This week on The Flash we kick off The CW's big Annual Arrowverse Crossover Event! Woohoo!
If you're coming in late, there's been an Arrowverse crossover ever year since the shows began, to help hammer home the notion that the various characters are all living in the same shared world/universe.
The crossovers started out pretty small, as the first one featured a pre-Flash Barry Allen making a 2013 cameo appearance in Season 2 of Arrow. The second crossover, in 2014, was a two-part story called Flash Vs. Arrow, that began on Arrow and finished up over on The Flash. In 2015 a two parter titled Heroes Join Forces played out once again on Arrow and The Flash, and introduced the team that would ultimately become the Legends Of Tomorrow.
The scale of the crossovers ramped up significantly in 2016 with the big Invasion! storyline. This time the event involved all four Arrowverse series: Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends Of Tomorrow. 2017's Crisis On Earth-X was the biggest crossover yet, once again playing out over all four shows and starring virtually every character in the entire Arrowverse.
This year's crossover event— in which a literal mad scientist uses a magic book to rewrite reality and cause Barry Allen and Oliver Queen to switch lives— isn't quite as epic as last year's. It's still quite a bit of fun though, as the script— and the actors— get quite a bit of mileage out of the switcheroo premise.
We know from past episodes that Grant Gustin, aka Barry Allen, has some major comedy chops and can be funny at the drop of a hat. It was surprising to see that Stephen Amell, aka Oliver Queen, can be equally hilarious as well. Sadly, Amell never gets to exercise his comedy stylings over on Arrow, as he's stuck playing a grim & gritty vigilante.
The character bits are definitely the main draw in this episode, as the plot's a bit too muddled and murky. We know new character John Deegan used the magic book to switch Barry & Oliver's lives, but we never find out why. The writers definitely needed to take one last pass at the script before filming.
The highlight of this episode had to be John Wesley Shipp's cameo as the original Flash from the 1990 series! His appearance here means The Flash 1990 is now part of the Arrowverse canon, and his adventures really "happened!"
According to Shipp, his old Flash suit had deteriorated over the years. The CW dug it out of storage, studied it and meticulously recreated it using modern materials. Cool!
The Plot:
We begin with a replay of the tag scene from Episode 8, as Earth-90 has been decimated by a very recent disaster. The bodies of dozens of dead superheroes dot the desolate, burning landscape. The Earth-90 Flash crawls along the ground, heading toward a large book. Just as he's about to reach it, The Monitor (although we're not supposed to know that's his name yet) bends down and picks it up.
The Monitor says, "You failed." Flash-90 asks why he's doing this. The Monitor tells him, "You did this to yourself. Now, all of you will perish." He opens the book, which begins glowing from within. Flash-90 gets up and zooms away at super speed.
Over on Earth-1, Dr. John Deegan gives a lecture to a sparsely-populated auditorium. He complains that metahumans are making the average citizen feel inferior, and suggests eugenics as the solution. Apparently this greatly offends the audience, and they all walk out.
Later in the parking lot, The Monitor appears and offers the Book Of Destiny (although I don't think it's ever called that in the episode) to Deegan. He tells him the book will give him the power to reshape the world, and to use it wisely. Deegan opens the book and is amazed, saying he can finally "see everything." Quite rightly, he asks why The Monitor's giving the book to him. He says because Deegan has "vision," and tells him to "think big."
Cut to Central City, where the skies are glowing an eerie red. Oliver Queen, aka the Green Arrow, wakes up in Barry Allen's bed. Confused, he enters the kitchen, where Iris West-Allen is fixing his breakfast. She kisses him good morning, and he realizes she thinks he's Barry for some reason.
Just then they get an alert of a robbery at Ivo labs. Iris takes off for STAR Labs, leaving Oliver alone. He wonders if he has Barry's powers as well, and gingerly tests his theory, zooming across the room in a split second. He suits up and heads for the scene of the robbery, overshooting it by several blocks as he adjusts to his speedster powers.
Oliver arrives at Ivo Labs to see a group of thugs stealing special diamonds for reasons. They fire on him and his speed instinctively kicks in, seemingly freezing the bullets in midair. He then whips up some Speed Force lightning (don't ask how he knows to do that) and hurls it at the robbers. It takes them out, but also ricochets through the lab. Oliver leaves the crooks to the police, and we see the lightning inadvertently activated an evil-looking robot.
