Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 3, Episode 8- Crisis on Earth-X, Part 4

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

Summoned by a distress signal from Felicity Smoak, The Legends arrive in Central City in 2017 in time to rescue their friends from a Nazi invasion from Earth-X - a parallel Earth where The Nazis won World War II! Meanwhile, on Earth-X, Sara, Jax and Stein struggle alongside Oliver Queen, Barry Allen and Alex Danvers to escape back to Earth One...


Influences

General alternate reality tropes involving The Axis Powers winning World War II, Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (basic plot, idea of Earth-X), The Flash #165 (Vol. 1) (Barry Allen's wedding is disrupted by a super-villain attack), Flashpoint (concept of Citizen Cold - the heroic Captain Cold), Final Crisis (concept of Overgirl - the Nazi Supergirl) the movie The Terminator (appearance of Earth-X Metallo, Black Canary name-drops it), All-Star Superman (a Kryptonian dying because of absorbing too much solar energy) and the comics of Len Wein.


Goofs

Given that some scientists theorize that the energy released by a star going supernova less than 25 light years from Earth could cause catastrophic changes to Earth's atmosphere, the consequences of a supernova forming on Earth would probably be far greater than just the destruction of The American Midwest.

Barry just letting Thawne go is just plain lame.


Performances

Victor Garber gives a fantastic final performance as Martin Stein.



Artistry

The scene as most of Team Flash, Team Arrow and The Legends fight Metallo is everything The DCTVU can be at its best - comic book action, brought to life with amazing effects work and fight choreography.

The silent montage of the various heroes reacting to Stein's death is also everything The DCTVU can be at its best - sentimental and hopeful, indulging in all our best angels. It is also artfully shot, with haunting music

Miraculously, the fifth-segment fight-scene gives everyone on all four series a chance to shine. It is well-blocked, well-acted and well-shot.


Trivia Of Tomorrow

The DC Comics Multiverse has a tradition of alternate realities where the Nazis won World War II. The first was Earth-X (Two) - an alternate version of Earth-Quality, which housed the superheroes published by Quality Comics who were later bought by DC Comics. Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (October 1973) introduced this Earth-X, when The Freedom Fighters - a team formed to fight the Nazis after they developed mind-control technology - summoned The Justice League from Earth One to help them.

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-X was folded into the unified DC Universe. It was revived as Earth 10 in The New 52 reality.

On Earth 10, the rocket carrying the last son of Krypton to Earth landed in a Nazi-controlled Sudetenland. This child became Overman - Champion Of The Fourth Reich. He lead a team of Nazi metahumans, including Overgirl - a human girl who gained Overman's powers after being injected with Overman's genetic material. Overgirl was introduced during the Final Crisis storyline.

Rather than the usual Legends of Tomorrow logo, this episode opens with a special Crisis on Earth-X logo.

Ray says that his ATOM suit embiggens as well as shrinking. Embiggen is a perfectly cromulent word, first introduced on The Simpsons, which means "to make bigger."

Mister Terrific makes reference to The Chandrasekhar Limit. This is the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf star. Once that mass is exceeded, an star will begin to collapse in on itself and go supernova. The official Chandrasekhar Limit is 1.4 times the size of Earth's sun.

When Supergirl confronts Overgirl during the final battle, she says "General. Would you care to step outside?" This is a nod to Superman II, when Superman said the same line when confronting General Zod. (Thanks to Christopher Evans for pointing that one out!)

Harry says that Kara must fly Overgirl, "up, up and away". This was a catch-phrase frequently said by Superman just before he started flying in various comics and cartoons.


Technobabble

After demerging as Firestorm, Jax experiences the pain of Stein's injuries from before they merged while Stein was bleeding to death. Caitlin says this is because their vitals are still linked, somehow, and that connection is the only thing keeping Stein alive.

The Waverider is tracking The Nazi Time-Ship using the extreme radiation signature given off by Overgirl's extreme exposure to solar radiation. Mister Terrific noted the readings they have are fast approaching The Chandrasekhar Limit - this means that Overgirl will become a supernova that destroys the entire American Midwest.


Dialogue Triumphs

Green Arrow: Thanks for your help.
Citizen Cold: We're not done helping, yet. Our enemies are still on your Earth, Ollie.
Green Arrow: (uncomfortably) Don't call me that.
(Green Arrow walks off as White Canary steps forward, quickening her pace.)
Citizen Cold: Give it time. I'll get through that crusty exterior.
White Canary: No. You really won't.
Citizen Cold: (smiling) I was talking to you.

(Thawne is about to start cutting into Supergirl's skin. Something is stopping his scalpel, however.)
Dark Arrow: What are you waiting for?! Do it.
Thawne: I'm trying! I'm trying but...
(Close-up as we see a tiny figure, growing larger, standing on Kara's chest, holding up the scalpel blade.)
The Atom: Mitts off, Mengele!
(The Atom jumps up and grows to full size, punching Thawne before zapping him with a taser blast. Dark Arrow charges forward, but Ray side-steps the attack and tasers him as well. He smiles as he moves and pulls on Kara's restraints, freeing her from the hospital bed.)  
Kara: Ray?
The Atom: Hi. How are you? (looks up to Felicity) Oh. I got your S.O.S. - how was the wedding?

The Atom: Okay, I know I'm late to the party, but why have Nazi dopplegangers taken over STAR Labs?
Felicity: They're from Earth-X. They hate everybody. They want to steal Kara's heart. And they have this giant robot.
The Atom: Huh. I've actually fought one of those before. Little known fact - the suit doesn't just shrink.
(As The Atom is speaking, a Nazi guard comes up behind him and cocks his gun.)
Felicity:
Ray!
(Before the guard can shoot, The Atom spins around and reaches out, his arm growing longer as his enlarged hand pushes the Nazi to the wall and knocks him out.)
The Atom: It embiggens.

Felicity: (To Dark Arrow, as she stands between him and Supergirl.) My grandparents didn't survive The Holocaust so the world could be ruled by Nazis. So if you want Kara, you've gotta go through me. And even if you do, you're not gonna win. Because we will not back down. We will keep fighting. So get the hell off our Earth while you still can!

(Black Canary and Cisco take cover behind a crate as Metallo attacks.)
Black Canary: This guy's like The Terminator.
(Cisco starts laughing.)
Black Canary: (angrily) Why are you laughing?!
Cisco: I just love a good pop culture reference in a moment of crisis. Also... that!
(Cisco points to where The Flash has run into the room as Firestorm and The Ray fly in behind him.)

Alex: I should have known better than to think that a wedding on another Earth is going to solve all of our problems.
Kara: Yeah, but... you know, fighting evil versions of ourselves does kind of put those problems in perspective, doesn't it?
Alex: Way to see the silver lining.

(Stein asks Jax to give him Cisco's cure for their powers.)
Jax: You're asking me to kill you, Grey!
Stein: I'm asking you to let me die so that you can live.

(Sara walks down the Hallway. Ollie is waiting for her.)
Ollie: How are you holding up?
Sara: I'll cry at the funeral.
Ollie: (taking her arm) Sara...
Sara: (firmly) I'm fine.
Ollie: We need to gather everyone. Overgirl is going to go nuclear and the Earth-Xers are going to use their Waverider to threaten Central City and leverage us into surrendering Kara.
Sara: How do you know that?
Ollie: It's exactly what I would do.

(Heatwave burns one of the Nazis with a fire blast. Citizen Cold runs up.) 
Citizen Cold: Excuse me! You can't just go around roasting people!
Heatwave: Why not?
Citizen Cold: You ever heard of Due Process? Rule of Law?
Heatwave: No.

(Ollie accepts Felicity's proposal and suggestion that they marry right now.)
Ollie: Uh, John, what do you say?
John: Are you kidding me, Oliver? I'm the guy that for the past six years has been trying to keep you two together. It's only fitting that I marry you.


Continuity

Based on his flirting with White Canary and his kissing The Ray in F408, Citizen Cold is bisexual.

Ray Palmer refers to the events of L113 and how he once fought a giant robot. He also demonstrates how he can use his suit to become bigger as well as smaller, as he did in that episode.

Felicity Smoak's grandparents were Holocaust survivors.

Mick refers to the events of L208 and how he thought for a time that he was being visited by Leonard Snart's ghost.

Citizen Cold says that the Earth-X version of Mick Rory died in a police station fire, after running back in several times to pull police officers out of the fire.

The Ray reveals his full name as Ray Terill.

Martin Stein sacrifices himself to save Jax's life by taking Cisco's "cure" for Firestorm, from S308.

Ray Palmer has a picture of himself and Martin Stein, taken with an 19th century camera of the two of them dressed in cowboy garb. This photo was likely taken during the events of either L206 or L111.

Barry lets The Reverse Flash go.

Green Arrow kills The Dark Arrow.

The Ray returns to Earth-X.

Citizen Cold decides to stay on Earth One for a while, but promises he'll return home to Earth-X someday. He and The Ray part ways affirming that they love each other.

At Martin Stein's funeral, as everyone takes turns shoveling dirt onto the grave, Sara thanks him for believing in her as Captain, Caitlin asks him to say hello to Ronnie for her and Barry thanks him for helping get him out of The Speed Force.

Alex and Sara agree there's no chance of a relationship between the two of them but Alex does thank Sara for helping her put things in perspective. They wish each other well and say they're sure the other person can find someone they can be with for more than just a night.

In keeping with the running gag from previous encounters with The Flash, John Diggle throws up whenever he is moved at super-speed.

