Remember that feeling when the Avengers assembled for the first time? You can’t help but feel something similar when Supergirl gets introduced to Team Arrow, Team Legends and Team Flash. It’s a feeling we generally didn’t get this past spring with Batman v Superman. I like to call them The Breakfast Club of the DC TV Universe. Warning, spoilers ahead…
“Invasion” begins with Barry and Oliver facing off against their own friends after they fall under an alien mind control before going back to 10 hours earlier. We back to last night’s final moments on Supergirl when Barry and Cisco arrive on Kara’s earth to recruit her to help them back on Earth-1 to fight these aliens called the Dominators.
Things start off okay for our heroes until Jax (Franz Drameh) and Stein (Victor Garber) share with Barry the message they discovered on the Waverider from future Barry warning them to not trust anyone including him. Barry confesses to Jax, Stein and Oliver about Flashpoint and how his decision to change his past has affected all of them in different ways. Cisco discovers this message and confronts Barry and forces him to tell the others. To say the least, his confession of what he had done leaves everyone with the exception of Kara and Oliver to not trust Barry.
When the President is kidnapped, Supergirl leads the team minus Oliver and Barry to retrieve him. Barry shows Oliver the future article of him being missing and how his changing of the timeline has had unforeseen repercussions. Oliver tells him that he needs to let go of his guilt because there isn’t anyone who wouldn’t have done the same if it meant saving a loved one. The moment gets interrupted when a battle takes place outside STAR Labs.
Now we arrive to where the episode began as Oliver and Barry battle their friends. With the odds stacked against them, Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) goes all Kid Flash on the others before being knocked out by Supergirl. As this is happening, Cisco and Felicity figure out a way to disrupt the mind control, freeing everyone. The victory is short lived however when many members of the team get zapped and disappear, their whereabouts unknown. This is a solid cliffhanger to a solid episode that kicked off the crossover event fanboys and fangirls alike have been waiting for.
A side note to all the action is the surrogate relationship between H.R. Wells (Tom Cavanagh) and Wally West. While Iris (Candice Patton) and Joe (Jesse Martin) want to protect Wally from his new found speed recalling what Barry had told them regarding Wally’s fate in Flashpoint, it’s Wells who encourages him to embrace it. Where this is headed, we’ll have to wait and see.
As for “Invasion”, it showcased some of the best action you’ll ever see. Warner Bros should seriously take note for their cinematic properties. This is what a comic book story come to life should feel and look like. As Felicity said, “Best team up ever!”
Part 3 of The Invasion crossover continues on Arrowfor it’s 100th episode, Wednesday night at 8 on The CW.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
