With Arrow and Flash being both successful and in the same TV universe, an annual teamup is now inevitable. Last years “Flash V Arrow” and “Brave and the Bold” laid the groundwork for what was to come. Now, with the 2-part “Heroes Join Forces” event, we’re seeing even more of these teams coming together. And while “Legends of Today” was not the best teamup episode ever, it was still good, and planted the seeds for big developments for all three CW hero shows.
Yes, I said three, as Legends of Tomorrow is coming January 21st, and “Legends of Today” brought forth three big characters that’ll be a huge part of that show: Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Vandal Savage. I’m honestly seeing this crossover as a true prequel to Legends of Tomorrow, and that’s not exactly a bad thing.
It was very interesting to see how it all started off, with Vandal Savage emerging and showing just how powerful and skilled he is, and how old he is. Now, this version is a little different from some versions of Vandal Savage, but given his backstory in this universe, it’s understandable. The backstory being that he is tied to Hawkman and Hawkgirl, killing them in each new reincarnation, and growing stronger every time. Yeah, not good! BUT, a perfect reason for why Rip Hunter wants him stopped in LOT.
Moving on to Flash and Arrow, it was very interesting seeing how the two teams again came together. This time, it was Barry who needed Ollie’s help, rather than them just “meeting up” in the way “Flash V Arrow” did it. It was clear that Barry was still shaken by Zoom, and this new threat had him questioning himself. But I also liked how he acknowledged that the reason they do what they do at Star Labs so well is because their world is based in science, whereas Oliver’s has more mystical touches (especially now), so it was logical for them to go to Ollie for help.
Some of the best parts of the episodes were the interactions between Team Arrow and Team Flash. From Thea’s disbelief that “we know The Flash” to her debate with Cisco about names, to Felicity, Barry, and Ollie interacting, it was fun stuff. And once again, it was believable. Even Ollie’s “reversion” to his past self was very nice. As was the battlefield banter between Green Arrow and Flash, “It’s your city!”
To be fair though, there was clunky moments. When trying to balance out 10+ characters? Something always gets lost in the shuffle. So that happens. Savage had some good moments, but some rather odd ones too. Also, how did Patty get into Star Labs??? Didn’t Cisco say they updated the security? Come on man! Also, I still do not like how Jay Garrick is being portrayed. As sad as it sounds, Wells E2 is right, he’s a coward. Which SUCKS, because Jay Garrick is a great character. Yes, he can be scared of Zoom, that’s fine, but they’re going overboard here.
One character they’re getting right (so far) is Hawkman, who proved just how epic he is when he took on both Arrow and Flash, and WON! And to my knowledge, I didn’t see his mace. So there you go.
Look, this wasn’t the best episode to start the crossover with, but it did lay the groundwork for good things for both Arrow and Flash. Such as the new speed formula, and Ollie finding out about his son. Do recall, that the conclusion of the first Arrow/Flash teamup with better than the beginning, hopefully it’ll continue that trend tomorrow.
Todd Black
Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!
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