As far as crossovers go, in just the first hour of this year’s four-part mini movie, I have full confidence in saying this is my favorite crossover yet. Wedding bells in the air for WestAllen. Olicity cuteness and angst. Karamel angst and teasing. Alex and Sara sexual tension and one-night stands. It’s everything I could’ve wanted.
And then the Nazis showed up.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of this entire thing is that the crossover — and each succeeding hour of it — is being tainted by the use of Nazis. In a world where, unfortunately, Nazis sympathizers exist and are getting endearing features in the New York Times, this feels cheap and classless as a centerfold for your mega crossover event.
And let’s get one thing straight:
NAZIS ARE NOT A FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT.
Nazis and the terrible horrors they brought about are not something you can simply play with because you can. As writers it’s your job to be aware of what’s happening in the world and to be mindful of the topics you choose to bring to life. You need to be smart and respectful of what you write and keep in mind the effects it will have on your audience.
Honestly, this crossover event would’ve worked just as well without Nazis. Evil dopplegangers? You’ve got 51 other Earths to choose from. You don’t need to make them Nazis to be evil. The Nazis were for pure shock value. Just further proof that you’re abusing a topic that is no joke to millions, affected or not affected personally.
I’m not Jewish. My family wasn’t personally affected by the Holocaust. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not something that means something to me. It doesn’t mean that I’m not offended and sickened on behalf of those that have been affected. It’s called decency. It’s called awareness. Something that this crossover lacked in that regard.
I don’t need to see Nazis on my television. I don’t need to see Nazis existing in the present. I don’t need to see my favorite heroes as Nazis. I don’t need these writers to sell this whole “Nazis are just like us” mentality by showing them in relationships.
This entire crossover would’ve worked without Nazis. This entire crossover should’ve worked without Nazis. But alas, DCTV went for the shock value.
I’m trying my best to ignore the Nazi stuff because, honestly, it’s tainting what’s been an amazing crossover event thus far. The focus on not only Barry and Iris’ love, as they prepare to get married, but also on Oliver and Felicity’s love, Joe’s love for his kids and Cecile, Kara and Alex’s love for one another, and just love all around from the many heroes — masked and unmasked — that inspire hope within us on the weekly.
The first hour was perfect for my shipping heart. It brought me some suprising Karamel feels — wasn’t expecting Mon-El to show up, so yay! — as well as an overload of Oliver and Felicity feels, and obviously Barry and Iris feels as the two best friends finally prepare to tie the knot. It was this fangirl’s dream hour.
Until, once again, the Nazis.
See, it’s really hard to appreciate the first hour in its entirety when something like that just taints it. As I’m watching, I’m trying to block out the fact that they’re Nazis. Pretend they’re just evil from another Earth. And it works until the show throws it in our face.
This crossover event, while enjoyable in every aspect except the Nazis, has been phenomenal thus far. But, to quote Adele:
But let’s get to the good stuff, aka the stuff that doesn’t deal with Nazis that didn’t need to exist for this crossover to work. The good stuff, as in my favorite ships: Olicity, Karamel, and WestAllen, as well as a new ship in Dance! It’s all about the romance. And I’m here for it!
WestAllen
It’s a moment that’s been four seasons in the making. Since the first moment we glimpsed that newspaper from 2024 with the byline that read: “Iris West-Allen.”
Barry and Iris have loved each other for a long time. Different kinds of love. Love that developed into true love. A true love strong enough to inspire love in others. They’ve earned this day. The day that they get to pledge their love to each other in front of family and friends; the day they get to remind us that love is the most important thing in the world; the day they remind us that, as Wonder Woman said, love can save the world. And complete your world.
Look no further than the moment Barry Allen stood at the altar watching through tear-filled eyes as the love of his wife walked down the aisle toward him. He saw his entire world in front of him. He saw the beginning of their story, the middle of their story, and how everything led to this moment. It’d be impossible for Barry to put into words — in a reasonable amount, not 38 pages single-spaced — just how much he loves Iris. And yet, his face and his eyes told you all you needed to know.
And as Iris walked down the aisle towards him, she saw her future. She saw the man that she loves more than anything staring at her with a look of pure love and devotion. She saw the beauty of their story as it continued to unfold. She felt the love in her heart that has bound her forever to the man everyone calls The Flash, hero, but she calls Barry, her hero.
