Hero Report: Arrow loses the best part of its season
This week’s Hero Report doesn’t bode well for most members of the Arrowverse with almost all of the series putting up lackluster episodes.
This week’s Hero Report includes a lot of missteps from the CW’s Arrowverse, while FOX airs a winner in Lucifer.
Yes, Arrow suffers a big loss which might seal the fate of this season, but Black Lightning is proving that the CW hasn’t totally lost its touch. However, with almost all of the series taking breaks this week, not a lot of them end on a high note.
Photo Credit: The CW
Supergirl
“Both Sides Now,” would have been a better episode of Supergirl if it wasn’t working as a midseason finale. Unfortunately, the series is going on a break until the end of April and it doesn’t offer any sort of resolution to the ongoing Reign story but feels like the series is skidding to a stop.
The main problem is how out of character Alex Danvers is acting, as a cruel angry “bad cop” who threatens new Worldkiller, Purity, despite Kara asking her not to. If the episode explained her reasoning to be doubtful and edgy because of her worry over Kara not taking their threat seriously considering she almost died last time, it would have at least made sense.
Unfortunately, the writers choose to explain this weird bout of cold attitude as the elder Danvers sister just dealing with her breakup, which just makes Alex look like a bad agent. However guest star, Krys Marshall, is incredible pulling double duty as Julia and her evil split personality. Fans of the series will need to wait to see which side will eventually win, but it looks like Sam and Julia might have gotten a new ally in Lena Luthor.
Hero Report: B-
Photo Credit: FOX
Lucifer
Lucifer is ultimately a series interested in telling a complex story about a man who is the representation of unredeemable.
“My Brother’s Keeper,” sees Lucifer confront Amenadiel for help regarding his new friend, Pierce. Of course, Amenadiel refuses claiming that the curse God put on Pierce is there for a reason and ultimately it puts the siblings at odds once again. This story relates to the main plot as well with Ella trying to look out for her own brother who ends up being a criminal. While Lucifer initially puts his problems onto the case, he ultimately decides to threaten Jay to never disappoint his sister again and takes off to try to make amends with his own sibling.
Unfortunately, Amenadiel isn’t going to give up the mark he left on Pierce, especially after the two get in a brawl for the ages and the latter leave the former with some thought-provoking insults. It looks like the family spat is just heating up, and honestly, the best kind of Lucifer is when he’s dealing with that kind of drama.
Hero Report: A
Photo Credit; The CW
The Flash
Ralph has had some truly great character development throughout this season of The Flash, which might be the only enjoyable part of “True Colors.” The series has become so obsessed with pulling one over on the viewers with “gasp-worthy” moments that have just ended up falling flat.
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In “True Colors,” Ralph realizes he has the power to shape-shift into anyone by stretching a different way, an ability which is too strong to ever be used effectively. It basically means that whenever anyone on Team Flash needs an alibi or a get-out-of-jail free card, Ralph will be there. Same as this week when he pretends to be DeVoe and gets Barry released from jail. The whole trial, incarceration and appeals process really requires the audience to ignore the utter lack of realism which means now that it’s over this will hopefully mark the return of The Flash people immediately fell in love with.
Hero Report: C
Photo Credit: The CW
Black Lightning
Black Lightning is continuing to prove itself every week as one of the strongest superhero shows on television, and “Black Jesus” is no exception. The other Arrowverse shows tend to focus on their heroes’ struggles with juggling their personal life alongside their heroism, or trying to save the city as a whole.
Yes, Jefferson wants to save his town but this week he’s realizing that the collateral damage from his endeavors are much higher than he’s used to. Back when he was a young hero just starting out, Black Lightning could drown out any of the casualties he caused. Now, he’s not only a principal and a father, but someone the entire community looks up to.
“Black Jesus,” makes him face the people he was unable to save and Tobias Whale realizes that those losses will be his nemesis’ undoing. Quickly capitalizing on Khalil’s paralysis, Tobias and his sister hope to convince the former track star to join their side in this fight.
However, it looks like the gang is going to have more than just one superhero on their hands since Anissa takes a big step into the vigilante lifestyle as well. Beating up a few low-level drug dealers and some street punks, she weighs the violent damage she caused against the good it does to keep these criminals away from innocent people. At the end of the day, it looks like the entire Pierce family has a lot to reckon with while they try to find the best way to fight for the people they love.
Hero Report B+
Photo Credit: The CW
Riverdale
“The Tell-Tale Heart,” is almost like a perfect balance of Riverdale with one fantastic storyline and another one so horrible. Archie continues to make terrible choices, by officially pledging his loyalty to the Lodges’ rather than the FBI. Luckily, turns out Agent Adams was just a test put in place by Hermione to make sure her daughter’s boyfriend wouldn’t betray the family and she happily welcomes him with open arms.
While it’s not surprising to see the red-head’s loyalty to Veronica, it is weird to see it for her parents. Hiram is actively trying to get his supposed best-friend get kicked out of his home and Archie doesn’t even bat an eye over discovering that the Jones’ might get thrown out of the trailer park.
Thankfully, Betty and Jughead pick up the slack in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” with one of the darkest storylines on the show yet. After returning home to her mother cleaning up a dead body, Betty jumps into help even though she doubts Alice’s claims that it was self-defense. After they dispose of “The Shady Man,” Alice and Chic expect Betty to act as though everything is normal. It’s one of the cruelest things that the latter has done to her daughter yet, but thankfully she ends up confessing everything to Jughead.
The couple get rid of the man’s car and cell-phone before Betty begs Alice to go to FP for help. He, of course, gets rid of the body because the Coopers have dragged his son into this mess and the four share a tender moment after the job is completed.
While the direction of this season hasn’t been that clear, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” makes sure the audience knows that the “helpless” Chic is happily fooling his family and just implicated them in a murder. Things are definitely looking bleaker than usual in Riverdale.
Hero Report: B-
Photo Credit: The CW
Arrow
Arrow has had such a difficult season, made even worse by the fact that last year was so incredibly good. “The Devil’s Greatest Trick,” highlights one of the Arrowverse’s greatest problems: trying to have a villain remain five steps ahead of everyone else. It seems like every one of the series is guilty of doing this, but on Arrow it just seems unnecessary.
Michael Emerson has been so good as Cayden James, that it’s sad to see his character dispatched so that a new villain can take his place. The moment Black Siren admits to murdering James, it automatically clears her name and Anatoly being suspected by Oliver essentially makes him innocent too. With only Diaz left, audience members probably could have guessed who the real culprit was about half-way through the episode.
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However, for viewers who felt like Laurel Lance never got her due, it looks like Quentin is well on his way to forcing Black Siren into becoming a good-guy. Since Dinah, and every other vigilante not on Team Arrow, has become pretty angst-ridden this past season, it might be nice to see some form of Laurel Lance return to the series full-time.
Hero Report: C+
Next: Hero Report: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. sends a broken team back in time
Almost all of the superhero shows are on a break while the Olympics air, and it’s sad to see so many go out on a low note. Luckily Legends of Tomorrow returns on Monday, and Black Lightning will also continue since it is a separate entity compared to the other CW shows. Of course, Marvel fans can look forward to the return of Legion and Jessica Jones next month to make up for the big breaks in February.