole 5: Overgirl or Nazi Supergirl exploding also made no sense. The yellow sun powers her and Supergirl. Why would flying close to it irradiate her heart and cause her to be dying? Is this a lost plotline from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace? Even that movie had less plot holes.
Plot hole 6: How did this Nazi army do anything to stay in power. It seems that they aren’t very loyal to taking commands. When their Fuhrer says, “Kill them,” multiple times, they just march forward. They have automatic weapons in their hands. All they had to do to listen to orders was to aim and fire. Sure, there would have been some bullet proof people or those who could avoid the barrage of projectiles, but the Nazis would have at least tried. And they would have succeeded in killing a few. Instead we get a group fist fight with little to no guns being used, but lots of superpowers.
Plot hole 7: If Earth One is the Ray’s real home and Earth X is Citizen Cold’s real home, then why would Cold stay on One, and Ray return to X? Relationship aside, this makes no sense whatsoever.
Plot hole 8: Why is Thawne on Earth X? And to top it off, why is he even taking orders? He could easily kill evil Oliver, and outrun Supergirl to other worlds. This just seems stupid.
Plot hole 9, 10 & 11: These are less plot holes and more of unanswered issues, but who was the girl holding the drinks at the wedding? She acted like she knew Barry and is obviously someone from the future, but who? This doesn’t fit in a crossover episode, but should have been in a Flash episode. We have no answer at the conclusion of this arc though and are left wondering. Red Tornado’s return was much better than he appeared before, but are him and Metallo now dead? They both exploded as if they were just henchmen, and I’m still left wanting more of both for Supergirl or whatever show they fit in. Martin Stein’s death leaves another unanswered thing in his wake. Will Jax be useless from now on? My guess is that Stein’s daughter will be able to bond with Jax because of genetic code, and I’d be fine with that. There is a down side to this… it will become yet another relationship to watch on these shows.
That takes us to the relationship part of all of this… Straight or gay it doesn’t matter… the way they were written in felt forced and didn’t make anyone care at all for them. In fact, the only relationship that anyone should care about in this crossover is disrespected.
Relationship 1: Nazi Oliver and Nazi Supergirl – I actually enjoyed this one. It was as much a shock as it was to see Tommy Merlin appear as Prometheus, and it was executed quite well. The only down side is that this chemistry feels off for a so called dictator and a goddess of another world. It weakens their status and while they can and should love each other no matter how evil, it is something that would be done in private, not in public.
Relationship 2: Alex and White Canary – Let’s take the whiniest indecisive character (Alex) and focus more on her fake love life. They spent a season of Supergirl making me hate this character and it wasn’t because she was gay, but because her love life didn’t seem authentic. Everything with her and Maggie was forced from bad dialogue to interactions. So it’s not a surprise when it carries over to hear, and even the characters feel funny about it in the show. Then they put her with White Canary, who at this point must have every STD in the history of mankind. How many women has she slept with throughout history and NOT affected the time line? It’s been way too many to count or make sense. This was my final straw for both these characters, especially Alex. They need to kill her off already because she brings nothing to the show. White Canary is fine when she is acting like a leader, but how disrespectful can you be at a friend’s wedding rehearsal to just ignore the bride and groom because you want a one night stand? ugh.
Relationship 3: Barry and Iris – Poor Barry and Iris. This is one relationship I really care about. I want to see them together, and when they get their chance at a wedding it is all about everyone else and not them (including the point where they get married finally). Thankfully they had their moment, but the writers royally screwed them in the process. It’s a slap in the face to the actors and characters.
Relationship 4: Oliver and Felicity – WTF?! Any respect I had for Felicity is gone after that crap she pulled. Some best friends you are if you can’t even respect their wedding. But no… instead of Green Arrow and Black Canary we get Ollicity… a forced and unsteady relationship that just shows why many marriages end up in divorce. They have no respect for what should matter (the wedding of their friends).
Relationship 5: The Ray and Citizen Cold – I get that the Ray is a gay character. I get that the actor playing Captain Cold is gay as well. What I don’t get is why we had to see this portrayed so forcibly. Put all the sexuality aside and it really doesn’t make sense. Two people in love supposedly, but the one is in prison camp. The other finally shows up to help out? How long did that take? Then they kiss, and there is a drastic change in the mannerisms of Citizen Cold. He goes from being cool and badass to almost acted out like he’s prancing around and smiling all the time. I mean they quite literally stereotyped him right there and changed the character mid scene. Then the end comes and they just decide that they aren’t going to be together on the same Earth? WTF?
This brings me to my final point. The CW is trying very hard to get across a few political messages. Whether you love or hate what is going on in the world, the last place I want to see politics is on a show I want to see. Television is supposed to be a relief from the corruption and political bullcrap that is our current real society. The constant push to make comments like “Make America Aryan again” just doesn’t bring anything to the show. And the primary focus to be on relationships that seem way more forced than natural (gay or straight) comes off as more a message than anything else.
Extra questions I’m left with are “Where is the Hall of Justice introduced in last season’s crossover Invasion?” and “If this world was such a threat then why didn’t they recruit Martian Manhunter and Superman into it, not to mention the rest of the Time Bureau?”
We will see how the rest of the individual shows work out when I do my review at the end of the seasons, but for this crossover it is one you can easily skip. I’ll give it 2 out of 5 sCrypt ratings, and that really comes down to a good concept and cool characters being screwed by poor writing and nonsense.
What did you think of Crisis on Earth X? I’d love to hear if I’m the only one who felt this way or you agree.
Review DC TV shows 2016-2017 seasons
It’s time to review DC Comics’ Television properties, and how they fared this season. I’ll keep it fairly simple this time around, but will take an overall look at the following: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 2, The Flash season 3, Arrow season 5, Supergirl season 2, Powerless season 1, and Gotham season 3. I’ll also mention the crossover episode “Invasion” as a separate entity.
First up is Legends of Tomorrow Season 2:
While the first season was subpar, the concept improved for the second season. The good: The characters were all done well. They were really the focus of what made this year work. Finally seeing a version of the Legion of Doom was a much better antagonist than Vandal Savage the year before. The cliff hanger at the end of the finale was also really great segue into making me want to come back for at least the premier of ssn 3. The Bad: The writers of this show have no idea what they are doing with time travel. They talk about time aberrations and how they are supposed to stop them from happening, but the characters have no problem sleeping with other people from different timelines or killing them. Then they worry about one mistake that Stein made by talking to his younger self which created a daughter he never had. I call B.S. that this would be their worst problem. Overall: This show is just painful to watch. I keep watching because the comic book nerd in me desires to see these great characters. There are moments that make me smile, but overall it’s not something a regular audience of non-comic book fans would want to see. If they could understand a little more about the potential of traveling through time, then it’d have potential, but otherwise it’s just sloppy writing. I give season 2 a sCrypt rating of 2.5/5.