The wonderful thing about WestAllen is how their love inspires others. That was evident in how Joe spoke of their love for each other. How their love reminded Joe how to love again. How their love inspires hope for all. Love is the most important thing. And there’s a sense of completeness that comes with Barry and Iris finally walking down the aisle. Like the page is begging to be turned. But, alas, this is a four-hour crossover event. And pretty weddings always seem to get ruined. But not by Nazis. Because usually shows are smarter than that.
Even after their wedding was interrupted — shocker — by Nazis (ugh), there was this clear sense that Barry and Iris will marry each other. Despite the mess that would ensue over the course of this four-hour mini movie, Barry and Iris will become husband and wife.
After all, live has thrown bigger wrenches into Barry and Iris’ life. Like time travel. And death. And othr love interests. Barry and Iris’ love has survived. Barry and Iris’ love has proved worthy of its depth. Barry and Iris’ love will prevail.
And I can’t wait to see Mr. and Mrs. Barry Allen.
Olicity
There’s nothing like a wedding to make you think about your future or get you into the wedding-mood, as we saw with Oliver and Felicity. Oliver and Felicity’s relationship is one that has experienced as many ups as downs; is one that has finally gotten back on track; and is one that looks to feature prominently throughout the entire crossover event. Game on.
The Arrowverse sure loves its parallels. Whether it’s the parallel with Diggle & Lyla’s relationship in conjunction with Oliver & Felicity’s or, now, Barry and Iris’ relationship in conjunction with Oliver & Felicity’s. You’ve gotta love it.
Given the last time Oliver and Felicity were together they were engaged, there’s obviously going to be their friends asking them if they’re “next” to walk down the aisle. But it’s more complicated than that, as we learned.
In the very first crossover event, Oliver told Barry that “guys like us don’t get the girl.” And we saw how each man struggled in dealing with the ups and downs with the women of their dreams. But it’s love that’s fought for that’s the love most meaningful. And both Barry and Oliver have fought for Iris and Felicity.
As Barry and Oliver were getting fitted for their tuxes, Barry so brilliantly threw that line back in Oliver’s face. “Looks like I got the girl. And so did you.” A reminder that, yes, they can be superheroes and also get the girl. They can exist in both worlds. They don’t have to choose one over the other.
When Barry asked Oliver if he would be proposing to Felicity soon, Oliver said it wasn’t the right time with everything happening in their lives. But it was Barry, who took on the role of wise mentor, that told Oliver that having the person you love by your side makes you stronger. It doesn’t matter if “the time is right.” The time is never going to be right. Not in their line of work. You have to live in the moment. Cherish every day spent together. Don’t waste time. Life is too short.
During Barry and Iris’ rehearsal dinner, Oliver takes to Barry’s words and decides not to waste any more time. He loves this woman. He wants to spend the rest of his life with her. It’s always been her. It’ll always be her. So Oliver, in his cute, flustered, I’m talking to Felicity Smoak way, proposed to Felicity in a beautiful way. It wasn’t extravagant. Just truth and emotion in his words and intentions. He’s wanted to marry this woman since season 4. He’s done wasting time.
I have to admit, I’ve seen the spoilers. There’s no way not to have seen the spoilers. They’re everywhere. But I wasn’t expecting Oliver to pop the question so early on in the crossover event. It was almost too easy. Which is why I wasn’t too surprised when Felicity said no. That’s right, she said no. But not because she doesn’t love him — she loves him more than anything else in the world. But because given the last time he proposed, she was shot and paralyzed and it was the beginning of the end for them.
Felicity is terrified of losing Oliver. She associates being engaged to Oliver as it being something that ultimately marks the end for them. Only that’s not the case this time. In fact, it’s the beginning for them. If and when they do get engaged/married.
But Felicity sying no to his proposal is obviously something that affected him. He’s always felt like he wasn’t good enough for her; that he didn’t deserve her; that she deserved better. In a way, it made him doubt if she loved him as much as he loves her, which is just preposterous. Those idiots love each other so freaking much it’s ridiculously cute. But both of them are letting their insecurities get the better of them in their mindset.