John Diggle was ordained to conduct weddings to marry his brother and sister-in-law. He officially marries Barry and Iris, with Ollie and Felicity acting as Best Man and Maid of Honor.

Iris wanted to be a ballerina when she was nine.

Diggle also marries Felicity and Oliver.

Felicity refers to the events of A416 and the fake wedding she and Oliver had as bait for a trap for Cupid.


Location

Earth X - Star City - 2017
Earth One - Central City - 2017


The Fridge Factor

Averted as Zari, Killer Frost, Felicity Smoak and Vixen are the ones who take down the Nazi Waverider.


The Bottom Line

Easily the weakest of the four chapters, but only because it is overburdened in how much it has to accomplish. Between The Death of Martin Stein, an epic battle between the Nazi army and all of the main cast of heroes and two weddings, there is a lot to get through. Amazingly, it's all the minor subplots and character moments (such as Caitlin's farewell to Stein or the Alex/Sara romance resolution) that are handled the best. Still, despite its flaws, this is still a damn fine episode and proof positive that good, epic superhero stories can be told on a small-screen budget.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 4, Episode 8 - Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

Barry, Ollie, Alex, Sara, Jax and Stein are trapped in a concentration camp on Earth-X - a world where The Nazis won World War II! Thankfully, they have unexpected allies... including the Earth-X version of Leonard Snart! Meanwhile, back on Earth One, Iris and Felicity must free their friends from the STAR Labs pipeline and save Supergirl before her heart is removed to save a sickly Overgirl.


Influences

General alternate reality tropes involving The Axis Powers winning World War II, Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (basic plot, idea of Earth-X), the movie Die Hard (heroes using ducts to traverse a building, avoiding a small army, name-dropped by Felicity), Flashpoint (concept of Citizen Cold - the heroic Captain Cold), Final Crisis (concept of Overgirl - the Nazi Supergirl), The Terminator (appearance of Earth-X Metallo, Felicity says "Come with me if you want to live" to Kara), All-Star Superman (a Kryptonian dying because of absorbing too much solar energy) and the comics of Len Wein.


Goofs

Paul Blackthorne does a good German accent. Unfortunately, his accent only serves to remind us that none of the other regular cast playing villains from Earth-X are bothering with German accents.

Despite being billed as a major part of the crossover event, The Ray is barely introduced as a character here and nothing is given of his background.


Performances


There's a nice bit of non-verbal acting on the parts of Caity Lotz, Chyler Leigh and Martin Garber as they see the badges on the uniforms of their fellow inmates and realize just how much trouble they are as a Jewish professor, a lesbian and a bisexual without saying a word.

Lotz does something similar opposite Paul Blackthorne, when she sees the man her father is on Earth-X. Not a word is said as Sara learns that this Quentin Lance killed his own daughter for loving men and women, but her eyes give away how disturbed she is to see her father like this.

Melissa Benoist gives perhaps her finest performance ever as Kara Danvers, confronting an evil version of herself who is, strangely enough, everything Kara has been threatening to become in Season Three of Supergirl the more she forsakes her humanity.

Jeremy Jordan brilliantly plays against type as Freedom Fighter General Winslow Schott Jr here.

There's another great moment between Caity Lotz and Chyler Leigh as Sara and Alex bond over their strong connection with their sisters and their complicated relationships.


Artistry


The production team did a marvelous job of capturing the despair and horror of a concentration camp in the opening scene, right up to the open grave full of the bones of other people killed by the firing squad and left to rot that our heroes see as they are marched off to be executed.

Supergirl's speech to Overgirl is a perfect encapsulation of the political zeitgeist in America at the time this episode aired - an argument against the politics of the Alt-Right which normalizes racism and fascism in the name of some Nationalistic ideal of purity.


Flash Facts


The DC Comics Multiverse has a tradition of alternate realities where the Nazis won World War II. The first was Earth-X (Two) - an alternate version of Earth-Quality, which housed the superheroes published by Quality Comics who were later bought by DC Comics. Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (October 1973) introduced this Earth-X, when The Freedom Fighters - a team formed to fight the Nazis after they developed mind-control technology - summoned The Justice League from Earth One to help them.

The Earth-X rebellion against the Nazi regime which rules the world is called The Freedom Fighters. Their members include Citizen Cold, The Ray and Freedom Fighter General Schott.

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-X was folded into the unified DC Universe. It was revived as Earth 10 in The New 52 reality.

On Earth 10, the rocket carrying the last son of Krypton to Earth landed in a Nazi-controlled Sudetenland. This child became Overman - Champion Of The Fourth Reich. He lead a team of Nazi metahumans, including Overgirl - a human girl who gained Overman's powers after being injected with Overman's genetic material. Overgirl was introduced during the Final Crisis storyline.

The entrance gate at the concentration camp on Earth-X that we see has a sign which reads "Arbeit Machit Frei". This is the German phrase for "work sets you free" - a slogan that was posted above the gates of many real-world concentration camps.

The caption labeling Earth-X changes to read Erde-X. "Erde" is the German word for Earth.

As in our world, the inmates in concentration camps on Earth-X are made to wear badges which denoted their crimes. Pink Triangles were used for homosexuals. Yellow Stars of David (six pointed stars) for Jews.

Rather than the usual The Flash logo, this episode opens with a special Crisis on Earth-X logo.

This episode marks the first time we get to see the Pipeline cells "in storage" when they aren't being opened to let one of the inmates talk to whoever is at the entrance.

Felicity makes a reference to Josef Mengele in discussing Thawne's plans for Kara. Josef Mengele was a Nazi doctor famous for his cruel and unusual experiments on captive subjects.

While the idea of a more heroic Captain Cold has come and gone over the years, Citizen Cold first appeared in The Flash storyline Flashpoint. In the world where Barry Allen never became The Flash, Leonard Snart became Citizen Cold and turned upon his former criminal partners, becoming the protector of Central City. It was largely an act, however, and Snart was still as profit-minded as ever, stealing from the criminals he captured. He was later killed by Iris West as revenge for his murder of Wally West, who had uncovered Snart's secret identity and criminal past and threatened to reveal the information to the public.

The glasses which Leonard Snart wears as Citizen Cold are based on the classic Captain Cold glasses from the original The Flash comics.

The Earth-X version of Leonard Snart is a much more cheerful fellow than the snarky, dispassionate master criminal we saw on Earth One. He's fond of puns and is rarely not smiling. He insists that everyone call him Leo and seems to be easily distracted. He also has a code against killing, as evidenced by the fact that he chills the weapons of his enemies making them too cold to hold rather than freezing them solid.

The Ray first appeared in Smash Comics #14 (September 1940), published by Quality Comics. Originally, reporter Lanford "Happy" Terrill was said to have developed energy-control powers after being exposed to sunlight and lightning at the same time while ballooning. This was changed after Crisis On Infinite Earths, with the first Ray gaining his powers as a test-subject for a secret government group called RONOL (Research On Nature Of Light) in a staged ballooning accident.

The mind behind RONOL was Dr. Dayzl, who had radical theories about all of the light in the universe coming from a sentient and potentially dangerous entity. He created a light bomb and exposed Terrill to it, hoping that his offspring would become a union of light and humanity capable of communicating with his theoretical Light Entity. Shockingly, Dayzl's theories seem to be confirmed when Lanford Terrill's son was born glowing!  To spare his wife the shock of this weird truth, Lanford fakes his infant's son's death and sent him away to be raised by his brother, Thomas.

Lanford's son, Ray Terrill, became the second Ray. He first appeared in The Ray #1 (February 1992). He had been raised in total darkness, told that he had a disease that made sunlight lethal to him. In truth, his foster father (uncle) had been trying to hide his nature. Ray learned the truth from his uncle's death-bed confession.

A third man - Stan Silver - adopted the name of The Ray when The Freedom Fighters were reformed. He first appeared in DCU: Brave New World (July 2006). Like Lanford Terrill, he was a reporter who gained the power to become "a living laser light" after being exposed to upper atmosphere radiation. Unlike Lanford Terrill, he was a womanizer, a braggart and a double-agent for the organization S.H.A.D.E..

A fourth Ray was introduced into The New 52 reality in The Ray #1 (December 2011). This Ray was a man named Lucien Gates - a Korean-American lifeguard who developed energy-control powers after getting caught in the path of a particle beam. Comments made by Lucien suggest that he is not the first hero to use the name of The Ray in the new reality and that Lanford Terrill (at least) was The Ray before him.

Unlike his comic-book counterpart, the Earth One version of The Ray is gay.

The Freedom Fighters use a Red Tornado robot to destroy The Nazi's temporal gateway. It's worth noting that T.O. Morrow, the scientist who created The Red Tornado in the comics, is a Polish Jew - his original name being Tomek Ovadya Morah.


Technobabble

Earth-X has power-dampening collars, similar to the technology developed by STAR Labs on Earth One. The collars are also capable of electrocuting those bound by them, which is why even the non-powered heroes are fitted with them.

The Cold Gun of Citizen Cold also has some ability to fire explosive projectiles, as we see when he shoots a round from his gun that takes out a watchtower.

The Nazis on Earth-X have control of  a temporal gateway - a device which operates in much the same manner as a breach, only much larger and more stable. This is what they used to travel to Earth One.

The Temporal Gateway is guarded by 30 Panzer XIIs, 50 Strumtigers and 100 Schutzstaffel officers. It is also full of metahuman power dampening fields.

The Nazi super-weapon is revealed to be a time-ship dubbed The Wellenreiter (a.k.a. Wave-Rider in German.)

The Temporal Gateway requires an automated power cell be activated before its control console works.


Dialogue Triumphs


(Harry is bouncing a ball against the wall of his cell to annoy Cisco. Cisco, in turn, is banging on the wall of his cell to annoy Harry.)
Dinah:
Are they going to do that the whole time we're in here?
Caitlin: Probably.

Supergirl: (weakly) You did all of this just.. just to get me?! Do you know how many innocent people you've killed?!
Overgirl: Their lives to save mine? They should be honored.

(A Nazi officer enters the yard of the camp.)
Sturmbannführer Lance: So these are...(scornfully) the heroes?
Guard: Yes, Sturmbannführer!
(Sturmbannführer Lance walks forward, stopping as he sees White Canary.)Sturmbannführer Lance: (sighing) Blonde hair. Blue eyes. This is Nordic perfection. (stepping forward toward her) Why would you align yourself with the unpure?
Sara: Because I like men. And I like women.
Sturmbannführer Lance: (sighing, his expression sad) You know, I had a daughter who looked just like you, with similar compulsions.
(Sturmbannführer Lance reaches out and stroke's Sara's cheek with his gloved hand.)
Sturmbannführer Lance: (suddenly angry) And I expunged that filth from my family line forever!
(He pulls his hand away. Sara puts on a brave face but her eyes reveal her torment.)

(Barry, Ollie, Alex, Sara, Stein and Jax are lined up before the firing squad. They steel themselves, ready to face the end unflinching.)
Sturmbannführer Lance: Ready!
(The Nazi guards raise and cock their guns.)
Sturmbannführer Lance: Aim!
(Suddenly, a blast of blue energy washes across The Nazi guards. They all drop their guns as a familiar figure comes into view from around a Nazi truck, cold gun in hand. His glasses are different but the smile on his face as the Nazis freeze is unmistakable.)
Citizen Cold: I hate "fire".
Everyone Else: Snart?!
Ray: About time!

Citizen Cold: (To Barry) That is a fantastic outfit! Did you make that?
Ray: Leo!
Citizen Cold: Right. (starts removing Ray's collar) Time to make you shine, buddy.
Ray: Uh, you, uh, might want to close your eyes?
Jax: Why?
(As the collar comes loose, Ray begins to glow with a blinding yellow light. He flies into the sky above and begins shooting energy blasts at the approaching Nazi soldiers.)
Stein: Well, I believe he just answered your question.

Overgirl: You're looking more human. Scared. Helpless. Pathetic. Inferior.
Supergirl: We're not that different from them.
Overgirl: Oh, please. We're everything they want to be: blonde, white - Aryan perfection.
Supergirl: I'm not like you. I don't think I'm better than everyone else.
Overgirl: You should. You are. You're a god to them. You could have been living like one.
Supergirl: (laughing weakly) Like you?
Overgirl: Yes, like me! They want someone to bow to. To worship. To lead!
Supergirl: What you're doing is not leading. It's ruling.
Overgirl: (considers this and nods) Yes. It is.

Ray: (To Ollie) And you're the good version of The Fuhrer?
Sara: "Good" might be an over-simplification.

Stein: I may be a learned man but I am not always an astute one. I think I was just so thrilled with the reality of my imminent departure that I neglected to consider your feelings.
Jax: Look, man - I'm not trying to take you away from your family or nothing-
Stein: You are my family!
(Jax stops in mid-protest, stunned.)
Stein: Long before I unexpectedly found myself with a daughter, I found myself unexpectedly with a son.
Jax; (embarrassed) Yeah, I know.
Stein: "You know?" You know? Do you? Look around you. We're standing in one of the.. darkest places imaginable. Yet somehow, I am optimistic. Do you know why?
Jax: Because you are a crazy old man?
Stein: Yes. (suddenly) No!
(Jax chuckles.)
Stein: Because I am standing here with you. You are a better son than I could have ever hoped for. And no length of time or distance will ever change that.
Jax: (nods) A'ight. Apology accepted. Come here.
(The two hug.)

Alex: You don't understand! I can't lose her!
Sara: I understand more than you think. I lost my sister. The anger and guilt that I felt for not being able to save her... it took me down a dark path.
Alex: I'm sorry. I didn't know.
Sara: How could you? The only thing we know about each other is... what we look like with clothes off. Beautiful, by the way. You also don't know that I protect my team, and you, Danvers, are on my team. And I promise you we're not going to let what happened to my sister happen to yours.
Alex: I'm sorry. I just want to... I want to save Kara and I want to get back to Maggie.
Sara: Maggie is...?
Alex: Complicated.
Sara: Yeah. I had a Maggie too. And I think about going back to her all the time. Look, Alex... you seem like a pretty thoughtful person. And if you thought it wasn't going to work out and had to end it, I'm sure that reason was valid. Trust your instincts.

(Ollie reveals his half-improvised plan.)
Citizen Cold: That's the whole plan?
Barry: Well, as the Snart we used know used to say, "Make a plan. Execute the plan. Expect the plan to go off the rails. Throw away the plan."
Citizen Cold: Wow. That is... that is -terrible- advice.


Continuity

As the episode opens, Barry, Ollie, Sara, Alex, Jax and Stein are being held prisoner in a concentration camp on Earth-X. Caitlin, Cisco, Harry, Rene, Dinah, Curtis and Rory are being held inside The Pipeline in STAR Labs on Earth One. Kara is being held in a red-sun field in STAR Labs on Earth One, about to be operated on by Eobard Thawne. Iris and Felicity are still free, hiding in the ducts under STAR Labs.

Cisco awakens from his coma from S308.

The Earth-X version of Quentin Lance is a Sturmbannführer in the Nazi army. This is roughly the equivalent of a Major in the United States Army. The name literally translates from German as "assault unit leader."

The Earth-X Version of Quentin Lance apparently killed the Earth-X version of Sara Lance personally when he learned of her bisexuality.

The Earth-X version of Leonard Snart goes by the name Citizen Cold. He is armed with a cold gun, similar to that used by the Earth One Leonard Snart. His personality is quite different, however, being more cheerful and easy going.

It is confirmed that the Earth-X version of Oliver Queen is The Fuhrer of the Earth-X Nazi government.

Ray is originally from Earth One.

Felicity sends a distress signal to the rest of The Legends.

It is revealed that the Earth-X version of Winslow Schott Jr. is a General in The Freedom Fighters. This version of Winn Schott is more confident than his Earth 38 counterpart and more militaristic in his approach to things.

Stein refers to the events of L205 and how he inadvertently created a daughter by altering his own past, so that his younger self tried to be a more attentive husband and wound up having a child.

Alex Danvers is certified in the use of 30 military weapons.

Sara refers to the death of Laurel Lance and her own efforts to try and prevent it by killing her murderer before he had a chance to kill her in Season Two of Legends of Tomorrow.

Sara talks about a complicated relationship she had with a woman who she thinks about going back to but ultimately decided it wouldn't work out with. This is likely a reference to Nyssa Al Ghul, whom Sara was romantically involved with during her time in The League of Assassins.

The Ray and Citizen Cold are in a romantic relationship.

Eobard Thawne claims to have fought Superman at one point in Kara Danvers' future and that he was faster than Superman.

The Nazi super-weapon is revealed to be a time-ship dubbed The Wellenreiter - a.k.a. Wave-Rider in German.

The Earth-X version of Felicity Smoak is an inmate in the Star City concentration camp. Sturmbannführer Lance uses her as part of a test to confirm that the Oliver Queen who shows up unexpectedly is not the true Fuhrer.

The weapon The Freedom Fighters are using to destroy The Nazi's Temporal Gateway is a Red Tornado robot, like the one Supergirl fought in S106.

Eobard Thawne claims that the history books where he comes from are full of legends of the Age of Heroes and stories of Green Arrow, Black Canary and The Flash. He says that nobody in his time has heard of Felicity Smoak.

The episode ends with Professor Stein being shot, seemingly fatally, as The Red Tornado moves to destroy The Nazi base.


Location


Earth-X - Star City
Earth One - Central City


The Fridge Factor


Iris is completely useless in this episode. Felicity does everything that stops The Earth-X villains from killing Supergirl. Iris is just along for the ride.


The Bottom Line


Curiously, despite being an episode of The Flash, Barry doesn't do much in this episode and the regular supporting cast is largely absent and even the ones we see don't do much. (Looking at you, Iris!) Still, there's a lot of great performances here from other Arrowverse actors. As part of the larger crossover event, it's a damn good penultimate chapter with one hell of a cliff-hanger ending. Shame they didn't do more to give The Ray a proper introduction, though.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 8 - Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

Oliver and Felicity travel to Central City for the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West. Unfortunately, the party is crashed by super-villains from Earth-X - an alternate reality where The Nazis won World War II and Oliver Queen is the sinister Dark Arrow!


Influences

General alternate reality tropes involving The Axis Powers winning World War II, Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (basic plot, idea of Earth-X), Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters (The conversation between Felicity and Oliver about getting married mirrors the infamous chat between Oliver and Dinah about having kids), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (the Kryptonite arrow), All-Star Superman (a Kryptonian dying because of absorbing too much solar energy) and The Man In The High Castle (same Axis Powers win World War II tropes, but also specifically name-dropped by Felicity)


Goofs

Why is Jax so surprised by the concept of parallel Earths existing? He met Supergirl a year earlier and knew she came from a different Earth!