Oliver goes to STAR Labs and discovers all the members of Team Flash believe he's Barry. He tells them he needs to go talk with "Oliver Queen" and leaves.
Cut to Star City, where Barry Allen is sparring with John Diggle inside ARGUS. Barry easily defeats Dig, and realizes he's somehow become Oliver Queen, complete with all his fighting and archery skills. Just then Dig gets an alert of trouble in the Glades, and tells Barry to suit up.
Barry and Dig burst into the crime scene. Barry manages to take out the crooks, and even stops the getaway car with an arrow. As Dig congratulates him, one last crook takes him hostage. Before Barry can react, Oliver zooms in and superspeed and saves Dig. Barry and Oliver then discuss what's happened to them. Oliver assumes Barry's meddled with the timeline again, but he assures him he's innocent— for once.
They go to STAR Labs, where they tell Team Flash what's happened. Of course they don't believe them, but agree to run some tests. Caitlin and Cisco can't find anything wrong with either of them. Later Oliver sees Iris alone and tries to convince her he's not the Flash, as Barry watches from the shadows. She offers him a drink, and says there's no way the Green Arrow could possibly be her husband. Just then Oliver becomes drowsy, and realizes Iris spiked his drink with speedster knockout drugs. Ralph then puts Barry's lights out with one punch.
Barry and Oliver wake and see they're meta-cuffed in a cell inside the STAR Labs Secret Super Jail. I guess Team Flash threw them in there until they can figure out what's happening? Anyway, Barry wonders if their identity mixup only affects Earth-1, and suggests they travel to Earth-38 to visit Supergirl and see if she recognizes them. Sure, why not?
Elsewhere in STAR Labs, Cisco involuntarily begins vibing, and sees an image of The Monitor.
Back in the cell, Barry uses the toilet to short out their meta-cuffs, and Oliver phases them through the door. They rush to the lab to steal an extrapolator to get to Earth-38. Iris meets them in the hall and says she can't let them do that. Barry, who she still thinks is Oliver, starts telling her personal details about their childhoods, and asks if it isn't at least possible they're telling the truth. She senses something familiar in Barry, and hands over the extrapolator.
On Earth-38, Kara's visiting her cousin Clark and his gal pal Lois Lane on the Kent farm. Suddenly Barry and Oliver breach into the barn, startling everyone. Barry and Oliver are happy to see that Kara recognizes them both for who they really are (even though their powers are still mixed up).
Meanwhile back on Earth-1, the robot Oliver inadvertently activated is running amok. Ralph and Killer Frost try to shut it down, but it easily knocks them on their collective asses. It then scans them and somehow replicates their powers. It flies off, courtesy of its new ice propulsion power.
Over on Earth-38, Barry and Oliver practice their new powers. Barry somehow rigs up a couple of crossbows to fire arrows into Oliver's back (!), as revenge for the prank he pulled the first time they ever met. They then get into an argument over training, as Oliver thinks Barry's not taking his new skills seriously, and Barry tells Oliver he needs to lighten up. Is this really the best time for such a petty argument?
At STAR Labs, Cisco discovers the Ivo Labs robot is called A.M.A.Z.O., and uses the Mirakur serum (something only Arrow fans will understand) to mimic powers. Sherloque accuses Iris of helping Barry and Oliver escape. She admits it, as she's now convinced Barry was telling the truth. Cisco says he believes her, especially after seeing the vision of The Monitor. Just then they get reports that AMAZO's returned.
On Earth-38, Barry and Oliver agree it'd be a good idea if each of them acted a little bit like the other. Just then Cisco breaches to the farm, says AMAZO's terrorizing the city and he could really use their help. Supergirl says she's in too, and Superman decides to tag along as well.
Cut to Earth-1, where AMAZO's destroying Central City. Suddenly the four heroes breach to the scene and begin battling him. They try to keep AMAZO disoriented so he doesn't have time to replicate their powers. Superman then piledrives the robot deep into the ground.
The heroes stand around congratulating themselves, but after a few minutes AMAZO flies up out of the ground, sending them all flying. This time he's able to copy their powers before flying off.
Back at STAR Labs, Team Flash tries to figure out how to defeat a killer robot with everyone's powers. Sherloque says why not simply shut it off? Cisco and Caitlin whip up a special robot-shutting-off arrow that contains some kind of computer virus or something..
Barry tells Oliver to use his superspeed to lure AMAZO back to the center of town. There's a lengthy high speed chase, but eventually Oliver manages to lead the robot back. Superman and Supergril grab AMAZO and hold onto him while the Flash counteracts his phasing ability. Cisco vibes to a rooftop, where Green Arrow's waiting. He hands him the special arrow, and Barry growls, "AMAZO, YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!" as he fires it.
The arrow hits AMAZO in the eye, shutting him down and causing him to explode.
Everyone gathers back at STAR Labs, but they realize their victory was a hollow one, as Barry and Oliver's lives are still switched. Superman returns to Earth-38, not wanting to leave Lois and his world unprotected. Iris tells Barry she believes his story, and worries he'll actually become grim and gritty like Oliver (?).
Cisco tells Barry and Oliver about vibing The Monitor, and they ask to see him. They hold onto him as he vibes, and they see The Monitor handing the Book Of Destiny to Deegan. The Monitor then somehow senses their presence (even though this is a vision of the past) and tells them they can't win. Cisco breaks contact and almost passes out.
Oliver then sketches his vision of The Monitor and Deegan, with the Wayne Enterprises building in the background. They realize Deegan's in Gotham City.
Cut to Gotham, where Batgirl stands atop the Wayne building, surveying her city.
Thoughts:
• Why the hell isn't Nora in this episode? Too many guest stars, not enough budget?
What would be the point of trying to break the four minute mile when the Flash can do it in less than a second, or climb Mt. Everest when Cisco could breach to the top?
I bet it's impossible to get in to see a psychiatrist in Central City!• When Deegan first sees The Monitor, he says, "My god, what are you?" The Monitor replies, "Something beyond your comprehension."
I'm probably reading WAYYYY too much into that line, but stay with me here. Back in 1985, DC Comics published a twelve issue miniseries called Crisis On Infinite Earths. In it, every DC superhero teamed up to fight a cosmic being called The Monitor (sort of).
One year earlier, in 1984, Marvel Comics published a twelve issue miniseries called Secret Wars, in which all their heroes teamed up to battle a cosmic being called The Beyonder. Crisis was much more convoluted and involved than Secret Wars, but the two miniseries did share a lot of similarities.
Which all makes me wonder— is The Monitor's line a subtle little nod to The Beyonder?
• Let's talk about The Monitor's brilliant plan, shall we? Supposedly he's traveling through the multiverse, hoping to find a world with beings strong enough to defeat his evil counterpart, The Anti-Monitor (although he's never mentioned and we're not supposed to know about him yet). In order to do this, he travels throughout the multiverse, gifting various people with the magical Book Of Destiny, which allows them to reshape reality as they see fit.
First of all, why does The Monitor need someone else to do this? If he wants to defeat his evil twin, why can't HE just use the book and make some superweapon to take him out? Is there a reason why he can't read his own book?
Secondly, The Monitor doesn't seem to be a very good judge of character. Rather than give the highly dangerous book to a fair and just judge or other prominent leader, he hands it to John Deegan, a man who's visibly mentally unstable.
• Although the whole "Barry & Oliver's Lives Get Switched" plotline was a lot of fun, I'm a little fuzzy as to just why it happened. Obviously we're meant to believe it's a side effect of Deegan using the book and reshaping reality to his will. But why such a specific change?
Even odder, their switch appears to be the only change that occurs!
Maybe it takes a while to get the hang of using the book, and making Barry & Oliver swap places was the best he could do right off the bat?
I'm also wondering why he chose to switch these two heroes. Deegan lives in Gotham. Why would he pick two superheroes from completely different cities and switch them? Why wouldn't he go after Bat Woman first?
This also means Deegan's meddling isn't a recent thing, and he somehow reached into the past and switched their lives at birth!
This would have been a fun and cool little gag, but unfortunately it's ruined by some of the worst and sloppiest Photoshopping I've ever seen.
Jesus Christ, The CW Art Department! I know from past episodes that you're capable of much better work than this. It's plainly obvious they just stuck Oliver's head on top of Barry's wiry, lanky body, without even attempting to scale it properly or even match the lighting or color temperature. It literally looks like they spent thirty seconds on it before printing it out.
How much time would it possibly have taken to have the two actors go outside and sit on a bench to recreate that photo?
It was also fun when Oliver realized he's now a speedster, and is amazed by his newfound powers.
Unfortunately none of this makes the least bit of sense (you knew that was coming, didn't you?). As I pointed out above, Oliver's body's no longer scarred, meaning he was NEVER the Green Arrow and has ALWAYS been Barry Allen in this reality.
So why is he just now becoming aware that something's changed in this episode? See what I mean? He's always been Barry, but realizes he shouldn't be. You can't have it both ways, writers!
• I gotta say it: Stephen Amell looks really weird as the Flash.
I think the problem is that Amell has a really enormous head (my head's abnormally large as well, so I get to say it), which just makes his Flash costume look "off."
• I love the fact that Oliver's first reaction to being the Flash is to wonder "Oh, Barry, what have you done this time?" Hey, it's a natural reaction! Think of how many times Barry's traveled to the past and torn the timeline a new asshole!
• It was a lot of fun seeing Oliver trying to figure out how to use his newfound superspeed. In particular I liked the scene in which the robbers fired on him, and his amazement as his speed kicked in and made the bullets seemingly stop in midair.
And of course what's not to love about Oliver as the Flash, growling, "YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!" to a gang of thieves!
I'm assuming the lab was founded by Professor Ivo, one of DC Comics' endless stream of mad scientist characters. In the comics, as here, Ivo created AMAZO, and android that can duplicate any superpower he scans.
• Speaking of AMAZO, I loved the redesign he gets here. That is one wonderfully creepy-ass looking robot! Something about its eyes just makes it look disturbing and ominous.
• At STAR Labs, Team Flash discusses AMAZO:
Caitlin: "That's the guy who attacked us at Ivo Laboratories! Anti Meta-human Adaptive Zootomic Organism."
Cisco: "A.M.A.Z.O. AMAZO. Sometimes these things just fall into your lap."
Wow, that's a pretty tortured acronym! I had to look up "Zootomic," as I had no idea what the hell it meant. According to the interwebs, it's "the branch of zoology concerned with the dissection and anatomy of animals." What that has to do with power-duplicating androids, I have no idea.
Note that in the comics, Amazo's just a name, and not an acronym. I guess the show thought it'd be too corny to call a robot "Amazo."
Team Flash continues:
Ralph: "It says Ivo Labs was contracted by ARGUS to build a unit capable of identifying meta-powers."
Cisco: "He doesn't just scan powers. He's pumping a nano-adaptive hybrid of the Mirakuru serum."
Caitlin: "So that's how he stole our powers. He scanned our meta-human genes, then used the Mirakuru hybrid to copy them."
I had no idea what the hell "Mirakuru" meant either, so I had to look it up as well. Turns out it's from Arrow, which I haven't been watching regularly. Mirakuru (which literally means "miracle") is a Japanese super-soldier serum developed in WWII. It gives subjects super strength, but can also make them hyper-aggressive, alter their personalities and even cause death.
Mirakuru first appeared in the Arrow episode Crucible. Amazingly, there are online conspiracy theories that propose it's a real thing.
• Oliver zooms Barry and Diggle away from the scene of the robbery so they can talk. For years now it's been a running joke on the show that whenever Dig is carried away at superspeed, he involuntarily vomits. It happens in this episode as well.
First of all, why the hell would they toss them BOTH in the same tiny cell? We've seen in numerous episodes that there are multiple cells in the jail. This is plot trickery at its most blatant, placed in the script just so the two of them can easily concoct a way to escape.
At long, long last, this vitally important question has finally been answered. There are indeed toilets in each cell, behind a secret panel in the wall.
Of course I feel compelled to point out that the cells are all placed right next to one another, so there's no room to store a two foot long pop-out toilet in each wall, but let's just move on.
• At one point Caitlin asks Cisco, "Were you able to get in touch with ARGUS?" He says, "Well, I tried, but I kept getting interference at 650 nanometers." Caitlin says, "Isn't that the wavelength for red light?"
On a whim I looked it up, and the wavelength for red light is somewhere between 700 and 635 nanometers! Good job, writers!
