Crisis on Infinite Earths Heads Into the Break With a Gut-Punch

A hero is a hero not because they’re willing to put on a suit and punch criminals. A hero is a hero because they're willing to protect those that can't protect themselves even if it may cost the hero. That concept and ideal was embodied by most of our heroes in this episode in powerful ways.



I won't lie, this episode, the second half especially, had me all the way up in my feelings. It started in what was ultimately a small scene that showed why Brandon Routh was the perfect choice to play to Clark Kent all those years ago:

It could not be more perfect for that character. It also reinforces the most common theme in this event: In the face of adversity, hope is undefeatable. And isn't that the point of Superman and superheroes in general? To inspire the viewers to be better, not by being more physically powerful but more emotionally intelligent and strong.

Later in the episode, Flash-1, Vibe, and Frost have discovered what is powering the antimatter wave: Flash-90. After getting him off the treadmill that's powering the machine, the team learns they have to put him back on or it’s only going to get worse. Luckily for them, Black Lightning shows up and is able to keep the machine from killing them all while Flash-1 says goodbye to his friends. This is what Barry has been preparing for this entire season. The moment when The Flash must die in Crisis. There’s a short flashback to Barry and Iris saying goodbye before leaving on their individual missions for the episode. They know this might be the last time they see each other. Grant Gustin and Candice Patton play this scene so well and put so much emotion into it. It got me a little teary-eyed.

But that was nothing compared to Flash-1 preparing to sacrifice himself and having Flash-90 steal his speed (temporarily) and have Vibe teleport him back onto the treadmill. We then get the big payoff for the first half of this season of Flash: When Barry-1 asks him why he let Flash-90 make the sacrifice, Cisco responds, “ You made the leader. And sometimes the leader has to make  the tough choices.”

This moment brought the slight tears back. After the other heroes leave, the camera moves back to Flash-90. He’s using the combination of the two Flashes' speed to overwhelm the antimatter machine but it comes at great cost to his physical body. There is another flashback. This one is to a scene from the '90s Flash show and features Barry telling his future wife (Whom was mentioned earlier in the episode) that he has faith in her and Tina responds in kind. Then we watch Barry disintegrate as the effort is too much for him to survive. But he saved the last Earth from destruction.

At this point I'm bawling. The Flash is my favorite hero and had been since I was a child. The '90s show he had was cancelled years before I was born. But I've seen it all. I own it on DVD. It's a pretty good, but dated show. I care about this character. When John Wesley Shipp was announced as having been cast as Barry’s father on the new show, I was ecstatic. Then they had him play Jay Garrick of Earth-3 which was an amazingly brilliant way to reference that Shipp was an older iteration of the character. Then Elseworlds arrived last and we got to see the real deal. It was truly John Wesley Shipp reprising his role after almost 30 years away. It was amazing.

Now, I was fairly certain we would see John Wesley Shipp play a character that died in this event.  I thought it might be Jay Garrick though as we had no idea where Barry-90 was after Elseworlds. I'm so glad it was Barry though. What a perfect way for the OG to go out, saving the last Earth in existence.

Soon after, Barry-1 and Jefferson Pierce (Whose from Earth-78 by the way) have a conversation back aboard the Waverider. The acting in this scene is absolutely phenomenal as Barry and Jefferson talk about what they've lost. Then they swap stories about their fathers, Henry Allen and Alvin Pierce, and how they learned so much from them and how those experiences form the basis of these characters. The climax of this scene features Jefferson saying, “ Look, I don't think Henry or Alvin raised any quitters. So we should honor their memory and rage against the dying of the light.” They then properly introduce themselves and shake hands.

I’m a sucker for basically any story about family. It’s why I love Supernatural. It’s honestly why so many CW shows appeal to me. Many of them are about family, blood related or not. And that’s powerful. The understated aspect of this particular scene makes it all the more powerful though. Barry and Jefferson don’t know each other but they quickly form a respect and what appears to be the beginning of friendship. They also silently acknowledge that this might be the end. They might not win. But that won’t stop them from trying.


Other Important Notes:

Sure was easy to find the other Paragons, huh? Ray built a detector machine and Cisco finished it up and BOOM! We got Paragons. J’onn J’onzz of Earth-38 is the Paragon of Honor. Barry Allen of Earth-1 is the Paragon of Love. Ryan Choi of Earth-1 is the Paragon of Humanity. I'm not sure what humanity means here. Aren't all the other Paragons symbols of what humanity means?

Sarah, Mia, and Constantine search for Oliver’s soul, this time with Diggle along for the ride. They head to Earth-666 and meet up with Lucifer who gives them their ticket to Purgatory. After finding Oliver in Purgatory (Which is represented by Lian Yu, which translates to Purgatory from Mandarin), Jim Corrigan appears and convinces Oliver to go with him. Clearly, Oliver is going to become the newest Spectre. Which is brilliant. Of course he wasn’t going to miss out on the rest of this story after dying early. This also Oliver to stay around the Arrowverse whenever Stephen Smell wants to come back. And he wears a green hood! Pure genius.

Kara plans to use the Book of Destiny to bring back Earth-38 but Kate convinces her otherwise. Later, Kate tells Kara that she only had the courage to stand up to her because Kate had the Kryptonite from last episode. When she offers it Kara as a sign of trust, Kara rejects it because she trusts Kate. They’re really building this relationship well. Melissa Benoist and Ruby Rose have a very chemistry.

Harbinger and Pariah return at the end. Harbinger is a Manchurian Candidate-esque sleeper agent who kills the Monitor with the Anti-Monitor's power. Anti-Monitor then wipes out the last universe, Earth-1. As the Antimatter wave come for the Waverider,  Pariah sends all of the Paragons to the Vanishing Point, a place outside space and time. Here the Paragons wonder what to do, but there’s one more twist. Superman-96 starts to emit a red light and is replaced by Lex Luthor who used the Book of Destiny to make himself the Paragon of Truth.

Cameos were pretty limited tonight. The big one is obviously John Wesley Shipp as the Flash of Earth-90. Tom Ellis showed up as Lucifer (From, well, Lucifer) on Earth-666 before it was destroyed. Ashley Scott was Huntress of Earth-203 and Donna Meyer's voice returned as Oracle of Earth-209.

That's all until next year. To hold you over, here's the trailer for Parts Four and Five: