TV Review - Elseworlds

In 2012, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg created the TV series Arrow, which was an adaptation of the DC Comics character named Green Arrow. Green Arrow was created in the 1940's as a version of Batman. He's a wealthy vigilante in Star City who dresses in a hood and isn't above killing people. Arrow ran for two seasons successfully before Berlanti created another series based on a DC Comics character. In 2014, The Flash began. Flash is a young scientist and police investigator in Central City who became a speedster, a person who can move very fast and who dresses in an all-red body suit. He teamed up with several other scientists to fight villains with super-powers, known as meta-humans.

As a way of connecting the two shows, Berlanti and his writers did a crossover episode, which featured Arrow and Flash fighting each other before they learn to work together. In 2016, Berlanti and his team created another TV series based on DC Comics characters called Legends of Tomorrow. Berlanti did crossover episodes with Arrow and Flash again to set up that third series and bridge all three together. Berlanti had already started the series Supergirl the year prior. It was on CBS, a different network but moved to the CW, the same network as the other three, so another crossover episode was done to connect Supergirl to Flash, making them friends or "Super Friends."

Later, that same year, Berlanti did the crossover episode titled "Invasion!" that combined the characters from all four shows. In 2017, five, crossover episodes were also done, but the storyline that connected four of those episodes was titled "Crisis on Earth-X." It was the biggest and the most ambitious of all the crossovers. This year's crossover episode is a bit of a step back from last year's. First off, the characters from Legends of Tomorrow aren't involved this time around. The story also seems centered on Arrow and Flash and the relationship between those two. In fact, the episode references the first crossover back in 2014 when it was only Arrow and Flash. Berlanti and crew seem to favor those two most of all. Supergirl factors into this story, but she really feels more like a sidekick than one of the central characters here.

Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen aka the Arrow. He wakes up to realize that he's in Central City and in bed with Iris West, the wife of the Flash. In fact, Iris is calling him by the Flash's real name. She thinks he's the Flash. So does all of the Flash's friends. It's not only that, but Oliver even has the speedster powers of the Flash.

Grant Gustin also stars as Barry Allen aka the Flash. He finds himself in Star City and everyone calling him by the Arrow's real name. The Arrow's friends think he's the vigilante-hero. It's not only that, but Barry also has the powers of the Arrow, which includes martial arts, pinpoint-exact archery and the ability to dislocate his bones without much pain.

Melissa Benoist co-stars as Kara Danvers aka Supergirl. She's still the same as she's always been, an alien from the planet Krypton, sent to Earth after her cousin who is Clark Kent aka Superman. Both she and her cousin have super strength, super hearing, X-ray vision, invulnerability and flight. However, she lives in an alternate dimension from Oliver and Barry. Barry and his friends discovered the alternate dimensions in the 2016 crossover. Barry labeled the dimensions by planet and number and Kara lives on Earth-38.

When Oliver and Barry realize that they've swapped places magically, they go to each other to try to figure out what happened. Because all their friends believe that they aren't who they say, Oliver and Barry decide to go to Kara for help. She wasn't affected by whatever magic happened on Earth-1 where Oliver and Barry live. It takes some figuring, but what they learn is that a man named John Deegan, played by Jeremy Davies (Lost), changed reality. Deegan was just a regular psychologist who was given the power to change reality from a being known as "The Monitor," played by LaMonica Garrett (Designated Survivor).

Of the three episodes in this crossover, the first episode is mainly just about the comedy and silliness of Oliver and Barry swapping places and powers. Each has to learn how to use each other's abilities, reinforcing what makes each of them tick. It also provides insight into each other's lives for these two friends who normally don't interact. It also comes up with action scenes that utilize the various characters powers in ways that are better than the recent Justice League (2017) film.

However, this crossover doesn't measure up to the previous crossover titled "Crisis on Earth-X." The reason is because there isn't the same emotional component as there was last time. "Crisis on Earth-X" centered around Barry and Iris' wedding, along with the introduction of their daughter. This crossover isn't centered around something like that. There was also other strong relationship anchors that "Crisis on Earth-X" had. This one really doesn't have it. It tries to do so between Oliver and Barry, but a lot of the beats of that relationship were already played in all the previous crossovers, so there was nothing new to play here.

The crossover tries to have that emotional component with the characters of Superman, played by Tyler Hoechlin, and Lois Lane, played by Elizabeth Tulloch. Superman gets a lot of screen time in the final episode, but whatever emotional stuff the show wanted fails to come through. The final battle was a little anticlimactic as well, but arguably, this was just a setup for the next crossover in 2019.

Rated TV-14.
Running Time: 1 hr. / 3 eps.

Available on CWtv.com.