Crisis On Earth-X Roundtable: Part 4

The fourth part of Crisis On Earth-X brought the two-night event to an epic and somewhat bittersweet end

After three full episodes of setting the stage, it would have been disappointing if the final act of the two-night Crisis On Earth-X crossover event ended with a whimper. Thankfully, the exact opposite of that happened. Part 4 delivered some of the largest action sequences the shows have ever put together. Like with the previous three parts, the fourth episode started immediately where the previous one had left off. Dr. Stein (Victor Garber) was shot while activating the portal to return to Earth-1.

Before Eobard (Tom Cavanagh) was able to extract Kara’s (Melissa Benoist) heart to save Overgirl’s life, Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) and the rest of the Legends arrived on the Waverider. Stein was immediately brought aboard and stabilized by Gideon (Amy Pemberton) and his connection to Jax (Franz Drameh). Once Stein learned that he was only being kept alive through Jax, he chose to sever their connection, thanked him for the adventures they shared, and died soon afterward.

RELATED | Crisis On Earth-X Roundtable: Part 3

The remainder of the episode was largely devoted to a massive action scene that threw the Earth-1 heroes against their Earth-X doppelgängers. Oliver (Stephen Amell) killed Oliver-X and Kara-X detonated from her extreme radiation exposure after fighting Kara. The Earth-X Waverider was destroyed and the threat from Earth-X was stopped (for now). Leo (Wentworth Miller) decided to stay on Earth-1 for a period of time while Ray (Russell Tovey) went back to Earth-X to continue the fight against the Nazis alongside the Freedom Fighters.

Despite the loss of Stein, the fourth episode of Crisis On Earth-X took a more hopeful and positive stance by having the characters more directly counteract the parallel Earth’s Nazi regime. After Stein’s funeral, Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris (Candice Patton) decided to have a short, quick wedding ceremony. So Barry ran to Star City, grabbed Diggle (David Ramsey), and married Iris then and there (next to a puddle of poor Diggle’s vomit, no less). Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) also had a change of heart and asked Oliver to marry her alongside Iris and Barry.

Like with the previous three roundtables, we put together a special crossover roundtable just for Crisis On Earth-X, consisting of fans for each show. So let’s meet our final crossover roundtable guests!

Emily (@dianasfelicity) – College student, enthusiastic TV show watcher, and huge Arrow/Olicity fan

Holly (@hollyanderson30) – Social media addict and loves all things WestAllen and The Flash

Cat (@caitylotzarmy) – Designer by day, watcher of way too many shows by night, supporter of Caity Lotz all the time

Nyssa (@lancealotzs) – I’m Nyssa! Lover of all things Caity Lotz

Ashley (@msashmyles) – Author, reader, shipper, fangirl, TV and Netflix addict, and nerdy for all things Marvel and DC

[wp_ad_camp_2]

1. Not every character in the Arrowverse had a large role in the crossover event. Is there a character you would have liked to have seen with a bigger role?

Emily (@dianasfelicity): First, I completely understand that these crossovers are crazy hard to schedule and that some characters get pushed aside a bit. With that said, I would have loved to see more Diggle! I’ve always enjoyed his lighthearted scenes with other Arrowverse characters so I did miss seeing more of that. I also would have loved to see more of Amaya and Zari! Their scenes were short but I really enjoyed them, so more of them would have been great!

Holly (@hollyanderson30): I would have loved to have seen Cisco have more screen time than he had gotten. Cisco is an amazing character and I always love when he is using his powers. I think that the reason they didn’t is because with his powers he is too powerful. He could have made it much too simple or easier at least for all of them if he hadn’t been knocked out. He could have simply vibed to Earth-X. So with him being locked up more people could be used and I did love seeing Felicity and Iris working together to get him released.

Cat (@caitylotzarmy): Well, my answer will be pretty obvious: there’s never too much Sara Lance! Sara was in all 4 parts of this year’s crossover, had some fun moments, some kickass moments, but for me, the more she’s in it, the better. Also, can we talk about some people that were not in it, and that I would’ve loved to see? Cause I gotta mention Lena Luthor and Black Siren. (Even though it would be pretty impossible to bring Lena since she doesn’t know Kara’s secret). Black Siren because I would’ve loved to see Sara’s reaction.

Nyssa (@lancealotzs): I would have liked for Sara to have a bigger role. She’s the lead actress on Legends of Tomorrow and I feel that it’s only fair for her to get the same spotlight treatment as Barry, Oliver, and Kara. I also would have loved to see more of Amaya and Zari. Also, Caitlin has amazing powers and I wish we got to see her do more.

Ashley (@msashmyles): I thought they covered everyone’s role pretty well. Everyone big and important had their moments, but I was surprised that Dig wasn’t around much. In fact he didn’t come in until the final 5 minutes. Granted he is injured and dealing with his own stuff, but I thought he’d at least be at the first attempted WestAllen wedding.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

2. Crisis On Earth-X was a much larger event than last year’s Invasion! Would you like to see another four-part crossover next season? If so, what kind of story would you like to see them tell? If not, what don’t you like about crossovers?

Emily: I absolutely love the concept of the crossovers. I’ve always enjoyed the interactions between characters from different shows. It leads to many funny, touching moments, and it’s just cool to see everyone together. I do think they need to work on the stories though. The last time I’ve liked the story behind the crossover was the very first one when it was just the Flash and Arrow. Maybe it’s because fewer shows meant each character had a larger role, or maybe it’s because they kept the plot simple. They have a lot of potential to give us some really awesome material in the future though!

Holly: I would love another 4 part crossover next year, especially if they do it as they did this year. Putting it together like a 4 hour movie was brilliant and the pace of it was perfect.

Cat: I liked last year’s crossover, and I liked this year’s crossover. Of course that now I’m comparing the two of them, this year’s felt much more cohesive, and more like a true 4-part event than last year’s. And yeah, I hope they continue to do these events. It’s also an opportunity to watch some characters interact with each other. And maybe next year can be more focused on the Legends?

Nyssa: Yes! Crossovers are my favorites. I would like the crossover to be a holiday crossover. I don’t know what villain they would fight, but if they all could be together around the holidays that would be great.

Ashley: I didn’t think they could top last year’s crossover, but they did! I would love to see them do their crossovers like this all the time. Like Harry said, there’s 50+ Earth’s… Lots of possibilities!

[wp_ad_camp_2]

3. Martin Stein met his unfortunate demise in this episode. If his death was inevitable and had to happen, would you have preferred him to die in a different manner? Or was it a fitting end for him?

Emily: If Stein’s death was inevitable, I really would have preferred he didn’t meet his demise as a Jewish character by a Nazi shooting him multiple times. Even though he technically made the decision to die himself, the Nazis forced his hand by severely injuring him, and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did enjoy his final scene though. I don’t know much about the character or his relationship with Jefferson, but it truly tugged at the heartstrings and made me cry!

Holly: I think it was a fitting end. Not only did he die saving everyone, he later sacrificed himself to save Jackson. I think it’s a lot better than saying he’s done and going home like he was wanting, and no there is nothing wrong with that just Dr. Stein doesn’t seem like he would be able to live with doing that to Jackson.

Cat: I think pretty much everyone knew about Stein’s destiny. It wasn’t a well-kept secret. But even though we already knew, it didn’t make it less painful. I loved Jax and Stein’s relationship and chemistry, and I think he deserved another ending.

Nyssa: I’m sad that he died. I think he should have lived and just left the team and when home to his wife and child as he was planning on doing.

Ashley: First off, I’m devastated right now. I knew Victor Garber was leaving, I just didn’t think it’d be like this. Secondly, Stein’s death was absolutely heartbreaking and a huge blow to the team, but it was handled well, and having Jax by his side was fitting. It packed a serious emotional punch to the feels. (I haven’t cried like that during DCTV since Henry Allen!)

[wp_ad_camp_2]

4. Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4 really went all out with the action sequences! What was your favorite hero or villain team up? Favorite fight?

Emily: I loved loved loved Iris and Felicity teaming up! It was both empowering and heartwarming to see them kick ass together. It had me rooting for them throughout all their scenes! My favorite fight is probably the last one, because seeing the Nazis get taken down was what I had been waiting for the entire crossover. I especially enjoyed the Earth-X Oliver versus Earth-1 Oliver fight scene, but that’s mainly because the evil version of Oliver dies and that was oh so satisfying to see.

