ARROW - Season 7.9

REVIEW:  ARROW – SEASON 7, EP. 9:  “Elseworlds Part 2”

It is time for the annual DC Arrowverse Crossover.  And this year, we enter an alternate reality--- where things are not the same, and worlds will live or die thanks to the machinations of a being called The Monitor.  When last we left our intrepid clan of heroes, Barry and Ollie have switched minds or something of that sort.  In this current reality, Barry and Ollie have become each other, they battled the power copying robot, Amazo, and Cisco made contact with The Monitor, who apparently is hanging out in Gotham City.  Our story continues from there….

We open up Chapter 2 in Star City, as the red skies engulf the world, with various lighting strikes. ARGUS is being attacked by the Ravager.  Just as he cuts down the ARGUS agents, and has Diggle at his mercy, Ollie, Barry, and Kara show up to save the day.  Back at ARGUS, they try to figure out the connection between the red skies and the lightning strikes.  Felicity gets called in, but they decide to keep the ruse up, as to not confuse them anyone further.  Ollie then tells Barry that he shouldn’t go to Gotham, but he argues otherwise.  He figures if Batman can handle it, he can.  Ollie argues that Batman isn’t real.  All three head to Gotham, where they try to find out where The Monitor and Deegan are.  Ollie brings up a DJ named Vesper Fairchild, who he says knows everything.  Ollie’s sordid past comes out in the conversation, and Barry notices an object covered up with a sheet.  He unveils the Bat Signal, and reiterates that Batman is real, and Ollie still dismisses him.  They head out to get ahold of Vesper Fairchild, all the while, Batwoman is looking on.

Ollie, Barry, and Kara are in civvies looking for the radio station when they come across a gang looking to rob them.  The head of the crime gang shoots at Ollie, but Kara catches the bullet.  Barry takes out the gang, and then the cops arrive.  Ollie has Barry stand down.  Back at ARGUS, Cisco and Caitlin talk about the red sky incident in relation to Ollie and Barry.  They bring up the body swap, which Felicity was kept in the dark about.  In jail, Barry and Ollie bicker about how the situation was handled, and Kara sets them straight.  Bail was posted for the trio, and they’re taken to Wayne Enterprises.  They think Bruce Wayne bailed them out, but Ollie indicates that Bruce left Gotham 3 years ago.  There, they meet Kate Kane, and she says that Gotham doesn’t need the grief, so they better find what they’re looking for and leave quick.

Back at ARGUS, Diggle, Curtis, Caitlin and Cisco discuss the reason why Felicity was kept in the dark.  Felicity reminds them that they don’t have to tiptoe around her, and to be honest.  In Gotham, Kate gives info to Ollie and Kara, and Barry comes back, apparently Vesper wasn’t too kind to “Ollie”.  Ollie manages to get info from the GCPD. 

Caitlin and Felicity have a chat, and Caitlin explains things to Felicity.  Felicity still isn’t happy with Ollie, but she’s got work to occupy her.  Back in Gotham, Ollie manages to use his computer skills to discover the identity of the man they’re looking for:  John Deegan…who has a rap sheet a mile long, including experimenting on people’s minds.  Kara decides she’s going to do a sweep of the city with her x-ray vision, but instead, heads down to Bruce’s office and talks with Kate.  Kate informs Kara that Bruce is her cousin, and the talk about how the stress of Bruce’s “private life” led him to bail.  Kate wishes she knew.  Kara asks Kate if she knows who John Deegan is, and Kate says he’s a doctor at Arkham Asylum.  Kara thanks her, and goes to tell the guys.  As they’re off, Kate looks out the office window.

At ARGUS, Felicity and the team are on the roof, trying to tap into the lighting storm, trying to draw to them what’s attempting to get through.  A breach opens, and we see The Flash from Earth 90 trying to warn them.  But he disappears.

