Arrowverse Crossover: Crisis On Earth-X Part Two Review

Unfortunately, Part Two of “Crisis On Earth-X,” isn’t as great as part 1 on Monday night, but it’s still a fun finish to an excellent crossover.

With the stakes much higher than last year and more characters getting to play in the sandbox, fans of DC Comics will definitely be pleased. The ending might not have been as strong as the cliffhanger on Arrow, “Crisis On Earth-X,” will still go down in history as one of the best story arcs in the Arrowverse.

The episode picks up where it left off, with most of the heroes in a prison camp on Earth-X. They’re greeted by the evil doppelgänger of Captain Lance, who feels no remorse for killing the woman who looks just like his daughter (who he also killed). “Crisis On Earth-X,” does a good job of making the Nazi villains out to be terrible people without ever making it too gimmicky or off-putting.

Just as the group is marched out to their execution, new hero “The Ray” (played by Arrowverse newcomer Russell Tovey) comes to the rescue alongside his boyfriend, Citizen Cold or Leo Snart. They go to the Star City rebel base where they also meet doppelgänger Winn Schott, the tough general of the rebellion rather than the nerdy tech expert. There, the heroes figure out a plan to get inside Nazi-controlled territory to reach the machine which could take them home.

Oliver pretends to be his evil self but doesn’t do a good enough job of convincing Lance-X. He ends up in a massive fight to the death in “Crisis On Earth-X,” but manages to turn off the metahuman inhibitor so that Barry can rush in alongside The Ray. Unfortunately, General Schott has sent Red Tornado to blow up the facility whether the group is inside or not.

After a heroic sacrifice by Professor Stein, he manages to get the portal open so that everyone can travel to safety. It’s perfect timing because things aren’t going great on Earth-1 now that Overgirl and Evil Oliver have taken over.

At Star Labs, Kara is suffering from the effects of a red sun and enduring constant monologues from Overgirl. “Crisis On Earth-X,” sees Melissa Benoist share a lot of scenes with herself and she knocks it out of the park displaying the villainous confidence of Overgirl alongside the vulnerable hopefulness of Supergirl.

Before Eobard Thawne can cut into Kara to get her heart, Felicity and Iris manage to cut the power in order to save the Girl of Steel. Unfortunately, Metallo stands guard at the exit and manages to take down an already weak Kara before any real damage can be done. Thankfully, Felicity has encrypted the Star Labs power grid which buys Kara a couple of minutes before the Reverse Flash forces the hacker to give up the code.

Fear not, Ray Palmer is waiting in his miniature form to stop the knife from cutting into Supergirl and saves her life. Releasing all of the prisoners from the pipeline, the group attempts to escape but Evil Oliver catches up with them as well. However, all of Earth-1’s heroes return just in time for the Real Oliver to grab Overgirl and threaten her life in order to guarantee Kara’s safety.

For the moment, the team manages a moment of peace after an amazing team-up to take down a terminator-like Metallo. However, that just means everyone is waiting around to hear whether or not Professor Stein will pull through. He’s only survived his wounds from Earth-X for so long because Jax is acting as a life support through their connection as Firestorm, which unfortunately means both will inevitably die.

Alas, Stein cannot bear the thought of losing him and he convinces Jax to give him the Firestorm cure so that the two can separate. In the most heartbreaking scene of “Crisis On Earth-X,” Stein dies so that Jax can live, and the grief that shakes the entire Legends team is devastating. It’s topped by Jackson going to Stein’s family and the three break down in each other’s arms over the loss of their loved one.

After losing one of their own, Oliver is in no mood to negotiate with the Nazis to hand over Supergirl in return for a peaceful exit. He ostensibly tells his evil self to shove it before assembling the team in an epic pose on the Wave Rider.

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Just like that, the final epic fight starts off with a giant clash between heroes and villains. Supergirl is tasked with convincing Overgirl to fight so that Cisco and Wells can take down the evil Wave Rider in an impressive flying fight scene. Meanwhile, Flash manages to subdue the Reverse Flash but lets him get away because Barry is firmly against killing.

Overgirl explodes in space because Kara gets her off Earth quickly enough, and is scooped up by Steel or Citizen Steel. Oliver isn’t letting his doppelgänger get away, and he manages to pierce the Nazi leader through the heart with an arrow.

“Crisis On Earth-X,” leaves off with a funeral for Professor Stein which is just as gut-wrenching as his death. It’s a nice sendoff for Victor Garber, who was announced to be leaving Legends of Tomorrow earlier this season. What’s weird is that Barry and Iris opt to have a wedding right after said funeral with Oliver, Felicity and Diggle officiating.

Things get even stranger when Oliver and Felicity decide to get married right after the other couple finishes their vows. It is way too rushed to just end with a double wedding rather than having Felicity and Oliver get engaged so that they can have a wedding on Arrow with his sister and son.

Next: Arrowverse Crossover: Crisis On Earth-X Part One Review

Nevertheless, “Crisis On Earth-X,” is an ambitious and enjoyable crossover that has definitely raised the expectations for event television. Next year it should be interesting to see the writers try to top these excellent episodes with an even bigger crossover.

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