This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. This week, we’ll also be including the premiere of ‘Black Lightning.’ There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!
Supergirl, “Legion of Super-Heroes” (Jan 15th)
While the cliffhanger from the fall finale didn’t pay off at all, this was a solid return episode. Reign still isn’t super fearsome, no matter how many creepy prison preachers she teams up with. She’s still too much of an anti-hero, killing criminals, when she should be a villain killing everybody. The Legion of Superheroes didn’t get to do many super-heroics, but Braniac was fun. Kara being trapped in her Mind Palace felt a little cliche, but the subplot still worked. Nothing a funny Martian Manhunter catfishing hijink can’t solve. ‘Legion of Superheroes’ was a solid return for SUPERGIRL.
SCORE: 7/10 Stray Cats
The Flash, “The Trial of The Flash” (Jan 16th)
This episode is pretty boring. The major plot points are Barry trying to avoid prison (kind of) and the team stopping an accidental villain. The court case isn’t interesting, because Barry doesn’t let anything interesting happen. Aside from the photos Ralph scores, it’s a pretty flat and bland story. Likewise, while it’s interesting that Fallout is an unintentional bad guy, that doesn’t make him an exciting character. His sudden turn to villain at the end isn’t justified, and doesn’t give us enough Flash/Killer Frost action to feel good about. The two storylines didn’t really mesh, nor did the speeches at the end. The speeches, plus the abrupt cut in Iris’ courtroom reveal, made the editor the real villain of the week for THE FLASH.
SCORE: 6.5/10 Objections
Black Lightning, “The Resurrection” (Jan 16th)
This was an incredibly strong premiere. Shifting the pilot to a “return” or “resurrection” story, as opposed to a standard origin story, feels more dynamic. Black Lightning kicks all kinds of butt – and so do his daughters. The way his ex-wife and children are fleshed out makes the show especially strong. The show is also smart about how it uses multiple antagonists, setting up a strong power dynamic across BLACK LIGHTNING’s world. The directing style of ‘The Resurrection’ is especially strong, truly setting it apart from other CW shows, making a wholly unique series.
SCORE: 8/10 Busted Cars
Arrow, “Divided” (Jan 18th)
While BLACK LIGHTNING was the strongest CW superhero show, ARROW had a strong return. The episode is a bit of a slow burn, focusing on the changing team dynamics within the show. Splitting up the overstuffed Team Arrow makes for nice variety in the series. Adding a Villain-vs-Villain plot line with the docks is also interesting, as it creates a larger fleshed-out world. Vigilante is probably the weakest link in the series, as the character has been taken a lame direction this season. But he’s only one piece in a large game that ARROW is playing well in its return.
SCORE: 7.5/10 Black Siren Kisses
WEEKLY WIN TALLY:
The Flash: 4 Weeks
Supergirl: 3.5 Weeks
Arrow: 2 Weeks
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!