Holly: My favorite team-up would have to either be Cisco and Oliver at the WestAllen wedding or Barry and The Ray against Red Tornado. Both were epic.

Cat: Sara and Alex are a pretty good team! Not that anyone doubted their individual skills, but they had some pretty kickass (and also fun) scenes. But I would’ve also loved to see Sara and Dinah. Favorite fight? Hmm… I guess that line up and fight under the bridge was pretty epic. Every time we get to see all those heroes side by side is epic!

Nyssa: Alex and Sara were super badass together. I loved the fight scenes they had together. I loved the dynamic between Iris and Felicity as well as Zari and Amaya. One of my favorite parts was when Caitlin as Killer Frost carried Zari and Amaya to the evil Waverider. So badass.

Ashley: Honestly, I loved it all – shoutout to Gregory Smith for directing the hell out of this episode! But I think if I had to pick… Watching all of our heroes go at “The Terminator” was epic! It gave me goosebumps! And watching Oliver kill OliverX was oh so satisfying.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

5. If you could change one scene or moment in the entirety of the four-part story, what would you change?

Emily: So. Many. Things. I’ll save my distaste for the Nazi storyline for now and focus on the smaller things. I have a few gripes with this crossover but one in particular is the whole Earth-X Kara and Oliver dynamic. It was…weird. I don’t understand why it was necessary, and I honestly laughed during most of their scenes because it was so ridiculous to me! I couldn’t take it seriously at all. I also didn’t like how it romanticized Nazis, and I especially didn’t like that some viewers were actually buying into it. They’re Nazis, people!!!!

Holly: I would change when they found out it was Nazis they were up against. Don’t get me wrong this has been an absolutely phenomenal crossover but Nazis? There are so many things wrong in the world right now and to sink back there when there are many horrible things that they could have been fighting. Other than that I wouldn’t change anything.

Cat: Martin dying. Like I said, they could’ve found a less painful way for his character to leave. And Sara and Dinah sharing some scenes. I mean, she took over the Black Canary role after Laurel’s death, a role that Sara also had. I think there was potential for some really cool scenes there.

Nyssa: I would change when they went to the concentration camp. That part was a little unnecessary in my opinion and I know a lot of people that were uncomfortable with that scene. Especially when they were lined up to be killed. And Stein’s death! I wish he wouldn’t have died.

Ashley: After 10 minutes of thinking about it, I can’t think of a single thing. Actually, I lied – OliverX and KaraX kissing. That. Was. So. Weird. How do we delete memories?? And I don’t know if this counts, but I want to see The Ray again, he was fun to watch!

[wp_ad_camp_2]

6. Barry and Iris finally got married! Then at the last minute, Felicity changed her mind and asked Oliver to marry her. Diggle ended up officiating both of their weddings. What are your thoughts on those developments?

Emily: When I first heard this was happening, I was very disappointed. I’ve always felt that the two lead couples from their respective shows deserved to have their own wedding. When I saw it, however, I thought it was adorable! I don’t watch the Flash but I found Iris and Barry’s scenes to be heartwarming. They’re all great friends so it didn’t feel wrong or unfair. I don’t think Olicity stole the moment at all. WestAllen got a larger chunk of the scene to say their vows and have their moment. Besides, Oliver and Felicity even agreed they couldn’t top Iris and Barry! It was an impromptu wedding next to Diggle’s vomit, so I think it was perfect for what it was.

Holly: I am so happy to see my babies get married!!! It’s only been 3 years and counting coming. I do actually follow both shows and do actually love Felicity but to me that just doesn’t really sit right with me. I would have loved separate weddings for both because to me I was just concentrating on the WestAllen wedding.

Cat: Gotta admit. I’m not a follower of The Flash. I’ve watched some episodes but was never an avid watcher of the show. So I’m not as invested in the WestAllen relationship as some people are, but I’m happy for them! At least someone’s happy! Oliver and Felicity, I think it was only a matter of time, and it only made sense that Diggle was the one officiating their wedding.

Nyssa: I love Olicity and WestAllen so I am happy for them both. I loved that Dig married them. I just hope Felicity doesn’t regret getting married later.

