SUPERGIRL 3.08 Review “Crisis On Earth X Part-1”

This post contains spoilers for Crisis on Earth X.

After waiting a whole year since DCTV’s last big crossover event, we’re finally at Crisis on Earth X. DCTV has a powerful habit of making their shows timely with plenty of social commentary, so you bet your cape they took the opportunity to take a shot at Nazis while we’re in our current cultural climate. The other thing DCTV excels at? Hope. Sure, it wraps that hope in between making you bawl, but what good is light without a little darkness?

Supergirl’s contribution to the crossover event focuses on Barry and Iris’ wedding without keeping the episode Flash-centric. Barry’s now the all-knowing mentor, trying to help the other members of the team realize that love is what makes them the heroes they are. Surprisingly, Oliver’s more open to the idea, being as in love with Felicity as he is. Kara’s a harder sell with all of the Mon-El drama going on, on her Earth, but Oliver might be joining her and Alex’s pity party after Felicity turns down his proposal.

Let’s pause talking about all of the sad and acknowledge the fact that Sara and Alex have the one night stand everyone’s been waiting for! Even better, the episode takes a moment to acknowledge the walk of shame, and just how ridiculous and archaic the concept is. There will be a little bit of drama over it in the next episode, but it’s founded in actual emotion instead of some weird notion of shame.

Sara and Alex getting together isn’t the only wish granted in the first part of Crisis on Earth X, either. Who hasn’t waited their whole lives to watch their favorite heroes beat the hell out of some Nazis? It was at the expense of Barry and Iris’ wedding, sure, but they’ve got plenty of time! Cisco vibing Oliver onto a balcony to have an Arrow-off with his yet-to-be-unmasked doppelganger is so much better than a wedding. Frost and Heat Wave get some bonus points too, but none so much as Sara and Alex tearing their dresses and bringing the beat-down on Prometheus.

The foundation part one builds for the rest of the four-part crossover event is a strong one. One of the best moments of the episode is when everyone’s waking up on the day of the wedding, and they show what a weird ass little family all of these heroes have become. Barry and Iris in their love, Mick in Martin’s robe while eating his cereal, and the hurt between Oliver and Felicity and Jax and Martin all build this critical dynamic that makes all of the emotions in Crisis work. There’s so much fear, and love, and hurt, and connection between all of these (slightly broken) people. All of this may seem trite, but all of that love and beautiful broken-ness among them is exactly what they need as ammunition against their Nazi counterparts. When it comes to skill, they meet them toe to toe. But their humanity separates them. All of them, especially Kara, are going to have to tap into that humanity if they have any hope of protecting Earth Prime.