Where the heck did Oliver get the Kryptonite for a Kryptonite Arrow? (Probably Cisco.)

At this point, the continued resurrections of Eobard Thawne have passed being merely illogical to become completely annoying.

Why doesn't Dark Arrow shoot Harry before he runs down the hall and trips the security alarm?

Also, STAR Labs really needs to get locks on the doors. Immediately.


Performances

It's a brief cameo, but Colin Donnell has a great turn as the evil Tommy Merlyn of Earth-X.

As per usual, the chemistry between Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards is amazing.


Artistry

The sequence in which Supergirl, Green Arrow and The Flash work together to save a collapsing building is fantastic.

The fight sequences in the fifth segment are great, with all the Nazi-punching, Nazi-kicking, Nazi-smacking, Nazi-shooting and setting Nazis on fire one could hope for.


Trivia

Rather than the usual Arrow logo, this episode opens with a special Crisis on Earth-X logo.

The DC Comics Multiverse has a tradition of alternate realities where the Nazis won World War II. The first was Earth-X (Two) - an alternate version of Earth-Quality, which housed the superheroes published by Quality Comics who were later bought by DC Comics. Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (October 1973) introduced this Earth-X, when The Freedom Fighters - a team formed to fight the Nazis after they developed mind-control technology - summoned The Justice League from Earth One to help them.

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-X was folded into the unified DC Universe. It was revived as Earth 10 in The New 52 reality.

On Earth 10, the rocket carrying the last son of Krypton to Earth landed in a Nazi-controlled Sudetenland. This child became Overman - Champion Of The Fourth Reich. He lead a team of Nazi metahumans, including Overgirl - a human girl who gained Overman's powers after being injected with Overman's genetic material. Overgirl was introduced during the Final Crisis storyline.

The Earth-X of The DCTVU is one where Germany developed the atomic bomb before The United States and was far less restrained in using it. According to Harry Wells, The German Army destroyed New York City, Paris, London and Moscow and Hitler continued to rule Germany until his death in 1994. Harry says that Earth-X was never given an official number designation, unlike the other Earths, because no sane person would want to travel there.

The conversation Oliver and Felicity have regarding Felicity not wanting to get married mirrors a famous scene from Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters. In this scene, Oliver Queen proposes to Dinah Lance and asks her to have his children. Dinah politely turns him down, saying that while she would love to spend the rest of her life with Oliver, she refuses to bring children into the lives of two superhero parents who might die any night.

The Earth-X villains break into Dayton Optical Systems. In the original DC Comics, Dayton Industries was a conglomerate which owned several companies with the Dayton name. All of these were owned by Steve Dayton - the fifth richest man in the world as well as the psychic superhero Mento. He was also the husband of Rita Farr (a.k.a. Elasti-Girl) and the adoptive father of Beast Boy.

Green Arrow makes use of a Kryptonite arrow against Overgirl. This weapon is a nod to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, where a one-armed Green Arrow assists Batman in his battle with Superman using a Kryptonite trick arrow.

It is revealed that Overgirl is dying due to having absorbed too much solar radiation. This is the same thing which killed Superman in the graphic novel All-Star Superman.


Technobabble

Oliver Queen has a Kryptonite Arrow.

The Prism that the Earth-X villains steal is described by Harry as a sub-light generator and a spectral emitter that uses quantum entanglement. Caitlin notes that it could be used to create a stable fusion reaction. In short, it could be used to create a neutron bomb.

Quantum analysis could be used to track Overgirl using her blood from the Kryptonite Arrow, Alex devises an easier method, tracking the short-wave radiation she finds saturating the blood sample.


Dialogue Triumphs

Oliver: Earth-X?
Prometheus: That's right. And I'm dead on this Earth?
Oliver: "This Earth?"
Prometheus: I'd almost prefer that. I was born into The Reich. The whole world is The Fatherland. We don't have elementary schools and summer camps. We have... youth groups. Military training. We all grew up without choice.
Oliver: You have a choice now. You can tell me where to find the others from Earth-X.
Prometheus: On my Earth, you are my best friend. I would die for you.
Oliver: I would have died for you.
Prometheus: Would have?
Oliver: You beat me to it. I lost you. It was like... it was like losing a limb, and ... you weren't just my best friend. Tommy, you were my brother. And you sacrificed yourself for a woman that we both loved. And I was there... and I had you right here. (pauses) You were a good man... here. And I believe that you still can be.
Prometheus: No, you don't understand!  If I talk... if I break, The Fuhrer will kill my father! He'll kill my mother! Everyone that I love!
Oliver: I will not let that happen. I will stop him.
Prometheus: You really think you can do that?!
Oliver: I promise you that I can do that.
(Prometheus looks down, his expression relieved. That relief hardens and is replaced with a hard look.)
Prometheus: (disgusted) Then you really are a special kind of idiot. You're naivety would be charming if your weakness wasn't so pathetic. Is this how it is on your planet? Is everyone here swayed by sentiment? Is everyone here really so weak? The Reich will change that. The weak will be eliminated. Your entire world will be enslaved but you, you... you won't be around to witness it. He is going to feel the weight of your skull crack under his boot. Everyone you care about, everyone you love... they are going to die badly. (laughs) In ways that would give even monsters nightmares. I really wish that I could live to see it.
(Before Ollie can open the cell door, Tommy has pulled a poisoned false tooth from his mouth and ingested it, killing him in seconds.) 

Dark Flash: Okay. We're all a little emotional. Here's what I suggest. I will stop vibrating my hand. (To Overgirl) You stop breaking my wrist. (To Dark Arrow) And you... be... 10% less brooding.

Felicity: Maybe what wasn't fair was me saying I didn't want to marry you. I mean, not the way I did. Not with the most terrible timing in the world.
Oliver: Well, was it how I said it? Because I know it was really... I know it was...spontaneous?
Felicity: No, it was lovely. It was so sweet. (pauses) I love you. I just don't want to be married. I don't want to be married to anyone.
Oliver: You didn't feel that way when we got engaged two years ago.
Felicity: Right. And then ten minutes later I was shot and paralyzed and... Barry and Iris had a wedding and Nazis crash it-
Oliver: You didn't know that was going to happen when you said you didn't want to marry me!
Felicity: My point is-
(Oliver sighs)
Felicity: We have something good. We have something so great going.  Let's not change that. Let's just stand pat with the cards that we're holding.
Oliver: I want to move forward. Felicity, I love you. And I want to marry you.
Felicity: (softly) I love you. I love you. I will always, always, always love you. Please respect me on this.
Oliver: (pauses, looking away from her, slowly turning to meet her eyes.) Okay.
Felicity: Thank you.

Stein: My retirement requires you to give up nothing!
Jax: It requires me to give up you, Grey! Look, I thought I made my peace with it. I thought, "Okay, fine. I'll stay on The Waverider. Maybe I can't be Firestorm but I can still be a Legend." But then it hit me... I still can't be Firestorm and I can't be a Legend -with- you. (pauses) I never knew my father but I got to know you. You're the closest thing I've got to a dad and... now you're leaving.

(Supergirl lands in the parking lot at Dayton Optical Systems as The Flash runs up. They look around and Supergirl shrugs. The Flash begins to whistle as a motorcycle is heard in the distance. Green Arrow rides into the parking lot and brings his bike to a stop.)
Green Arrow: Just a quick reminder. Super speed. I don't have it.
Supergirl: Noted.

(Green Arrow has just shot Overgirl with a Kryptonite arrow.)
Supergirl: Is that a Kryptonite arrow? Why do you have a Kryptonite arrow?
Green Arrow: In case an evil "you" ever showed up!

(Barry has just told the rest of the heroes about Overgirl and The Dark Arrow being Earth-X Kara and Earth-X Ollie)
Caitlin: (To Harry) When you said that Earth-X was horrible, you might have undersold it.

(The Flash takes out several of the Nazi soldiers before Green Arrow can draw his bow.)
Green Arrow
: Couldn't have left one for me?
The Flash: I was saving Nazi you for you.

(Dark Arrow has just taken down Heatwave and Killer Frost.)
Dark Arrow: Anyone else want to be a hero?
(Black Canary, Wild Dog and Mister Terrific step out of the shadows.)
Mister Terrific: They wanted to wait, but I didn't think we'd ever get a better entry line than that.


Continuity

The Prometheus of Earth-X is revealed to be the Earth-X version of Tommy Merlyn. He kills himself after taunting Oliver that everyone he loves will be destroyed by The Fuhrer.

The Oliver Queen of Earth-X is married to the Kara Zor-El of Earth-X.

Oliver and Felicity discuss Oliver's proposal in S308 and why Felicity doesn't want to get married.

Oliver refers to the time he and Felicity spent living in Ivy Town between Seasons 3 and Season 4 of Arrow. He also refers to her assuring him that they could have a life together and be superheroes upon their return to Star City in A401.

Felicity refers to the events of A409 and how she was shot and paralyzed after the first time she and Oliver got engaged.

The Waverider is currently parked in The Stone Age.

Cisco is still in a coma from the events of S308.

Jax reveals that he's not upset about the prospective of losing his Firestorm powers - he's upset about losing Professor Stein, who he's come to see as the father he never had.

Alex reveals to Kara that she's having second thoughts about having broken up with Maggie after her one-night-stand with Sara.

Felicity tells Iris that the real reason she doesn't want to marry Oliver is she's afraid of tempting fate again after what happened the first time (i.e. her being paralyzed and nearly dying).