The Trio head to Arkham Asylum, where they’re looking for Deegan.  Then, Cisco, Caitlin, and Diggle appear, to inform them that a Flash, who they THINK is Jay Garrick, warned them that to fix the situation, they need to get the book.  They figure out from the drawing that Deegan was holding a book.  They figure out how to break into Arkham, when Kara has an idea.  Kara brings in Caitlin, and describes her condition to the nurse.  They managed to get in.  They find Deegan, and he explains that he changed reality.  They want him to change it back, but he refuses.  He then opens up all the cells to all the inmates, buying himself time to escape.

The inmates are about to overrun the asylum, Ollie runs off, telling Diggle to find the book, while they get the inmates rounded up. Ollie drops Barry outside, he takes off in search of Deegan.  Caitlin comes upon an inmate trying to hook a hose up to a gauntlet, and asks if she needs help.  The woman warns her off, and fires a blast of cold energy at Caitlin, who goes Killer Frost on her and blasts back.  On the streets, Barry and Cisco try to stop the inmates, but get hit by the masked one.  As they prepare to bail, Batwoman shows up and handles them both.  She tells them that Kate Kane sent her, and told them to leave Gotham.  Back at Arkham, Kara and the rest work through the inmates to catch Deegan.  Kara manages to catch him and get the book, but Deegan escapes.  Meanwhile, Barry and Ollie catch up to Caitlin as she battles Nora Fries.  Ollie tosses a lightning bolt at her to disable her, and in the process, knocks over and releases the Scarecrow’s fear gas.  Barry ends up seeing Merlyn, while Ollie sees Eobard.

Caitlin recovers to see Ollie and Barry fighting each other, thinking each other is their greatest enemy.  Caitlin calls in to request help.  Both instances, they’re experiencing their worst fears---“Eobard” playing on Barry’s good heart, and “Merlyn” playing on Ollie’s killer nature.  Batwoman comes in to save the day.  She let’s them know that they were exposed to a powerful hallucinogen.  They leave Arkham, they have to figure out how to open the book, because that’s the only way to fix the problem.  They start to head back to Star City, and Batwoman is glad—she feels they caused enough trouble.  As the crew leaves, Kara thanks Kate for her help, and thinks they would’ve made a good team.  Batwoman responds by saying “World’s finest”.  They shake hands, Kara wishes Kate good luck, and off she goes.

Returning to Star City and ARGUS, they try to figure out how to pop open the book.  Both Ollie and Barry have a chit chat, where they both realize the burdens they carry.  Ollie feels Barry had it so easy, and Barry admires Ollie for how he’s handled all the burdens.  Barry tells Ollie not to wait to settle things with Felicity.  Ollie and Felicity talk, and Ollie does his best to let Felicity know that people and things change, but that he will always love her.  They make up.

The Flash from Earth 90 finally arrives on Earth 1.  He tells the story of the Monitor, and how he’s been testing all these Earths to find champions to face a much bigger threat.  So far, he’s unimpressed.  Flash of Earth 90 attacks, but he’s whisked away by the Monitor.  He gets the book back, and gives it to Deegan again, and once again, has him think bigger.  The book opens, and it flashes out energy.  Soon, we see Barry and Ollie in Central City, where they’re biker criminals.  They are caught by the cops..one of which is Diaz.  He goes to arrest Ollie, but Ollie strikes back, and him and Barry escape.  They have no powers, and are on the run when they run into a black clad Superman.  He says there’s no escape.

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Man, the fun just keeps getting BETTER with these crossovers!  Again, more little easter eggs here and there, and this crossover actually gives a GREAT tie in to what's to come down the road for the Arrowverse.

First of all...the things going on in this crossover is going to have a HUGE impact on the future of the Arrowverse, as the Earth 90 Flash and the Monitor both make mention of the upcoming Crisis.  This would be the same Crisis that causes Barry to disappear, thus never returning home.  They have done an exceptional job of setting things in motion, starting with this crossover, to put the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline into full motion.  

The Monitor's intentions come into full view this episode, and he makes no bones about putting the lives of BILLIONS at stake across the universe to find Champions "worthy" of being able to fight the war coming---against an opponent far more powerful than him---his polar opposite---the Anti-Monitor.  Thus having John Deegan, a man of questionable refute, be the one to put our heroes to the ultimate test to see if they survive.  

