Martin Carr reviews the eighteenth episode of Supergirl…
When something flies by at a rate of knots it tends to mean good things. What we have with ‘Worlds Finest’ is an example of exactly that. With talk of multiverses and parallel dimensions existing independently, Supergirl manages to mine rich territory this week. In a crossover with The Flash which has been making headlines for some time.
Never having watched the former I was curious about how these writers would make it work. By using Italia Ricci’s Siobhan as a trigger to bring Grant Gustin’s Flash into play, it not only works seamlessly but retains that fun factor. Whilst the writers have used his appearance as emotional leverage in the Olsen slash Kara conundrum to boot.
What he brings in immediately is a certain amount of levity and cultural awareness to the episode, which perfectly illustrates how The Flash has maintained such a strong following. His unassuming nature and sense of the ridiculous plays perfectly, adding an element of geeky naiveté to the role. While Benoist reacts off this new addition leaving Brooks and Jordan to build on their existing buddy chemistry. Where the episode does fall down slightly however is in the involvement and resurrection of Livewire.
Although recognised as one of the stronger villains this season her break out and team up with a made up Siobhan felt contrived. While Silver Banshee’s power scream and Irish curse were visually effective that too smacked of convenience. Purely because the existence of two super heroes made the necessity for a twin threat essential. It’s true that Italia Ricci made a lot with very little, but her transformation into Silver Banshee deserved more than being just one half of a tag team. And the fact that The Flash was able to construct a way to contain both so quickly lacked detail.
Aside from that it also felt like a break from the norm as both Alex and Henshaw were missing in action. I understand that in order for The Flash and Supergirl to have enough screen time something had to give, but Leigh and Harewood were definitely missed. Having said that both villains did well with the small amount they had to do, even though that redemption scene was signposted way too early.
As we near the end of season one, there are questions left unanswered, solid character definitions and a decent fan base. This cross over experiment which as first tested on Arrow with the inclusion of Constantine, has cemented the popularity of Supergirl and thrown open the door to further collaborations. Should they choose to bring in other DC characters again I for one will not be complaining.
Martin Carr – Follow me on Twitter
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published April 4, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