Overgirl, Dark Arrow and Dark Flash reveal themselves to Supergirl, Green Arrow and The Flash as the Earth-X versions of Kara Zor-El and Oliver Queen. The Dark Flash is Eobard Thawne - The Reverse Flash of Earth One, once again wearing the face of Harrison Wells.

According to Harry, there are 53 Kryptons and 53 Karas and 53 Earths.

Thawne says that the Earth-X villains have two goals and he fears Dark Arrow will choose Overgirl over The Fatherland when it comes to the goal of claiming a second Earth. This goal is later revealed to be capturing Supergirl alive so that her heart can be used to restore Overgirl's body, which has absorbed too much solar radiation.

The Metallo of Earth-X joins the battle on the side Overgirl.

The episode ends with Oliver, Sara, Alex, Jax, Stein and Barry imprisoned in a concentration camp on Earth X. Dinah, Rene, Rory, Harry, Cisco, Caitlin and Curtis are being held in The Pipeline in STAR Labs on Earth One. Iris and Felicity are in hiding inside STAR Labs, which is now being run by Nazi soldiers.


Location

Central City
A concentration camp on Earth-X.


The Bottom Line

What Part Two of Crisis on Earth X lacks in good character scenes and comedy, it more than makes up for with Nazi-punching.  As per usual with Arrow, the action sequences are the best part of the episode. This is not to say there aren't some good laughs or good character scenes here but they aren't quite as strong as they were in Part One. Still a good episode, though.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 8 - Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

In need of a distraction after their recent heartbreaks, Kara and Alex journey to Earth One for the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West. Unfortunately, the party is crashed by Nazis... including one masked woman who strangely seems to be a match for Kara in terms of powers!


Influences

General alternate reality tropes involving The Axis Powers winning World War II, Crisis On Infinite Earths (when we see Earth-X, the skies are red and there is a lighting storm, as in Crisis), Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (basic plot, idea of Earth-X), the original Star Wars movies (general aesthetic of the rebel base on Earth-X),  The Flash #165 (Vol. 1) (Barry Allen's wedding is disrupted by a super-villain attack), Final Crisis (concept of Overgirl - the Nazi Supergirl), the movie Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (Felicity and Ollie both pay homage to the movie with the line "Nazis. I hate Nazis.") and the comics of Len Wein.


Goofs

Why does Overgirl kill the priest with her heat-vision blast when there's any number of heroes she should recognize that she could have taken out unawares in that moment?

Why didn't Ray Palmer make it to the wedding? Granting that he isn't as close to Barry as he is to Ollie, Ray did still help Barry with taking out The Reverse Flash and they've worked together before.


Performances

It's a brief moment, but the scene between Stein and Caitlin as they talk about Ronnie Raymond is a beautiful one and Victor Garber and Danielle Panabaker play it perfectly.

The chemistry between Caity Lotz and Chyler Leigh is immediate and wonderful. The moment as they look to each other as they are simultaneously ripping their skirts so they can fight more easily is a nice touch.

Another nice moment of silent acting - Stephen Amell's response as the priest talks about two people deserving to be happy as he looks to Emily Bett Rickards.

Dominic Purcell is a gift from the gods of comedy.


Artistry


The general look and tone of the music when we see the rebel base on Earth-X reminds you of Star Wars in all the right ways.

The sequence in which we see all of the main characters waking up on the morning of the wedding is a perfect harmony of direction, cinematography, acting and music.

The fight scene at the wedding is amazing on every level. It's hard to pick a high point, but Wally West's catching a bullet and then throwing it back into a Nazi's gun barrel, causing it to backfire is pretty awesome. Sara and Alex teaming up to fight Prometheus is a close second only because they should have beaten him a lot faster, good as they both are.


Super Trivia


As the episode opens, the skies over Earth-X are red and full of lightning. This is frequently the case whenever there is a multi-dimensional Crisis in the DC Comics Universe - a tradition going back to the first Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The DC Comics Multiverse has a tradition of alternate realities where the Nazis won World War II. The first was Earth-X (Two) - an alternate version of Earth-Quality, which housed the superheroes published by Quality Comics who were later bought by DC Comics. Justice League of America #107 (Vol. 1) (October 1973) introduced this Earth-X, when The Freedom Fighters - a team formed to fight the Nazis after they developed mind-control technology - summoned The Justice League from Earth One to help them.

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-X was folded into the unified DC Universe. It was revived as Earth 10 in The New 52 reality.

On Earth 10, the rocket carrying the last son of Krypton to Earth landed in a Nazi-controlled Sudetenland. This child became Overman - Champion Of The Fourth Reich. He lead a team of Nazi metahumans, including Overgirl - a human girl who gained Overman's powers after being injected with Overman's genetic material. Overgirl was introduced during the Final Crisis storyline.

There was an Earth-X before the Earth-X which inspired the Earth-X of the DCTVU. This Earth-X, referred to as Earth-X (One), first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #93 (June 1966). On this world, Jimmy Olsen fought crime as the superhero Steelman, wearing a combination of Superman and Batman's costumes, after gaining powers on par with Superman.

The masked figure with the shield whom the Nazi archer fights in the opening scene is revealed to be the James Olsen of Earth-X, but his uniform is decorated with the American flag rather than the black armor The Guardian wears on Earth 38. This may be a nod to Captain America, who was also created by Guardian co-creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Both characters had no super-powers, carried an indestructible shield and didn't hesitate to punch Nazis.

Rather than the usual Supergirl logo, this episode opens with a special Crisis on Earth-X logo.

When listing potential aliens who could be fighting Supergirl, Alex asks if it is a Czarnian. Lobo - the intergalactic bounty hunter and famous anti-hero character from DC Comics - is a Czarnian. Depending on the point in time, he may be the last of the Czarnians.

Winn says the alien might be a Hellgrammite. In The DCTVU, Hellgrammites are an arachnoid alien species capable of shape-shifting and shooting poisonous darts from their hands. In the original comics, Hellgrammite was a super-villain who was born after an entomologist was exposed to a mutagen that merged him with one of his specimens.

Kara says The Dominator she fought is "so last year".  Exactly one year earlier, Kara did help fight The Dominator invasion of Earth One, during the Invasion! crossover event.

Cisco refers to having built a "Conway-class nucleo-dynamic synthesizer." This may be a nod to Gerry Conway - the writer who co-created Firestorm.

Jax makes reference to the Marvel Comics hero Spider-Man, when Stein tells him that he developed a formula to give Jax super-powers based on the DNA of a certain breed of spider. This indicates, once again, that apparently Marvel Comics exist in The DCTVU.

Microhexura Montivaga - or the spruce-fir moss spider - is a real spider, located in the forests of the Appalachian mountains. It is also an endangered species.

There is a long tradition of superhero weddings never running smoothly. When Barry Allen and Iris West married in The Flash #165 (Vol. 1) (November 1966), Eobard Thawne - The Reverse Flash - kidnapped Barry Allen before the wedding and replaced him at the ceremony.

Barry makes reference to The Yalta Conference - the first meeting between American President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Russian Premier Joseph Stalin to discuss the rebuilding of Europe in the wake of World War II.


Technobabble


Harry and Cisco develop a fission decelerating serum to neutralize Firstorm's powers.

Cisco built a Conway-class nucleo-dynamic synthesizer to create the fission decelerating serum.

Wells says that Cisco's synthesizer couldn't splice a proton through a neutrino field.

Wells says that he has a million fields.

Cisco and Harry account for the destabilization of The Firestorm Matrix by tricking it with quark spheres. These can apparently be used to trick The Firestorm Matrix into thinking that Stein and Jax's genetic codes are connected when they aren't.

Stein develops a molecular resequencing smart virus with a non-normative reciprocal action. This should rewrite Jax's DNA and give him the powers of a Microhexura Montivaga - the spruce-fir moss spider.


Dialogue Triumphs


(Dark Arrow stands on the chest of the wounded Guardian.)
Earth-X Guardian: There are more like me. And one day, they will free this world.
Dark Arrow: That day may come, but you won't be here to see it. (pausing to look at The Guardian's armor) That flag died a long time ago.
Earth-X Guardian: Well, it still means something.
(The Dark Arrow draws an arrow and aims downward at The Guardian)
Dark Arrow: Yeah. It's a bulls-eye.
(The Dark Arrow releases the arrow, killing The Guardian.)

(Kara and Alex are unloading on each other regarding their recent relationship troubles.)
Alex: At least we have each other. (leans over to hug Kara) And misery loves company.
Kara: God, that's depressing.
Alex: Umm-hmm. Yep. And on that note, I'm going to have another drink.

Barry: You know, I've been in love with Iris since I was ten. How am I supposed to fit all that love into one vow? I've already written thirty-eight pages. Single-spaced.
Ollie: You could always speed-read it.
Barry: No. No one would understand me.

Barry: People like us are always going to be getting into trouble, right? Having someone we love by our side just makes getting out of that trouble that much easier. We have something to fight for. (sighs happily) I can have my happy ending, so can you. I promise.
Ollie: (smirking) I'm supposed to be the all-knowing mentor.
Barry: (smiling back) I have been known to catch up.

(Mick Rory is pigging out at the h'orderves table as Cisco walks up, bottle in hand.)
Cisco: I never pegged you as a wedding guy.
Rory: I never pass up a free buffet. Or an open bar.
(Rory takes the bottle from Cisco's hand and walks off, leaving a stunned Cisco behind him. As he moves on, he walks past Caitlin Snow and stops to look at her.)
Rory: Say... didn't I try to kidnap you once?
Caitlin: Yes. And I wouldn't try it again.

