This Week In DCTV 12/7/2019
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 (3.5 Out of 5) - Pre-Crisis Week!!! I'm so excited for the next week, I'm vibrating. Decent week here overall, but nothing truly special, EXCEPT Watchmen, which was out here blowing minds this week. Twist of the Week clearly goes to Watchmen and the reveal at the end of the episode.
The CW
Supergirl - 2/5 – “The Wrath of Rama Khan”
Supergirl’s struggle against Leviathan reaches a boiling point as she faces off against Rama Khan. SPOILERS – Not a fan of this episode. Since this effectively served as the midseason finale (due to the crossover), I hoped to get a real development out of Lena, Leviathan, or any plot point to move the show forward in a significant way – nope. What we got was a power struggle within Leviathan, which didn’t do much of anything. There was a cool battle scene with a supervolcano which was easily the highlight of the episode before Crisis reared it’s (hopefully) epic head. I’m really hoping that the back end of the season really steps up to fulfill the promise of this season… unless Crisis renders this show unnecessary – read Crisis On Infinite Earths if you don’t know what that means.
Arrow - 4/5 – “Purgatory”
Oliver’s mission takes him to Lian Yu where he tries to ignore the repercussions of the looming Crisis until he receives help from an old friend. SPOILERS – The cool thing about this season is that it’s brought back so many old, familiar faces from prior seasons. It’s cool to walk down memory lane, but its even more impactful when there is so much family drama for Ollie to deal with. From trying to protect his kids, to saying his goodbyes to loved ones that have already died, this episode held some poignant moments in respect to the series. One moment that stuck out to me was between John and Ollie when Ollie makes John promise to get the kids home no matter what. Bring on the Crisis.
The Flash – 3.5/5 – “The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Part 2”
With the Flash battling Bloodwork, Iris and Cisco fight to help Barry take control of himself before he’s lost forever; the rest of the team fight to reclaim control of Central City from Bloodwork’s growing army. SPOILERS – I liked this episode, but the B story with Cecile dragged this episode down a bit for me. I would have rather spent the time with Ralph, who was completely absent from the episode. But some stellar time with Iris and Cisco, who should both take center stage should they actually get rid of Barry for an extended period of time. Bloodwork was a fun, if not uninspired villain for the first half of the season, but he was really just garnish on the Crisis platter. Crisis has arrived in Central City.
Black Lightning - 3/5 – “The Book of Resistance: Chapter Three: The Battle of Franklin Terrace”
Black Lightning goes up against the ASA. SPOILERS – This episode reminds me how badly I do not like Lynn as a character as this show goes on. She has very little purpose and doesn’t really help drive the story forward and if they decided to get rid of a character, she’s my number one nominee. Speaking of being rid of someone, Khalil seems like he’ll play a bigger more central role later on. Thankfully Anissa and Jennifer have been far more interesting and useful to the story than their mom. We even get Thunder to make a return in this episode when BL decides to stand against the ASA. Meanwhile, Jennifer learns more about Dr. Jace and the Markovians and how her powers work against someone with a ground based power set. Cool visuals. Huge point of contention for me is that there was no immediate tie-in to Crisis, even though we know that BL is a part of the crossover. Maybe next week, since BL doesn’t get a Crisis-centric episode.
Batwoman - 3/5 – “A Mad Tea Party”
Kate and Alice continue their sister and nemesis dance, while Alice and Mouse construct their most evil plan yet. SPOILERS – I’m confused by this show sometimes. It started fast and developed and then slammed on the brakes and we keep getting these encounters between Alice and Kate, but at the expense of developing other characters – which will become more important shortly. There are times where I wish some characters were a bigger part of the show, like Luke, instead of seeing Kate and Alice try to talk for the thousandth time. This worked directly to the show’s detriment with this episode as they killed off Kate’s step-mother, Catherine Hamilton-Kane. Interesting way to kill her with poison and Mary was poisoned as well. Forcing them to choose one over the other was a little predictable, as was the outcome, but the thing that made it boring is that we got so little time with Catherine, that her death felt hollow. I just wish there was more of a bow placed on this first leg of the season before Crisis arrived.
DC Universe
Harley Quinn – 3.5/5 – “A High Bar”
Determined to become one of the vaunted Legion of Doom, Harley attempts to make a big splash by crashing one of their criminal enterprises with the help of her BFF, Poison Ivy. SPOILERS – This show continues to exceed my expectations comedically, but it suffers from a story perspective. I love the depiction of Batman’s rogue’s gallery, specifically Bane. 2 weeks and 2 absolute standouts from the supporting cast. Additionally, I’m loving Lake Bell’s Ivy due to her perfect sarcasm and sass, especially with Kite Man (“Hell yeah!”). I just want more out of Harley as this season develops.
HBO
Watchmen – 5/5 – “An Almost Religious Awe”
Angela undergoes treatment, Blake chases a lead, and the Smartest Man in the World goes to court. SPOILERS – I view this episode as a “Part 2” of sorts to last week because of how directly it dies in. I want to start with the huge revelation at the end of the episode that Dr. Manhattan has been hiding in plain sight the entire time as Angela’s husband Calvin. This left my jaw completely on the floor, as I’m sure it did for many viewers. But the way this show developed with Angela and Agent Blake and then the revelation about who has been in on the Cyclops/7th Calvary plot line was crazy. I didn’t suspect this to develop the way it did, but this show has been surprising me left and right in the best possible ways.