Into The Arrowverse: Saying goodbye to the Green Arrow

Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW

Wow, this week was a tough one for Arrowverse fans. I’m still wiping away my tears from the Arrow series finale, and can’t wrap my head around the fact that it’s really over. After eight years, the story came to a close, but at least it happened in a way that was 1000% satisfying for fans.

Oliver Queen’s time has ended, but there is still so much story left to tell, and his legacy will live on. We’ll miss you, Green Arrow, so very much!

There’s plenty to talk about in the Arrowverse this week, so let’s get to it. And remember: SPOILERS ahead! 

Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW

Batwoman Episode 111: “An Un-Birthday Present”

As a result of the Crisis, the denizens of the Arrowverse are still trying to make sense of the new world they’ve suddenly been thrust into. Each show is dealing with the confusing and emotional repercussions of that reality-altering event.

Kate Kane is no exception. She’s feeling especially out of sorts now that she knows that there’s a nice, happy version of Beth existing on Earth-Prime. She’s drastically different than the sister she’s come to know as Alice the villain. Not only is this version of Beth kind and nurturing, but she was saved by Kate in the accident that, in Kate’s world, turned Beth into Alice. One can understand why Kate feels so much guilt for not doing the same on her Earth, but there’s nothing to be done about that now.

I’m glad Batwoman didn’t waste time keeping this version of Beth in the dark about who and what she is (a product of the Crisis). Kate filled her in right away, saving us the torture of unnecessary secrets and lies. Since this Beth is an astrophysicists expert, she’s not really baffled by the idea of what the Crisis is and what it did. Those are the perks of being a genius, I suppose.

Much of the episode is about Beth and Kate getting reacquainted, which felt fitting. But I still felt it should have been given more time. I know a lot is going on, but I wanted this particular reunion to have more emotional weight than it did.

But we do have to visit other plotlines, including the other Beth/Alice being held while Mouse tries to secure her release. In an attempt to get Alice back, Mouse kidnaps the kids of two of Gotham’s leading citizens: the mayor and the commissioner. Oh, and Kate.

There’s something riveting about the scenes between Alice and Sophie as Alice recalls every heartbreaking detail of her capture and how she dealt with it. I was excited to see these two interact because it gave us a moment away from the craziness of the story. I know Alice always has ulterior motives, but something about the way she tells her story and how she looked to the “Alice in Wonderland” book as a coping mechanism felt very appropriate.

After Kate is kidnapped by Mouse, Beth realizes that she will be able to save her sister just like she was saved all those years ago. The only way she can do that is by pretending to be Alice and tricking Mouse into thinking Alice was released. But come on, after all those years of spending time together, I think Mouse knows better than that.

And he does, but unfortunately for him, he fails at burning Beth alive as Kate gets her moment of redemption and saves her sister from a burning car. Hooray!

But that’s not all! Not only did the evil Alice escape before she could be locked up in Arkham and nearly kill Sophie, it turns out that evil Alice and new Beth are connected. And only one of them can live.

Tune in in three weeks to see what this all means. What other crazy fractures are happening around the Arrowverse? Ah, don’t you just love living in a post-Crisis world?

Grade: B+

Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW

Supergirl Episode 511: “Back from the Future: Part One”

Ahh, Winn Schott is back! Words can’t express how happy that made me. I’ve missed his character so much, and it was nice to see a different version of him after so long.

But before you get too excited, bear in mind that we have two Winns to contend with during the episode. One is our original Winn and the other is an evil doppelgänger: Toyman. Yup, just like his father!

Of course, Lex Luthor is over the moon excited to take advantage of the evil Winn, especially with National City ToyCon coming up. The plan is for evil Winn to kill the man who killed his father.

It’s so weird to see Brainy involved with all of this, by the way. Ever since he took off his personality inhibitors he’s Mr. Logic, and for some reason, his reason is telling him that working with Lex Luthor is the way to go. Can we go ahead and pop those inhibitors back on?

Another individual unexpectedly partnering up with Lex is Lena, but only because there is something in it for her. She wants to be able to use “Q-wave technology” (no idea what that is or how it works), which Lex has promised her as long as she helps him find out more about Leviathan. Ugh, Lex is the worst.

At Toycon, Kara is very quickly thrown into Supergirl mode when the infamous cymbal toy monkeys show up in the form of bombs. It can only mean Toyman is lurking about, and it’s at that moment we see both our Winn and the evil Winn.

Our Winn time-traveled to this very moment to stop his evil doppelgänger from killing someone, because as it turns out, time cops in the future are blaming our Winn for the murder. If Toyman Winn succeeds, it could mean our Winn will lose his wife Ayla and daughter Mary (yes, he got married and has a kid)!

