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Reviews
Superman & Lois: Waiting for Superman (2022)
Wow.
Wow. Just. WOW. Congratulations Superman and Lois writers, you have broken arrowverse canon. This is honestly the biggest takeaway I got from this episode. The decision to break superman and lois to a separate earth is not only disrespectful to Arrowverse fans who have been strung along for two seasons believing this was a continuation of the world but just downright stupid. Anyone who wanted a crossover between the flash and superman can now kiss that crossover goodbye, unless of course we have a version of superman that we now know nothing about on earth prime. Overall, just an awful decision. And really, thats just about the most important thing in this entire finale. Really, Ally has to be one of the worst villains in the entire arrowverse. Her backstory and motivations are underdeveloped, so much that I couldn't bother to bring myself to care about this entire story. John Henry and Natalie had some nice moments, but those were just about the only thing in this finale worth watching. I mean, really, Kyle getting sent to the alternate world did absolutely nothing and just felt like a useless side quest for lois, alternate lois just stood there, Tal Rho got forgive despite his numerous accounts of murder and crimes against humanity. This whole episode was just not very good and the severing of ties to the arrowverse was the disgusting cherry on top of a sundae of mediocrity. Congrats, you've killed the arrowverse.
The Flash: Armageddon, Part 4 (2021)
Wow
Pros:
-A better flashpoint than flashpoint, this is a really dystopian future where Barry has apparently killed the likes of Ray Palmer, Sara Lance, Nate Haywood and Cisco Ramon. This is what flashpoint should've been, a dystopian landscape where the heroes are on their last legs and dying off left and right. This also leads the imagination to wonder: what the hell happened? Are Superman and Supergirl on this earth? We're they killed by another villain or got lost in the phantom zone? Why did chillblaine become a hero in the first place? We don't know all the details but we do know that this world is dark, horrifying, and a perfect replacement for the underwhelming flashpoint of season 3
-Great character moments all around. Ryan and Iris were a great duo this episode and I really do think they should have had more screen time. This does tease a future where these two become friends, but hopefully not as depressing. As well surprisingly Damien Darhk and Barry bonded well over their motivation to fix the timeline. Damien wanted to restore the timeline to save his daughter, motivating Barry to similarly fight for love, which was a major theme of this episode. It was also interesting to see Ryan Choi as a bit of a depressed bachelor drinking his sorrows away. It just hammered home how dystopian this world is considering during crisis his family was his main motivation. Thawne is one f-ed up dude.
-Solid action scenes. While we didn't see too much fighting this week, what we did see was very solid. The fight between Barry and team flash was pretty good, and really showcased the fighting capabilities of Ryan and Alex. As well the fight between Damien and the other heroes was similarly quite good.
-The ending leaves a lot of questions up in the air. Despero definitely isn't as clean as he may have portrayed himself, having killed all of team flash and ruthlessly tortured Cecile all before Barry reset the timeline. This does not seem like the type of man who would show mercy to a despot, so what IS his story. Did he go mad after he lost his home, what is his true motivation? We have one more week to find out. Joe is alive again and team flash don't remember Armageddon, showing that the timeline has been restored. Thawne though seems to have further plans that may involve Mia Queen? It's unclear, but left open.
-The new suits are great, there's not much more to say honestly.
Cons
-The Allegra/Chester romance subplot wasn't that great. Like I don't think it was as bad as other people did but I didn't enjoy it either. It was meh. Didn't really effect my outlook on the episode at all. Everything else had me very engaged.
The Flash: Armageddon, Part 1 (2021)
Wow
This episode alone is better than any episode from season 3, 4, 5, and 7. Despero thus far has been an incredibly gripping and interesting character, and looks incredible, Barry gets a bunch of incredible feats and action scenes, Iris and Allegra have found their footing with The Citizen, and Ray's cameo appearance was both incredibly fun and helped give him and Chester a mini-arc of their own. For arrowverse fans old and new this crossover has something for everyone and really grips you on the Armageddon event as a whole. I can't wait for next Tuesday, this season is not playing. The status quo has been shaken up in the best way possible and the flash is getting back on its feet after a rocky seventh season.
Batwoman: Loose Tooth (2021)
Genuinely incredible.
