Crisis On Infinite Earths Parts 1 & 2 – First Thoughts
With Crisis On Infinite Earths, CW is getting me to watch their slate of shows again. I have fallen behind, having found many of the episodes hackneyed and stretching out stories. Too many times, the overarching plot gets in the way of telling a good story in an hour’s time. This is one of those cases where the story is big enough to demand that kind of storytelling.
For the record, I am going to talk details and give some spoilers. I’ll try to keep some of the bigger secrets, but be warned, if you want to not know what’s coming until you’ve watched it. Turn back now.
The good, the bad, and the heartbreaking.
Seeing Jonathan Kent rocketed from Argo City was the first heartbreaking moment, even after seeing Earths familiar to us fall before “holy red skies of death,” we really get our heart broken. Fortunately, Berlanti and company don’t completely stomp on it in front of us. We get to see Brainiac 5 act like the smartest one in the room, which for a Legion fan, is a plus. We even get the classic spire from the comics. It’s even defended against an army of Shadow Demons. Unfortunately, we see our heroes forced to fall back, and rethink their strategy.
I’m hoping that Ollie’s sacrifice doesn’t become 100% necessary, since we get it early on, then teased with a resurrection. There needs to be a point to it all, otherwise it lacks meaning in the vast scheme of the story. I do feel like there has to be some loss, but this Ollie business is bothering me. Ollie dying early really set me on edge for part two. Now, I feel like there’s so much being crammed in that I have to pick and choose what I care about.
A lot of talk is going around about the Smallville cameos. Tom Welling was so refreshing, and true to form for that series, treats the character in a different way. When he reacts to Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor breaking out kryptonite, it’s priceless. The reaction to Brandon Routh’s Superman is excellent, especially Supergirl’s who has a telling look on her face when she realizes her error. I always like acting when it’s delivered without dialogue, and done subtly.
Kevin Conroy’s Bruce Wayne was an interesting take on the character. I really don’t know how I feel like Batwoman being built up as almost an instant legend, but the interaction between her and Supergirl is always refreshing. The resolution of this plot thread is a very interesting take on Batman. It probably only has a place in this crossover. I would like to see it come back as the mystery of Batman’s disappearance deepens on Batwoman.
Where does it all go?
How do I think Crisis on Infinite Earths will end? I do believe we’ll see the comic story echoed with the death of the Monitor. I imagine that Brandon Routh’s Superman will sacrifice himself in battle against the the Anti-Monitor. He has nothing left to stay for, but it would leave an opening for Routh to come back to one of the series. I don’t believe for one second that Routh’s playing of two roles will not be used. It’s possible that Ray Palmer may sacrifice himself by masquerading as Superman.
The fate of Earth-38 is the biggest mystery. The easy bet is that Earth-38 will merge with Earth-1 in some way. However, this set of series has found a way of never quite taking the easiest path. It has also found a way to incorporate Superman into its family of heroes. I would love to see “the Arrowverse” come out of this crossover with the fan capital to introduce other characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, and a proper Justice League.