This Week In DCTV 11/30/2019
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.
Back from a couple of weeks off! Thanks for hanging in there and we hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. Just a quick note, the couple of weeks we were off were strong weeks. Hopefully, you get to catch those conversations on the Twist Cast as we have them later on
Weekly Score (4 Out of 5) – Very good week, especially from the top performers, Arrow, Flash, and Watchmen. DC Universe sees a season finale as well as a series premier, both with promise. Twist of the Week goes to Harley Quinn for the portrayal of Jim Gordon.
The CW
Arrow – 4.5/5 – “Reset”
After being double crossed by Lyla, Oliver finds himself facing a life or death situation that seems very familiar. SPOILERS – Like The Flash episode this week, Arrow held a lot of emotional weight, especially because they dealt with the death of Quentin Lance over and over in a Groundhog Day style episode. As overused as this plot can be, it provided a lot of closure for a few characters, being Lyla, Oliver, and Laurel. It felt like this was the bow on the looking back as Crisis looms. It feels like the characters and the show are as ready as they can be for Crisis.
The Flash – 4.5/5 – “The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Part 1”
A mysterious, hallucinogenic contagion tests Barry’s convictions; Iris uncovers a massive conspiracy. SPOILERS – As mentioned in the Arrow review, The Flash in a similar way hold’s much emotional weight. Barry is really struggling with the fact that he needs to die. He’s infected with Bloodwork’s virus, which gives Ramsey access to all of Barry’s thoughts, feelings, and more importantly his fears. Ramsey offers Barry a way to avoid dying in Crisis and to stay with his loved ones and remain Central City’s protector, but he has to give himself over to Ramsey. The Speed Force intervenes in the form of Barry’s mom and they struggle for Barry. Barry wakes up and we quickly learn that it’s not Barry. We learn that the episode takes place hours ahead of crisis, so the resolution of this could play into Crisis. Iris stays pretty busy through the episode as she uncovers a conspiracy from Ralph’s bowtie camera and Ultraviolet. It looks like there is a mystery that will need to be solved by Iris and Team Citizen moving past Crisis. It could be resolved leading up to it, but who knows.
Black Lightning - 3/5 – “The Book Of Resistance: Chapter Two: Henderson’s Opus”
Anissa and Jefferson have a heart to heart and she tells him she needs Black Lightning’s help in escorting meta refugees out of the perimeter. SPOILERS – Dip in quality for this show from the previous 2 episodes, but the narrative set some things up for the midseason finale. First, we know a showdown is coming between the Resistance in Freeland led by Chief Henderson and the ASA. Second, because of how this episode ended, a fight between Black Lightning and Painkiller is coming. The story telling on this show stands out because it plays the long game better than perhaps any other Arrowverse show, but it also leads to individual moments that don’t seem to make sense week to week. Jefferson atoning for Tayvon’s death is a nice touch to the episode, but forging a relationship with Grace was the most impactful moment from that. The Resistance is the coolest part of the show right now, but a dangling thread is going to be how the Pierce family reacts to finding out Lynn is addicted to Green Light. Finally, the absence of Agent Odell hurts this show, often because he plays chess as everyone else plays checkers. Hopefully, he returns soon to square up with the Markovians.
DC Universe
Titans – 3.5/5 – “Nightwing”
The Titans battle Deathstroke & more in the season finale. SPOILERS – First of all, holy crap, that Nightwing costume is AMAZING! Sleek design and it felt like it was pulled right out of the comics. People online were even noticing Nightwing’s booty at an astonishing clip. Moving on, I thought that the final showdown with Deathstroke was interesting, especially since they were able to rescue Jericho before Slade met his potential end. Sorry, it’s a comic book show and death is not permanent in that world. The other big development is the unification of the team around the death of Donna Troy. I felt robbed by her death because it seemed like that wasn’t something that should have killed her. I was almost convinced Hawk was going to die saving Dove, but it was Wonder Girl, which I liked far less. It’s great that her passing galvanized the team, but I still am not a fan of the choice. As it’s a season finale, 2 plot points to keep an eye on next season: What happens with Jason Todd and whether or not the team goes a little bit cosmic as they confront Blackfire. Be on the lookout for our discussion of the season on the Twist Cast.
Harley Quinn – 3.5/5 – “Til Death Do Us Part”
In the series premiere, Harley Quinn (KALEY CUOCO) is fed up being the Joker’s sidekick and strikes out on her own – determined to become the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City. SPOILERS – I saw a lot of potential in this show, which is great because I was unsure about how this was going to go. I genuinely laughed at moments of this show. It was nice to address Joker’s abusive nature and Harley’s acceptance of it out in the open. It’s tough to talk about, especially in a comedic format, but it worked. Couple of quick notes – this show is brutal and has incredible adult overtones, the animation takes a bit more of an adult approach which was refreshing, it was great to see Harley claim her independence, Poison Ivy may be a sleeper for my favorite character, the villains standout as comedic figures at moments and finally Jim Gordon is an unexpected source of unbelievable comedy.
HBO
Watchmen – 5/5 – “This Extraordinary Being”
Angela unwittingly delves deeper into her grandfather's past. SPOILERS – This show is absolutely incredible. The level of detail, callbacks, cinematic shots, and storytelling are exceptional. This episode put a lot of questions from earlier episodes directly into context. This episode dropped some bombshells, including: Hooded Justice was black and either bisexual or gay, Hooded Justice is Angela’s grandfather, and Nostalgia is not good for you. I loved how it was black and white with the exception of select moments, which gave certain things a bit more significance. It also solved the mystery of how the Chief got “killed” in the first episode. It was cool to see the emergence of Cyclops throughout the episode, and I wouldn’t doubt that this story point plays a big role moving forward.