The big screen isn’t the only place you can find exciting adaptations of your favorite comic book heroes. The CW has been delivering quality superhero content for more than five years and, as Netflix cancels their Marvel series and Warner Bros. struggles to develop their cinematic DC Universe, they only continue to grow, with four ongoing DCEU series, a separate superhero series (Black Lightning) that takes place outside that universe, and Batwoman waiting in the wings.
With so much content to watch, the folks at The Pop Break decided to band together and provide a weekly, concise recap of the DC-CW extended universe. It will be your one-stop home for our thoughts on Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and (starting next week) Legends of Tomorrow (read our review of the premiere here). So without further adieux, let’s see what happened to our favorite heroes last week…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqRZJgA_IqM&t=3s
Supergirl — 4×02, “Fallout”
We’re only on Episode of 2 of Supergirl‘s fourth season, but it’s already getting serious as “Fallout” continues to serve as a metaphor for the recent real world prejudices and mob mentalities in our current political environment. But there was also a lot of great character development and dialogue as well.
Brainey and Alex’s interactions this season have, thus far, been my favorite parts of the show. Brainey encounters the alien prejudice first-hand when his true form is revealed, but Alex is quick to comfort him, saying: “The next time someone tries to hurt you, you send them my way.” He replies: “All aliens deserve an Alex Danvers.” I loved it.
Meanwhile, James Olsen, a character I’ve been down on for a while now, actually pleasantly surprised me as he goes from taking no stance on the Alien issues to finally writing an editorial choosing to stand by the aliens. He is inspired by Cat Co. newcomer Nia who reveals to him that she is a transgender woman. He also comes up big defending a harassed Alien co-worker by stating, “We respect people here.” This is finally a fitting role for James. This show has really found it’s stride as it has always been a platform for feminism and acceptance. I couldn’t be more excited to see where this season takes it and the real world parallels that come along with it.
—Rob Crowther IV, Staff Writer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBsBmIz3yaE
Arrow— 7×02, “The Longbow Hunters”
Arrow had another strong episode this week as it built off the situations and developments from the season premiere. Season 7 thus far understands that the show is at its best when it emphasizes character to progress its plot. This week marked the satisfying reunion of Team Arrow in their pursuit to take the Longbow Hunters down. We saw Felicity’s resolve tested by the opportunity to catch Diaz. There were some great moments between her and John, particularly when he explained why he never took up being the Green Arrow.
Felicity’s arc makes perfect sense for where her character currently is, but we learned in Season 3 the more serious Emily Bett Rickards gets the more dull the show becomes. Dinah and Laurel sparred a bit before coming to a tentative understanding. Laurel has made it clear that she is not the woman who killed Vince anymore, and Katie Cassidy did a great job convincing us of it. Juliana Harakavy is still one of the best things to happen to Arrow and I hope there are more scenes between her and Cassidy this season.
This episode also introduced us to the assumed big-bad of the season, the Longbow Hunters. Curiously, none of them used any longbows. But the fight scenes were entertaining enough, and the fight between the two Canaries and the woman with the power to manipulate silence was the standout moment of the episode. The Hunters seem rather generic at the moment, but hopefully the coming episodes will distinguish them from Arrow’s other villains and each other a bit more. Meanwhile, the flash forwards kept the questions coming as it got into a little bit of why William is on Lian Yu with Roy. Little was actually developed or revealed this week, but we are heading back to Star City now so more answers are hopefully coming.
Finally, Oliver is contracted by Brick to kill his primary prison guard in exchange for information on Diaz. His struggle to save Peter York’s life, and solution for doing so, were both highly satisfying to watch and a great moment highlighting Oliver’s moral compass at conflict with his willingness to do what is necessary. No new information was given on the copy cat Green Arrow, but this show can take its time. I’m not going anywhere.
—Matt Gilbert, Staff Writer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_wG5_ttW4
The Flash— 5×03, “The Death of Vibe”
Another year, another Wells. As much as I love Tom Cavanagh’s previous performances on the series, the insistence that there be a Wells on the team highlights the show’s obsession with repeating plot points. Conversely, Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) continues to be a better Kid Flash than Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) ever was. It’s a shame that they botched Wally’s character given his rich comic history, but Nora is proving herself to be the speedster sidekick this show has been lacking. The biggest question mark of the episode, though, is Cicada.
We’ve seen plenty of baddies beat up our heroes and take their loved ones as hostages, so it’s hard to feel too phased by Cicada’s actions thus far. At the moment, his plan and powers are the only things distinguishing him from the major antagonists of the past. It’s no surprise, then, that the most compelling thing about this season is the family dynamic of Barry (Grant Gustin), Iris (Candice Patton), and Nora.
While some of their interactions are a tad melodramatic and soapy, the alternating tension and affection they all share is the freshest aspect of the season so far and the kind of shot of adrenaline the show needed to keep things interesting. We can only hope that momentum continues.
—Josh Sarnecky, Staff Writer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5MIejZpQtA