• At one point Caitlin asks Cisco, "Were you able to get in touch with ARGUS?" He says, "Well, I tried, but I kept getting interference at 650 nanometers." Caitlin says, "Isn't that the wavelength for red light?"
On a whim I looked it up, and the wavelength for red light is somewhere between 700 and 635 nanometers! Good job, writers!
It's a nice little touch, but it doesn't make a lick of sense. The Arrowverse versions of Clark Kent and Kara Danvers are completely different from the ones who were on Smallville.
I like Tyler Hoechlin's Superman the more I see him as well. He definitely seems to understand the character, and while he doesn't look anything like Christopher Reeve, he definitely embodies his spirit. I wish The CW would give us a Superman series starring Hoechlin, but that seems unlikely at this point.
• As we all know by now, The Flash loves to name streets and buildings after various comic book writers and artists. This week's no exception, as at one point we hear a cop says, "All units to Waid and Augustyn. Something's destroying IVO Labs!"
• As we all know by now, The Flash loves to name streets and buildings after various comic book writers and artists. This week's no exception, as at one point we hear a cop says, "All units to Waid and Augustyn. Something's destroying IVO Labs!"
This particular intersection is obviously named after Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn. Waid wrote The Flash comic for many years and contributed greatly to its mythology. Augustyn was the editor on the book during Waid's run, and also wrote the aforementioned Gotham By Gaslight.
Um... do either of these superheroes really have a logo? I've never noticed that stylized "E-M" on Ralph's costume before. Killer Frost definitely doesn't have a logo, as she doesn't even wear an official costume!
So where'd these symbols come from? Did AMAZO scan the two heroes, see that they didn't have any kind of identifying logo and design them himself? Considerate!
• Over on Earth-38, Barry and Oliver take the time to practice their newfound powers and skills. During this impromptu training session, Barry rigs up a couple of crossbows to pop up out of a field and shoot Oliver in the back (!). So much to talk about here...
Once again, as fun as it is to see Barry and Oliver switch lives, it still doesn't make much sense. As we saw earlier in the episode, this swap was somehow retroactive, and Barry's ALWAYS been the Green Arrow, while Ollie's been the Flash his whole life. So they shouldn't need to train all of a sudden.
Secondly, the crossbow gag is a callback to Season 1's Flash Vs Arrow, which was the very first Arrowverse crossover. In that episode, Oliver took it upon himself to train Barry in how to be a superhero, telling him he needed to be aware of his surroundings at all times. To prove his point, he rigged up two crossbows to shoot Barry in the back.
So I get why this scene exists, but it's just hopelessly silly. For one thing, where the hell did Barry manage to find two crossbows in the first place? Did Clark just happen to have 'em laying around his barn? And how in the name of Stan Lee's Mighty Toupee did he get them to fire on command?
• Barry, Oliver, Supergirl and Superman return to Earth-1 to battle AMAZO. The seemingly defeat him, but eventually he recovers and duplicates all their powers.
OK, I get that the Flash, Supergirl and Superman all have powers for AMAZO to replicate. But exactly what power is he copying from Green Arrow? His bowmanship is a skill, not a superpower. Whoops!
• Late in the third act, the Flash tries to lure AMAZO back to the others so they can capture him. During this chase, the Flash runs up the side of a skyscraper under construction.
AMAZO uses his super-breath to try and freeze the Flash, which forms a massive block of ice inside the structure. For some reason, AMAZO then blasts this mass with his heat vision, causing huge chunks of ice to rain down and trap him underneath them.
Um... did AMAZO mean to do that, or was it an accident?
Did... did they really bring a change of clothes with them from Earth-38? And if so, where were they carrying them? In a pouch inside their capes?
Come to think of it, where'd Barry get the motorcycle that he rode out of the breach when he first attacked AMAZO? Did he find that on the well-stocked Kent farm too?
Maybe everyone breached to Star City to pick up Arrow's motorcycle, then breached to STAR Labs to stow their clothing, and THEN breached to the battle with AMAZO. Or not.
• When Sherloque finds out that Clark's from Earth-38, he hands him an alimony check. He asks him to give it to his ex-wife, who also lives on Earth-38.
• When Sherloque finds out that Clark's from Earth-38, he hands him an alimony check. He asks him to give it to his ex-wife, who also lives on Earth-38.
So is that where Sherloque's from as well? So far he's never mentioned just where in the multiverse he comes from.
By the way, Oliver's skillful sketch was actually drawn by prominent comic artist Jim Lee.
Gotham City looks amazingly like Chicago!
• This Week's Best Lines:
Iris: "Look, babe, I know that we haven't caught Cicada, but Caitlin's immunity can help us."
Oliver: "Who's Cicada?"
Iris: (slowly) "Our big bad."
(Sounds like Iris has been watching her own show, and realizes they have a Big Bad each season!)
Iris: (to Oliver, who's somehow become Barry) "I love you, Barry Allen."
Oliver: (very awkwardly) "I love you... Iris... West... Allen."
Oliver: (as the Flash, to a group of thugs) "You have failed this city"
Cisco: "Pretty sure that's not your line."
(It's a funny bit, but how would Cisco know about Arrow's catchphrase?)
Diggle: (tossing the Green Arrow costume to Barry) "Suit up!"
(Barry looks uncertainly at the suit.)
Barry: "How do I put this... I forget, do do I need help putting this on?"
Barry: (after discovering he and Oliver have switched lives) "Man, what a total Freaky Friday. No, wait, we didn't switch bodies. It's more of a Quantum Leap. Where's a mirror?"
Oliver: "Focus, just for a second, and take this seriously because the world thinks that you're Oliver Queen and that I'm Barry Allen, and I would really like to know why."
Barry: "Totally."
Oliver: "Is that cool?"
Barry: "Yes. I'm sorry."
Oliver: "Thank you."
(Barry looks at a slideshow of Oliver and Iris' wedding photos.)
Barry: "Weird."
(Barry sees his photo as Mayor of Star City.)Barry: "Hey, Mayor!"
Oliver: "Just, if you could just for 90 seconds of seriousness."
Barry: "You gotta admit, this is a little cool."
Oliver: "I will find it a lot cooler when I wake up in my own bed tomorrow morning."
Barry: (suddenly concerned) "You woke up in bed with Iris?"
Oliver: "Mm-hmm."
Barry: "WE HAVE TO FIX THIS RIGHT NOW!"
Oliver: "Why are we in your secret prison?"
Barry: "It's not a prison. It's a Tesla conductor tube that dampens meta-powers. Okay, it's a prison."
Clark: "Okay, just be careful on that ladder. It's really old."
Lois: "You'll catch me."
(This line serves as both playful banter between the two, and also acknowledges all the times Comic Book Lois would jump from a great height to try and force Clark into saving her, proving he's Superman.)
Ralph: "So Barry and Oliver were mind-swapped by a guy with muttonchops? Man, it's not even Tuesday."
(Meta-humor! The Flash normally airs on Tuesday, but for some reason was broadcast on Sunday this time.)
Oliver: "If you're gonna be the Green Arrow, and I'm gonna be the Flash..."
Barry: "Maybe we need to start acting more like each other."
Kara: "Yes, finally, God. Super hearing, sorry. But I've been sitting in there waiting for you guys to figure this out because I have a lot of thoughts, okay?"
Oliver: " I should smile more."
Kara: "Yeah, maybe you should. It might help. You guys have to act the parts. Come on, try it."
Barry: "What?"
Kara: (to Barry, imitating Oliver's gravely voice) "I'm the Green Arrow!"
Barry: (to Oliver) "Wear a mask!"
(Oliver said that last line to Barry years ago when they met for the first time.)
Cisco: "We could use some help."
Oliver: "Let's do it."
Kara: (to Clark) "You wanna tag along?"
Lois: "If you don't, I will, Smallville."
Cisco: (staring at Clark) "Cool. Who are you?"
Clark: "A friend."
(Note that Clark's line is the first thing he said to Lois after rescuing her from the helicopter in Superman: The Movie.)
Ralph: "So an evil copycat Gort is coming to klaatu barada kick-to our asses, and we can't let out Flash and Green Arrow to fight it?"
Sherloque: "It's a computer, right? So just turn it off."
Cisco: (after a pause) "I hate it when you're right."
Barry: (as Green Arrow) "AMAZO, you have failed this city!"
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