"Invasion!" is not a bad episode if you kind of want to see all your friends (old and new), but as an stand-alone episode, or as an episode part of the crossover with the other DC shows, it is kind of lame.
We left the story in "The Flash" with Oliver, Thea, John, Sara and Ray being kidnapped by the aliens. We start the "Arrow"'s episode with them in a kind of parallel world where Laurel is alive and Oliver is going to marry her. We all know it is all in their heads, and that it is the typical: 'we offer a better alternative, stay here', that happens in all sci-fi shows where 'the-other' characters are offering our heroes a chance to forget all (sometimes it happens for good purposes, but we all know that the aliens in the "Arrow" are baaaaaad).
From that moment we navigate two story-lines. In one, our five characters start to notice strange things, have reminiscences from the 'real' world, and try to break free, at the same time that they wonder if it wouldn't be better just to stay in that fake reality. In the other, Cisco and Felicity, with a if-you-blink-you-won't-see-them cameo by the Flash and Supergirl, are trying to find and free them from the aliens. It doesn't develop the plot of the aliens, it is not very interesting at all, it doesn't offer very good quality action or character development in general. And that is without taking into account how little sense it makes: they break free from the 'dream' but no alien notices anything; they go around the alien ship without much problems; Oliver is able to use an alien weapon that is just there waiting for them to find it (it looks like someone has played too many fantasy games; if the weapon had been in a chest it would have been perfect); they steal an alien pod and are able to activate it and escape from the ship...
As the 100th episode for the "Arrow" it is not bad to look back and see where the show has come from, but to offer so cheap an excuse to bring Laurel and the others and to just fill 40 minutes with not real plot or character arc, it's a shame.
We left the story in "The Flash" with Oliver, Thea, John, Sara and Ray being kidnapped by the aliens. We start the "Arrow"'s episode with them in a kind of parallel world where Laurel is alive and Oliver is going to marry her. We all know it is all in their heads, and that it is the typical: 'we offer a better alternative, stay here', that happens in all sci-fi shows where 'the-other' characters are offering our heroes a chance to forget all (sometimes it happens for good purposes, but we all know that the aliens in the "Arrow" are baaaaaad).
From that moment we navigate two story-lines. In one, our five characters start to notice strange things, have reminiscences from the 'real' world, and try to break free, at the same time that they wonder if it wouldn't be better just to stay in that fake reality. In the other, Cisco and Felicity, with a if-you-blink-you-won't-see-them cameo by the Flash and Supergirl, are trying to find and free them from the aliens. It doesn't develop the plot of the aliens, it is not very interesting at all, it doesn't offer very good quality action or character development in general. And that is without taking into account how little sense it makes: they break free from the 'dream' but no alien notices anything; they go around the alien ship without much problems; Oliver is able to use an alien weapon that is just there waiting for them to find it (it looks like someone has played too many fantasy games; if the weapon had been in a chest it would have been perfect); they steal an alien pod and are able to activate it and escape from the ship...
As the 100th episode for the "Arrow" it is not bad to look back and see where the show has come from, but to offer so cheap an excuse to bring Laurel and the others and to just fill 40 minutes with not real plot or character arc, it's a shame.