In a way, this entire crossover is about Oliver and Felicity coming together. Oliver proposed and Felicity said no. So I expect the next time — the last time they’d better propose before getting married — to be Felicity proposing to Oliver to express her love for him and for Oliver to push all doubt out of his mind that this woman doesn’t love him more than anything.
Oliver and Felicity are that couple that I’ve shipped from the very beginning. Having watched their journey over the course of five-now-six seasons has been truly magical. Seeing them grow from strangers to colleagues to friends to partners to lovers has been something pure and magical. Evidence that it’s best to not force couples or storylines because you think it’s right. Don’t let the stories guide the characters. Let the characters guide the stories. It’s why — apart from part of season 4 and season 5 — Olicity’s relationship has been as strong and passionate as it has been. And it’s one of the reasons that I continue to invest so much into Arrow.
Karamel
Even given the fact that it was a Supergirl hour, I wasn’t expecting much on the Karamel front. But from the little that we got, I enjoyed it given the journey that’s about to unfold throughout the remainder of the season.
With this massive crossover event, it’d be easy to forget that last week’s Supergirl was a pretty significant episode as it marked the return of Mon-El — and the beginning of a long journey back to one another for Kara and Mon-El. But the thing I really loved about the crossover is that it chose not to ignore the events of the recent episode of Supergirl, but it found a way to embrace it and use it in a way that felt natural and felt like a setup for next week’s midseason finale and moving forward.
Whether it was Kara and Alex’s bonding moment on the couch as they clung to each other for support over their lost loves or Kara full-out admitting how difficult it is for her to have the man she loves — note the present tense, people — return to her only to still be lost to her. Even in knowing the significant time difference of Mon-El’s absence — it’s been 7 years for him compared to 7 months for Kara — it doesn’t change the fact that it hurts like hell and will continue to hurt like hell for Kara.
The fact that Kara is alking about her emotions instead of keeping them bottled up inside like before is significant. God, I love character growth. Instead of choosing to let that pent up emotion eat her alive, she’s turning to her sister for moral support. And with Alex dealing with loss herself, it makes them both perfect people to get through this tough, emotional journey together. The Danvers sisters are Supergirl’s heart. Forever and always.
This episode also reaffirmed Kara’s journey this season, which is to learn that it’s not about accepting that she can be Supergirl and only Supergirl, it’s about accepting that she not only can but needs to be both Kara and Supergirl. Kara is so afraid to feel — to feel the negative feelings that can feel like a boulder on her powerful back — that she’s trying her very best to convince herself that she’s not human. And while genetically she’s not human, she has every bit — if not more — humanity than most, as an alien. With that humanity comes emotions and feelings — both the good and the bad.
Over the past seven months, Kara has felt weight of her grief. A grief that has felt overwhelming to a degree that she thought it made her weak. But feeling doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong. Having something — someone — worth fighting for makes all the difference.
Kara will be forced to confront her emotions this season and challenged with accepting those feelings as a part of herself rather than choose to believe them to be a human weakness.
There was a beautiful scene between Kara and Barry, where Barry got Kara to open up a bit about Mon-El. Kara clearly remains on edge about Mon-El. It was one thing for Kara to deal with losing him — she spent six months grieving and finding a way to start moving on. But it’s something completely different for the man you love — that you thought you lost — to return; to not only return, but to return having a new life and a wife. She already grieved Mon-El once. Now she has to deal with a different kind of grief.
And for Mon-El — lest we forget that this isn’t just about Kara, it’s also about Mon-El — he’s struggling with returning to a time where Kara is alive and well and standing in front of him. You can see the constant inner struggle as he fought to shield Kara from the truth. He knows he doesn’t need to protect her, but that doesn’t change the fact that he always will want to protect her. Especially from feeling pain brought on by him. There’s so much we still don’t know about what happened to Mon-El. There’s so much left to happen with Kar and Mon-El’s journey this season. It’s all about the angst. It’s all about trusting the journey.
But back to Barry’s conversation with Kara…
Specifically, Barry encouraged Kara that it’s okay to have love in your life. But we saw that Kara isn’t there yet. She’s still set in that mentality that she can only be Supergirl, and she can’t let human emotions get in the way. Oh, Kara, my love, you’ve got a wonderful journey ahead. I’m ready for you to embrace your true self — the self that consists of both Kara and Supergirl.
