Tuesday, January 14, 2020

On The Air: Crisis on Infinite Earths (2019-20)

It's over. Savor it.

The CW's ambitious, ultra-loose adaptation of DC's 1985-6 maxiseries, Crisis on Infinite Earths, wrapped tonight in a 2-hour block to set the table for the second half of the season for the Arrow-verse family of series, which will grow exponentially next season.

Arrow consulting producer Marc Guggenheim, elevated back to executive producer this season, admitted that the building blocks began with season 1 of The Flash, leading to the first three chapters airing last month on Flash, Supergirl, & Batwoman, plus an interlude on Black Lightning. All four series have been renewed for next season already.

The core characters created by Marv Wolfman & George Perez back in 1985 are assembled. The producers also took major liberties by deciding that Lyla Michaels-Diggle (Audrey Marie Anderson) would be the Harbinger. Nash Wells, yet another variant on the Harrison Wells character from Flash, was set up to be the Pariah, who actually had a bigger role in the book than he did here. Tom Cavanaugh, who plays Wells, returned for the finale, but you'll have to see that On Demand or on the CW website to find out how that plays out.

Comics fans know what happened in the original story couldn't be duplicated for television. So, instead, the TV Crisis helps create a coda, if you will, for Arrow, which is wrapping after 8 seasons. Stephen Amell is moving on to new projects, but the Arrow legacy will live on in next year's Green Arrow & The Canaries, and that will be fleshed out in Arrow's final episode.

There were surprise guests galore, including Burt Ward, playing Dick Grayson for the first time in more than 50 years in primetime. Tom Welling & Erica Durance reprising as Clark Kent & Lois Lane from Smallville. In the finale, look for some ties to the DC Universe streaming service. That's all I can say for now.

Check out this trailer:



Normally, I'd wait to watch On Demand as my schedule allows, but not this time. And it was worth the time invested. Sometimes, when you don't have the tools you're supposed to, you make do.

Rating: A-.

No comments: