SUPERGIRL - SEASON 5.9

REVIEW:  SUPERGIRL - SEASON 5, EP. 9:  "Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part 1"


Worlds will live, worlds will die...and the universe will never be the same.  Yes...the biggest crossover of the Arrowverse has finally arrived.  Over the next 5 installments between now and mid January, we're going to witness the fate of our universe.  Some of our friends will die, some will live, all in order to save the universe from cataclysmic destruction.  

Our crossover begins with a voice over from The Monitor, talking about the origin of the multiverse.  How "In the beginning, there was only one", and he talks about how the multiverse formed, but then discusses the malevolent threat that begins to sweep universe after universe, and here, we are treated to a montage of Earths that are now facing the red skies of antimatter about ready to engulf them

EARTH 89 - We see Gotham Gazette reporter Alexander Knox looking above, hoping the "big guy" sees what's going on as the Batsignal shines in the now red sky 

EARTH 9  - We see the city of San Francisco, where Hawk and Robin of the Titans are looking at the ominous sky above

EARTH X - The Ray is fighting the Nazi regime there along with is fellow Freedom Fighters when the sky changes red

EARTH 66 - A vintage Earth where we see a man (Burt Ward), walking his dog and looking up to see the red sky, exclaiming one of his old patented Robin lines.

These Earths seemingly disappear or are about to.  We then arrive on EARTH 38 - where a man is walking around with a sign that says "The End is Nigh" and ranting about the end of the world, and how even Supergirl can't save it.  Just then, a giant dragon appears on the scene, causing panic in the streets, and scares the ranting man, when Supergirl arrives on the scene.  Turns out we've seen this dragon before---it's Spike.  The little alien girl Aleta's dragon.  He's freaked out, and Supergirl talks him down...he shrinks down to his regular size, and Supergirl says to the ranting man that Supergirl did manage to save him., and flies off with Spike.  

A worldwide earthquake has begun shaking the planet, and Supergirl gets back to the DEO, where Brainy and Alex discover that the seismic shakes aren't coming from within the planet, but from outside the planet.  Trying to figue out what's causing it, J'Onn arrives to inform them of the Crisis, and that the Monitor had been prepping him for this very thing.  He says it's a wave of antimatter that is swallowing the whole universe.  Brainy tracks it, saying that it is going to destroy everything in it's path...with Argo being first.  Kara is desperate to communicate with her cousin and mother.

We jump to Argo, where Lois and Clark are with new son Johnathan, as Clark is changing his diaper.  While discussing family, Kara manages to make contact with them, and warns them that Argo is in danger, and they need to leave.  Lois and Clark, baby in tow, meet up with his Aunt Alura, and she leads them to a ship where they can put baby Johnathan in to save him.  Kal-El asks about the rest of the citizens, and she says there's no time, this is the only ship.  Lois and Clark send him off, just as the antimatter hits Argo.  Back on Earth 38, Team Supergirl watches what's left of her Kryptonian home wiped away from existence....presumably Alura, Lois, and Clark are gone.  Brainy then says that they are next.

We slide over to EARTH 1, where we arrive at Lian Yu, and pick up where we left off with Oliver and Mia having their private moment, before Harbinger shows up, and takes them away.  We then race over to Central City, where Flash is on patrol.  Harbinger arrives, and Barry asks if it is time---and she says yes.  With that, he's gone.  Next, we skip to Gotham City, where Batwoman is on the hunt for Alice, and manages to nab one of the Wonderland Gang, and question him before Harbinger shows up to take her.  Batwoman isn't ready to take off  yet, but she doesn't have a choice, and she is gone.  Lastly, we zip over to Star City, where Ray and Sara are enjoying themselves at a bar when Harbinger shows up and collects them as well. 

Harbinger then arrives at the DEO, where Alex is quick to point a gun at her, but Suprgirl recognizes her.  Harbinger then has the team appear, along with Lois and Clark, who were saved from Argo at the last minute, but sadly could not save Kara's mother.  After some introductions, Batwoman still isn't exactly thrilled, but Kara says she trust them, including her, with her life---so, she unmasks, and says everyone can call her Kate.  Lyla then retells the story about the Monitor, and what they're up against...the Anti-Monitor.  Someone just as great in power, bent on the total destruction of the universe.  EARTH 38 is to be ground zero to hold the line, and turn back the anti-matter wave.  Ollie says they need a bigger team, and wonders where Barry is, which Lyla says he's out on recon with the Legends.  Lois and Clark talk about having sent Johnathan to Earth in a rocket, but they can't find him.  Brainy says they'll track him down.  The building shakes, and they see this giant tower come up from out of the ground.  Supergirl looks to go destroy it, but just then, Flash, Atom, and White Canary arrive.  Flash says that the tower is a good thing.  It's a quantum energy tower that was put there by the Monitor--as well as other Earths, to hold back this attack once it began happening.  Brainy has managed to track down Johnathan---he's on EARTH 16 in the year 2046.  But he is safe.  Clark insists on going after him, but Ollie says he understands, being a father himseelf, but that he's needed there.  Sara and Brainy offer to go find him, and Lois decides to tag along.  They take off to search for the young boy.   They also start to figure out a way to evacuate the people off the planet.  J'Onn suggests going to all the alien refugees and asking for help.  Alex isn't sure, considering what's happened in the last year.  But J'Onn has faith in them. He also suggests Lena Luthor, who had built a breach big enough to transport people, but Alex is against it, considering their current status.  But he says they don't have a choice.

Kara and Clark talk privately.  Clark feels tremendous guilt over not being able to save Argo, Alura, and now paranoid about his missing son.  He feels selfish for wanting to hang up the cape and live a normal life with Lois.  Feels like he let the last remnants of Krypton be destroyed.  Kara ssures him that it's not his fault.  She understands guilt plenty, and that they have both lost so much.  But she still believes that the two of them can save the planet....they have before.  She goes onto say that as far as Krypton goes---they brought enough of Krypton's history and culture to Earth to share with everyone, that it will never truly die.  Krypton's spirit is its hope and sacrifice.  

Ollie has a private moment with Mia.  He gives her a Green Arrow suit of her own.  She feels he should be wearing it, but it's hers.  She's earned it.  He then goes to talk to Barry about him showing up late, and Barry tells him about the newspaper article Iris writes in the Time Vault at STAR Labs.  He says the Monitor came to see him, and said that he's supposed to die in this Crisis.  Ollie is not having any of it, and calls out to the Monitor for a meeting.  He says that he offered himself up so that Kara and Barry could live.  The Monitor said that was to save their Earth, and that this was a different situation---this is the entirety of existence at stake...and Barry and Kara's life are free game, should that be their destiny.  The Anti-Monitor is more powerful than him, and he wants to wipe out existence in and of itself.

Alex shows up at L-Corp to enlist Lena's help, but Lena's still bitter about being lied to by everyone.  Alex let's her have her say, and tries to appeal to her, but Lena isn't having it.  Alex knows Lena set up Eve/Hope to take the fall, but that's not important right now.  She tells her that there's a much bigger problem right now, and it involves all of existence.  Lena agrees to help, but she reminds Alex that they're not friends anymore.  The team prepares to go into battle, and protect the quantum tower.  

EARTH 16 - Lois, Brainy, and Sara arrive in the Bunker in Star City, looking for Johnathan, when they run into Green Arrow, and he begins to attack.  He captures Brainy, and Lois tries to help him, while Sara dukes it out with Ollie.  She manages to subdue him, and he's an older, weathered version of himself, but he recognizes Sara.  He thought she died with the Queen's Gambit.  Sara goes onto explain that she's from a different reality where she survived, and went on an incredible journey to where she is now.  She says she made a choice to go with him on that boat.  Meanwhile, Lois manages to find her son, and thanks Ollie for saving him.  Brainy says they have to leave, but before they do, Sara says to this Oliver that she has seen him become a hero, a husband, and a father.  And in ANY reality...he's a good man.  With that, they depart.

As the team enters the tower, Ollie tells Mia to make sure to find her mother...and tell her that he loves her.  Mia agrees, and then the shadow demons attack.  They keep trying to fend them off, and do hold them back a bit.  But more come.  Just in time, Flash, Superman, and Supergirl arrive to help.  The skies are turning red again, because the tower has been shut down.  Supergirl and Superman go to jump start it again, while Flash and the rest of the team battle the demons.  On the streets, Dreamer and Kelly are aiding in the evacuation.  Kelly saves some people from debris using the Guardian shield James left her.  At Lena's lab, her and Alex try despraptely to get the extrapolator to work, but they're not having success.  Lena almost gets hit with debris, and Alex saves her.  Alex then makes a scientific suggestion, and they manage to solve the issue.  Lena commends her on the suggestion, to which Alex says it was a lucky guess.  She says Lena is the real hero, but Lena says they're still ever going to be friends again.  I think that's burning Alex.  

Superman and Supergirl and using their heat vision to charge up the tower, and Superman does his bit, and goes and checks on everyone else.  Supergirl almost exhausts her power, as she passes out from overexertion.  She falls, but is caught by the Flash.  Meanwhile, Alex has joined Kelly and Dreamer in the rescue of the people.  

The team continues to take on the shadow demons of the Anti-Monitor, and the tower has started working again.  J'Onn has gotten Brainy's ship in position to start transporting people off the planet.  As more demons come, The Monitor arrives, saying the battle is lost, and they must fall back.  Ollie asks if the people have been evacuated, and the Monitor says not all of them, and he replies then it's not time to fall back yet.  The Monitor then teleports the rest of the team and the ships off Earth 38, while Ollie keeps on fighting.  Even when he's out of arrows, he keeps on fighting anyway.  Just then, the antimatter wave hits EARTH 38...and it is gone from existence.

Everyone arrives on EARTH 1 in the Bunker in Star City.  As they get their bearings, The Monitor arrives with a mortally wounded Ollie---saying that Ollie fought for as long as he could to rescue as many people as he could.  Mia and Barry, and Sara are close by as he speaks, knowing he's dying.  Ollie says to Barry and Kara that you are the best of them...the true hope.  He tells Mia that he loves her, is proud of her, and to remind her about finding her mother and William.  Just as Nash Wells arrives, Oliver Queen dies.  The Monitor says that this was NOT the fate of Oliver that he had forseen.  

When Barry asks about Wells...he says he's not Nash Wells any longer.  He goes onto explain that in his arrogance to find the Monitor, he unleashed the Anti-Monitor.  He's now made a Pariah...a man who has to now witness the end of all existence as we know it.  He says that with the Anti-Monitor loose...everything is doomed.


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WOW!  What a way to kick off this crossover.  SOOOO much going on, and things having to move at a fast pace (considering you only have about 42 or so minutes of actual show time to tell a story).  And a surprise or three I was NOT expecting....and a HUGE punch in the gut to end Part 1.  

Okay---Let's cover some storylines going on here:  Lena is still bitter about Team Supergirl lying to her, but is willing to help for the sake of the planet.  But what I noticed is that every single time she brought up the end of their friendship to Alex...Alex got that beady eyed look on her face as if to say "you lied to us to, you smarmy bitch", but didn't.  The situation was far too dire to cover that---but at least we got Lena involved in the crossover---her brain is going to be essential to trying to figure out HOW to stop the Anti-Monitor..

Lois, Clark, Johnathan, and Kara:  Our favorite Kryptonian family took one of the biggest brunts this whole episode...well..Team Supergirl in general, but moreso Kara, Kal-El, Lois, and their son.  The remnants of Krypton...but Argo and what was shared with Earth---is now gone.  Kara mourns the loss of not only her mother Alura, but of the rest of her fellow Kryptonians who had lived there.  It is also felt by Clark as well.  His guilt in giving up being Superman, and not being here to save everyone had cost them, he felt.  However, leave it to older cousin Kara (because she is), to be the reason of hope---in spite of everything she has lost as well...her mother, fellow citizens of Argo...and her friendship with Lena.  But still...Kara Zor-El refuses to quit and give up---and believe in the best outcome.  She reminds Kal-El that is is what the spirit and essence of Krypton truly is---and it lives on---in his son...and his love for Lois.  Now...far as the rest of the team---I wonder if James had been evacuated, or did he die in the wave that claimed Earth 38?  What will be Kelly's response to that?  I'm curious.  And Cat Grant?  She gone too?  

