Isn’t it wonderful when the lovable characters of two lovable shows can crossover this effortlessly?
If an evil speedster and a man with mystical abilities (and really sharp dressing), were proving to be tough for the Green and Red, imagine this guy: Vandal Savage, the immortal. Yes, my friends, it just got real.
Related: The Flash Engages in Gorilla Warfare
When a mysterious man wielding knives threatens Kendra Saunders’ life, Barry makes the call to seek help from Star City, home of my local hero Green Arrow, to help protect her, exposing both teams to a new foe and a new ally.
Fans following the show would recall the previous season’s crossover, where we saw the light side of Flash meet the darkseid (heh) of Arrow. With Arrow’s newfound light side, this episode took the crossover to a different level altogether. The chemistry between the two teams’ is insanely fun!
And while witty banter and superhero camaraderie already makes for an entertaining show, that’s, obviously, not all. The plot for the episode was extremely well handled. The escalation of events and the reveals were just plain brilliant. To the point where it’s a real shame that this isn’t a movie. The action sequences were very well directed and edited too. I’ve come to a point where I can cross every part of this episode and say that it is well done. Because, IT IS!
The brilliant writing clears out any missed plot points, such as who knows who, and highlights how bonded the two teams really are with nuggets like Felicity being up to date with the Flash’s recent plight and Thea musing as to whether she was aware that Team Arrow was acquainted with Team Flash.
Regular fans would know that this, tying in with previous episodes and the next one, is the set-up for the new show, Legends of Tomorrow. The set-up has been really good with each of the characters being brought together seamlessly. The final stitch would be the introduction of Vandal Savage, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, which has been taken care of pretty well. Not only that, the advanced plot points tackled this season such as immortality, mysticism and reincarnation seems to be a very smooth transition from the themes of previous seasons.
Oh man, now I’m really excited for Legends of Tomorrow… which is only set to premiere on 21st January.
Related: Arrow and The Legends of Yesterday
Next week on The Flash:
[divider]Easter Eggs/Theories[/divider]
Vandal Savage
In the comics, Vandal was a caveman who was affected by the radiation of a meteor, giving him intelligence and immortality. Having lived through centuries, Vandal infests the annals of history with his crime and violence. However, this rendition of Savage introduces an element of Hath-Set, tying his character to Hawkman and Hawkgirl, a.k.a.–
Priestess Chay-Ara and Prince Khufu
Murdered by Hath-set, an ancient Egyptian priest, Prince Khufu and Princess Chay-Ara find themselves stuck in a loop of life and death due to having been killed by a mystical dagger. In this depiction, the murder of Hawkman and Hawkgirl seems to be what gives Vandal his power (and maybe even immortality).
In the comics, the dagger holds the added property of being made of Nth metal, a fictitious (if you don’t believe in superheroes) material found on the planet Thanagar, home of the Hawkpeople. However, there is no mention of this origin in the show yet.
Staff of Horus
Horus is the ancient Egyptian hawk-god worshipped by the people under Chay-Ara and Khufu. This would sound familiar to the Orb of Horus, which we have seen in the episode Haunted. It is the shiny object John Constantine was hunting for in Lian Yu. (Does this mean we will see him soon again?)
Velocity 6
Called Velocity 9 in the comics, the serum supposedly boosts the abilities of speedsters. Not coincidentally, it was originally developed by Vandal Savage. While it was always noted to have contained impurities and drastic side-effects, the serum was eventually perfected by Deathstroke who used it as leverage to recruit Inertia (the Reverse-Flash to Impulse).
Interestingly, the serum was at least partially inspired by “Speed Juice,” another serum with similar, but more refined, properties created by the Anti-Matter universe’s Johnny Quick… whose namesake is father to Jesse Quick, whom we see as the daughter of Earth-2’s Harrison Wells…
And while the serum being branded Velocity 6 instead of Velocity 9 is probably a reference to the additional perfection i[t requires, the use of Velocity 69 shall evermore receive my chuckles and admiration.
Green Arrow and Hawkman
The fight between Green Arrow and Hawkman is a nod towards their inability to get along in the JSA. Mostly due to Hawkman’s disapproval of Oliver’s relationship with Black Canary and Green Arrow’s disapproval of Hawkman’s brutal methods and politics.
The Hall of Justice
And because no Justice League meeting would be complete without them all standing around a round table like the one in the comics’ Hall of Justice, here we have one in the new Arrowcave.
Indiana Jones
Cisco’s playful comment about their current situation is a reference to the famous movie series, based on the fact that both are dealing with artifacts. It is also a nod to Hawkman Carter Hall’s job as an archeologist. Felicity’s comment about the Staff of Horus being in a museum is also a reference to his later job as a museum curator.
CONNOR HAWKE??
Could it possibly be? While there has been an announcement that Connor Hawke would be in Legends of Tomorrow, it is unclear to whether he would be bi-racial. Which would raise a question mark as to who is this child? Could he actually be the boy to eventually pick up the Green Arrow’s bow?
Real cheeky of CW to tease Connor Hawke in an episode about Hawkpeople!
I dare say that this episode is the best episode of both series so far. With the number and scale of superhero extravaganzas lined up, we are really in prime position to enjoy all these. Life’s good. See you guys back in Star City next week!