Dance — Is That What We’re Calling It?
A ship that I wanted but didn’t expect to happen, Supergirl’s hour of the crossover brought us the beauty of Alex Danvers and Sara Lance — are we calling them Dance? — two badass ladies with some serious chemistry.
This trip to Earth-1 served as a means to distract both Alex and Kara from their love woes. For Alex, that meant trying to get her mind off of Maggie, which also had her doubting whether she made the right decision to break up with Maggie.
But, as Kara noted, their individual stances on wanting or not wanting kids was indeed a deal breaker, Alex shouldn’t force herself to feel the way that she believes Maggie wants her to feel. That’s not love. That’s something that would eventually hurt them both — and even make them resent each other — in the long run. Alex had to move on. Maggie was her first love. But she won’t be her last.
Now, do I think Sara Lance will be Alex’s next great love? Not really. Only because there are so many logistics that are working against it. But that doesn’t mean that the two badass ladies can’t have a little fun, flirt like hell, and kick ass side-by-side. But not every relationship needs to be an epic love story. Sometimes you can just have a little fun. Have a one-night stand. Jump on a rebound.
But it certainly doesn’t hurt that these two have amazing chemistry, and the factors leading into their hookup made it perfect. Alex was holding onto Maggie and needed to find a way to move on, though reluctant she was. And Sara was there to comfort her in her time of need — and also have a little fun. Nothing wrong with that.
That makeout scene, the morning after, and the afternoon at Barry and Iris’ wedding was the stuff of brilliance. There was a passion and OMG factor in the hookup. There was stuff of comedic brilliance in the scene at the church and when the two ladies had to work together. They played off each other so well.
Like I said, I don’t believe this is going to be an epic love story. But I’m going to enjoy it as I can.
14 Things About “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1”
- This crossover event did not need Nazis to work. It was for pure shock value. This crossover would’ve worked just as well — hell, better — with just evil dopplegangers. Not gonna lie, it tainted a pretty good crossover.
- Did we seriously have to start with murdering Earth-X James?
- This was my shipper heart’s dream! Not only did I get WestAllen but Olicity and Karamel and Dance (that’s Sara and Alex, and I’m loving it.)
- Barry’s face — specifically his eyes — as Iris walked down the aisle and Kara sang the song he proposed to Iris with, was a thing of pure emotion. I was crying. It was the purest form of emotion. Happy tears. Grant Gustin and Candice Patton really got me. Right in the heart.
- There’s nothing like Oliver Queen becoming flustered in front of his true love, Felicity Smoak. Especially as he’s proposing in the cutest and most Oliver way possible. Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards continue to slay me with their chemistry six years and counting. Forever blessed that Emily walked onto this show and Oliver walked into Felicity’s cubicle.
- Sure, I wasn’t expecting Oliver to propose so early on in the crossover. And I wasn’t expecting Felicity to say no. But given everything that happened the last time they were engaged, I can’t blame her. Also, I don’t mind this entire crossover leading to Oliver and Felicity’s wedding.
- The opening sequence of the hour, where you saw each show’s hero in a fighting montage was so brilliantly done. It really did feel like a movie. Loved how it tied in with RSVPing to WestAllen’s wedding!
- Oliver and Barry scenes really are some of the best scenes. It’s a reminder of just how much I miss them. I loved how this scene paralleled one in their first crossover where Oliver told Barry that “guys like us don’t get the girl.” And this time Barry was all, “I got the girl,” and also reaffirmed that so did Oliver. MY BOYS.
- Joe’s speech at the rehearsal dinner was so beautifully written and delivered. Thanking Barry and Iris for helping remind him what love is — I was bawling. God, I love these family moments. And I love Joe West.
- Kara’s journey this season is going to be about accepting that she can and needs to be both Kara and Supergirl. But also that it’s okay to feel. It doesn’t make her weak. It makes her strong.
- Sara and Alex was everything I didn’t know I needed but am so glad that I got. Not gonna lie, I ship it.
- Was that Barry and Iris’ future daughter? That was SO Barry and Iris’ future daughter!
- Mick sleeping during Barry & Iris’ wedding was hilarious. And so very Mick.
- Tommy is Prometheus, isn’t he? Why did we have to wait on the reveal?! Oh, Arrow, you’re up next!
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on the CW.