Now to start, I would like to make it clear: I WILL NOT be address the recent drama surrounding the show. The current cast and crew do not have anything to do with the decisions and actions of executives and as such should not pay the price for their atrocious behavior.
Now for the actual review: I genuinely believe this to be the best episode of Batwoman I have ever watched. From start to finish each storyline had me hooked and I enjoyed every minute. First let's start with the main attraction, killer croc. Crocs portrayal in this episode was nothing short of incredible, even as a second version and not the original Waylon Jones character, croc was the same giant, lumbering cannibal that we have grown to love. The opening scene shows that the writers aren't playing by having croc brutally slaughter two college students, an effective way of showing the brutality that we've come to expect from croc. Throughout the episode as well we see various victims including his own father, who he kills as he tries to (misguidedly) protect him from being sent to Arkham. Also croc looked way better than even the set photos, a perfect mix of CG and practical effects. Truly great work.
Next, let's discuss Alice who I believe truly shined this episode. We really see how much of a hypocrite Alice is as she preaches how much she wants to protect the little girl that croc has taken but when given the opportunity she instead leaves her to die under the guise of "teaching her that she can only rely on herself." I think this is actually perfect for the character, Alice isn't going to redeem herself in one episode, nor is she a good person. She is mentally shattered and wants nothing more than to get out of Gotham, and does not care who she hurts to do it. I think this is the perfect place to take the character, and would really hate it if they tried to redeem her this early in the season. If she does change, it needs to happen over time.
Next, let's talk about Ryan's struggle this episode coming to terms with her mother. First, the introduction of Jada Jett was really strong, with her back-and-forth with Ryan showing her effortless, self assured confidence. I think Ryan's arc of coming to terms that her mother, a mother that by all means seems incredible and powerful, didn't want her and in fact payed 2 million dollars to never know her was done in a really gripping way, and was tied well into the main story. Ryan confronting Jada at the end of the episode showed that growth.
Finally, Luke. Luke didn't too much this episode, but it confirmed that the problem that Luke has been having with the batwing suit isn't physical, but instead the failsafe reacting to Luke's mental trauma from being shot. I expected this but I still am excited to see where they take this plotline.
Overall, really loved this episode. To end this off, however, i would like to add that I hope the current cast of Batwoman is being treated better than ruby was. The revelations today were incredibly disgusting, and I hope those in charge are held accountable for their misdeeds. Good episode, but hold them accountable.
Titans: The Call Is Coming from Inside the House (2021)
Lol. Lmao.
Ok let's start with the fact that Crane can't kill someone this episode despite killing two people on screen in episode 7 and nearly killing Tim in episode 8. But now he's too much of a coward to torture and kill.
Ok.
Lady Vic hasn't shown up since episode 6, not that I necessarily care because she was a terrible character anyway but please try to have any continuity.
The Tim Drake story was incredibly contrived, like his parents NEVER FOUND the secret base in their stores basement because he was "storing rice."
Ok.
Jason continues to be an incredibly stupid and easily manipulated character with absolutely no agency of his own, and the people of Gotham are somehow more easily manipulated and stupid because they follow the words of two LITERALLY CRIMINALS AND MURDERS because they just said it was all the titans fault.
Ok.
I'm not even going to go in to the Dick Grayson crap because honestly I don't want to spend any more of my day on this show, just know Dick used kryptonite on Superboy and should be dead because he got shot/beaten up at the end of the episode.
Starfires storyline was the only palatable part of this episode. No idea how the titans writers got to this point after a solid 5 ep intro. I don't feel anything while watching this show, it's so senseless and stupid. I swear, the only reason this show doesn't get that much criticism is because it's on HBO Max and not the CW, and even then it's barely getting mediocre reviews. I don't know what to say about this show anymore, it's had 3 seasons, 2 soft reboots and 0 successes. Best I can say is scrap it completely or sell it off to the CW. I'm convinced the only reason Stargirl isn't horrible is because (luckily) CW got their hands on it before the DCU writers could destroy that show like they did titans.