My favorite part of the episode? When Winn reunites with Alex, Kara and J’onn, the take him to The Tower: the new lair! Also, did anyone catch what he said? The Hall of Justice! That means in the future it’s officially referred to as that! Ahh, and did you all catch the Arrowverse superhero logos?

I’m not freaking out, you’re freaking out! I can’t express how much I’m loving the Arrowverse right now: it’s a comic book fan’s dream come true.

No thanks to Brainy, Lex finds out where they’re hiding Winn’s Legion ship. As a result, Lex is able to get his hands on a memory cube that he wanted. Come on Brainy, use your…brain?

There’s a sweet moment in the episode between Winn and Nia (who is dealing with the breakup from Brainy), and a really cool reveal! As it turns out, in the future where Winn lives, he’s best friends with Nia’s great, great, great, great granddaughter Nura, who has the same dream-like powers as Nia. And those powers are embedded within Winn’s ring as well.

I have felt very indifferent towards Nia’s story arc thus far, but I’m starting to see the potential in it. As the Arrowverse continues to explore a post-Crisis world, I can see where she might come into play more. Plus, her powers are super cool.

The episode ends with an exciting showdown between team Supergirl and evil Winn, with good carrying the day. Our Winn is absolved of any charges in the future, and all is well. Except with Brainy, who is gradually turning over to the dark side.

And speaking of the dark side, I don’t think Toyman Winn is quite gone just yet…

Grade: A-

Photo: Steve Dietl/The CW

Black Lightning Episode 311: “The Book of Markovia: Chapter Two”

Out of all the Arrowverse shows, Black Lightning probably ranks the lowest for me. And that’s not because it’s boring, but it just doesn’t stack up against the other shows for me.

Having said that, Agent Odell mentions Gotham City multiple times throughout this episode, which I am so loving. All these name drops and references are one of the best things about a post-Crisis world. All the crossover and connections are amazing!

There was a lot going on in this week’s Black Lightning, and by that I mean a whole lot of fighting. Up until now, Jefferson Pierce has been rather chill, or as chill as he can be given his powers. But something has changed within him, and now, he’s trying to change the “nice guy” image.

But before I get into that, he does have a nice moment with Jennifer, who talks about the work she’s been doing with Odell and how she wants to get out of it. She’s ready to take Odell down for everything that’s happened. He may not have shown any emotions in front of his daughter, but Jefferson is pissed AF to learn what Jennifer has done during her time working with Odell.

Now he’s out for Odell’s blood, too, which means things are about to get really electric. And while we’re talking about electrifying things, I can’t forget to mention Lynn, who is still reeling from her Green Light addiction. After getting her hands on some, she’s now planning on using Tobias for his DNA. I don’t know about all of you, but Lynn is my least favorite part of Black Lightning. I’m not sure I really care what’s going on here.

Oh, Lady Eve is back from the dead, too, although her storyline was a bit all over the place during this episode. The only thing to really come out of her return, so far, is that she is the one who sent assassins after Gambi. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the point of her return truly is.

Going back to the “Black Lightning is about to go rogue” storyline, he and Thunder manage to capture Odell and proceed to torture him. The ASA tries to intervene by sending evil Khalil to save and retrieve Odell from the Pierces. His mission? Kill the Pierces along the way.

When Jennifer finds out that her father and sister captured Odell without filling her in, she’s naturally pissed and shows up at the house. It’s the most inopportune time, of course, because she comes face to face with Khalil, who isn’t really Khalil anymore. And because of her emotions, it costs them Odell, whom the ASA take away. But hey, at least they have Khalil?

Meanwhile, Lynn gets Tobias out via invisible cloaking chameleon powers but ends up having to knock him out when he tries to get away. Oh, and the reason she knocks him out is because she gave her self super-strength powers. Pretty awesome, isn’t it?

I think this episode had a lot of wonderful, exciting moments but I did feel overwhelmed with it all. There wasn’t a lot of time to appreciate and take in the very thrilling scenes. I felt like I was missing them even as they were happening.

Having said that, Black Lightning is still carving out a place for itself in the Arrowverse. I think that, as we move forward, the multiple plots will come together in a coherent manner. Or at least I hope they do!

Grade: B-

Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW

Arrow Episode 810: “Fadeout”

Talk about one of the best series finales ever.

Arrow ended its eight-season run this week, and it’s difficult to put into words just how devastating and heartbreaking it was to say goodbye. I mean think about it. Arrow started the Arrowverse, and introduced us to a world of DCTV shows that I can’t imagine living without.

The series finale did not disappoint at all, and gave this hero the ending he deserved while meeting fans’ expectations of a proper conclusion. And for those of you wondering if we’d actually see Stephen Amell in the final episode, then I have good news: HECK YES WE DO!

