I wish I could say I loved this year’s crossover but I was not happy with it at all. Any enjoyment I felt with the body-swap shenanigans was overshadowed by the anger at the ridiculously lazy writing throughout all three episodes.
- There were so many plot holes with the body swap storyline, the the way the three heroes acted in Gotham, and don’t get me started with the logic fails on Oliver’s darkness bullshit.
- The whole thing reminded me of Arrow season 4 crossover when it was mostly to prop up the new Legends show. This crossover’s purpose was to introduce Batwoman and next year’s crossover. It did very little to service the actual narrative of the shows (at least not yet).
- I know they can’t say it yet officially, but considering they announced next year’s crossover, my guess is these 3 shows (and possibly four with the Legends) will be renewed for another season. I know they could have a crossover with whichever existing shows remain if they do cancel one (like Arrow), but I firmly believe that is highly improbable.
- Random thought: I want to see Earth 38’s Oliver, Felicity and Diggle.
- The two minute Olicity scene at the end of Part 2 almost saved the entire crossover for me, but not quite. It was one shining moment while a pile of shit was thrown on Oliver Queen.
- Stephen’s a good actor and he has really brought Oliver Queen to life. It’s hard for me to picture anyone else portraying The Green Arrow. Having said that, Stephen should absolutely do more comedic acting. He has excellent comedic timing and his comedic expressions seem more natural than his dramatic chops (with the exception of when he is acting with Emily, who really brings out the best in him). For example, I found his scene with The Monitor near the end when he is persuading him to change the destinies of Kara and Barry to be a bit wooden and lacking in conviction.
- Barry really enjoyed kissing Felicity in the Arrow opening, way more than I’ve seen him enjoy kissing Iris in The Flash.
- I wonder if Diggle will be The Green Lantern during next year’s crossover.
- I hated that Barry did the Arrow intro as Oliver Queen. Hated it.
Now some more thoughts on the whole Oliver’s darkness bullshit.
These writers were the LAZIEST WRITERS EVER. The shade thrown at Oliver never had to happen. The plot line could easily have moved forward without it. It was used to service Barry. They seriously couldn’t find a way to portray Barry as a hero when he is right next to Oliver Queen because he just DOESN’T STACK UP! Every time they are together, it is obvious who is the leader, the strategist, the thinker, the one who can make the tough call, the one who sees what matters, the REAL HERO of the DC TVverse.
It’s always been and will always be Oliver Queen.
Every thought, every word, every action that Oliver has is about saving the city (even if it’s not his own), the world, the universe, his family, his friends…no matter if it costs him his happiness, his light, his life.
And I wish I didn’t have to write this at all, because it’s not a zero-sum game. They can all be heroes. Barry’s heroism does not have to come at the cost of Oliver’s growth. But I feel I have to defend him against the bullshit I saw on my screen this week. And I hate having to get to this point.
I could point out all the ways he chose light over darkness in the past seven years even though most people would have become pure EVIL! The amount of physical and mental torture he’s experienced, the people he’s lost, the choices he was forced to make - all of this would have broken a lesser man and NO ONE WOULD BLAME HIM. But he gets no credit, no acknowledgement of his intelligence, courage, growth and capacity for love, loyalty and selflessness.
I could rant about this character assasination of Oliver Queen for hours. But I am choosing to stop for right now because this post would be way too long otherwise.
As for Oliver’s deal with The Monitor, I don’t have any well-thought out spec on it yet. But I do not believe they will kill off Oliver in the crossover next year. Did it cross my mind that the deal Oliver made was to trade his long life (living to 86 years old) to change Kara’s and Barry’s destinies (one change for another)? Sure. But I do not believe Arrow will kill off Oliver at the end of the series. I mean, they might show him dying after gaining some happiness with his family later in his life, but they won’t kill him while he’s still “young.” It does not fit in with the narrative at all and if Arrow ends before the other shows, I believe they would want Oliver alive for potential guest appearances. If they kill off Oliver during the crossover, they would bring him back quickly.
Some people thing Oliver might die because Stephen only signed a one-year contract. I do think he is not going to do this show much longer. But I think he will evaluate that opportunity on an annual basis. Basically, if the money is good enough, he will keep signing until the 10th season. I think if he could, he would go up to 10. He just needs the money to be good because he is giving up a lot of time with his daughter to do it. He is a good businessman. He is absolutely doing a cost-benefit analysis and doing it every year.
I thought Elseworlds would be underwhelming. I wish it was simply that. Instead, it was disappointing, frustrating, and completely maddening. I could have done without all of it. (The Olicity scene could easily have been in the next episode.) And I watched it all again just to make sure. I felt worse after the second viewing.
Did any of you actually like it? I am curious and am always open to other opinions.
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