***SPOILER ALERT***
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| SHIP! |
I'm happy to report that this episode delivered in every possible way - and that, even more cool, it echoed my own Spidey & Speedy fanfic trilogy in a lot of ways. Namely, the presence of multiple villains for multiple heroes - in this case, one of SG's most dangerous foes to date, along with a new threat who's come into her own as a deadly superpowered individual. Livewire, the Supergirl equivalent of Electro, proves even more hard to beat as she manages to turn Barry's Speed Force against him. As for Siobhan, now the Silver Banshee...she's got a really nasty scream, but did she really need that horrifying facepaint? (I swear to God, the sight of that made me do a double take or ten.)
Also paralleling my fanfics - the way Barry very quickly unmasks himself and tells Kara his real name. I've often wondered why few of my readers complain about my interpretations of the Arrowverse superheroes (plus Spider-Man and the Bat Family and Aquaman) revealing their secret identities almost right away - especially given Peter's one of the few Marvel heroes who still feels the need to keep said secret. But in my head, I've always chalked it up to the superheroes instinctively trusting their fellows with these secrets, and that's how I interpret the similar writing moves taken in this episode.
And speaking of Ol' Webhead, I think Barry really channeled his inner Spidey during the climactic fight scene against Livewire and Silver Banshee. Namely, the part where he tries his hand at nicknaming: "Hey, Sparky, Shrieky! Hi!" Still not as good as "Hey Barbeque, hit me with your best shot!" or Spidey's "Yo Sparkles! Hey, how ya doin'?" But this still had me ROFLing for a moment. Then there was the way in which Livewire was taken down - while Barry wasn't so involved there, I totally saw how they homaged The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with the firefighters basically shooting Livewire down with their hose. It's just the latest example of that most underrated classic's secret influence (which also dates back to the hidden subway-car computer lab in the fourth season of Person of Interest), and to me is just a sign that sooner or later that all-time favorite movie of mine will be Vindicated By History like it deserves.
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| Because BB-8 said so, too, that's why. |
And as for the crossover itself...well, Barry's never failed to have near-instantaneous chemistry with the good guys of other shows, and tonight was no exception. But the chemistry he had with Kara, as expected, was what I would like to sorta-redundantly call "spot on point." Every time they shared screen space and traded quips and talked shop with each other, my poor little fanboy heart swelled with joy. Earlier today, I finished Cassie Clare's Lady Midnight and was devastated by its ending, but now I've ended this day feeling tons better because of the way Kara and Barry just clicked so well.
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| And I still am, for always and eternity. |
Never mind the fact that, being from two different Earths, they can't be together, not forever, and certainly not long enough to fall in love. (And of course the fact that another one of Barry's functions in this episode is to - unintentionally, of course, because as the inconveniently sharp Cat says, "He's so unfailingly polite, he's either a superhero or a Mormon" - provoke jealousy in the character my friend and cover designer, Sam Ayers, likes to call "Jimmy James.") But we can dream of our KareBear, Karry, Zor-Allen, whatever you wanna call their ship (though I'm partial to KareBear myself), can't we? I mean, try saying no to this. Go on. I dare you.
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| Once again... SHIP! |
So, by the end of the show, Kara finally helps Barry get home to his world, where he'll be on another adventure with his Central City peeps tomorrow night on the CW. And he'll likely continue to wrestle with the horrifying reveal (to him and his friends, at least - we the viewers had to suffer with that knowledge for a month beforehand!) that his Earth-2 Flash counterpart is secretly Zoom...or is he? As for Kara...hopefully, she'll be back soon (not next week, sadly), because this episode ends with one of Supergirl's most shocking cliffhangers of all, setting up what promises to be an intense Episode 19. (Wasn't 19 the magic number for game-changing episodes on each of the first four seasons of Fringe?)
That cliffhanger, I will not spoil. Absolutely not. It has to be seen to be believed.
For this, what I hope is just the first of many SupergirlXTheFlash specials (if this doesn't become an annual tradition, I'll eat my hat - and I would LOVE to see Supergirl meet Team Flash in Central City, Earth-1, this time next year!), I award a perfect ten for being the most awesome, the most epic, the most made-of-pure-win hour of escapist pleasure in the short history of this Supergirl TV series. The Flash still beats it out with the likes of "Out of Time," "Fast Enough," and this year's two-part Earth-2 episode, but hey, this episode still gave me Flash-level screams at the screen with one scene, and one scene alone. I'm talking, of course, about Barry's entrance into National City. All I can say is this: Perfect. Freaking. Timing.
If CBS doesn't renew Supergirl after tonight, then God, you got some 'splainin' to do.
Till next time, Pinecones...
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| #FeedTheRightWolf |
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| Remember: Denis Leary is always watching. Always. |
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