This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here, or see the tally of winners below. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!
Supergirl, “Survivors” (Oct. 31)
Supergirl introduces CW’s second form of Fight Club. It’s a fairly basic storyline for the form, which doesn’t necessarily mean terrible. Unfortunately, much like the alien immigration storyline from last week, it feels pretty basic. Supergirl doesn’t even do much this episode, outside of setting up a relationship with Mon-El. The parallels to Kara’s parents & her mistrust of Mon-El aren’t clear. J’onn wants to mind-meld with M’gann, but becomes preoccupied playing father to her. Alex plays the longing lover to the police officer, and Winn gets bullied. Roulette is too bland of a villain, and only stands out due to her clumsy Michael Vick reference. The twist of M’gann being the White Martian does not feel like a fully informed or earned choice. We’ll see if the show can evolve past stereotypes as the season progresses.
SCORE: 7/10 Champagne Flutes
The Flash, “Monster” (Nov. 1)
Although Zack Stentz wrote my favorite Flash episode last season, this one doesn’t hit the same way. The evolution of Killer Frost is nice, but comes about in a bad way. Caitlin’s mother is mean and unsupportive, but the exact reasoning behind it is unclear. Is she mad that Caitlin up and left her, or is she the uncaring mother who can’t remember Caitlin’s birthday? H.R. Wells is pretty annoying to listen to, but pleasantly distinct from the former Harrisons. We also get some background on Julian, whose jealousy of metas is a bit too similar to Wally’s speed-force jealousy. Also, the twist of the child controlling the monster/similarities to Julian/metaphor for bullying is too forced. Can’t he just play Pokemon Go like a normal boy? Hopefully, establishing all these characteristics will make for better conflicts from here on out.
SCORE: 6/10 Hologram Monsters
Arrow, “Human Target” (Nov. 2)
Arrow has a great episode, centered around Oliver as the source of action. The lack of attention to the new kids makes for more interesting conflict. Diggle & Rene bonding is far more interesting than the Oliver arguments. The death & departure of Church is a massive bummer. He brought the show back to its grittier roots, which set the show apart in a good way. At the very least, his final appearance is memorable, capitalizing off the villain very well. Arrow adds in Human Target, the Marvel/Netflix actor who mimics another CW character. He’s not integrated nearly as well as Constantine was, but works as a one-off cameo. Prometheus doesn’t feel like an overt threat yet, but maybe Susan Williams will prove to be a bigger threat. While the future of the show is unclear, this episode capitalizes off its strengths wonderfully this week.
SCORE: 8/10 Face Masks
WEEKLY WIN TALLY:
Supergirl: 1.5 Weeks
Arrow: 1.5 Weeks
The Flash: 1 Week
What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow take your vote? Do you think A.o.S. or Gotham outshines all the CW shows? Let us know in the comments below!