(Alex is pounding down the scotch. She is joined by Sara Lance.)
Sara: Somebody who drinks like that is looking to make something go away.
Alex: Yeah, well.... (clears her throat)
(Sara throws back a shot of her own.)
Alex: And what are you looking to make go away?
Sara: Nothing. I just like the taste of scotch.
Alex: Fair enough. (smacks her lips thoughtfully) I just called off my engagement.
Sara: (nods in understanding) Hmm.
Alex: Yeah. So being here... really brings up a lot.
Sara: What, did you catch him cheating?
Alex: Uh-uh. "Her".
Sara: Hmm.
Alex: It wasn't anything like that. We just wanted different things. You know? Wish I'd realized that sooner. Had to make a break for it before later came around.
Sara: So, let me guess? Being at the rehearsal dinner for the world's most perfect couple is probably the last place that you want to be?
Alex: It stings a little, yeah.
(Sara raises a glass in toast.)
Sara: To making things go away.
(Alex clinks her glass against Sara's) 
Alex: And liking the taste of scotch.

Barry: What happened with Mon-El?
Kara: What didn't happen? (laughs bitterly) The end of the world...
Barry: Faced that three times.
Kara: Time-travel.
Barry: I've been there a lot.
Kara: He's married to someone else.
Barry: Oh. (pauses) That's...I've got nothing for that, I'm sorry.
Kara: I mean, it's my own fault. I keep forgetting that my life should only be about Supergirl. But then, you know, life keeps finding a way to remind me.
Barry: I finally got Oliver to admit it's okay to have love in his life. Now I've got to convince you too?
Kara: Barry, it's different for you guys. You're human.
Barry: And you're what? Other than an alien?  I mean... you know?
Kara: Alone.

(Stein walks in on Jax, who is still asleep on his couch. Stein looks discomforted - a look that does not go away as he hears a familiar voice.)
Rory (off-camera) Ah, Professor!
(Stein turns to see Mick Rory, wearing a robe, a spoon in one hand, a bowl of cereal in the other.)
Rory: Your daughter insisted I not walk around your house naked, so I borrowed one of your dresses! (he holds up his bowl) You're out of milk.
(Stein just stares ahead stunned, his brain apparently broken by the thought of Mick Rory walking around his house naked.)

Usher: Are you here for the bride or groom?
Rory: Well, considering I've tried to kill the groom a couple of times, it's probably best that I sit on the bride's side.

Dark Arrow: The Kryptonian was stronger than we anticipated.
Overgirl: Next time she won't be so lucky.
(A figure arrives in a burst of red lightning. He looks like The Reverse Flash, only his mouth is covered by black fabric.)
Dark Flash: What did you do?!
(The Dark Flash removes his mask. He looks like Harrison Wells.)
Dark Flash: What did you do?! You were supposed to wait until we were ready before you attacked!
(The Dark Arrow hits a button on his armor. His mask fades away to reveal the face of Oliver Queen.)
Dark Arrow: Opportunity knocked in the form of a wedding. We answered.
Dark Flash: (sarcastically) Opportunity knocked and you answered? Well, now, because of your recklessness, we have lost Prometheus!
Overgirl: (raising her hands and stepping between them) Boys, boys, boys! Don't fight. You need to save your power, your anger, for those heroes.
(Overgirl reaches up and touches her mask. It fades away to reveal the face of Kara Zor-El.) 
Overgirl: We will have another chance to achieve victory. And when we do, we will kill every last one of them.


Continuity

James Olsen is a vigilante on Earth-X, who fights with a shield. His armor resembles the costume of The Guardian on Earth 38, save that it is painted with an American flag rather than being solid black.

When we first see Barry Allen, he is fighting King Shark - a villain who has not been seen since F215.

Felicity makes reference to Damien Darhk - sorcerer and enemy of Team Arrow (Season Four) and The Legends (Season Two and Season Three).

The Legends are referred to as Robin Hood and his Merry Men as they attack a group of soldiers in medieval England. It is unclear if they were the actual inspiration for the legend or were just impersonating the real legendary outlaws. (It's worth noting that Sara Lance did become the inspiration for Sir Lancelot in L212.)

Supergirl fights a Dominator - the evil aliens who tried to invade Earth One in Invasion!

Winn makes a reference to Hellgrammites - an alien whom Kara fought in S102.

Barry asks Oliver if he's thought about proposing to Felicity. Oliver says, "Again?", making reference to the fact that he already got engaged to Felicity once back in A409. Felicity broke the engagement in A415 after learning that Oliver promised the mother of his child that he would hide the existence of his son, William, from everyone, even his fiancee.

Harry and Cisco are able to devise a cure that will safely remove The Firestorm Matrix from both Professor Stein and Jefferson Jackson - a problem the two have been trying to solve for several months. Reference is made to Stein consulting with Sir Issac Newton, Madame Curie and Galileo in L307 and their conclusion that there was no way to dismantle The Firestorm Matrix without depowering both Jax and Stein. (Harry refers to Newton, Cure and Galileo as hacks).

Reference is also made to Jax and Stein switching bodies in L306.

It is clear that Jax is less than thrilled about the prospect of The Firestorm Matrix being broken up.

Stein makes reference to the last wedding he attended with Caitlin - her own in F123 - which Stein conducted.

Stein says that once he retires from the crew of The Waverider, he intends to be a better husband, work with his daughter on a project and spend as much time as possible with his grandson, telling him stories of his adventures and eventually teaching him chess.

Stein is seen working on a project in secret in STAR Labs. It is later revealed to be a formula that would give Jax new super-powers. Specifically, the power to stick to anything.

The reception dinner for Barry and Iris' wedding is held at C.C. Jitters - the coffee shop where Team Flash frequently hangs out.

Mick Rory refers to the events of F110, where he and Leonard Snart kidnapped Caitlin Snow.

Kara tells Barry about the events of Season Two of Supergirl (i.e. Mon-El being poisoned and forced to leave Earth) and S307, where she learned that Mon-El traveled forward in time, spent seven years in the future and got married.

Barry asks Kara to sing at his wedding, referring to the events of F317 as he talks about their last team-up and the unexpected talent she showed.

Sara and Alex are seen making out in the hall during Joe's speech.

Felicity Smoak's middle name is Megan.

Oliver asks Felicity to marry him. She says no.

Kara apparently levitates in her sleep sometimes.

Sara and Alex spent the night together. Apparently they had sex two or three times. Alex was too drunk to remember the precise details.

Rory is sat next to Captain David Singh - Barry's boss at the CCPD. Rory apparently recognizes him and district attorney Cecilia Horton, though they do not seem to recognize Rory.

One of the waiters offers Barry some water and says that she's very excited to be at the wedding. She seems to know Barry from somewhere but he doesn't recognize her. She tells him to be sure to say "I do." (It seems likely that she is a figure from Barry's future, presumably his daughter or some other ancestor)

Instead of The Bridal March, Iris walks down the aisle as Kara sings "Running Home To You" - the song Barry sang to Iris in F317.

Cisco is Barry's Best Man. Oliver makes up the rest of The Groom's party. Caitlin is Iris' Maid of Honor. Felicity makes up the rest of The Bride's party.

Iris and Barry are almost married in a Catholic ceremony.

Cisco falls into a coma after getting a concussion during the fight at the wedding.

Caitlin changes into her Killer Frost costume and tells Professor Stein about how the Killer Frost persona takes over whenever Caitlin gets angry or scared now.

The Legends use their mind-erasing technology to erase all memory of the Nazi attack from the minds of Iris and Barry's wedding guests.

The sword-wielding member of the Nazi strike-team is revealed to be the Earth-X version of Prometheus.


Location

Earth-X.
Earth One - Central City
Earth One - Star City
Earth One - England - 1183 AD
Earth 38 - National City


The Fridge Factor

Was it really necessary to have both Iris and Felicity pestering their respective significant others about wedding details while they're in the middle of a superhero fight? Do we have to play out that sexist old trope? Twice, even?

Harry and Cisco don't give Caitlin credit for her work on the cure for Firestorm.

While the connection between their actresses is wonderful, one still has to wonder about the show encouraging the promiscuous bisexual/lesbian stereotype in having Sara and Alex falling into each others arms while drunk at Barry and Iris's reception.


The Bottom Line

It says a lot that the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West seems oddly free of Iris West yet this doesn't seem to be a major problem. The episode does a good job of balancing the subplots introduced from the other series while largely keeping the focus on Alex and Kara. The new villains from Earth-X are introduced well in the final scene, though their identities are hardly a surprise and their motivations are still a mystery. Then again, they're Nazis - it doesn't have to be that complicated.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Detective Comics #969 - A Review

With Tim Drake having revealed himself to Stephanie Brown, The Gotham Knights (as Tim calls them) are completely reunited and ready to run gangbusters over the criminals of Gotham City. Naturally the costume criminals decide the need a team of their own to counter the vigilantes...


The only real flaw to Detective Comics #969 is that you have to have been reading James Tynion IV's epic tale of Batman's efforts to build an army of vigilantes to protect his city to truly appreciate everything going on in this issue. Ignoring that, this is a damn good start to the next storyline and Tynion's story is well matched by yet another amazing art team. Joe Bennett's character designs are divine, the inks by Sal Regla are perfectly applied and Jason Wright does his usual stellar job on the colors.

