The big question…and I mean the BIG question…is “Did this episode live up to the hype?” YES! Absolutely it did! There was plenty in this episode to make any Supergirl or Flash fan happy. This was a crossover where both lead characters had the chance to shine without taking anything away from either. And, if youwant to know more (including whether there was a race…there has to be a race, right?), just follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

TWO NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED: First, this review is going up prior to SUPERGIRL showing on the West Coast of the USA. If you haven’t seen the show yet, you may want to wait…and come back to this article later. Second, this show hits BOTH of my favorite gigs on the web – you’ll find this review on both Speedforce.org and TMStash.com. If you’ve only seen one of the sites, be sure to check out both. Speedforce.org is THE place for everything about The Flash, and TMStash.com covers a lot of other comics and comics-related TV shows…like SUPERGIRL.

Now for the show!

Siobhan Smythe fell off a building at the end of last episode, being saved at the last moment only by that amazing scream. We pick up at the DEO as they analyze her, finding 1) she’s human and 2) we don’t know what is going on.  She eventually learns of a family curse from her aunt, one that requires her to kill the person who wronged her and triggered the curse. In this case, that’s Kara Danvers (Kara really didn’t do anything to her, but Siobhan feels otherwise). Siobhan attacks Kara directly at CatCo, knocking her out of the building, and the only thing that appears to save Kara is…

Not Supergirl…

But The Flash! Barry appears on this Earth wearing what looks like an adaptation of the Tachyon device from Season One. As they talk, Barry realizes he isn’t on his Earth, and eventually explains the theory of the Multiverse to Kara, James and Winn. It’s Winn who grasps the concept first and best, really getting into the idea of a different Earth.

Cat wants to make a big story out of Kara’s rescue, and wants to name this new hero…

The Blur…

Which longtime SMALLVILLE fans will recognize as the name given to the Tom Welling Superman.

Barry tries to get “The Flash” used on this earth as well, but Cat won’t hear of it.  Still, the real fun is James’ reaction to Barry and Kara. Winn notices, Cat notices, and eventually even Lucy notices James’ jealousy.  More on that later…

Supergirl and Flash agree to help each other, and return Barry to his Earth. Meanwhile, Siobhan also finds an ally in Livewire, freeing her from the DEO and partnering up to go after Supergirl, Cat…and Kara (no, Siobhan hasn’t figured THAT out).

Barry tracks Livewire to a warehouse (noting that supervillains like warehouses on both Earths). Supergirl wants to bust right in while Barry wants a plan. Eventually, they just rush in…not realizing that Livewire and Siobhan have their own partnership (and that Livewire has given Siobhan a makeover to get that Silver Banshee look). It doesn’t end well, but our heroes get away to fight another day. Kara and Barry talk about why she wanted to rush in, to prove herself after the Red K incident. Barry tells her (oddly enough) to slow down, that it takes time to gain trust. After all, Barry went through something similar on his Earth. He notes that when you stop trying to force things, sometimes the answer comes on its own.

Eventually, Barry uses his experience going up against Pied Piper to create protective ear buds for Kara and himself. And, it’s just in time because Round Two is starting up in National City Park, where the villains have taken a captive Cat Grant. The ear buds work, but the battle still is a tough one. Eventually, Kara takes a lightning blast meant for a helicopter, knocking her unconscious. Still, that shows the people of National City Kara’s heroic side once again, and they stand up for her. Eventually the day is saved by…

Not Supergirl…

Not the Flash…

But the National City Fire Department! They hit Livewire with a spray from the fire hose, short circuiting her and sending her electricity to knock out Siobhan as well!

Now, the bad guys are at the National City jail – they now have a set-up to keep metahumans. And, it’s now time to send Barry home. It’s a bit of a race – they seem fairly evenly matched – and at top speed Supergirl gives an extra boost (and throw), giving Barry the boost he needs to go back through the breach.

Before going “home”, Barry advises Kara to go “faster” with James. She does…but before he can respond we hit the cliffhanger – one that involves our Kryptonian bad guys. We’ll see more about that next episode.

NOTES: Who IS faster? The show doesn’t really settle it.  Like almost every comic-based race any Super-person and any Flash have had over the years, there are snippets that could give any fan of either side something to brag about. Supergirl does get into the warehouse first…but Flash was checking out the perimeter of the building before joining Supergirl so he claimed he “let you win”. And, Barry combines speed with Supergirl in the end to boost himself out. As a long time Flash fan, you can guess who I think is the fastest – but I’ll leave the rest to you.

MORE NOTES: There were some great lines in this show – and not just “The Blur”. Cat refers to the group (Kara, Winn, James and Barry) as being like “some diverse group in a CW show”. And, Cat figures out that Barry is the Flash because of several factors, including the fact that he was so charming that he was “either a superhero or a Mormon”.  Finally, we got the “Girl of Steel” and “Scarlet Speedster” nicknames thrown in just before the race.  You can find even more Easter Eggs – leave them in the comments below, okay?

SUMMARY: This was a fantastic episode, one that allowed both Flash and Supergirl to shine. Neither was the final “save” (that ending save went to the CCFD, a neat way to avoid making either lead character the “one who has to save the day” over the other). We saw great chemistry between Grant Gustin and the cast of SUPERGIRL – and it makes one only wish for more crossovers. We’re rating this one a perfect 10/10!

So, what do YOU think? Leave your comments below!

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