Titans: Lady Vic (2021)
Fairly decent episode
Honestly, I don't have much to talk about here. This episode largely sets up a future conflict between Red Hood and Scarecrow, who has recruited Lady Vic as Jason's replacement. Blackfire gets some much needed exploration, which makes her more likable and gives an explanation to her homicidal tendencies. While I can't say it's all too good (she still feels really unlikable and a bit contradictory even) it's a solid first step. Dick and Barbara's growth is also fairly well done, I enjoyed seeing more of their past/relationship and honestly it has me far more invested. The cliffhanger even with Tim Drake has me really intrigued to see where that story goes. The only thing that had me completely underwhelmed was...well...lady Vic. She doesn't have much besides wanting to kill Barbara because previously when they fought she Vic accidentally killed her brother because of Babs. Now this may sound like some solid character building but I was just left underwhelmed more than anything. It felt like they just kinda glossed over her brothers death. As well, other than that she just kills people and doesn't have much of a personality. This is her debut so I'm guessing we will see more growth on her end but for now she was easily the worst part of a fairly good episode.
Titans: Blackfire (2021)
Huge step back
This episode can be split basically into two parts, the Dick Grayson story and the Starfire/BB story.
The Dick Grayson story is, for the most part, fantastic. Dick figures out that Scarecrow faked having a hit put on him to secure release from Arkham and that he had been working with Jason the whole time, even prior to his days as Red Hood. Honestly, I was not expecting that twist and was happily surprised. Dick uses Crane as bait, lures out Jason, they fight, the usual superhero action drama kinda stuff, and Jason gets away. My biggest gripe with this storyline is it really makes the reboot that much more noticeable (Dick is still a wanted man, or at least should be) and now they're seemingly redoing that plotline with him being a criminal again. Honestly, it's INCREDIBLY annoying how many members of the titans should be wanted at this point (Dick, Kori, Rachel, Hank) that they've just forgotten, and I don't feel like going through another Dick in jail storyline. Hopefully I'm wrong.
The Starfire/BB Story is really where I found most of my gripes with this episode. So we find out that Blackfire is reaching out to Star because she's in prison and that's why she's been having her visions. Ok, cool. It doesn't entirely explain her getting violent and trying to killer her friends but it's dumb comic stuff. I can accept it. The REAL problem comes when Star decides to release Blackfire. This whole plotline, it felt like the writers wanted us to feel mad at the scientists holding Blackfire in prison but...why???? She's a murderer, a criminal, and a threat to the planet. She by all means should be in prison. Star even talks about her killing their parents and her boyfriend. But then all of a sudden she decides to release her??? I don't have a problem with heroes having a soft spot for familial villains. Batwoman season 1 did it, and while it was by all means not perfect it at least gave me a reason to believe and care about Kate not wanting to put her sister in jail after all the trauma she went through. It made sense and actually felt like there was a reason. Here? Blackfire excused the fact that she killed (likely) countless people because Star "didn't support her" and "got punished more than her as a child." I wish I was joking. I have no reason to empathize with either of these characters, Blackfire is written like a petulant child with no remorse and Star is written like an absolute moron. We know Blackfire will be a villain for a while, hopefully she doesn't murder a bunch of people during that time cause then it'll be Stars fault. Honestly, I could go on all day with this but it's not worth it.
Dicks plot? Like a solid 8.5-9/10 dislike him being a criminal again but I'll see where it goes
Kori/BB plot? 4-5/10, just straight up written poorly.
After episode 3 I am incredibly disappointed.
The Flash: Family Matters, Part 2 (2021)
Insane end to a weird story
Wow. Alright, lemme break it down. This current story of the flash ended in the craziest way possible, which ended with the flash preventing a Big Bang, the forces fighting in the speed force, and potentially the inception of the tornado twins. And I loved it. This storyline has been weird and divisive and there's no hiding that, even in the reviews I read hear there doesn't seem to be a consensus. But for me, while this hasn't been the worst storyline (seasons 4/5 still suck) this doesn't match the best this show had to offer (seasons 1, 2, 6a). This episode though did everything right. Save for the family stuff which is still weird, this episode leaned into the over-the-top crazy comic book stuff that I want from a over-the-top crazy story like this. The dead speedforce, a fight in the actual speedforce between the arrowverse equivalent of gods, and a finale with Barry preventing a Big Bang. Btw the CG this ep kinda rocked. Not gonna go into detail cause I want to watch Superman and Lois (couldn't earlier because basketball, fun) but this was the type of madness I wanted. Oh and also frost got out and chillblaine got his costume. That was pretty cool.