We get our first look at the Psycho-Pirate, who donned his golden mask as he broke out of Arkham with an accomplice.  He is Roger Hayden, who was quoted when The Flash disappeared in 2024 about the Crisis.  He was taken out by Batwoman, but he will reappear down the road it seems, so we KNOW we haven't seen the last of him.

Batwoman is every bit her cousin Bruce Wayne...dark, brooding, and not kind of having other capes roaming about Gotham City.  But at least we get the story clear on Bruce Wayne this episode---he just took off.  Not sure what caused Bats to bail, but hopefully, it's something we get to hear about down the road.  As it is, I'd love to see more of THIS Gotham, and wonder if we'll see A Harvey Bullock here, a Renee Montoya...and what about Commissioner Gordon?  Is HE even still around?  And as much as Ollie likes to fancy himself the OG of the vilgilante persuasion, we find out that Bruce has been at it about as long as Ollie....or at least, he WAS.  Either way, Batwoman's story is intriguing, and I want to spend more time in THIS Gotham City.  Maybe some Birds of Prey stuff as well?  I'm open to ANY ideas to expand the Arrowverse even more.

It's funny how it takes these crossovers for Barry and Ollie to learn something new...not just from everything going on, but from each other.  Barry having to wonder how Ollie has managed all the demons he's had to live with from his past, and keep up hope in the face of it all, and Ollie admiring Barry for being able to see the positive in everyone and everything, and not taking life TOO seriously...despite his own traumas.  This switch I feel will make Ollie lighten up more (as I said in last night's blog), and maybe we'll be seeing a more "light-hearted" Ollie in the future, more in line with the comics.  We KNOW Barry will ALWAYS be Barry...it's just who he is.  He eventually rubs off well on everyone.  Was also nice for Ollie and Felicity to find some common ground here.  Hopefully, they use this going ahead---to help solidify their marriage more, and stop the mopey crap that has brought them down as a couple.  Sure, Felicity's changed, but that doesn't mean it has to be for the worst---but we'll see what happens when the show picks up at the end of January.  

I WAS, however, NOT pleased at the short appearance of John Wesley Shipp as the Flash from Earth 90.  I HATE that we didn't get more of him---I feel VERY cheated!  BUT...I DID love how he pointed to Diggle and asked him about his missing ring---assuming he was John Stewart...who is Green Lantern (or ONE of them).

Seeing Supergirl and Batwoman reach an understanding is very reminiscent of how Clark and Bruce are---not best friends, but will no doubt have each other's backs when called upon.  The "World's Finest" comment from Batwoman is a nice nod to the comic of the same name that featured Batman & Superman back in the day, and was an episode title for Supergirl's 1st meeting with Barry back in Season 1 of her show.  

The mist that caused Barry and Ollie to hallucinate each other's arch enemies, making them fight each other can be credited to the Scarecrow...his fear toxin.  Also, the woman with the cold ray arm glove was Nora Fries---Victor Fries' wife.  Victor Fries, as you know, the the longtime Batman villain, Mr. Freeze.  So, it was cool they did an alternate take on that, and had her face off with Killer Frost.  Also, one of the first times I've heard Caitlin swear, by calling Nora a "bitch".  

All in all, this crossover has been really good, and the more they do them, the better the storytelling becomes.  It also helps they're not having to include The Legends, because that's just TOO much to write for.  This way, it keeps it to the core characters of Supergirl, Flash, and Green Arrow.  And THIS story is going to ripple out into the shows in the long run...especially The Flash.  

Okay, we get the finale of this crossover tomorrow from Supergirl.  We have reached the midseason finale at this point, so-to-speak, for our Emerald Archer.  This blog will reconnect back in late January, when we start up again.  Until tomorrow, I wish you guys Happy Holidays and a nice winter break, and look forward to picking up again.

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Until Late January...keep your sights on the bullseye!