The Final Analysis: 9 out of 10. If it were just a little friendlier to new readers, it would be perfect. 

The Flash #35 - A Review

Meena Dhawan has escaped from The Speed Force, but this is hardly the blessing both Barry Allen and Wally West thougt it would be. Meena has revealed herself as being in league with The Black Hole - the collective of amoral scientists who seek to harness The Speed Force for their own dark ends.

Meena has also ripped the negative Speed Force energy from Barry's body, leaving him weakened and her newly empowered as The Negative Flash. Even with Wally to help him, can Barry hope to stand against the woman he once loved?


Asked to sum up The Flash #35 in a word, I would have to choose "disappointing." The artwork by Pop Mhan and Ivan Plascencia is some of the best the series has seen to date but that's just pretty paint on an ugly shell. The chief problem is the dialogue, which lacks the usual punch Joshua Williamson puts into his scripts. This leads one to wonder if Williamson merely provided the plot for this issue and Michael Moreci wrote the actual script?

A larger problem, logistically at least, is the book's treatment of its female cast. Here, we see Meena turned into a villain out of nowhere for the sake of quick drama. The end of the issue hints at the death of one of Barry's female co-workers - a revelation which will serve no purpose other than to give Barry further angst about his work-life. It's lazy storytelling and beneath the creators involved.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10. Great artwork, but the story leaves a lot to be desired. 

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 7 - Thanksgiving

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

Oliver is ready to celebrate the Thanksgiving season - both in public as Mayor and in private with Felicity and William. Twin terrors threaten to ruin the holiday, however - Cayden James' activating the next phase of his master-plan and Agent Watson making a move to arrest Oliver for being The Green Arrow!


Influences

The Green Arrow comics of Benjamin Percy. (Oliver Queen having to be Green Arrow while facing murder charges.)


Goofs

The new SCPD building is referred to both as a new precinct house and a new HQ. Possibly it is acting as a temporary HQ, but either way six weeks seems like an amazing turn-around time on getting a new building refitted.

It is unclear just why in the names of the many ridiculous gods of the DCU Cayden James is employing Black Siren. It beggars belief that a master-planner like James would risk working with a loose cannon like Black Siren. His plans require subtlety and Black Siren is a murderous psychopath who kills when she gets bored and uses her powers around explosives in defiance of his orders.

For that matter, it's unclear why Black Siren is working as hired muscle for James in the first place. He may have saved her from Lian Yu, but nothing in Black Siren's character has suggested any sense of gratitude or camaraderie.

The sudden fight between Curtis and Felicity over their company's resources is unnecessary drama in an episode that is already tense enough. Felicity herself says it best - "We don't have time for this right now."

Felicity says that the new drug used to awaken Thea from her coma was a new form of Zolpidem. Zolpidem is a powerful sedative used to treat severe insomnia - the exact opposite of what one would want a coma patient to take!


Performances

There's several great dialogues throughout the episode. Quentin talking with Dinah. Dinah talking with Ollie. Curtis talking with John. And Oliver talking to John. The ensemble are all firing on eight cylinders this time around.


Trivia

Cayden James steals nano-thermite from a company called Sunderland Corp. In the comics, Sunderland Corporation was a scientific research firm which first appeared in Swamp Thing.

Curtis catches Cayden James breaking into Amertek. In the comics, this was the company which employed John Henry Irons as a weapon's designer before he became the hero Steel.

The bomb Cayden James creates is hidden in Corridor 52 of Starling Stadium. This is yet another nod to the number 52, which shows up repeatedly in various DC Comics properties.


Technobabble

Nano-thermite is a metastable intermolecular composite - a reactive particle. It is highly explosive when combined with the proper accelerate.

A City District Attorney cannot act as legal counsel to a Mayor accused of a crime in Star City.

Black Siren steals 100 pounds of polymer-bonded explosives.

The nano-thermite, when combined with the explosives, creates a thermobaric weapon which disperses a cloud of fire and pressure cooks everything within 200 yards.

Felicity saw one of Cayden James' algorithms that was based on traffic patterns which could be used to extrapolate population movement.

Felicity cross-references the crowd's pattern with the cloud's path of destruction.

Curtis creates a particle cloud sim.

The drug used to awaken Thea from her coma was a new form of Zolpidem not yet available on the market.


Dialogue Triumphs

John: We have to focus. This might be the most difficult thing we've ever had to face. If people think The Green Arrow is in prison, then the flood gates will open. Now, more than ever, we have to protect this city! If the criminals here think that it's open season, then this city will become a war zone.

(Oliver is lying on the bunk in his cell. Dinah walks up to the bars.)
Dinah: Tell me what you need.
Oliver: I need some sleep.
Dinah: I think I can do one better. FBI transfers can be lost. Locks can be left open.
Oliver: I appreciate that. But if I make myself a fugitive, then... obviously I'm making William an orphan.
Dinah: (nods) Gotta do it the right way.
Oliver: Yep. I've gotta do it the right way.
Dinah: Okay. Good night.
(Dinah leaves Ollie alone, as he stares at the ceiling.)

(Felicity has just discovered that Curtis was using their company's implant design on John without consulting her first.)
Felicity: You injected our friend with our company's proprietary technology and you didn't think to, I don't know... involve me in that at all?!
Curtis: I thought "Lone Ranger" was just the way we did things here at Helix Dynamics. You know? The name of the company you picked without consulting me?
(There is a long pause.)
Rene: I'm gonna... work on an algorithm over there, while I figure out what an algorithm is.

(Oliver walks into John's hospital room. He finds him struggling to stand from his bed.)
John: I told Felicity not to bother you with this.
Oliver: Which part? You being in the hospital? The experimental steroid? Or... the nerve damage... that has affected you for months? (pauses) Are you going to be alright?
John: I'll be fine. I didn't want you to worry, Oliver. Which is why I didn't tell you-
Oliver: No. No, John. You didn't tell me because you knew I'd never let you go out there compromised. And that I'd certainly never let you compromise the team. I've been mad at you before John, but this... is the first time I've ever been disappointed.
John: Oliver, you gave up the right to judge me when you gave up that hood.
Oliver:  You don't get to claim the moral high ground here, my friend.
John: Oh, I'm not, Oliver! But I apologized to the people who I endangered. The team, Oliver. The team! My obligation begins and ends with them. I don't owe you a damn thing!
Oliver: For the sake of our friendship, I hope that's the withdrawal talking.
(John glares at Oliver and slowly brings himself to stand.)
John: I put on this hood because you asked me to.
Oliver: Don't blame me for this!
John: I'm not blaming you, Oliver. I blame myself. For putting your needs, your goals, even your family above my own. I've done that from the very beginning. That was my biggest mistake.
Oliver: That was your biggest mistake?  Mine was trusting you to be The Green Arrow.
(Oliver turns around and leaves the room.)


Continuity

The new SCPD HQ has been completed, after being blown up six weeks earlier in 601.

Oliver refers to the public belief that Roy Harper was the first Arrow - part of the plan to save Oliver from jail in 319.

Curtis injects John with a prototype for fixing his nerve problem, modeled on the spinal implant that cured Felicity's paralysis.

Curtis Holt was a Cub Scout.

The new District Attorney of Star City is a man named Sam Armand.

Jean Loring - who represented Moira Queen during her murder trial - is seen for the first time since 207. She is acting as Oliver's lawyer on the charges the FBI has brought against him.

Oliver is facing seven counts of murder, among other charges.

Oliver is released on $5,000,000 bail and a $500,000 bond.

Felicity is able to pay the bond, using the first round of investments from her and Curtis' company.

Curtis catches Cayden James breaking into Amertek. This is the military/industrial firm in 502 that was the target of Ragman's vigilante acts.

Amertek has twenty chemicals in their possession that could be used as an accelerator for the nano-thermite.

John's implant fails at an inopportune moment.

Felicity was never told about John's condition, following John telling the rest of the team in 606.

Dr. Schwarz guesses that John is suffering from withdrawal from the drug he was taking.

John still has not told Oliver about his condition.  Oliver learns about it after Felicity tells him.

Curtis and Felicity determine that James' most likely target is Starling Stadium - a 35,000 seat arena where Billy Joel will be playing that night.

Rene is a Billy Joel fan.

Dinah tells Quentin about how Vigilante is her ex-boyfriend. Quentin, in turn, tells Dinah about how he had a chance to kill Black Siren in 601 but didn't take it.

Oliver apologizes to John for not thinking about John Jr. before asking him to become The Green Arrow.

John's tests show that the nerve damage in his arm spread to his back. If he continues to work in the field, he may wind up permanently paralyzed.

John refers to the events of 508 and how - in a world meant to give him his perfect life - he was The Green Arrow.

Wild Dog is accurate enough as a knife-thrower to set off a fire alarm by throwing a dagger at it.

Cayden James blames Green Arrow for costing him his son and intends to seek revenge on all of Star City for what Green Arrow did.

A boy named Owen Post has Cayden James listed as the father on his birth certificate. Post disappeared two months after Cayden James was taken into custody by ARGUS.

Cayden James leaks the video footage of Team Arrow attacking his men, who are dressed as fake cops, to the Internet and it starts trending. The vote on the Star City anti-vigilante measure is that same day.

Thea Queen awakens from her coma.

William has learned how to cook somewhat.


The Bottom Line

A harmless bit of filler that doesn't do much but end some minor subplots while setting up new ones. The series is basically treading water here but the performances from most of the cast are strong enough you won't care.