Supergirl Season 2:
Where to begin… hmmm… The transition of this show to the CW really hurt it, but I can’t just blame the station move. The Good: Martian Manhunter, Superman, Mon-El, The Guardian and Teri Hatcher were the best things about the season. Their stories were good, and though I had reservations about the Guardian, he turned out to be quite enjoyable. The Bad: Oh where to begin. Fire all the writers. It’s the only thing that will save this show because it’s downright hard to watch. First off is the Alex and Maggie relationship. I get it. They are an item. I have no problem with a lesbian couple in the show, but this was so forced and hard to watch it made me cringe. They spent more time focusing on this unnatural progression into a gay relationship that it often overshadowed the main narrative. I knew we’d have Maggie in some sort of relationship with a woman too, but it could have been anyone else. They changed Alex (who showed that she had an attraction to men in the first season) to being an item with Maggie. The two characters on their own could be great, but the way this was forced was so bad the writers seemed like amateurs. And before anyone claims that I’m bashing the LGBTQRSTUV community, that is not the case at all. I’ve got friends and family who fall into that category. I would have the exact same issues if they did this with straight characters because it was so badly done and took center stage over the rest of the plot. Then they cut Cat Grant out of the picture… then they had Supergirl beat Superman in a really lame fighting scene that went on way too long for its lack of showmanship, then they changed Cat from one political standing to another without explanation and tried to force a message, then they had Lynda Carter as an alien president without much explanation as to why they would not feel threatened by a president who had the biggest lie of any president (and that’s saying a lot nowadays), then there’s that weird ending which I can only assume means we are getting Doomsday on a TV budget when they couldn’t even do it right in the movies. WTF writers? Did anyone watch this heaping bag of horse manure before they decided to air it on television? Ugh I’m done my rant. Overall: When a hero like Supergirl with some major characters is worse than watching a show with bad time travel in its writing, there is something amiss. I can barely give this second season a 1 out of 5 sCrypt Ratings.
Arrow Season 5:
Thank goodness this got better. While last season was subpar, this season was my favorite by far. The Good: Everything in the latter half of the season was great. I was upset at first that they were going to do ANOTHER Black Canary instead of reforming Laurel of Earth 2, but when it turned out her name was Dinah Drake, I accepted it. Hopefully we see her and Oliver as an item and keep that Arrow / Black Canary love story. Deathstroke’s return and the whole final episode was very emotional. Season 6 could quite literally be a reboot to the whole series with just Oliver and his son, but I’m assuming one or two people will escape the island. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Diggle, Dinah, Speedy, and Slade to have survived. The Bad: In the beginning of the season it was very rushed. They jam packed all these new recruits onto the team, and it took away from story. Wild Dog was annoying at first, but I grew to really like the character. Other than the expansion of “Team Arrow”, I didn’t find much wrong here. Overall: There’s a lot they can do for the next season now that the flashbacks are all caught up. I have no idea where they will go with it, but if they continue this approach it’d be more than welcome. I give season 5 of arrow a 4.5 out of 5 sCrypt ratings.
Invasion Crossover episode:
I didn’t think they’d be able to pull off crossing over Supergirl, Arrow, Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, but they managed… sort of. Obviously their budget had limitations, but the story worked and each character was utilized well. If I had one complaint it would be that it really wasn’t a 4 part episode, because it began as a stinger at the end of the Supergirl episode, which was rehashed in Flash. Despite this false advertisement in my mind, it was enjoyable. I give it a 3 out of 5 sCrypt ratings.
The Flash Season 3:
This season had its ups and downs. The Good: Jay Garrick and Wally West were very welcome in this season. The Flashpoint approach was done well, and Killer Frost’s story really hit the mark; even if I wanted to see her become a full fledged villain at the end. Who knows where that’ll go. They hit an emotional level with the viewers too that won’t be forgotten. The Bad: Savitar, while not all that horrible of a villain just looked really stupid. I hated the costume, and wasn’t really sold on the true reveal of his identity. The story felt drawn out with some great filler episodes to break it up, but that detracted from the continual plot. There was a point during the Grodd storyline (which I loved, so it’s not all bad), that I almost forgot about Savitar’s threat. Overall: They managed to clear up some of the cluster-F that was last season, and created a pretty decent flow. The twists and shocking reveals really held it high on the standards chart. If there is any season finale that sets up the premier of next season it would be this one. I hope we see more of Jay Garrick and even Wally suiting up as the Flash would be great. As long as there isn’t another speedster as the main villain I think Flash can do a whole lot more. I give it 3.5 out of 5 sCrypt ratings.
Powerless Season 1:
I’ll get straight to it. The Good: If you enjoy the Office, and it’s type of humor, then this show is for you. It’s funny and creative. I loved the characters, and the fact that they are a little over the top. It sounds like a dumb idea, but the show really worked for me. It was a break from all the other comic book shows on television right now. The Bad: Aside from very horrible budget effects and cosplay looking costumes, the only other bad thing I can say is that it was cancelled. Overall: If I had to say that there was one show that paid homage to the comics, while feeling refreshing it was this one. I only got to see the first 9 episodes, as the final 3 were pulled when the show was cancelled. If more people gave it a chance, I think it’d have been a hit. I give it a 4 out of 5 sCrypt ratings, which would have gotten a whole other point if not for the costumes and effects.
Gotham Season 3:
The latter half of the season renewed my faith in the show, but it’s still got a lot of work to do. The Good: The way the villains were handled, and Bruce’s evolution were great. I feel like the creators are starting to get that Batman feel without the Bat. I can’t emphasize more that The Riddler and Jerome/The Joker were the best thing all season. The Bad: Penguin being gay isn’t the issue, but the way they made him during that story arc was flat out pathetic. He didn’t even seem like the Penguin during that batch of episodes. It makes sense to make him gay if they were going to because he’s one character that never really had a love interest in the comics. I just wish they could have made him as good a character as he was before this season, and after Ivy saved him. Gordon still seems flat to me as well. Every scene with him and Lee made me cringe. There are also inconsistencies in the writing. Why did Freeze’s gun not kill his last victim, when it did so to everyone else? There was also an opportunity to use the same casting for Ra’s Al Ghul as with Arrow to connect the shows in some way, but they failed to do that. Overall: It’s starting to really feel like it fits in with the rest of the shows, even to the point where I wouldn’t mind having a crossover if it made sense to do so. There’s a lot of things set up that make it convoluted, but can be handled well. At this point I’m not sure how they can keep with the current path without a Batman in there, and though we saw Bruce suit up as some vigilante he’s still way too young and immature with his thinking to become the full fledged Bat. Time will tell. I give the season 2.5 out of 5 sCrypt ratings.
What did you think of these shows? What were the high and low moments for you and where do you see them going? Comment below, and let’s discuss. P.S. I realize I didn’t put Izombie in here. The reason is because I just can’t watch it. It’s appalling. Maybe you disagree.
Review: DC on TV Fall 2016
I feel like I have to review all of these shows in one article, as they co-exist in the same universe. Notice I kept Gotham separate, because it’s its own entity. This will cover the first half of Supergirl Season 2, The Flash Season 3, Arrow Season 5, & Legends of Tomorrow Season 2. This brings everything up to the winter finales of these shows, so I’ll review the latter halves later. There will be spoilers, so if you’d like my full review without those, then scroll down to the last paragraph of each section to get my ratings.
First up….
SUPERGIRL SEASON 2 PART 1:
Kara / Supergirl is easily the strong point of this show. Her and Martian Manhunter are what really makes it fun to watch.
Sadly Cat Grant has left for at least a little while, but she’s been replaced with a decent interpretation of Snapper Carr. He adds a little more to the dynamic.
Miss Tessmacher and The President (played by Lynda Carter) were fun little throw backs to the Superman and Wonder Woman movies and show. Plus we got a little Batman reference in there as well.
Superman was a very pleasant addition, and though I didn’t feel the actor quite had the look down, we ended up with arguably the best interpretation of Superman for the fans. He was a cross between Chris Reeve and Tom Welling’s portrayals in their best moments. Hopefully he’ll return for more.
Miss Martian and Mon-El are welcome additions though they are likeable to the point of making me wonder who they are going to turn bad or kill first. Still each scene is done well with these two, and their origin stories are pretty close to the comic versions.
Scorch, Roulette, and Parasite were done very well with the latter two easily being the highlights. Even though Parasite’s history was altered, I can’t tell you how excited I was to see a good version of him on screen. Of course then they killed him off, so that’s a bit upsetting.
Jimmy /Guardian & Wynn – having James take on the role of Guardian was initially upsetting to me. After it played out a bit I realized that he’s better off in this role. Let’s face it… this isn’t the Jimmy Olsen we know and love. He fits in the Guardian shoes better. Wynn works well as a compliment here, so all I’d like to say is I hope they add some color to his outfit to reflect the comic counterpart well. I am eager to see how Supergirl will take the news of these two working behind her back.
Lena Luthor – Something makes me want to believe her, but the Luthor name just has me skeptical. Lena’s presence feels a bit off. I think Lillian plays a better fitted role as the director of Cadmus, and that should be the focus… not redeeming the company’s name by Lena.
Speaking of Cadmus… we were given two great comic book villains that came off quite differently. Metallo was perfect in every way, but Cyborg Superman was downright stupid. First off…. it was stupid to call himself that because he isn’t Superman at all, nor does he have any connection to him in this universe. Secondly he’s more of a Cyborg Martian at this point than anything else. I know this is me being nitpicky, but the actor playing Superman could have easily done this as the real Cyborg Superman and it’d have been much better. OR they could have turned Mon-El into him. Instead we were left with a pretty lame take on the character.
And finally we get to the part that makes me cringe. When Maggie Sawyer stepped onto the scene I was excited. I love her in the comics. Her sexual preference doesn’t feel forced in the comic pages, and it really doesn’t here either. My problem isn’t with Maggie. It’s with Alex Danvers. Her coming out wasn’t handled well at all. Instead we got 5 episodes of her realizing she was gay, having very uncomfortable dialogue (it would have been uncomfortable were she straight too), and a drawn out forced plot line that fell short. What does this mean? It means the writers saw an opportunity to introduce a gay character, but didn’t take time to flesh out the scenes. Instead of a natural flow we get a very forced, and very bad dialogued few scenes that are almost unwatchable. I’m glad she’s found her true feelings, but the constant focus on this is too much. It should only be a minor side thing, and not a primary focus. This is SUPERGIRL after all.
Despite the villains being high points, and the appearance of Superman, this season has so far been bad. I feel as though they didn’t take time to develop anything, and are just throwing characters and situations in without giving the viewer time to understand or adjust to what’s going on. So far this season gets 2 out of 5 sCrypt ratings. Let’s hope when it returns on January 16th they get their heads on straight and deliver some really fun and good writing.
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THE FLASH SEASON 3 PART 1
The Flash (Barry Allen) is struggling this season with his decisions to alter the past. By creating Flashpoint, he managed to really screw things up for everyone. What I don’t understand is everyone being pissed at him, but we will get into that down bottom during the crossover event. Grant Gustin continues to shine in the role.
Iris & Joe – Sometimes feel out of place, but they are necessary over all. I love their presence here, so while it isn’t always written well, they make up for it in their delivery and support of Barry.
Jay Garrick / Flash, Wally West / Kid Flash, and Jesse Quick in no way feel like they are overshadowing Barry. They work well as compliments to him. To me however, I want to constantly see Jay Garrick. John Wesley Shipp is the flash I grew up with and the cameo of “his” earth’s Trickster (Mark Hamill) was really fun to see. He’s playing Jay the way he played Barry back in the day, so for fans of the old series this is a very pleasing thing to see. I can’t get enough Jay Garrick in this show.
The Rival, Magenta, Top, Reverse Flash, and Alchemy were good villains for an episode or two. Though the Rival’s costume reminded me of Bale’s Batman, I still liked the villain he played. My favorites so far are Mirror Master and Shade. The first of those two should really have had some closer costume to his comic book one, but I’m glad to have finally see him debut. Although Shade was a bit underwhelming, he was always a character I liked, so performance didn’t matter because the threat was there.
Killer Frost and Vibe – are now direct results of Barry’s altering of the timeline. I love the slow shift of Kaitlyn into her evil half, but am a little upset at how much of a dick Cisco has become. I understand him being upset at his brother’s death, but he was the comic relief on the show, and now we’ve barely got that. It leaves us with a very serious season, that is great for story, but brings the tone too close to that of Arrow (which is meant to be that way).
Savitar is finally an interesting villain, but he looks like a Transformer. I’m not sure why only Barry can see him, but perhaps its the speed his molecules vibrate at that makes this possible. Will we find out if he really is a god like he says? Time will tell.
Overall this season has become too dark. It’s not bad at all and the additions were done well on the hero and villain side. Flashpoint was touched upon in a way that worked nicely, but I hope we get some more lighthearted moments back for the second half of the season in January. I give Season 3 part 1 a 4 out of 5 sCrypt rating.
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ARROW SEASON 5 PART 1
Let’s start with Green Arrow, Diggle, Felicity, and Speedy. These staples in the series remain the way they have been with not much change to them. From acting to character arcs I find them at times annoying, but overall enjoyable. It is Quentin Lance that bothers me. Grow up, man. I get it. You’re heart broken and on multiple levels, but the city can use you and that is a way to distract you from it. The drunk issue is a real issue, but we can move on from that. Plus how much longer is Oliver going to be able to have dual roles of Mayor and Green Arrow? When does he sleep? Oh, and Thea just decides during Invasion that she’s in? WTF? You’ll fight aliens, but not save your city? Seems like they just wanted to throw her in there. (Still it was nice to see her back in action).
The new team is a mess. Wild Dog is nothing but a thug who doesn’t care for the rules. How many times does this guy have to screw up? Mr. Terrific needs to be more like his comic counterpart. Instead, he feels like he’s just shoved in there to be another character. Don’t get me wrong… I love what they are doing with Curtis, but as Mr. Terrific I don’t buy it. Artemis? Well who didn’t see that coming? I only wish they’d have used Sportsmaster (since he’s her dad) instead of Prometheus for her betrayal twist. Finally Ragman. While I love that he’s on the team, I also hate it. It’s almost like he could do it all himself because of his powers. Why wouldn’t he have been more of a help during Invasion? There’s just many plot holes with these characters because we were bombarded with them all at once.
Adrian Chase / Vigilante – is not quite like the comic version, and to be honest, I’m not sure I like him either. So far he’s just someone who kills anybody in his way. I mean he tried to murder team Arrow even though he knew they were doing the right thing. The guy is a nutcase that makes all gun owners look bad.
On another note, Christopher Chance aka Human Target, was awesome! He was used perfectly, and with no fanfare. I hope we see him again at some point.
Anatoli is the KG Beast in the comics. He’s less of that and more of a mob boss here. This is neither a good nor a bad thing, as the actor does well.
If anything, the awesome cameo from Dolph Lundgren should have been in the KG Beast role. I was waiting for him to whip out some Rocky 4 lines, but for a role on TV, I have to admit, this was some of Dolph’s best acting so far.
Tobias Church was an intimidating villain who seemed to be too easy a pickoff when Prometheus was done with him, but the latter character gives me mixed feelings. I don’t like the costume or the rehashed feel of this season, but I love that it all ties back to season 1 here.
Black Canary is back!? Is this a result of Flashpoint somehow or the time travel in the Invasion episode? Who knows? But I really don’t care! I Love that Laurel is back, and she better stay that way.
All in all this season is shaping up to be mediocre. It’s better than the last season, but feels rushed at points. I am eager to see where it all leads, and for the first time in the history of the show I want to know how it will affect everything. I feel like there is way more on the line, other than crazy villain trying to destroy a city. It’s a breath of fresh air in most places, while still stale in others. Arrow Season 5 Part 1 gets 2.5 out of 5 sCrypt ratings from me.
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LEGENDS OF TOMORROW SEASON 2 PART 1
Firestorm finally has an interesting turmoil plot point where Stein is dealing with the existence of a daughter that initially wasn’t there.
Atom is all over the place. First he’s Iron Man, then he’s a brief Captain Cold replacement, then he’s got a suit again, but there is hope… He mentioned that he needs to update the suit, so maybe we will be getting a more Atom appropriate costume soon.
White Canary must have every STD ever known because she just sleeps with every woman she meets in history, instead of focusing on her being the new leader of the team.
Heatwave is perfect the way he is, and always has been the stronger point of this show.
Both newcomers Vixen and Citizen Steel have been given interesting stories and their substance hashed out well. If anything I enjoy this show for these two the most.
Rip Hunter just up and left? WTF? And to top it off now he seems to be just a movie producer? It makes little sense at this point, but hopefully we get some resolution as to why he left in the first place, and why he has no recollection as a time master.
The Justice Society of America was placed well with decent representations of Commander Steel, Stargirl, Obsidian, Dr. Midnight, and Hourman. Likewise was the utilization and return of Jonah Hex done well.
Damien Dahrk and the Reverse Flash are interesting villains in this. With Dark Archer/Malcom Merlyn coming on board, it’s bound to be not just a legenday hero team up, but also a villain team up. Throw in Captain Cold, and have Rory betray the team, and we’ll have a Legion of Doom that will be way better than the heroes they are facing.
Captain Nazi Baron Krieger and Quentin Turnbull were nice comic book cameo villains. The zombies and historical figures were a welcome addition too, but I sometimes feel like this show only has to do with time travel so that they can throw stuff like that in there. It’s called subpar writing, something DC struggles with recently.
In all I am enjoying Legends much more this season than the previous one. It’s a little more developed. While it shines in some areas, it’s still lackluster in others. I think with the Legion coming on that it will become much more interesting the rest of the season. I’ll give Season 2 Part 1 of Legends Of Tomorrow 3 out of 5 sCrypt logos.
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The 4 part crossover “Invasion”
I wanted to include this as a separate entity because it really remains a standalone miniseries without affecting much of the main shows’ content.
Invasion was a lot of fun. Supergirl’s episode was really only a stepping stone. Arrow’s 100th episode was filled with cameos. Flash’s episode was filled with everyone hating on Barry. And Legends’ episode was downright kick ass.
I have to address two major problems with this whole thing. 1) They are not the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, that’s the Avengers, but even if that wasn’t an already taken tagline, they still aren’t. A true crossover of this scale would have brought Superman & Martian Manhunter to fight against the Dominators.
The Dominator storyline was actually a bit interesting, and the CGI was good in most parts. My second complaint isn’t with that though. It’s with time travel. Everyone is blaming Barry for everything, yet these idiots in Legends are traveling through time every week and killing countless people in history. How is their tampering not having ramifications? Even Vibe said he felt guilty realizing he changed the past a little. But this whole future Barry sending a message back to blame himself is BS. If anyone’s to blame for screwing up the timeline while trying to protect it, it’s the Legends. Every. Single. One of Them.
It was a kickass team up though, and I think handled better in the future (pun intended), that they can get rid of the problems I had with it. On a side note that doesn’t affect my rating. Don’t they all look like a bunch of cosplayers above? Just saying. 🙂
Invasion gets 3 out of 5 sCrypt ratings. So what did you think of the 4 shows and the crossover? Chime in with your comments below.
Review: DC Comics TV shows 2015-2016
This review will cover all of DC’s Television shows for the 2015-2016 season. It includes Gotham, Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments below, and be warned that there will be spoilers. If you want to know my review of each show individually, then skip down to the last paragraph of each section (sections end with a solid line ______). I will do a quick character breakdown as I feel that is the best way to rate a show. Plot points etc will be mentioned there as well.
First up… GOTHAM Season 2:
James Gordon – The story arc this season was all over the place. I didn’t like his actions at the end of the first half of this season because I didn’t feel it was in his character, but I accepted it. Then this season we get Gordon as a cop, Gordon on the run, Gordon as an inmate, and Gordon as a broken hearted self shaming man. Very little did we see the James Gordon that becomes Batman’s biggest ally. With his departure at the end of the season I don’t know how he will be when he returns for season 3, but I hope this is corrected.
Harvey Bullock – If anything Harvey played a better role than Gordon. But what bothers me is that he was more of a role model than his partner. He played a badass who broke the rules but did what was right and is now in charge of the police force. I’m not sure I like that leadership role for him, but Bullock was still fun to watch in every scene.
Tabitha Galavan /Tigress – Again here is another character who felt right in the beginning and fell apart. She was a cold hearted assassin and then suddenly just a henchman. The last we see of her she’s in a hospital bed. I’m sure she’ll be making an appearance again, but if we don’t see her it won’t be that much of a loss. If she does return I’m hoping for the cold hearted assassin again.
Butch – There isn’t much bad I can say about him. I think some of his story arcs are lame and he’s a bit of a quirky character, but as a henchman he’s fitting. As a leader he is not, so I’m glad they got away from that quickly. When he used the gatling gun at the end and shot up the school bus I thought to myself that he’s finally returning to being the “muscle” of the villains.
Jerome Valeska – He was easily the highlight of the season. I would have been happy if he turned out to be the Joker one day. The perfect amalgamation of all joker incarnations so far he really played that psychotic part well. If there is one character I do hope to see return from the dead I hope its him. I realize that the basement in Arkham has been shut down, but I hold out hope that he was one of the escapees on the bus, because no one could play that part better. Whether he ends up being alive and the Joker remains to be seen, but he left behind a legacy of laughter that obviously set seed for the main villain to be born.
Richard Sionis / Black Mask – What a waste. I had to mention him because he’s a key character in the mythos, but they killed him so fast I am a little irritated at how they handled it.
Chief Nathaniel Barnes – I’ve no complaints but more a question here… Did Barnes die? They said he was rushed off to the hospital but I’m not sure he was ever declared dead. Either way his presence helped to make the first half of the season enjoyable.
Silver St. Cloud – For once a female character in the show didn’t annoy me. Sorry, not to sound sexist, but the writers tend to make feminine characters cringe worthy. Silver however seemed like her comic counterpart and the actress played the part well. It was an interesting plot point adding her in so early with her Bruce Wayne relationship.
Bridgit / Firefly – And she’s the second intro I really enjoyed. From her origin until the end of the season I thoroughly enjoyed her evolution into the female version of Firefly. Nothing felt forced and I look forward to seeing her again.
Eduardo Flamingo – Batshit crazy comes to mind, but in a whole other way than Jerome. His short stint for an episode was another highlight, and while I didn’t think the acting was done all that well I feel as though the character served his purpose.
Professor Hugo Strange – It was good to see a live action version of this character who in my opinion is one of Batman’s greatest foes. I think they kept him close to the trueness of who he is supposed to be, but while he always fed into the psychosis of the villains he never actually created them. That’s where this falls short for me. I’m not sure I like just about every villain being his creation. For some it works, but not all, and because of that I was split down the center with him in this season.
Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze – His story arc was handled well, but I’m not sure what his motivation is from here on out. With his wife dead that part of his persona and purpose is mute. Mr. Freeze always did what he did to find a cure for his wife, but now she’s dead, so the character really has no meaning other than being a common criminal with an ice gun. At first I didn’t like the look with his hair, but loved the eyes. The look grew on me by the end of the season though and the special effects were nice.
Patrick “Matches” Malone – I like that Bruce came face to face with a persona that he will adapt one day while undercover trying to gather information. I don’t like how they handled this character though and ignored the Joe Chill killing Bruce’s parents. It seemed like the writers just wanted to throw another name into the mythos way too early in the game.
Azrael – Theo Galavan being resurrected was the only part of this that made sense, but as Azrael he felt close to being acceptable. The look was right, but I really hope this is just a precursor to the real Azrael. With him being dead it is to be believed that the Order of Saint Dumas would continue using that legend to recruit newer versions of the character. Time will tell, but for now we can lay this one to rest.
Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin – When he is acting as The Penguin he’s easily still one of the best parts of this show, but I’m sick of this back and forth with him. He was all over the place, and with Mooney’s return at the end I fear once again we won’t be getting what they keep building him up to be. The nonsense needs to stop once and for all. Get this character right as we have seen can be done in this show, and keep him that way.
Edward Nygma / The Riddler – Now THIS is a character who is the best part of this show hands down. We actually have a true Riddler now and I look forward to him more. We definitely haven’t seen the last of him. All he needs now is a costume and name.
Clayface / Basil Karlo – A quick and pleasant use of the character. He was never my favorite Clayface (the Matt Hagen version is), but I enjoyed his addition and will be eager to see him used again and the extent of his shapeshifting abilities.
Fish Mooney – WHY? WHY? WHY? KEEP HER DEAD!!!! Jada Pinkett is the worst actress on this show. It is so painful I can’t take it. They had to bring her back and now she’s got the powers to control people by a single touch? Ugh!!! I can’t… I just can’t… Horrendous.
Bruce Wayne – In the first season he wasn’t handled too well, but each episode with him gets better and closer to the Bruce/Batman that I love. As he matures I feel the acting gets better and his story continues to flourish. I do one day hope to see him take up the mantle, but in order for that to happen we need about 8 more years of this show, which I’m not sure is possible; unless the writing improves.
Alfred Pennyworth & Lucius Fox – I put these two together because of the size of their roles as supporting characters. Alfred has become a slight annoyance at times, but seems to be turning in to more of Bruce’s sidekick rather than his protective guardian, so I like that. Lucius is perfect in every way. The actor nails the part and the writing works well.
Selina Kyle / Catwoman – She, like Bruce, has grown in her acting and the way she’s being written. By the end of the season she’s not only got a better look about her, but a better handling as well. As a character who once annoyed me I have been swayed into really enjoying her on screen.
Other characters: The Mad Hatter was hinted at as well as a brief cameo by Killer Croc. Ivy was underused but I’m glad they handled her that way as overcrowding would have been more so. She’s being set up for better use in the future, so this is smart. The Court of Owls will obviously be the antagonist of season 3. Barbara Kean was slightly better than last season, but needs to be killed off for good as she’s not needed and not handled well. And finally Hush. I am not sure if that was Tommy Elliot who looked like Bruce Wayne at the end, but it would make sense to introduce us to the boy who would be Hush. It’ll be interesting to see.
Final Rating: All in all I keep watching Gotham because for its many faults it does have some great highlights. The first half of this season was done really well, but went downhill in the second half with some great moments scattered here and there. I want this show to succeed and wonder if it will at some point tie in to the rest of the DC tv properties. Season 3 will be interesting because of what is obviously coming with the ending of season 2, but I do hope for better writing, less overcrowding of characters, and more coordination. Season 2 gets 2.5 out of 5 sCrypt coffins for my rating.
THE FLASH season 2:
Barry Allen / The Flash – I thoroughly enjoyed his path this season, as well as Iris West‘s. The pair grew toward their future selves and have great on screen chemistry together. I will discuss something here though that bothers me. Everything in season 1 and 2 no longer matter as Barry went back and changed it all at the end. So with a complete reset button hit, what does that mean for season 3? Will the alternate earths all merge (being as Supergirl is now on the CW)? This would make sense and enable Wells, Jesse, and Jay Garrick to remain as characters on the show.
The Legends: Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Vandal Savage, & the New Firestorm (Jefferson Jackson) have been introduced kicking off Legends of Tomorrow. The two episode crossover this season introducing the first three characters was a good stepping stone to start it all.
Returning Rogues: The Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne) still lives due to time travel, which is refreshing. I am not sure it would make sense to have him return, but with this reset to the Flash world I’m sure we will see him again. Gorilla Grodd had a better episode this season and was left with Gorilla City potentially lined up for the future. Girder returned as a zombie, which was a fun take on the character. The Trickster and Weather Wizard also returned and felt like real rogues for our hero. Finally, Pied Piper had another appearance, but I’m not sure I like the decision to make him a hero of sorts. He basically gave up his villainous nature to save the day, and I don’t think I can get on board with that.
Supporting Roles: Joe West and Harrison Wells continue to be solid characters on the show. They never feel forced and each scene with them is believable. Jesse Quick and Wally West have been set in place both gaining likeability. It’ll be interesting to see if and when they become speedsters. Patty Spivot was a good temporary love interest for Barry, though I was sorry to see her go. Jay Garrick (the real Jay) was my favorite part of the season. I grew up watching John Wesley Shipp as the Flash in the 90s, so seeing him as The Flash again gave me chills. It was handled well with the alternate Earths in a way to bring him in that way. I really hope we get a lot more of Jay to come.
Vibe / Reverb – Cisco continues to be perfect comic relief. His nerdiness only got better with his evolving powers, and the portrayal of his doppleganger helped the character evolve more towards his Justice League persona.
Kaitlyn Snow / Killer Frost – I’m hoping the reset merges these two dopplegangers because I really enjoyed Killer Frost over the Kaitlyn Snow personality. Her redesigned look worked well too.
Zoom / Hunter Zolomon: I didn’t like the way Hunter started out as a false Jay Garrick. I didn’t like it before I didn’t know he wasn’t Jay. Even at the end it seemed his reason behind his actions was a little lacking in purpose. It didn’t feel right writing wise. I do however like that his actions caused the Time Wraiths to bring him into their fold creating The Black Flash / Death Racer. Now that this has happened I’m very eager to see the return. He actually would have a purpose now as Barry altered time itself.
New villains: Atom Smasher was a disappointment as the CGI fell flat and I wanted to see the hero version of this character, not a bad guy. On the other hand the CGI on King Shark was superb. I never thought we’d get to see him in live action and I’ve been proven wrong. Geomancer, Tokamak, Dr. Light, Trajectory, Rupture, The Griffin, Tar Pit, and Turtle all served their one episode arcs really well. Some would be a welcome return, but not necessary. Black Siren (the villainous doppleganger of Earth 2) is a major relief. I feel that if Barry did merge universes together that this could correct the writers killing off Black Canary in Arrow, seeing as Siren is still alive. Deathstorm was a disappointment in a way. Ronnie Raymond in Earth 2 didn’t look or feel like the character, and I assume that’s why they killed him off so quickly. I’m still hoping for the original Firestorm to return though.
Overall Summary: The Flash wasn’t as solid this season as the first, but had so many great moments it is easy to overlook the flaws in storytelling. It got very confusing at times with the multiple earth dopplegangers; even for someone who was watching every episode. Barry resetting the timeline may have been a conscious decision to fix this problem. All in all though I give season 2 of the Flash 4 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins.
SUPERGIRL season 1:
Kara Zor-El Danvers – Melissa Benoist deserves an award for her outstanding acting capability. Her range of emotion was not only believable, but brought to life Supergirl in a way no other character on the small screen has. Kara showed her short fuse on numerous occasions, but also her torment and willingness to do what is right. The team up of her and The Flash was more than fun, but she remained pleasant throughout the series.
James “Jimmy” Olsen – I feel like this is such a miscast it hurts. The actor portraying him does a wonderful job, but to me this isn’t Jimmy Olsen. If this role and the role of Winn were switched by actors it would make more sense. Instead we get a version of Jimmy that isn’t anywhere near what he needs to be or should be.
Winn Schott Jr – Winn again I echo my sentiments about Jimmy. This character is exactly how I’d perceive Jimmy Olsen, but instead we are just given another shy guy who has the added twist of being the son of the villain Toyman. His arc with his father made for very interesting storytelling and leads me to believe that what has happened to him throughout his life may bring him to one day being a second version of Toyman.
Jonn Jonnz / Martian Manhunter – What a relief and surprise it was to find out that he wasn’t in fact Hank Henshaw. It isn’t that I don’t want to see Henshaw as Cyborg Superman, but it just makes more sense this way. It not only was an unexpected surprise, but brought a true interpretation of Jonn to audiences.
Cat Grant – She not only broke the “4th wall” on many occasions (which was witty writing by the creators), but Calista Flockhart is perfect in the role of mentor and boss to Kara. I wasn’t sure of her in the first episode, but by mid season I found myself enjoying her screen time.
Astra and Non – I feel as though these were just a pale imitation of General Zod. Non turned out nothing like the brute I wanted him to be, but instead was a strong leader. Astra (and her sister Alura) fit well into the plot, but again seemed forced.
Lesser villains: Hellgrammite, Vartox, Reactron, Jemm, The Master Jailer, and Guardian were decent enough, but easily forgettable. I feel that with project Cadmus obviously being key to season 2, that we will see more of James Harper (Guardian’s) involvement.
Maxwell Lord – started off strong enough, but seemed (like Non and Astra) to just be a second rate version of a known Superman villain. The Lex Luthor rip off is acted well enough, but I’m not sure where they intend to go with Max. I understand his willingness to ally with his enemies toward a common enemy, but he seems lost in translation. Hopefully season 2 will make this more clear as it is fun to watch his interactions with the others.
Lucy and Sam Lane – what can I say? Both were good supporting characters that could have been removed and replaced by unknown generics. Their names are the only thing that made them stand out.
Livewire – I’m glad to have seen her in live action. She was written well and looked great, as opposed to her team up with Silver Banshee who’s motivation made sense, but the reason for her look over the top and ridiculous (even if she did closely resemble her comic version).
Red Tornado – WTF? I just don’t know. T.O. Morrow created this strange version that is very wrong. I’d have rather have seen his other creations take on Supergirl and then their parts reconstructed to make Red Tornado into a hero. With the tech still around who knows…. maybe we will get a good version of the loved character, but until then what we got was garbage.
White Martian – The entire episode with the White Martian served as an origin of sorts for Martian Manhunter. While I never really liked the White Martians in the comics, it was portrayed well here and felt like a real threat.
Bizarro Supergirl – Another copy of a great Superman villain, but unlike Lord and the Kryptonians mentioned above I’m more acceptable of this version. Why? Because there are Bizarro versions of the other characters not just Superman, so Bizarro Supergirl was the best interpretation we could have gotten short of Bizarro himself.
Black Mercy Plant – I’d like to see a version of this used on a grander scale. If not, the best next thing would be Starro, but what we ended up with here was good for an introduction and fit well into the continuity.
Indigo / Brainiac 8 – She was the best villain of the season with one major problem… She looked like a rip off of mystique. They could just as easily used the greenish hue that she was in the comics, but other than look she was outstanding. Add in the fact that she was played by a former Supergirl, Indigo rocked.
Other notables: Fortress of Solitude was used on a sparing level that cemented Kara’s cousin’s established heroics. They even included the key outside the door that was part of the lore in the comics. My only issue is that Jonn describes the key as having the weight of hundreds of tons. Supergirl lifts it with ease, yet there are times when she is struggling to lift things that are much lighter than that, so there’s a slight discrepancy here. Superman & Lois Lane are both mentioned numerous times. Clark is even seen briefly in a few places, and though we never see his face in season 1 (other than him as a child) his presence is felt as he communicates via email and texts to Kara. Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers don’t have very big roles, but the fact that they are played by a former Superman and Supergirl brings together fans of old and new. And finally the Kryptonite in Red and Green. I’m not sure I like the fact that Red K was invented by Max Lord, but the effect was the same as in the comics. When Kara went bad from it she was very fun to watch.
In conclusion: Whatever Kara confronted at the end leaves all of us on the edge of our seats. Who or what did she see? With Supergirl coming to the CW for season 2 I see a lot of potential for better story telling. Let’s just hope it continues to get better and not fall to the plague of writers getting lazy. I give Season 1 of Supergirl 4 out of 5 sCrypt coffins.
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW season 1:
Rip Hunter – He’s definitely the leader of this motley crew, but I’m glad he’s questionable at times. I feel as if this series sets groundwork for him to become a great leader of the new Time Masters.
Ray Palmer / Atom – While Brandon Routh is one of the best parts of this series, the Atom is not. If I wanted to watch Iron-man I’d do it right and go to Marvel movies. Nothing can top Ironman, so why attempt a cheap and horrible looking knockoff when you could focus on Ray’s genius and shrinking powers and make it more interesting? I really hate this version of Atom and hope they ditch the ridiculous looking suit and laser blasts for something more size appropriate (pun intended).
White Canary – She’s much better placed in this show than she was in Arrow, and by the end of the season I actually started liking her character.
Firestorm II – While Martin Stein is still great I feel that they’ve done a disservice to Jax. No, this isn’t a race thing, as I most certainly am NOT racist. I just feel that the actor portraying Jefferson over acts. He’s not much fun to watch and at times even annoying.
Heatwave – Mick was the best part of the season. I still don’t know how I feel about him being a “heroic” character. Sure he still acted like a villain, but I didn’t like his usage here and would much rather see him in the villain role permanently.
Captain Cold – Well like Heatwave I’m sad about him not being cold and instead having a warm side. He’s supposed to be a villain, yet sacrificed himself for the team and all the world. So now we have a Flash universe where there is no Captain Cold? UNACCEPTABLE.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl – Kendra and Carter were great. Their story was key in this series and we even got a mention of Thandagar as well as Nighthawk, so we may get more hawk people further down the line.
Chronos – it’s no secret who Chronos is now, but it still felt like a different person all together, so I’m including it that way. I actually liked him better before the reveal as he was the one villain aside from Savage consistent throughout the season.
Vandal Savage – I’m torn with this one. I love the villain and actor portraying him did a wonderful job, but I think the season got old fast. We could have had 6 episodes and been just as effective as the 12 that ran. It was a bit of an overkill. The addition of his daughter Scandal Savage did nothing to add to the show either.
Valentina Vostok & Per Degaton were used well as villains for their short arcs making me wish they were more of a focus than Savage in parts.
Ra’s Al Ghul – was good to see again at an earlier time. This episode was one of the best of the season because it felt like it belonged.
Jonah Hex – was in an episode and while he looked great I feel as though the focus should have been more on him. Instead they made him seem like just another plain character. I hope we get another episode with him and they correct this.
Oliver Queen / Green Arrow – Ollie is old and has a one arm in the future, which is straight from the pages of the comics. This episode was decent enough and introduced an alternate version of Connor Hawke Green Arrow as John Diggle’s son. Both G.A.’s were great.
Ravager – Deathstroke had a son, but instead of fighting the Teen Titans he was wreaking havoc on Star City and that’s okay. His addition didn’t make the show better or worse, but flowed nicely.
Gideon – Should I even include the computer? I have to. In The Flash season 1 Gideon said that Barry Allen created her, yet there is no mention of this anywhere and we are just to assume she’s an A.I. built for the Time Masters.
Hourman – okay, he was only in it for the last few seconds, but his presence and mention of the J.S.A. breathed life into the series. It actually makes me excited for season 2 whereas otherwise I wouldn’t have been.
In conclusion: Legends of Tomorrow was a spinoff that could have been a movie or miniseries. It went on too long and felt very out of place. I’d rather go back and watch old episodes of Star Trek. That being said however, it did have its good moments, and I feel as though season 1 was an origin, where as season 2 would take it in many interesting directions. I’ll give it a sub par rating of 2 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins. I just feel that my complaints listed above would make it more watchable.
ARROW season 4:
Oliver Queen / Green Arrow – This year was certainly better than last with him taking up the actual title “the Green Arrow”. I’m still waiting for him to be less Batman like though, and this is a small step in that direction. With him becoming mayor of Star City at the end of the season I think it will open things up to a whole different area of corruption. His flashback scenes were okay too. They seemed more entertaining, but drawn out. Now he’ll be headed to Russia somewhere for his flashbacks, and it should be his final year before returning to Star City. Does this mean if we get a season 6 there would be no flashbacks? Time will tell. Either way, Stephen Amell has evolved in his few years as the character and I’m happy to see him continue to grow. I’m now wondering if he will be more solo like in the beginning now that his team is gone.
Speedy / Thea Queen – The best choreographed fighter of the season, yet her character was lacking. Arsenal was a much better sidekick, but Thea has grown on me. I doubt her departure from the team at the end will stick, but it should for a while in my opinion.
John Diggle / Spartan – John is the best acting wise. He’s the most believable as far as story goes, but at what point do you call it quits and make your daughter a priority? I’m not saying all soldiers should retire, but clearly he and Lyla/Harbinger are career oriented and not thinking about the picture in the long run. I guess it just bothers me because what if he and Lyla both die in the line of duty? There are no family for the baby to go to. It isn’t like he can just call his traitor of a brother Andy Diggle to care for her. Speaking of Andy though his and John’s story arc this season was great. The emotional torment John is going through will be interesting to see how it carries into the next season, as he is no longer part of the team. Please pray that his ridiculous helmet is gone next season. Magneto would be pissed.
Dinah Laurel Lance / Black Canary – Oh Dinah (sorry I refuse to call her Laurel) why are you dead? This was the biggest gut blow to the fans ever. There are a half a dozen other characters who could have been offed permanently, and yet they pick one of the two key characters to kill? I’m so outraged. Half of the season I wondered who the death would be and from a writing standpoint I realize why they did it because it was the least expected death. But after that it seemed like I didn’t care much about any of the other characters. This was a big mistake for the show. She finally earned her place and was making that connection on certain levels with Oliver, but we will never get to see that. I’m hoping that Flash resetting his timeline will alter this as well (as much as I hate people coming back from the dead). This is the one case where it needs to happen.
Felicity / Overwatch / Proxy – Quite possibly the most annoying aspect of this show. I loved the old Felicity who was quirky and nerdy. Now she’s become whiny and too serious with only moments of the old Felicity coming through. I was worried about her being shot and them turning her into Oracle, but instead we got a smart move with making her Proxy. Sure they don’t call her that, but that is who she is in the comics, at least if you look at her father, situation and skills. Of course the only member other than Green Arrow himself left on the team is her, so things are about to get more annoying for season 5…. unless they get more interesting and create a divide between the two characters. I don’t think I’m the only one who doesn’t want these two together. But maybe I’m just upset about Laurel.
Curtis Holt / Mr. Terrific – He’s a good replacement for Felicity as he and Oliver working together could be the beginning of a Justice League alliance. He may not have donned the moniker Mr. Terrific yet, but he’s got all of the ingredients to make it work (T-Spheres, Decathlete, smart). I also have to add in that he may have Vibe topped on the nerd reference factor, and I love it.
John Constantine – I was extremely disappointed when Constantine was cancelled, and am appreciative that the CW is using him when they can. My only complaint was that he should have been in the show again to help against the main villain’s magic. Still, the one episode we got with him was wonderful.
Vixen – I’ve yet to see more than one episode of the Vixen animated shorts that take place in this universe, but she fit in quite well. The effects used for her powers and her persona made her a total badass.
Damien Darhk – Neal McDonough just keeps getting better and better. I can’t remember the last time I saw this guy in a role he can’t totally rock. Damien Darhk was definitely the biggest threat to date. Even without his magic he still had H.I.V.E. afraid of him. His over the top plan actually made sense if you thought about his reasons behind it. I’m not saying I want to see this in real life, but for a comic book show he’s the villain we need. That being said, now that he is dead I hope we get a more grounded villain next season. We have to get away from “oh Star City is going to be destroyed” or in this case the world. I want to see something a little more original, but regardless of the repetitive results Darhk brought something new to the show.
The Calculator – I actually wouldn’t mind seeing him as the main baddie next season. Think about it. He knows who the entire Arrow team is. He’s proven to put himself above others, and he’s a major threat. Put all of that aside and we still had a great few appearances this season.
Double Down – I list him as a major villain because he was one of my favorites this season. His introduction made it feel less grounded and more supernatural, which is what it needed in the beginning. The effects were done well, and his acting wasn’t all that bad either.
Anarky – Now here is a serious psycho. I’m not sure about why he’s such a decent fighter, but the core of his character is solid. They stayed pretty true to the source material with him, and I’d like to see him return as well.
Returning villains or small roles: Cupid was back and as psycho as ever, but still a great villain. Bug Eyed Bandit returned with an equally threatening and decent role. Brick‘s return wasn’t anything spectacular, in fact it was unnecessary, but was for a purpose. Murmur was downright creepy and awesome, though how the hell does this guy eat? Will someone please explain that? The Demolition Team and Lady Cop Liza Warner appeared but were easily forgettable by the end of the season. Amanda Waller’s death was a surprise but a good move. The Black Canary II was made for the show and only a plot point to keep the viewer wondering if Laurel was still alive. It was a cheap trick, and though I didn’t like it it helped show Laurel’s legacy.
In conclusion Arrow Season 4 was better than the previous season, but is still lacking something that makes it unique. Because of the issue I mentioned above with one of the characters I am rating it lower than I want to, but feel it is more accurate that way. If that decision hadn’t been made I’d have rated it higher. So for now it gets 3 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins.
So there you have it. DC is clearly spread out with their shows and have established a decent sized universe hopefully for years to come if the writing inconsistencies improve. Overall the DC tv shows for 2015-2016 season score a 3 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins. What did you think of the shows? Comment below and stay tuned for my Marvel tv show review.
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