There's a reason I stopped watching Arrow and the Flash seasons ago and this recent crossover event reminded me of why.
The Arrowverse fandom is just plain toxic as f**k. And I thought Riverdale had it's issues which it does.
The blantant ugly treatment and disrespect of Oliver Queen from fans, other characters (some who don't know him at all) and the writers. Even his mental illness is a joke to these people. And I'm for the first time disappointed in Barry who I always considered one of Ollie's truest friends in the Arrowverse.
The writing on these shows just keeps getting worse and worse. I'm embarassed at this point. Glad I bailed when I did. But why am I still watching Riverdale Idk.
Ships have taken over the story and turned these shows into melodramatic shells of what they once were. Seriously (no offense to anyone following me) I am sick to death of Felicity and Iris and their hypocritical/condescending behavior especially towards their spouses. They're constantly presented as the moral high ground and better than the actual protagonists even when they don't deserve it. Why are they the center of Arrow and Flash and not Oliver and Barry?
The teams on these shows suck. I can't stand any of these characters anymore. Worst group of friends these heroes ever had. I get that Riverdale isn't exactly perfect in this area either but at least the characters on that show are still likable and the friendships are more solid. Who needs enemies when you got Team Arrow and Team Flash.
The annual Oliver Queen bashing/villainizing. Oh do I not miss the days of going through his tag to find people sh*tting on this character. And the Arrow writers do it enough, why do the Flash writers feel the need to add their wank every time? How many "lesson of the day" episodes does he need to be beaten over the head with while the other Arrow characters get away with their sh*tty (no consequences earned) decisions and mistakes?
The butchering of Lois Lane. This character finally gets introduced into this universe (along with Superman) and I was excited for Bitsie's portrayal because I loved her on Grimm (before that series went to sh*) but what does she do two seconds after meeting Oliver and Barry? Not only is she gleeful to see them fighting but she actually encourages Barry to assault Oliver (his friend and ally who he's known for years) for sh*ts and giggles. Oh and her reasoning for this (after seeing the guy for about a decimal) is she thinks "he's a jerk" 😡 What is she in 3rd grade? I'm so done with this BS. Sorry Flarrow fans but this version of Clois has got nothing on SMALLVILLE.
The overcrowded Arrowverse. Too many heroes and side characters are being introduced that it's turned into a monster tidal wave of incohesion. The veteran heroes are being buried in this universe (mostly Oliver) to make way for newbies and it's annoying. I feel like all the heart and soul in Arrow has disappeared. And btw that show's darkness was part of its appeal to fans like me.
The action is sloppy. One thing that made Arrow so memorable was the action and Stephen Amell's ability to do incredible stunts. I lived for that but now it's like the fight choreography has taken a massive nosedive. I remember the fights and stunts done in the very first Flarrow crossover and this recent one is abysmal in comparison. I will credit Grant Gustin though he did kick a lot of a**. He looked great in the GA costume too and his fight scenes were some of the most exciting moments. I only wish his physical abilities were utilized more on his show.
Plot holes and continuity errors. This has been my biggest pet peeve for years. You've seen my Riverdale rants on this blog you know what I'm talking about.
Barry Allen. I loved this character so much but ever since the Flashpoint failure that was S3 the writers continue to regress him. I do not like that he refuses to learn from his mistakes. I feel like when he got Oliver's abilities (which would've been a golden opportunity for character development) he treated it like a game instead of understanding/appreciating where thoes skills came from because he knew what Oliver had been through. And it made no sense for him to be so giddy about losing his powers either. Not to mention that immature desire to "get revenge" for the arrow in the back incident (which was obvious bad Flash fanservice). I just thought that after all these years he would've grown up. Oliver and Barry's relationship was my favorite thing about these crossovers, it's the core. They have a very special bond and been through so much together. While they don't always agree they have each other's backs and respect one another. In this crossover I felt the writers fundamentally shat on that and that pisses me off.
In conclusion of this sudden (and final) SuperFlarrow rant I will say that despite its massive flaws this crossover was better than last years. I never want to see that thing again. I liked the concept of Barry and Oliver swapping lives (they both were fantastic in that aspect) and the chemistry between Stephen and Grant hasn't wavered. I liked seeing the Kent Farm (easter egg: it was the same one used on Smallvile 😁), Gotham, Superman (good and bad), the SMALLVILLE theme, Supergirl, Batwoman and the Batman references. There was some funny scenes where shade wasn't being thrown at Oliver. I don't know if I'll watch next years but considering it may be Oliver/Stephen's exit from the Arrowverse (and I'm not thrilled about it) I'll have to check it out.
However watching this crossover confirmed to me that these shows aren't aging well and I'm not sorry I left. I just feel sad over how things have turned out.
