After last night’s amazing episode, we shift the scene to Gotham City. There is a LOT that we learn in this chapter of ELSEWORLDS, in another action-packed episode. Having Batwoman’s official debut after that quick cameo last night leads us to a lot of possibilities as well. How many Easter Eggs from the Bat-mythos will we see in this show? And, can we finally see the JWS Flash of the 90’s on Earth 1? And…most importantly, is THIS the real Crisis on Infinite Earths? We’ll learn all that and more in Part 2 of ELSEWORLDS! Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Note: This review is posting prior to ELSEWORLDS Part 2 airing in the Pacific Time Zone USA. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, STOP HERE and come back after you see the show! You’ll be glad you did!
This is another show with a plot points coming at us at a very fast pace. There is no way to cover everything here, so I’ll bullet point the plot points below:
- Barry, Oliver and Kara arrive in Gotham on a rooftop with gargoyles all around (of course). While Barry and Oliver argue about whether Batman is real, they uncover the Bat Signal! However, it seems unused…covered up. Why?
- Barry’s “Arrow” persona lands him in the Gotham jail, along with Oliver and Kara. They are bailed out by a mysterious benefactor, who turns out to be Kate Kane.
- From Kate, we learn that Bruce disappeared from Gotham three years ago, and Batman did as well (I know, but Barry and Oliver don’t know that). After Batman left, Gotham has gone downhill dramatically. Even the Wayne Enterprises tower has been largely abandoned, vandalized with spray paint. Kate has Bruce’s old office, with some of Bruce’s belongings boxed up. More on that later…
- Oliver uses some data stolen from the GCPD to track down Dr. John Deegan. They don’t know where he went until Kate tells them that he now works at Arkham Asylum.
- They get into Arkham and find a LOT of Easter Eggs here, from the cell of Edward Nigma to the Psycho Pirate to the cold equipment of “V. Fries” to the fear gas of Jonathan Crane! That last bit gives us guest appearances (hallucinations) of Thawne and Malcom Merlin, pitting Barry and Oliver against each other until Batwoman separates them.
- Supergirl tracks down Deegan and gets the book. All is well and reality can come back, right? Not so fast as you’ll see in a moment…meanwhile…
- The JWS Flash of the 90’s has been trying to get to the team all this time. The Red Skies and lightning seem to accompany his attempts to break through.
- Those red skies are only over the city where Barry and Oliver are at any time. Central City was clear the moment Barry and Oliver left town. That seems to separate this from the actual Crisis on Infinite Earths, which is confirmed later on.
- JWS Flash finally appears! At first they think he’s Jay…then possibly Barry’s dad…but he introduces himself as Barry Allen (of course). He thinks he knows John…but on Earth 90 John must be John Stewart and a Green Lantern. No time for all that, though, as The Monitor appears on the street!
- The standoff doesn’t go well. The Monitor can do whatever he wants. He sends the JWS Flash away in a puff of smoke, and does a similar thing to Supergirl when she tries to attack. Kara stays in the area – no idea where JWS went at this point.
- The Monitor is testing each of the universes in the Multiverse, looking for champions who can face someone much more powerful than himself. There is a Crisis coming and he needs champions strong enough to face it.
- The Monitor is impressed that they were able to get the Book of Destiny, even though they were unable to open it – apparently no heroes on other Earths have been able to do so before.
- Still, the Monitor takes the book back and gives it once again to Deegan. He tells Deegan to think bigger this time…and he does!
- Barry and Oliver suddenly find themselves in Central City as the Trigger Twins! They are about to be arrested when they run away to find…
- The Black Suit Superman! There’s no place they can run…and there we stop for tonight!
Okay, believe it or not, that’s a bare bones description of the show. There was a LOT going on, so let’s get to the notes!
NOTES:
- Now we know that this is not THE Crisis, but a view to a coming crisis that the Monitor wishes to stop. The Book of Destiny supposedly created all the different realities. The Monitor believes that all those different realities are creating a “collision of realities”. This book can alter any reality, though, and that’s just what he wants to see…to test the heroes in some strange way. Yep, the Monitor is a giant jerk (or other word you may insert here that I don’t want to type right now)…
- Ruby Rose was spot-on as Kate Kane/Batwoman. She gave a fantastic performance, and if they go through with the Batwoman spin-off, I’m in!
- BTW – the Batwoman costume was incredibly true to the comics version. It was as if Batwoman literally stepped out of the comics page and onto the set. Outstanding!
- …and the box of Bruce’s belongings included the bust of Shakespeare! Nice nod to the 1960’s Batman show.
- When the JWS Flash appears, he thinks he recognizes John Diggle…but not as Diggle. JSW Flash says, “You’re not wearing your ring!” in an obvious nod to John Stewart.
- After the Arkham adventure, Kara stays behind to talk to Kate/Batwoman – Kara of course can see through the mask. They talk about how they could have made a great team…Kate adds, “World’s Finest”. Nice to see that term used here.
- Important note: I haven’t given you nearly all the Easter Eggs in this show. Just too many of them – but please feel free to add what you’ve caught in the comments below!
- For Arrow/Olicity fans, we see some potential resolution to the relationship troubles of Oliver and Felicity.
- Finally, we say goodbye, at least for now, to Barry being Arrow and Oliver being the Flash. It was truly fun while it lasted. Great performances by Grant and Stephen throughout!
SUMMARY: Another blockbuster episode – this crossover is being done right! This is another 10/10 for me. Of course, that’s just MY opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!