Barry didn't have a big role in this episode.  While he's important, his time on center stage hasn't come up yet, and I feel it will when we get to episode 3 of this crossover.  But he himself felt loss tonight as his best friend died...for him.  Losing a confidant, teacher, and friend such as Ollie is a HUGE blow to Barry.  Ollie was the man who inspired him to be a hero.  Ollie's lost was felt by Kara as well, but Barry and Oliver were tied at the hip to each other for many years.  

Batwoman felt out of place---and you could tell this was bigger than what she's used to handling.  While she wasn't thrilled Harbinger took her away from her Alice hunt, she now grasps the brevity of the situation at hand...and she dove right in.  She had some nice comical moments with Ray, but she...like most in the Bat family...tend to be a bit distrusting.  But She knew she could believe in Supergirl.  I look forward to seeing what more of a role SHE plays down the road.

Team Arrow.  I'll include Sara in this, because she's a former member.  We've aleady explained what the death of Oliver Queen has on Barry Allen.  But no two people were probably hit harder than Sara Lance and Mia Smoak.  It was awesome to see Ollie officially pass the torch to Mia as the next Green Arrow in this episode.  And the two worked together with tremendous synergy when battling the shadow demnons.  The three things that will stick out to me in this episode was:  1.  Ollie and Mia's time together.  It sucks that it's so short.  But for what it's worth...I have loved the father/daughter time they HAD gotten.  2.  When Sara travelled to Earth 16, and had the heart to heart with that Oliver Queen...and told him what an amazing guy he'd always been...and that she regretted nothing about being on that boat...she said she got to see him as a hero, husband, and father---and it suited him.  It was her chance, in a way, to pay her final respects to Ollie...even though she didn't know he was slated to die.  Mia...after all this time having grown up hating her father for leaving her to play hero...finally understood what his sacrifice meant.  She now understands what being the Green Arrow meant to him, and the sacrifices he made for those he loved.  It will now drive this woman to be a better version of herself than the one we met last season.  Blackstar is gone...and the new Green Arrow has arrived.

Now...for the cameo surprises:

AWSOME for Robert Wuhl to reprise his role as Alexander Knox, the writer for the Gothanm newspaper from the Tim Burton BATMAN movies.  Hence, the Earth 89 label, and the nice ode to those movies with the Batman Theme playing briefly.  And the Batsignal in the sky...just brilliant.

I was NOT expecting The TITANS to make an appearance...even BRIEFLY, in this crossover, so color me surprised there.  And now we know they're deisgnated on Earth 9.

How cool was it to revisit The Ray on Earth X?  We hadn't seen those cats in awhile.  

And Burt Ward....so cool they manage to bring the classic Robin back to the DC Universe for this crossover.  Now...was he a LONG RETIRED Robin from Earth 66 (another appropriate named Earth), or was he just Burt Ward.  And...yes...we could NOT get out of a clip for him without a classic Robin line.  Thank you, Burt!  

Anyone notice that the man ranting at the top of his lungs with the "End of the World is Nigh" sign was Wil Wheaton?  Nice cameo, Wil!

And a shame we won't see Erica Durance as Kara's mother Alura anymore.  But...she's not done pulling double duty in this crossover yet.  

All in all...an awesome epsiode that kickstared things off in a HUGE way.  But I gotta tell you---Oliver dying THIS early has me bummed out---because when his last episode hits...what happens?  There's no Oliver Queen left.  I wonder how they're going to manage that.  That threw me for a loop.

Okay, Episode 1 is in the books, and tomorrow...we have BATWOMAN ,and Part 2.  Thanks for checking out the blog.  Make sure to subscribe and tell everyone else about it.  And leave your comments below.  What did YOU think of this crossover so far?  Highs and lows of it?  Lemme know!  

Until tmorrow for Part 2...