Arrowverse Crossover: Crisis On Earth-X Part One Review

After the success of last year’s three show (technically four) crossover, The CW has created an even more ambitious four hours.

“Crisis On Earth-X” kicks off Part One with Supergirl and Arrow in two exhilarating hours which perfectly sets up tonight’s Part Two. Whether it’s Oliver firing a Kryptonite arrow, or a cameo from a fan favorite, this year’s crossover is definitely one for the ages.

“Crisis On Earth-X” starts out the night strong with an opening sequence which checks in on each of the core four heroes because none of them have RSVP’d for the West-Allen wedding. Having an event pull the group of heroes together is better than last year’s crossover because it allows for a huge roster of characters to get together for some fun rather than popping in for a fight or two before disappearing.

Iris, Felicity, Caitlin, and Kara get to have some bridesmaid fun at the nail salon while Barry gets ready alongside Oliver. While the former mainly seems to set up Iris’ impending pregnancy and the Olicity engagement drama, the latter ends up being a hilarious exchange with Oliver suggesting Barry speed-read his vows.

The rehearsal dinner and wedding are the most fun of “Crisis On Earth-X” with the perfect mixture of action and fun. Kara and Barry get to showcase their friendship, Oliver and Felicity get into an argument over marriage, and Alex drunkenly hooks up with Sara after wallowing over her recent breakup.

While fans have had different reactions to the pairing, their scenes in this episode offer up some comedy with Alex’s reaction to having a one-night stand and Kara’s giggling when she finds out. Unfortunately, the two sisters don’t have long to gossip because the latter is singing during the ceremony and the group takes their seats. Before long though, Nazi invaders from Earth-X burst through and force all of the heroes to jump into action.

While The CW has had uneven fights scenes before, the church brawl is the most impressive the network has had to date. Everyone gets a moment to showcase their abilities, and even Supergirl gets a new sonic boom clap to save the day.

After the wedding, however, is where the crossover begins to stall the momentum a bit. While the first half of the night has the distinct feeling/directing of a Supergirl episode, the second part has all the same problems weighing down Arrow.

A lot of relationship drama takes up time, specifically Oliver and Felicity fighting over whether to get married. This hour of “Crisis On Earth-X,” spends a majority of time setting up the villainous characters and what their goals are which makes a lot of the episode become plot exposition. Luckily, Colin Donnell returns as Earth-X Tommy Merlyn aka Prometheus, in order to deliver some of the best evil scenes of the night.

It’s a bit shocking, and a treat for Arrow fans to see a familiar face pop back in a truly surprising cameo. The evil doppelgängers really do raise the question whether these characters are heroes simply because of circumstance, because Earth-X Oliver seems to have all the same characteristics but fighting for evil. It’s interesting to think if Kara had shed her humanity as a child or if Oliver had given into his darker impulses, then they could have easily become their evil counterparts.

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Instead, the heroes go to an abandoned warehouse to face off against the Earth-X team with the exception of the Dark Archer who goes to Central Labs to take over. While it looks like the team might actually win the fight, Overgirl busts out Metallo (a robot powered by kryptonite) to turn the tides and incapacitate Supergirl. After she falls, the rest of the group follows just in time for Earth-X Oliver to take out all of Team Arrow, Heat Wave, and Killer Frost.

With all of the heroes chained in dog collars, it allows the three Nazi generals the chance to monologue their plan: Overgirl is dying and needs Kara’s heart. Alex’s protective instincts kick in and she naturally threatens the evil doppelgänger if she even touches her sister. Unfortunately, it’s all for naught because, by the end, the heroes have been shipped off to Earth-X, with poor Kara still in the clutches of her evil counterpart.

Tonight kicks off the final two hours of the “Crisis On Earth-X” crossover, and it looks like they should be action-packed. With the heroes stuck in a different universe, and only Felicity and Iris left to save Supergirl, things aren’t looking so great.

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But, it should be interesting to see if the episodes address who is the leader of Earth-X before the crossover finishes. While there has been some speculation that evil Flash could be reappearing, it would seem more likely that Overman (the doppelgänger of Superman) will be the man in charge.

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