Ashley: IT’S ABOUT TIME! I don’t need some fancy dress or a church and a lot of guests for my ship to get hitched. The fact that it was just OTA (and WestAllen) was kind of perfect. And it brought things full circle from when Barry and Oliver talked about guys like them not getting the girl. Loved every minute of it.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

7. Overall, what did you think of all four episodes of Crisis On Earth-X? Was the crossover better than you thought it would be? Or was it worse than you thought it would be?

Emily: I’ve never enjoyed movies, shows, or books about the Holocaust and Nazis, so this plot just felt icky and unnecessary to me. It makes me feel awful knowing my many Jewish and non-Jewish friends felt uncomfortable watching it. I know that’s not the case for everyone, and I’m glad many people enjoyed it, but I hope they take greater care in the future when planning crossovers like this especially if they deal with such a heavy subject matter. There were moments that I still enjoyed and I loved seeing the characters interact. I seriously applaud the cast and crew for all the dedication and effort that goes into filming this huge event!

Holly: I always love the crossovers but this year with Crisis On Earth-X the CW went above and beyond my expectations. I can’t wait until the next one.

Cat: I think that after last year’s complaints about it not being a true 4-part event, people can’t say the same about this one. In some parts, it was pretty obvious that some characters weren’t available. Maybe because they were working on their show’s episodes, but I guess overall it was pretty good, and I’m pretty happy with it! Can’t be easy to coordinate so many people’s schedules to make it happen.

Nyssa: I liked this one more than last year’s because it was bigger and had more characters. The fight scenes were amazing. It met my expectations.

Ashley: I knew it was going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting it to be THAT good! The way they shot it like a movie was brilliant and worked surprisingly well for 4 television shows. And… I think they were brave to touch on this storyline about an Earth run by Nazis. Was there a few moments that were harder to watch than others? Yes, but this was definitely a “what if” story, and I really enjoyed it!

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Final Verdict: Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4 managed to pay off the previous three hours rather masterfully without losing sight of its characters

Last year’s Invasion! crossover delivered the first major crossover involving all four of The CW‘s DC-based superhero shows. Despite it being a crossover event, fans rightfully complained that it wasn’t nearly as big of a crossover as was expected. It took place over the course of three episodes and it limited the involvement of several of the main characters. The CW and the producers of the Arrowverse shows took that feedback onboard and promised a full crossover event this year, and did they ever deliver. Not every character had a huge role this year or didn’t make the cut at all. But the writers managed to throw in as many characters as possible from all four shows even if they ended up being Earth-X versions of them.

The biggest strengths of the crossover were its action sequences and having all of our favorite heroes work together. Bringing together a large group of heroes requires everything to be dialed up to eleven to make the stakes high enough and the involvement of everyone believable. If the crossover had failed to deliver either of those things, it could have quickly collapsed in on itself. Thankfully, the episodes did deliver, and the final part was loaded with payoff. From cool team-ups that we had never seen before (e.g., Killer Frost, Zari, and Amaya) to Oliver and Kara fighting evil versions of themselves, Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4 didn’t hold back.

Despite the heavy emphasis on action and seeing the characters do cool things together, the climax of the crossover event didn’t lose sight of its characters. We said goodbye to Dr. Stein through several well-acted and written scenes, and West-Allen and Olicity fans finally saw their favorite couples get married. Perhaps the weddings weren’t quite what they had in mind but bringing in Diggle to officiate them was a nice touch and gave David Ramsey a small yet important role in the episodes.

The heavy emphasis on action and the vast number of characters did give the event as a whole less of a focus on many of the side characters than some may have preferred. Most of the major characters were given at least a scene or two. The decision to use Nazis as villains was also a divisive one. Without the necessary time to devote to exploring such a difficult subject matter, some may find their inclusion gratuitous or downright off-putting. Despite that, Crisis On Earth-X didn’t portray the Nazis from Earth-X as misunderstood or even as good people. It did, however, portray them as human monsters. But that doesn’t necessarily make for easy or pleasant viewing.

Crisis On Earth-X set out to outdo last season’s Invasion! crossover. We can safely say that while it didn’t completely succeed on every level, it more than met or exceeded expectations on most other levels. If this is the kind of giant crossover event the writers, cast, and the rest of the production teams can deliver, we can’t wait to see what they do next year.

ALL FOUR DCTV SHOWS return NEXT WEEK starting on MONDAY, DECEMBER 3rd at 8/7c on THE CW.