The Flash brings us a lot more information on the aliens that are invading. In Supergirl, Barry and Cisco make a brief appearance and that’s where we first find out they are up against aliens. The episode starts and gives us a glimpse of the team fighting each other. Later, we find out that the team is under some sort of mind control from the Dominators. ARGUS has known about the Dominators for some time and is aware of the harm they can do. “Invasion!” feels like the real start of the crossover even with all of the characters congregating in one place.
Tensions arise quickly in the episode when Cisco finds out about Barry’s message from 40 years in the future. The team overhears him and they instantly want nothing to do with Barry. Oliver immediately takes his side and the team leaves without both of them. This scene is done well and it’s perfectly reasonable for the team to be upset that their lives are different because of a choice Barry made. Grant Gustin does an excellent job with oozing his feelings out onto the screen. He’s intense with regret and it makes Barry Allen just as human as the rest of the team sans Supergirl.
Another thing of note in this episode is how they don’t waste time with introductions. Supergirl makes the rounds and that is that. They get right to work on training. While we don’t see a ton of the Dominators this episode, we learn what they’re capable of and it looks like with two episodes left in the crossover that is a good introduction to them. Plus, the mind control makes for one epic battle between heroes.
Going into this crossover, it was unclear how much of The Flash storyline would be advanced. In the episode, we see Wally use his powers, HR agrees to train him, and Cisco still won’t try to be friends with Barry. The latter is disappointing because it feels like such a disservice to Cisco to have him be this gloomy every episode. That aside, this is a solid episode for the crossover and it looks like it will ramp up even more in Arrow.
Flashpoints
- Wally really needs a suit already.
- Love that Oliver is the one trying to help Barry through his mistake.
- Grant Gustin knows how to bring out all of the emotions when he’s on screen.
- The team up has the kind of dynamic you’d expect when you bring a bunch of heroes together.
Favorite Lines
- “You saw the ship? What else did you see?” “Enough to get Ridley Scott nightmares.” – Lila and Barry talking right after the ship appears
- “Best team up ever!” – Felicity
