This Week In DCTV 11/9/2019
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 (3 Out of 5) - Average week overall, but Watchmen and Titans continue to shoulder the load here. Watchmen is amazing and I can't recommend it enough. Twist of the Week goes to Arrow for actually having the 2040 Arrow crew be significant to the plot.
The CW
Supergirl – 2.5/5 – “Dangerous Liasons”
On the eve of the worldwide launch of Andrea Rojas’s virtual reality contact lenses, Kara and William team up on an investigation that exposes a terrorist plot; Kelly and Alex celebrate an anniversary, but Alex’s safety is in jeopardy. SPOILERS – The most impactful moment of this episode is when we get a little bit more information toward Leviathan being an actual thing. I’m really hoping that this explodes and involves way more of this storyline. Kara and William working together is nice, but at times, I’m still not sure I completely trust William. Lena continues to be the most intriguing part of the show, especially once she gains inception abilities. I’m also curious if or how she will cross over with Leviathan later on down the road. Outside of the Leviathan threads, I’m a little bored with this show overall. I’m hoping it swings back around.
Arrow – 3.5/5 – “Present Tense”
When a mysterious new Deathstroke appears in Star City, Oliver and Team Arrow insist on taking down this villain themselves; reeling from the loss of one of its own, the future Team Arrow figures out a new way to stop JJ. SPOILERS – OMG, the 2040 story finally bore fruit! With that crew being stuck in the past, we got a few new wrinkles to the show, which was fun to watch. Say what you will, this show is fun when there’s team friction and there was no shortage there this week. So many poignant conversations, but none more than William coming out to Ollie, who shared a coy, proud smile and said we knew and were just waiting for you to tell us. It’s nice to see the warmth between Ollie and his oldest son, but the chill from his daughter to him was on full display as well. I’m curious if this is all a fixed timeline or it’s another variation in the multiverse. I’m also curious if the future will change as a result of this little time detour. I’m surprised no one has found a way to blame Barry for this. Thankfully, we get a little more time with this to develop next time.
The Flash – 2.5/5 – “Kiss Kiss Breach Breach”
Cisco’s faith in his ability to fill Barry’s shoes is upended when he learns of a shocking murder; Killer Frost trusts no one except herself to hunt down the dangerous Ramsey Rosso. SPOILERS – Gypsy is murdered and Cisco is the primary suspect. Barry and Iris take an impromptu vacation (aka go film for Crisis), and Cisco works hard to track down his ex’s murderer, despite the fact that it seems like it should be him. I was sure that there was a multiversal explanation for her death and we got that with another Cisco. It’s a good story, accented by Cisco dropping the L word to his girlfriend. The one thing that confused me is why the Frost storyline with her hunting Ramsey was so vanilla. I’m hoping that the return of the series lead gives us a return to form.
Batwoman – 2.5/5 – “Mine Is a Long and a Sad Tale”
Alice takes Kate down the sad, winding road of her life in the days after the accident; Mary has an argument with Catherine that sends her looking for Kate at Wayne Tower, but she becomes unwelcome company for Luke. SPOILERS – This is the first episode that meandered to me a bit. Of course, I was curious about how Beth became Alice, but it feels like everyone is giving Alice too much benefit of the doubt. At the end of the day, she continues to hurt people and should be locked away. However, I do understand the choice in front of Kate because it is her sister after all. Mary tries to find Kate at Wayne Tower and comes across Luke. Luke really tries to get rid of her, but it doesn’t go great for him initially. I did like the interaction between these two characters the most in this episode as it presented the most fun story.
DC Universe
Titans – 4/5 – “Fallen”
Titans Tower comes under attack by Mercy Graves. SPOILERS – This episode may be more poignant by the time that we see the season finale. Connor and Beast Boy get taken by Mercy Graves and CADMUS after a showdown at Titans Tower. Connor is placed back into stasis to “fix” him and it seems like Gar is going to get a little bit of an upgrade to his powers, so he’s no longer stuck being JUST a tiger (which most BB fans consider annoying). Dick goes into federal prison and seeks to just atone for his past mistakes but allows inmates to escape. Significantly, this seems where he will get the idea for his Nightwing persona. Raven makes a friend and becomes a protector of a bunch of runaway kids, but kills an abuser, likely unwittingly, and Donna finds his body as the police are investigating it. Donna is rightfully suspicious that Rachel is involved. I’m curious to see where this goes with such limited time left. Overall, a strong episode led by the origins of Nightwing.
HBO
Watchmen – 5/5 – “She Was Killed By Space Junk”
Following a late night visit from the senator who authored Masked Policing Legislation in Oklahoma, FBI agent Laurie Blake heads to Tulsa to take over the recent murder investigation; The Lord of the Manor receives a harshly worded letter. SPOILERS – I am consistently blown away by how good this show is, which is made evident by the third straight perfect score. First of all, it’s shot in a way that is just beautiful and accents story beats perfectly. It’s also phenomenally acted. This is exemplified by Laurie Blake (Jean Smart) who is an older version of Silk Spectre that is working for the FBI. She’s perfect in this casting, calling out every ounce of bullshit she comes across. Additionally, there’s a thread of a joke that runs all the way through the episode, which is sensational writing. Not to be outdone, we get confirmation that the Lord of the Manor is Veidt aka Ozymandias. Do yourself a favor and watch this show.
#Watchmen #Titans #DCUniverse #HBO #TheCW #Arrow #Arrowverse #TheFlash #Supergirl #Batwoman