This Week In DCTV 12/1
Welcome to This Week in DCTV, where the Twisted Cape examines, breaks down, and gives a quick review of all the original shows that DC has released this week. This will run weekly and start on Sunday and end on Saturday, so we catch everything on the CW, Fox, and the DC Universe streaming service. We will eventually be incorporating all of it, including the content from other networks, like Syfy. We’ll also include an average on the week to help determine whether the week was a success. Keep in mind there will be spoilers on a regular basis so read on at your own risk.
Weekly Score (Out of 5) – 4/5
Another really strong week – in fact this may be the best week of the season so far. So many big developments and great action. Twists of the week go to the single shot Arrow prison fight scene and Titans for the big developments of the plot and universe.
The CW
Supergirl - 4/5 – “Rather the Fallen Angel”
James falls in deeper with the Children of Liberty in his efforts to meet Agent Liberty. Supergirl and Manchester Black follow a lead on Agent Liberty’s location, but things take a dark turn. Lena kicks off her first set of trials. SPOILERS – James spends most of the episode being coerced by Agent Liberty, via the Children of Liberty, to participate in a terrorist act. It’s nice that they actually gave him something important to do that develops the character. Meanwhile Supergirl and Manchester Black run down a lead on Agent Liberty, leading them to Shelley Island. Here, Manchester Black turns on Kara where she’s captured by the Children of Liberty, thanks to the help of power dampeners on the island. She’s taken and put into the monument that James is being coerced into blowing up, but stops when he realizes that Kara is inside. Manchester Black puts on the double cross blowing up power dampeners. My biggest question: where the hell does he gets his tech from? The show doesn’t do a great job of explaining that. He’s then confronted by J’onn, who he fits with an emapth amplifier. Finally, Lena begins trials of her meta program. She gets attached to the subject, but loses him due to complications, but makes huge progress. She undoubtedly feels guilt, and this is reflected in her conversation with James late in the episode. This episode continued on the momentum started last week, turning in the show’s best performance this season. Looks like we’re going strong into the week before the crossover.
Arrow – 4.5/5 – “The Slabside Redemption”
Oliver makes a choice that will affect his entire life, as well as the lives of everyone he cares about. SPOILERS – Oh yes, this is what we came for. An Ollie-centric episode taking place almost completely in the confines of the prison. Diaz gets caught and opts to wreak havoc on Oliver just a little while longer. He incites a riot to soften Ollie up for the killing blow. Fortunately, Ollie realizes something is off, breaks out of his cell and goes on a rescue mission for the guards he tried to warn. As he tries to make amends for wrongly accusing Bronze Tiger for murder, they team up to save as many lives as possible, leading to an awesome, single shot, 2 level fight scene. Stanley completely turns and reveals his manipulative, murderous nature as he takes out Brick in order to escape. Meanwhile, Ollie squares up with Diaz in a fairly epic fight scene that leads to Diaz’s incapacitated nature, capture, and Oliver’s freedom. Excellent episode that delivered a tighter story and great action.
The Flash - 4/5 – “O Come, All Ye Thankful”
Nora grapples with unresolved anger over her father’s disappearance in the future. Barry and crew must stop a powerful new meta, Weather Witch, from killing her own father, Weather Wizard. SPOILERS – When Barry’s heart is stopped by lightning, all of Nora’s suppressed feelings about her dad’s disappearance come to the forefront, leading to a little family drama. Barry struggles with balancing his life as a hero and his life as a father. It clearly weighs on him, but the drive to protect others shows up in both Barry and Nora, which helps move them forward. Thankfully, this added a little tension, but revealed more to us about Nora and Barry, although Nora asking Barry to give up being the Flash is both selfish and could have affected the future. Much of this episode also deals with the backstory of Cicada and his journey to down on his luck man, to unwilling guardian of a child, to a loving father figure. This is shown as Team Flash deduces the identity of Cicada. Sadly, there’s a bit of overacting towards the end of this story on the part of Chris Kline that kind of took me out of what was otherwise a strong Thanksgiving episode.
Black Lightning - 3/5 – “The Book of Blood: Chapter Three: The Sange”
When Black Lightning and Thunder are attacked by Looker and her clan, they fight to get her to release control over the Sange. Jennifer and Khalil continue to grow closer. SPOILERS – While chasing down a lead, Black Lightning runs out of power and gets captured by Looker’s crew. They try to torture and kill him with electricity, which is stupid because it just recharges him leading to his escape. He finds the baby he was searching for last episode and goes to find Anissa. He also finds a piece of tech that makes him a little curious. Anissa continues to care for her patient, Anaya, and her babies when Jefferson brings the baby to them. This story ends when Anaya is reuited with her father to find out her mom died in the struggle last episode. The Jennifer/Khalil saga takes a dramatic step this week when Jen reveals her powers to Khalil and they essentially run away together. Finally, Jefferson follows a hunch and discovers that Gambi is still alive despite the attempt on his life. This scene was well acted between these two. Luckily, it seems like this diversionary arc is over and the show looks to pick up quite a bit in the near future.
Legends of Tomorrow – 3.5/5 – “Tender is the Nate”
Hank Heywood confronts Ava about the spending habits of the Legends. Mona tries to make a good impression with Ava, but her over eagerness gets her and Ava stuck in a cell instead. SPOILERS – Nate’s dad pops in for a random inspection of the Legends over budgetary concerns, leading to him going on a mission ride along, with Nate tagging along as well. Hank gets involved in the mission and almost botches things but the Legends manage to be the Legends and manage to take down a minotaur. Back at the Time Bureau, Ava discovers Mona attempting to deliver a note to Nora, which leads to the 3 of them getting trapped in Nora’s cell on Ava’s birthday. These characters manage to bond and changes Ava’s mind about the holding facility getting a little more humane. This episode was fun, but the most disappointing thing is it seems like the Waverider will be without Nate for quite some time now. Odd note, Matt Ryan (Constantine), is still being listed as a special appearance/special guest star. Hopefully that changes in the future to a permanent cast member.
DC Universe
Titans – 4/5 – “Donna Troy”
As Dick and The Titans go their separate ways, Dick turns to an old friend, Donna Troy, for answers. SPOILERS – Back on track, this episode advances several story plots in a big way. First off, we get introduced to Donna Troy, who is Wonder Woman’s sidekick. It’s clear that there’s a Justice League in this universe, which bodes well for the world that this streaming service is trying to create. Dick leaves the team to meet up with Donna, as they go to Rachel’s mom’s place in Ohio to lay low. Dick interrupts Donna’s investigation of a poacher and she discovers pictures from Kory’s storage unit and is able to translate them. Meanwhile, on the train Rachel bonds with her mom, while Kory and Gar relax together and talk about Gar’s feelings for Rachel and his time as a tiger. Kory is identified by a Marshall who calls in help leading to an escape. Once they get to Rachel’s mom’s, Kory tells Rachel she’s been having flashes since the Asylum and Rachel attempts to heal her. At the same time, Donna notes that Kory/Starfire (they finally say her name) is here to kill the Raven/Rachel (yes, they say Raven). As Kory’s past is unlocked, she turns on Rachel as Dick and Donna are speeding toward the home. This show seems best when it leans into the main 4 characters and it shows in this episode. Adding to the universe is great, especially when they manage to add actors/actresses that have chemistry with Brendan Thwaites (Dick Grayson).
#Supergirl #Arrowverse #GreenArrow #TheFlash #Titans #BlackLightning #LegendsofTomorrow