Batgirl #17 - A Review

Years ago, a case involving designer drugs, The Mad Hatter and the first friend Barbara Gordon made after moving to Gotham City brought Batgirl and Robin together. Now, Nightwing has joined with her again as a new villain called The Red Queen has come out of the woodwork seeking revenge. Can Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon work past their old wounds to save the day?


There's not much I can say about this issue without spoiling one of the best multi-part stories I've read in some time. It's a credit to Hope Larson's skill as a writer that she can tell two stories set in two different points in time so well, much less two mysteries! She also has a great handle on the characters of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon .

The artwork is equally impressive. Chris Wildgoose is an amazing penciler, who draws a smooth action sequence. Both Jose Marzan Jr and Andy Owens do a fantastic job keeping the inks uniform. Mat Lopes's colors leave every panel popping. Even letterer Deron Bennett adds to the visuals in surprisingly subtle ways.

The Final Analysis: 10/10. A perfect conclusion to an amazing arc.

Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 3, Episode 7- Welcome To The Jungle

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.


Plot

Sara Lance is still in a coma, but The Legends are still committed to fixing anachronisms while their Captain recovers. Traveling back to the time of The Vietnam War to investigate reports of a monster killing both American and Viet-Cong soldiers, Nate and Rory run into a familiar face from Rory's past.


Influences

Various Vietnam War movie tropes, particularly Apocalypse Now.


Performances

Dominic Purcell delivers a great performance here, as Mick Rory is forced to understand the abusive father he hated and what made him into the man he knew.


Artistry

There's a great shot of Rory staring at a bonfire that is a nice visual nod to Apocalypse Now.

There's some great moments in the script, with Rory confronting his daddy issues and Zari getting a touching scene with a female VC villager working with Grodd who lost her parents and brother in the war and is desperate for an end to the fighting.

The CGI for Grodd is impressive for broadcast TV.


Trivia Of Tomorrow

The episode title comes from a 1987 Guns N' Roses song.

Much of the plot and imagery of this episode is inspired by the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, which detailed an American Army Captain being sent into Vietnam at the height of the war to kill a rogue Colonel who had set himself up as a god among the survivors of a local tribe. Nate directly name-drops the film at one point. 

Nate gives Rory the alias Officer Schwarzenegger. This is a nod to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous for playing gun-totting soldiers in many films. Nate later mentions the movie Predator, which - while not set during The Vietnam War - was filmed as an allegory for it and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The three figures Stein recruits to help him solve the problem with The Firestorm Matrix are Sir Issac Newton, Galileo Galilei and Marie Curie. All three are prominent physicists who were also masters of other disciplines. Newton was a mathematician, Galileo an astronomer and Curie a chemist.


Technobabble

Stein attempts to find a salient stimulus - a noise or sound that provokes an emotional connection - to bring Sara out of her coma. In this case, he attempts to beat on a training dummy with Sara's escrima sticks.

Stein says that there must be a theorem that supports the deceleration of the subject's rate of fission to individually power the thermacore. Madame Curie says there is only one way to safely split the thermacore but it would leave both Stein and Jax powerless.

Grodd creates a communications jammer which blocks all comms around his village.

By freezing a mine trip-line, a person who pulled the wire should be able to step away from it.

When Sir Issac Newton knocks out Sara, he says this proved his Laws of Motion. Indeed, knocking a person unconscious does prove all three of Newton's Laws of Motion. The first law states that an object will stay in motion until another force affects it (i.e. Newton knocking Sara out). The second law states that Force equals mass times acceleration (i.e. when you hit someone, the faster and bigger you are, the more it will hurt). The third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (i.e. Sara was going to hit Martin, Newton hit her first.)

Ray rebuilds the Molecular Hyper Compressor. (i.e. shrink ray)


Dialogue Triumphs

(The team discusses what to do while Sara is in a coma.)
Rory: How about you drop me off on an island full of beautiful women like Zari did with that Helen chick?
(Everyone stares at Zari.)
Zari: Rory, you weren't supposed to say anything.
Amaya: Wait, you didn't take Helen back to Troy where she belongs?
Zari: That's what The Time Bureau does. We - we - do something different.
Nate: No, we do it different... ly.
Ray: Yeah. More messy.

Rory: You know why I've never seen a shrink?
Nate: Why?
Rory: I don't regret killing my old man.
Nate (shocked) What?!
Rory: That's right, Pretty. You heard me. I let my old man burn to death. How's that for tough love?
(Rory walks off, leaving a stunned Nate behind.)

Ray: Look, I'm sure it's not easy learning that your granddaughter is in league with Damien Darhk. If you ever want to talk about it-
Amaya: What happened to men? When did you all start talking about your feelings?
Ray: Uh... early 90s?

Jax: I've never told anyone this before but... I'm scared.
(Jax turns to look at Sara, still in her coma.)
Jax: I don't know who I am if I'm not a part of Firestorm. But then you've never had any super-powers and that's never stopped you from being the most kick-ass person I've ever met.
(There is a long silence as Jax just watches Sara, as if waiting for a response.)
Jax: Well, good talk, Captain.
(Jax take's Sara's hand and pats it gently before turning around and leaving the room.)

Zari: Where are we taking Grodd when we return him to where belongs?
Ray: Well, last I heard he was in an ARGUS prison.
Zari: Wait... he's just another persecuted meta?
Ray: Okay, I know you're not a fan of ARGUS, but Grodd is a psychopath. And... well, a giant gorilla!

Rory: My whole life I saw him as a monster. Blamed him for all the sick things that I've done. But now I see... I'm worse than him. Should have been me that burned in that house.

Zari: I know what it's like to lose the people you love in a senseless war. It makes you desperate. But if you really want peace, it starts with you.

Stein: I swear to you, if I die today because of a telepathic gorilla, I'm going to be very upset!

(Rory is in a stand-off with his own father.)
Rory: I've got nothing to lose. But you do. You get to go home. But if you kill these people, you'll hear their screams forever. Then one day... when you have a family... you won't be able to look them in the eye. Because this day - this act you're about to commit - will be burned in your memory forever.
(Sgt. Rory lowers his gun. Rory sucker-punches him, knocking him out.)
Nate: Why did you do that?!
Rory: I always wanted to!

(Jax examines the minefield between where he and President Johnson are and safety.)
Jax: Follow my lead. And, uh, if I don't blow up, path's clear.
President Johnson: And if you blow up?!
Jax: Then you're on your own, Sir.

Stein: Where is Captain Lance when I need her?
(Sara steps onto the bridge. Her movements are slow and forced.)
Stein: Sara! Were you just waiting for the right moment to make a dramatic entrance?!
(Sara continues her slow steps. Stein notices something is odd about her behavior.)
Stein: Are you all right?
Sara: There is no Sara.
Stein: What?!
Sara: (pulls her escrima sticks) Only Grodd.
(Sara takes a swing at Stein as he nervously backs away.)
Gideon: It appears that The Captain is under some kind of telepathic control.
Stein: (sarcastically) Really, Gideon? Do you think so?!
Sara: I claim this ship for The New God! Kneel before Grod-
(Sara is cut off suddenly as Sir Issac Newton sneaks up on her and hits her across the back of the head with a frying pan.)
Sir Issac Newton: Oh, how I do love proving my laws of motion!
Stein: (tiredly) Please save that lecture for another day.


Dialogue Disasters

"One Nation Under Grodd!"


Continuity

As the episode opens, Sara is still in a medically-induced coma, though she has just been taken off of sedatives.

Zari told Rory the truth about where she dropped off Helen of Troy in 306 - a secret Rory lets slip to the rest of the team.

Zari shows the team that there is no anachronism in Troy, despite Helen's absence.

The anachronism in 1967 Vietnam is a Level 8. Gideon reports that both American and Viet-Cong soldiers were disappearing amid reports of a monster in the jungle.

Ryan Sanders was the sole survivor of the group of soldiers attacked in the opening scene.

Mick Rory hates jungles.

Mick Rory's dad, Sgt. Dick Rory, fought in the Vietnam War. He was a Green Beret.

Mick tells Nate about how he killed his own father - a fact we first found out in 112, where it was also suggested that Mick's father was abusive.

Jax's favorite desert is his mom's pecan pie.

Professor Stein has formed an advisory board made up of Sir Issac Newton, Galileo Galilei and Marie Curie to help him ponder how to give Jax all of The Firestorm Matrix. They are unable to find a solution that will not depower both Stein and Jax.

Nate refers to the events of 202 and how he got to meet his own grandfather thanks to time travel.

Ong Troi Moi - The New God uniting Viet-Cong and American soldiers - is revealed to be Gorilla Grodd, last seen in F314.

Grodd's plan to assassinate President Lyndon Johnson while he is in Vietnam will bring about the start of World War III. This escalates the anachronism level to 10.

For saving President Johnson's life, Jax is rewarded with Ladybird Johnson's secret pecan pie recipe.

Jax still thinks his mom's pie is the best.

Damien Darhk rescues Grodd from falling to his death, teleporting him through time to Central City 2017 with his rune stone.


Location

3 Klicks East of Khe Sanh, Vietnam - December 1967
Central City - 2017


The Bottom Line

A shockingly good episode considering Caity Lotz - usually the glue that holds the show together - is absent for 95% of it. In fact, this may be one of the best episodes ever. The script gives most of the cast some honestly good dramatic moments and nobody is forced to act like an idiot to make the plot or jokes work. Dominic Purcell steals the show, however, and the effects work on Grodd is fantastic.