This Week In DCTV (10/13/19)
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’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. NOTE: We will not be covering Epix’s Pennyworth at this time.
Weekly Score (Out of 5) - 4/5. A strong start to many of the seasons on the CW and DC Universe comes out strong yet again with another good episode of Titans. Twist of the week belongs to The Flash because of the closing moments of the show.
The CW
Supergirl – 4/5 – “Event Horizon”
Kara is surprised to find that CatCo has a new owner who has brought in a star reporter; new couples emerge and explore their budding relationships; J’onn J’onzz receives an unexpected visitor. SPOILERS – This show had a lot of work to do to move away from the social/political themes of the previous season and tie up loose ends. The result was a strong start to the season, shaking up the status quo and abandoning the lecture-style narrative of the previous season, which feels great. Most prevalent is Kara/Supergirl’s new look – for the record, I love the pants on the suit and hate the bangs. I really liked how the main characters season journeys have been set up, but I’m increasingly more and more curious about how it’ll all fit into Crisis.
The Flash – 4.5/5 – “Into The Void”
While Barry and Iris deal with the loss of their daughter, the team faces their greatest threat yet – one that threatens to destroy all of Central City; Killer Frost has a brush with death that will change her relationship with Caitlin forever. SPOILERS – I loved this episode for multiple reasons: Barry being more hopeful despite feeling the weight of the loss of Nora, Iris processing her grief by repressing it and then both realizing that that they needed to do it together. Killer Frost seems like she’ll be established even more as her own character. Ralph Dibny’s wife from the comics is on the way and there’s a direct tie in from this show to Crisis. I’m really excited to see how this show and Arrow drive towards this mega event.
Black Lightning - 4/5 – “The Book of Occupation: Chapter One: Birth of Blackbird”
Jefferson Pierce is in the hands of the ASA with his wife, as Agent Odell tightens his grip on the Pierce family; Anissa secretly defies Odell in her alter ego as Blackbird with the tactical and technical support of Gambi. SPOILERS – The time jump was a little disorienting for the Pierce family, but it was great to see how they adjusted to life after Jefferson made a deal to keep his family safe. Anissa is keeping her Blackbird persona going, which is cool. What’s also cool is that she’s embracing the ‘Harriet Tubman’ nickname given to her by her sister. This show definitely plays the long game with threads popping up and disappearing for stretches, so don’t expect answers right away as it moves forward – and if you do get answers, expect far more questions to appear. This show handles itself much better in the social/political arena, much better than Supergirl tried to, making it a super show an also a peek at a culture that isn’t always examined well in comic book characters.
Batwoman - 3/5 – “Pilot”
Kate Kane returns to Gotham when a gang targets her father and her ex-girlfriend Sophie Moore. SPOILERS – Pilots are difficult to nail, especially when we have already been introduced to a character. This was difficult because we’ve already seen a fully realized Batwoman working in Gotham alongside the other heroes. Going back for more of her background and what pulled her back to Gotham is great, but I’m not entirely sure I’m interested in her early adventures. If any show could benefit from the Arrow-style flashback sequences, this is the show. That said, I love the way this cast rounds out, especially the badass nature of Ruby Rose as Kate. I’m curious just how much Bruce will factor into this show as it develops.
DC Universe
Titans – 4/5 – “Conner”
Conner Kent and Krypto escape from Cadmus Labs. His search for the truth about his past leads him to Lionel Luthor and genetic scientist Dr. Eve Watson. SPOILERS – Titans has learned from its disjointed style of storytelling from last season and it shows. This episode focuses on Conner aka Superboy after his escape from Cadmus. His journey is unique and confusing and it’s great to see him out in the world, essentially as a 2-year-old in a 20-year-old body. They find a way to accent his powers without making it look hokey, but also keeping him as the badass that he is. And then it immediately ties into last week’s cliffhanger as he saves Robin and then seems to immediately suffer Garth’s fate from 2 episodes ago.