TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Crisis On Infinite Earths Part 2

After the stunner of an ending for Crisis On Infinite Earths Part 1, you had to wonder what Part 2 was going to be like. And while I can honestly say that the stinger at the end wasn’t as powerful, the bulk of Part 2 did things just as good, if not better than the intro.

First and foremost, despite this being the “Batwoman” episode of the crossover, the series didn’t focus solely on the characters from her world. Sure, Kate had a key part, as she should regardless, and we did see one of her crew on another ear, but it wasn’t as forced as the Lena, Alex, J’onn, Brainy and others that we had in the first episode (and I just realized that we didn’t see any of them in this episode…so that might explain it).

Anyway, instead, Part 2 focused on the fact that The Monitor’s plan to stop the anti-matter wave failed, and to defeat The Anti-Monitor, they needed the “Seven Paragon” (a reference to the Justice League no doubt) that were scattered across the Multiverse.

On one hand, this is exactly the kind of “comic book answer” to problems that we should enjoy, but I won’t lie, having three of the seven be our Kara, Kate, and Sara…seems a little convenient. I’m just saying. Nothing against these ladies, but it did feel a little forced.

That being said, the quest to find the other paragons was one of the biggest highlights of the episode. Which included a quest for “another Kryptonian” that allowed us to get even more comic references. Including a “Death of Superman” reference, and the arrival of Kingdom Come/Superman Returns Superman courtesy of Brandon Routh. Who truly shines in many ways throughout the episode.

But what many were waiting for was the return of Tom Welling’s Smallville Superman. And…we didn’t get him, not in the way you think. Welling was there, and he had some good scenes, including noting that him and Lois have two daughters, and he did get to face off against a Lex Luthor in the form of Jon Cryer. But…he isn’t Superman anymore. He gave up his powers to be a family man.

I know many will be sad that three different iconic Supermen aren’t teaming up to save the Multiverse, but this felt fun. Superman has given up his powers in the past, including in the second Donner/Reeves movie. And given what the Supergirl version of the character did in the same vein by going to Argo City, it’s nice to know that this path isn’t restricted to one Superman. Plus, Welling in recent years has felt weighed down by the role of Clark/Superman since everyone just thinks of him as that. So having him have an ending that says, “I’m not Superman anymore” is kind of nice.

But of course, the OTHER, HUGE, mega crossover we got was with Kevin Conroy, the man who voiced Batman for 20+ years (and is still doing it…) in various video games, cartoons, and cartoon movies got to make his live-action debut as Bruce Wayne…and it didn’t disappoint.

Granted, spoilers ahead of time stated that he was only going to be in one episode. This one. So we knew he wasn’t the “Paragon of Courage”, but it was no less thrilling to see him arrive in epic fashion and then drop bombshell after bombshell on viewers who were expecting him to be like his animated series forms. Turns out, this Batman went rogue! Broke his code, and started killing his villains, and even killed Superman himself as it turns out.

Some fans are freaking out about this, but I love this personally. A) It’s the Multiverse, there was always going to be a Batman who kills. B) It’s another subversion of expectations, and it lead to some great moments. Including Kate standing up to him, and accidentally killing him! His last words of “There is no hope” was a chilling reminder of how Batman often sees the negative side of life, and Kate clearly feels it too because of how she took his Kryptonite.

The other plotlines were good enough, if not a little random at times. Like Harbinger suddenly hearing voices because of the Book of Destiny (which makes a welcome return from Elseworlds last year), and that leads her to the Anti-Monitor. I’m glad he’s finally here! But…I wish they had focused on that plotline before showing him off. Then, there was the “we have to bring Ollie back!” storyline.

On one hand, I’m glad that Barry, Mia, Sara, and Constantine all were smart enough to remember that there were ways to bring back Oliver, they’ve seen it done multiple times in their own ways. And they did acknowledge that there were catches to the resurrection, and thankfully it didn’t go smoothly (such as with creepy Jonah Hex!), but there are going to be some who question bringing him back at all after the amazing death scene he had in episode 1. Sure, he’s not fully back yet, but…the ball’s already rolling.

There were other fun moments in the episode that I couldn’t help but smile at. Such as bringing back Wentworth Miller to be the Earth-76 version of Gideon on the Waverider, complete with the snarkiness that you would expect from him. Rory being great with the baby (You had me at beer!). The music from various classic shows. The Superman The Movie reference with “I spent a night with Superman”, and so on.

No matter how this ends, “Crisis on Infinite Earths” will be a beautiful showcase of how crossovers should be done in the TV sense. And that’s what makes it fun.