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‘Batwoman’ Recap ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths: Part Two’

 

Crisis On Infinite Earths continues with part two. If you need a refresher on the first part of Crisis On Infinite Earths, you can find that here.

Whoo boy. I have a hard time believing we live in a world where they are doing a big DC event on a television show. If you’d told me during the time where Smallville was still on television that we would one day get a version of Crisis on the small screen, I’d have told you that you’re insane. It seemed impossible back then, didn’t it? Then Arrow came and changed the game. Flash showed up next, proving there was a place for superheroes to exist in Arrow’s universe. We got Legends and Supergirl next, with Supergirl becoming a part of the Arrowverse from her own, separate universe. From there it’s only grown, with Green Arrow And The Canaries set to debut next year, along with a brand new Superman show reportedly being in the works.

In the introduction, the Monitor informs us that our heroes will need to find seven paragons. With a new goal in mind, our heroes split up to go find them. I’d like to mention Mick taking care of baby Jon is incredibly funny. It was good to ease the bleakness with a bit of humor.

This episode had three separate story arcs to cover tonight, along with teasing the events of a fourth so let’s get right to it.

Crisis On Infinite Earths: Reviving Oliver Queen

 

The first part of the Crisis came at a heavy cost. Oliver’s death came at the beginning of the first part of this epic crossover, surprising, probably, everyone. I know I didn’t expect it. I knew Oliver’s death would hit me hard, how could it not? Arrow came into my life at a time where I was just getting into comic books and superheroes. I knew so little about them, bar Spider-Man, that it took me six seasons of Smallville to figure out it was about Superman. I watched the first episode of Arrow and ran upstairs to tell my brother how incredible it was. Then I watched the rest of season one in a matter of days.

Seeing Oliver’s death in the first part of Crisis was a gut punch nothing could have prepared me for. He saved a billion people by himself and earned his hero’s death after all these years.

Unfortunately, Mia and Barry had other plans. Unable to let go of Oliver we had to watch as the two enlisted Sara and Constantine to find an Earth that still had a functional Lazarus Pit. They found one, went to it and ended up in a fight with Jonah Hex. Did anyone else find it weird how Sarah gave him the scar? I’m not saying that I think this is a plot point. I just think Sara going out of her way to scar Jonah’s face was a strange choice for her. Sarah doesn’t strike me as cruel and I’ll be the first to admit maybe I missed something, but… it just strikes me as odd.

Oliver goes through his big resurrection just for them to find out that Constantine can’t find his soul. The looming end of the world is preventing him from using the full extent of his powers and could leave Oliver a bloodthirsty monster.

Crisis On Infinite Earths: Paragon Of Truth

'Batwoman' Recap 'Crisis On Infinite Earths: Part Two'
Batwoman/The CW

Clark, Lois, and Iris are tasked with finding the paragon of truth but things are complicated when Lex Luthor makes his return. He steals the book of destiny and heads across the multiverse to kill as many Supermen as possible. The issue with this lies in him accidentally killing the paragon. This is the part of the crossover I was looking forward to the most. Any nerd is going to love these segments. from the death of Superman easter egg to the casual hints at other facets of the DC Universe that have always felt off-limit. If like me, you were a Smallville fan then there’s something you were probably looking forward to most of all.

Our heroes find the Tom Welling version of Clark and try to warn him but Lex makes them vanish and introduces himself. Michael Rosenbaum didn’t return to reprise his role so we got the Jon Cryer version, which is just as good if you ask me. What isn’t so good is what they did to Tom Welling’s Clark.

Clark gave up his powers to have a family. I’m not saying this is inherently bad, I’m just saying it doesn’t make sense. It spits in the face of everything Clark learned during the decade of Smallville episodes. I also saw someone point out online that this means he spent less time being Superman than he did learning to be Superman. It’s disappointing, but ultimately he never wanted to don the suit anyway so I suppose he’ll never have to again. The scene was still really well done and if anything it’s nice to have some closure.

Moving on to another Earth we’re introduced to Brandon Routh’s Superman. He wears the Kingdom Come suit and has lost all the people he cared about, save his child. Routh is magnificent as the Man of Steel. Charismatic, charming, he really embodies Superman the same way Tyler Hoechlin does. He’s magnetic and just looks so cool. Lex mucks things up by using the book to turn the two Supermen against each other. We get a pretty darn good fight between the two of them but it is Lois who saves the day. She knocks Lex out and they bring both Clark’s back to the ship

Crisis On Infinite Earths: Bat Of The Future

'Batwoman' Recap 'Crisis On Infinite Earths: Part Two'
Batwoman/The CW

Kevin Conroy was another anticipated cameo. People were really excited to see what the definitive voice of Batman would be like for his live-action debut. He wasn’t the Batman we deserve but he was the one we needed. Kara and Kate arrived to find a jacked Luke Fox guarding Wayne Manor. Once they finally get in to meet Bruce, Kara and Kate separate leaving the cousins alone to talk. Things start out okay but quickly start heading downhill.

I gotta say I wasn’t expecting this version of Bruce to be a cold-blooded killer. It’s disgusting to think that Batman killed all of his villains. He took down Joker, Riddler and all the rest of his rogues. The true shock came when it was revealed that he killed that earth’s Superman. Kara is, of course, disgusted and I wasn’t even surprised to find he’d held onto some Kryptonite.

A brief scuffle results in his death, which is probably a good thing. This Bruce wasn’t a hero, not anymore. He became a grumpy old hermit who’d lost all hope. In the end, it doesn’t matter because Kate is the true paragon. Kara and Kate share a heartwarming moment back on the Waverider. When Kara leaves her though, we find out she kept Bruce’s kryptonite. Maybe Bruce was onto something when he said his Kate never trusted anyone, much less a Kryptonian.

The End Of Part Two: Traitor

The final story thread revolves around Lyla. This is where we see the Anti-Monitor. I’m sure this isn’t what it looks like of course but only time will tell.

This is the best crossover the CW has put out so far. It’s easy to tell how much work has gone into this, the logistics of getting so many actors alone must have been a nightmare. It’s these episodes that make me grateful for all the work these actors put in, year after year. I’m grateful to Arrow for starting this little slice of DC television. The Arrowverse is never going to be the same after Stephen Amell’s final episode. A lot is going to change, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. If tonight’s episode showed me anything it’s that these heroes are still in good hands.

How are you feeling about the crossover so far? Did you think Tom Welling’s cameo was a disappointment? How did you feel about Kevin Conroy’s portrayal of the Dark Knight? Do you think Lyla is really going to work with the Anti-Monitor?

The Crisis continues on Tuesday, December 10th. You can catch the third part of Crisis On Infinite Earths on The Flash, airing at 8/7c on the CW.

Want to see the preview for part 3? You can do so here!

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