Batwoman Review: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two

On Batwoman Season 1 Episode 9, “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two,” The Monitor has a new plan, and it involves sending the heroes on a scavenger hunt for paragons.

For an impending crisis, it feels a little strange that there’s time to do some Earth-hopping. This little side mission creates a lull in the action. “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One,” was fast-paced and exciting, and all of that is lost during this hour.

Everyone is off doing their own thing, searching for their own paragon or life-saving cure, and while that leads to some fun pairings, it causes things to slow down and the hour to feel disjointed.

Leading up to this crossover, as news of each casting and Superman was announced, there was a concern that it would be too many characters to juggle.

Unfortunately, that fear comes true.

We’re losing fun moments between already established characters by jumping to find all these paragons. Sure there are some fun character moments and easter eggs, but when you find yourself going “oh I wish we would’ve seen Sara, Barry, and Ray react to this Waverider having Snart as its Gideon,” for instance, it’s disappointing.

Sara: Yeah I kind of promised my crew they’d never have to do another crossover.

Snart is a pretty beloved Legends of Tomorrow character, and so when his voice greets Harbinger on the Waverider, you can’t help but to smile and be excited for interactions to come. And yet, he doesn’t interact with anyone else, which is a shame.

One small moment where Ray, Sara, and Barry hear his voice for the first time on the Waverider could’ve been enough, but we aren’t even gifted with that. Instead, we see Ray not react when Snart comments to Mick about his lack of writing, indicating that Snart has spoken before and Ray’s adjusted to it.

Mia and Kate don’t even seem phased to be on a ship that travels through time and space when neither one of them has any experience that comes close to staring out the window at the time stream.

If there wasn’t this abundance of alternate versions of Superman and Batman, then maybe we could really focus in on this core group of heroes and spend time with them, just them (and loved ones because Iris joining up makes everything better), as they regroup and grieve a friend.

Considering the number of times people have come back from the dead, especially on Arrow, it wouldn’t have made sense if someone didn’t bring up the Lazarus pit.

It’s nice that Barry is the first person we hear this plan from, not Mia. It would’ve been predictable coming from Mia, but by making Barry the first person that we hear discuss it, it highlights how much Oliver means to him.

Barry: He can’t be dead, not him.

Oliver knew Barry before he became the Flash, and Oliver was with Barry as he learned how to be a hero, whether Barry wanted Oliver’s help or not.

Barry didn’t just lose someone he sees once a year when the world is ending, he lost a friend and a mentor, and it makes sense that he would do whatever it takes to save him, just like Mia would.

So while Kara talks about potentially being able to bring back worlds and Oliver, it makes sense that Barry and Mia would immediately jump into action instead of waiting for the opportunity to fix everything after the anti-monitor is defeated.

Kara: How much you care, how hard you try, those are the things that make you a hero, not powers or time travel. And you may not feel like you have the experience now, but you have the heart. You’re one of the bravest people I know.

We all fell in love with Kate and Kara’s interactions back on Arrow Season 7 Episode 9, “Elseworlds, Part 2,” and so it is great to see them team up for this hour and really start to become friends.

It’s sweet to see them be there for each other. Kate helps Kara get her hope back, and Kara gives Kate a hero pep talk that she desperately needs.

Kate really doesn’t have anyone in her life that understands what she’s going though, and so it’s great to see her around people who have been in her shoes. It’s a shame we don’t get to see more of her with Oliver, as he can probably relate the most.

Kate revealing that she has the kryptonite is troublesome. Let’s just hope that she accidentally grabbed it and will be returning it to Kara by the end of the crossover.

If she doesn’t, it may mean that some of what Bruce said to her about Superman rang a little true, and we do not need Kate going down that dark path.

Stray Thoughts:

• Tom Welling’s Superman provides some excellent comic relief in his “battle” with Lex.
• We can all agree that Bruce Wayne, at least Earth 99’s version of him, is an asshole, right?
• Mick being good with Jonathan is sweet and hilarious.
• Sooo is our Luke Fox secretly ripped?
• Are we supposed to care about Harbinger/Lyla because I kinda don’t.

What did you think of this episode of Batwoman? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to catch up with our review of “Crisis On Infinite Earths: Part One.”

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Batwoman airs Sunday at 8/7c on The CW.

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