The Flash: Family Matters, Part 1 (2021)
I'll keep it brief
Not feeling great so I'll keep it brief.
Pros:
-Psych is still a great villain
-Amazing cliffhanger
-Tied together how Cisco has been very indecisive the past few seasons to give him an exit
-CCPD subplot was genuinely amazing, Joe is the best
Cons:
-The family stuff is weird, I can't lie
-CG sucked this week.
Meh:
-Alexa/Barry stuff was alright, nothing special but it was ok
Overall, better than last week but not great either. It sure was a weird one but there was more I liked than I didn't and it had some genuinely great moments so I'll give it an 8/10.
The Flash: Timeless (2021)
Definitely not great
It's hard to put my thoughts on this episode into words honestly. I thought the stuff psych and deon was really good, but at the same time the whole "parent" thing threw me off. I mean I guess it's right but it's still super weird and I think it could've been handled WAYYYY better. The flashback stuff though was pretty good and the birth of the forces was honestly really beautiful, VFX guys did a great job with that. Honestly this episode messed with my head and I can't get my thoughts straight with it. This is definitely a 6-7/10, there have been much better episodes this season (last ep was fantastic) and I've mostly enjoyed the force storyline but this one really dropped the ball imo. Here's to hoping the two-parter can bring this all together in a satisfying way.
The Flash: Growing Pains (2021)
An honest review
Read any of the current 1 star reviews up, they blatantly do not know a thing about this episode. Hell, one of them said frost got a LOVE INTEREST in this episode, like seriously.
Now for an actual review: this is Caitlin/frosts best storyline in a while. It's what the season 5 story with her father should have been in both its emotional impact and it's ramifications for the series as a whole. That storyline fell on its face (icicle should've been the main villain over both cicadas) and now this feels like a soft do-over, forcing frost to face her past actions as well as deal with a stalkerish admirer. I liked Chillblaine, he's got the same wanna-be creep vibes he has in the comics with captain cold, and I thought his actor did a great job. Hopefully he makes another appearance. Also, possibly the BEST part of the episode (besides maybe the cold fight) was seeing a ton of CSI Barry again. This storyline has been sorely missing since season 4, and with seasons 6 and 7 being such a return to the quality of the first few seasons seeing this part of Barry's character return has been sublime. Cannot praise it enough.
The Flash: The One with the Nineties (2021)
Really fun and really interesting
Chester got some fantastic development in a super fun and emotional way. The final of the forces got revealed and I can't wait to see more of this story. All around just enjoyable, not your average flash episode which is good. It's been on for 7 years, let it do some interesting stuff.
Arrow: Living Proof (2019)
Good but honestly not great
This is a weird one. It's a really good episode. Tommy coming back was very nice to see and I enjoyed it a lot. Tying Oliver's relationship with Emiko back to Tommy's relationship with Malcom was a great detail, and having Tommy remind Oliver why he gave up killing was really nice to see. Every other plotline felt well done and I enjoyed the episode as a whole, but ultimately felt something was really wrong. Looking back at last seasons penultimate episode, it had a MASSIVE setup with a big cliffhanger. Diaz has just openly tried to murder every member of team Arrow, burned the bunker, and forced Oliver to turn to the FBI for hell and reveal his identity. This season however? Not really anything...which is weird. This season has not strayed away from a great cliffhanger. Hell, I'd say this may even be the best season of Arrow and yet the second to last episode is just good. Not great. Feels weird but then again so does this entire season so who am I to complain. Can't wait for next week!
Arrow: Legends of Yesterday (2015)
What the f!ck...
I'll admit it, Arrow is one of my favorite superhero shows of all time. Maybe even my favorite live action superhero tv show. But why does this episode have a 9.1?!? It's one of the worst episodes in the only season I actively dislike (and believe me, this season is BAAAAD). Between the Felicity and Oliver drama because of William, the Hawks just being really poorly acted and written, and Vandal Savage being a letdown of a villian I can't help but avoid this episode like the plague. How this somehow has a higher rating than other episodes (and even a really good rating in general) somehow alludes and scares me.