Before I get into the review, Amell bid his own emotional farewell to his very iconic character. Grab your tissues, lots and lots of them.

The Arrow series finale does something special for day-one fans with a series of flashback scenes. They do an amazing job of incorporating all the major characters from the series into the finale, but not in an overwhelming way.

The episode kicks off with a throwback to 2012, to the moment Slade Wilson is about to take Moira Queen’s life. But things don’t play out this way, because Oliver breaks free of his shackles and stops Slade from killing Moira.

Why does the episode start this way? It’s to underline what Oliver’s death and sacrifice mean for the Arrowverse. He’s why Moira Queen is alive in the present, and giving an interview for a documentary about Oliver.

Arrow’s series finale was very interesting in the way it unfolded. Every moment gave us more insight what exactly Oliver did while he was the Spectre. People previously dead are now back (Moira, Emiko, Quentin and Tommy), and Star City is crime-free!

So, wait, there are no crimes,at all? Like, zero, zilch? Is that really possible? If Oliver as the Spectre was so powerful, he could have basically done anything, right?

Despite my doubts, I love that Oliver chose to bring back every single person he loved. It’s a very Oliver thing to do and makes a lot of sense for the series finale. He always went above and beyond for his loved ones, and even if he can’t be in this world, he wants them to be. How poetic!

The series finale found a very clever way to keep Amell in the episode without things being weird. Additionally, it gave us a lot more insight into Oliver’s relationship with Diggle. There’s something to be said that after eight seasons, we still want to know about their friendship, and how it transformed into what it did. They really had to work on it, and it didn’t come easy.

Which brings us to Arrow’s coolest fight scene ever. I don’t think they have ever pulled off something so epic, and by the end of it, we see Oliver turn into the man Diggle believed he could be: a hero, and not a killer.

In the present, team Arrow gathers to bid farewell to Oliver as a family. We basically see anyone that has ever been important to Arrow return, including Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity.

Didn’t you just love the scenes she was in!? It made me so emotional.

Of course, things can’t go off without a hitch, so after Sara brings Mia from 2040 to attend her father’s funeral and young William is kidnapped, things become a hot mess. That’s why Felicity comes out of hiding.

I had chills when Felicity looks across to an adult Mia for the first time. Up until now, I didn’t think I missed Felicity, but seeing Rickards’ emotional (and very believable!) performance made me feel her absence this season.

There was a lot of doubt in my mind about whether I wanted adult Mia and Felicity to talk, but when they did, it was everything I ever wanted. And speaking of emotional moments, shout-out to Katie Cassidy for giving it her all as Laurel Lance. Her time in the Arrowverse has truly shown just how talented she is.

It’s obvious that everyone Oliver ever loved is back, but what was peculiar is that this version of Laurel remained, not the original one. Laurel really struggles with this throughout the episode. I’m so glad they addressed this point, because it almost felt like a plot hole. Luckily, Papa Quentin came to the rescue with the perfect response: “Because sweetheart, there is nothing about you that needed to be fixed.”

Cue tears, lots of tears.

At Oliver’s funeral, everyone, including Barry and Kara, come together to say farewell to Oliver. Surreal as it is, it’s a perfect scene and couldn’t have gone any better. Everything from them coming together to Diggle’s speech had me ugly crying.

And then…are you ready for it? Are you sure?

The final few moments blew away my mind, and I think Arrowverse fans were collectively screaming and shouting at their television screens in excitement. During Diggle’s speech, the scenes flash to Dinah leaving Star City, Mia back in 2040 looking for William, and Diggle and Lyla packing up for their move to Metropolis.

That is until Diggle is blown back because of a foreign flying object that slams into the ground. As he approaches it and opens up the box in the ground…a very bright green light takes over the screen. Yes, that’s right, folks. The Arrowverse just gave some life to the rumors that John Diggle will become the Green Lantern. HECK YES! We want more!

And if that wasn’t enough to make you feel all the nerdy feels, then this just might: Remember when Felicity walked off with the Monitor into a portal somewhere? She was told that she couldn’t come back from this, and once we realize where she ended up, we were more than okay with it.

After all the deals and promises, Felicity was reunited with Oliver in the afterlife where they would spend eternity together — finally. Of all the places Oliver could have picked, he went with Moira’s office, the place where he saw Felicity for the very first time. Sigh, always a hopeless romantic.

And that’s a wrap on Arrow. Oliver Queen’s story may be over, but we’re far from the end.

Fadeout.

Grade: A

What a week, Arrowverse fans! I can’t really say any more than I already have, but I do want to say is that I’ll miss Arrow very, very much. It was the start of something special, and while it may be over, there is plenty to look forward to.

We’re not done just yet, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Arrowverse!

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