STARRING: GRANT GUSTIN, STEPHEN AMELL, MELISSA BENOIST, RUBY ROSE | EPISODES REVIEWED: THE FLASH 5.9, ARROW 7.9, SUPERGIRL 4.9 | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW | WHERE TO WATCH: NOWTV
With all four of The CW super shows (Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl) currently on their midseason breaks here in the UK, it has been an explosive, emotional ride for this shared world culminating in this, the biggest comic book spectacular ever committed to a TV screen – Elseworlds.
Even though the Legends were left out of the frame for this latest crossover, their absence didn’t leave a particularly significant hole, largely down to the debut of Ruby Rose’s Batwoman. Then you can throw in Tyler Hoechlin’s truly stunning Superman, Elizabeth Tulloch’s feisty yet warm Lois Lane, and John Wesley Shipp turning up as the Barry Allen of the ‘90s Flash TV show to help make up the numbers. This was comic book fun personified as the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) looked to rewrite reality as a way to test which worlds are up for the impending Crisis that’s on the way…
This three-episode arc as a standalone story made for fantastic viewing, but more so it worked wonderfully in relation to how Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl have progressed over their own current seasons. Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen is finally out of prison but in a desperate battle to try and salvage his marriage; Grant Gustin’s Scarlet Speedster is trying to handle the responsibilities of being a parent; while Melissa Benoist’s Maid of Might is arguably the most intriguing character of the bunch right now, with her refusing to give up her real identity as a civil war looks to tear her world apart.
Simply put, Elseworlds was an utter blast that was overflowing with nods and winks… and Gotham City! Even by Gotham’s standards, this world’s depiction of the famed location was a bleak and grim one as the brooding, badass Batwoman was left to pick up the pieces after Bruce Wayne has gone AWOL. As Kane, Ruby Rose was magnetic, particularly shining when sharing screen time with Benoist’s Supergirl. And most importantly, by the end of Elseworlds fans were left chomping at the bit for that in-the-works Batwoman show that’s pegged for a late 2019 premiere.
For the Arrowverse, then, it’s a case of so far, so good where the ongoing seasons are concerned. Arrow is hitting highs that it’s not reached since its epic second year – The Slabside Redemption episode proving to be an utter triumph and the greatest action-driven outing for the show that kicked off the Arrowverse way back in 2012. For The Flash, the presence of Jessica Parker Kennedy’s Nora West-Allen has given the show a major shot in the arm following its mixed bag of a fourth season. Over in National City, Supergirl has maintained the remarkable high standards of its previous season, with the show currently one of the most fascinating and all-encompassing titles on the box.
Where the Arrowverse is concerned, genre fans have never had it so good. More of the same, please!
