This week, the #DCTV Couch Club is doing something a little different. Since the four CW shows are crossing over, we decided to have our club of #DCTV fans cross over as well. Therefore, each new Couch Club post this week will feature all four members of the club discussing that night’s episode of the crossover. In addition, each Couch Club member has also shot a video sharing their individual thoughts about the crossover. Look for those to go live on the DC Fans YouTube channel the morning after each new episode.
The “Invasion” crossover kicked into gear tonight with a thrilling episode of The Flash that introduced the Dominators while reuniting the casts of the four CW shows. The episode featured plenty of memorable character beats, but it ended with a climactic battle between the heroes which aptly demonstrated Supergirl’s strength…much to the delight of the Couch Club.
Let’s start with the obvious question—how great do the Dominators look?
Matt Ross (Arrow): No doubt. They look top notch. In my opinion, some of my favorite looking comic page-to-screen design and effects I’ve seen!
Meg Downey (DC's Legends of Tomorrow): Honestly, I was worried when “Invasion” got announced for this exact reason. In the comics, their design is...well, very comic book-y, to put it lightly. I was really worried that they wouldn’t look as good or as scary moving around, so I was really pleasantly surprised at how well they translated! They were just gross enough to be scary, but not difficult to look at.
Amy Ratcliffe (Supergirl): I’m always a little nervous when characters that look so alien and different come to television, but really, after they nailed the look of Parasite, I shouldn’t be concerned. I was scared by the Dominators, which is just the kind of effect you want.
Ashley V. Robinson (The Flash): The Dominators are one of the best looking villains we’ve had on any of the CW shows. The visual effects are a difficult subject to tackle because they’re sometimes really, really great (King Shark!), and sometimes they are less excellent. Luckily, the Dominators are an instance of greatness! They strike a great balance between paying homage to their original “Invasion” comic book counterparts and having a design grounded in the reality of the show.
Much of Team Flash, but particularly Cisco, are still really angry with Barry over changing the timeline. What do you think? Do you think it’s merited?
Meg: As much as I hate to say it? Yeah, I think it’s totally merited. I mean, don’t get me wrong here, I love Barry and Cisco’s friendship as much as the next person, and I’m really excited that they’ve started to kind of repair some of those wounds, but I genuinely really like that Barry isn’t getting off the hook so easily for this.
Barry’s powers put him in this position where, even standing next to other metahumans, he’s kind of god-like. He can really do just about everything. But the cool part, the thing that makes Barry such a good character, is that he’s also so brutally human. He’s got that inherent contradiction going on inside him—the virtually omnipotent normal dude. And that contradiction means that he’s going to make mistakes, and he’s going to make them kind of frequently, you know? It just wouldn’t resonate as much with me if those mistakes were always just forgiven by the people around him in the blink of an eye. And, really, it would be kind of a disservice to Barry himself if they were.
You don’t get to see how innately good a person is until you see how they pull through adversity—and adversity doesn’t always mean punching bad guys and saving the city.
Amy: Barry made a huge mistake that affected an entire world. People should be frustrated with him, both for altering the timeline and for keeping it a secret. He shouldn’t get a pat on the back for it, but at the same time, I’m glad he at least did have Oliver reassuring him.
I thought Cisco had been warmer towards Barry though, so his extreme grumpiness caught me off guard—I don’t blame him, I just thought he’d already worked past the brunt of his issues.
Ashley: Tough question. I, personally, am willing to grant a lot of autonomy of decision making to a super hero because they are “super” and it seems like—most of the time—Team Flash is on the same page as me. Characters like Barry should be held responsible for the consequences of their actions—in particular when it has such wide-reaching ramifications as something like “Flashpoint”—however, I think having Cisco be the only “super” who’s upset feels a bit forced. For the narrative sense of the show, it’s dramatic to strain their friendship, definitely, but I would have liked to see Diggle be equally as upset when learning about the loss of baby Sara, whether or not he has any memory of her.
What I liked about this storyline is that it allowed Kara to step up and connect with Barry because she is the most detached from the aftermath of “Flashpoint.” Every scene Supergirl and Flash share is an absolute treat and moments where their relationship can be strengthened are some of my favourites.
While we were watching the episodes, I heard you discussing how ultimately this episode’s final battle largely came down to everyone trying to defeat Kara. Any thoughts on that?
Amy: With Kara being the only alien in the group and undoubtedly being the strongest (I like how no one questioned that, by the way), she was the natural choice to look to for training. She couldn’t hold back because so much was at stake, but as a result, the team got beat down and injured. I think it was different for them to hear about Kara’s powers vs. experiencing them firsthand.
Ashley: It’s the visualization of a comic book trope. Superman (or whatever super analogue is featured), always possesses the most power, so the battle always hinges on unseating them from a position of power. The CW-verse is stacked high with vigilante-types, rather than metahuman (although we seem to get more and more of those each season!), so it’s only logical to unite the non-supers against the girl with “super” in her name.
Plus, as a female, it’s extremely gratifying to have every male character accept Kara’s power over them.
With the addition of Supergirl and the Legends, we’re seeing more characters interact in this crossover than ever before. I have to ask...which ones are you shipping?
Amy: I’m still on board with Kara and Barry, one thousand percent.
Ashley: So many! I’m a secret serial shipper (and have been since I was a teenager). Sara and Nyssa will always be one of my favourite couples on the show. Right now I’m really into Wally and Jesse, Alex and Maggie and the never-going-to-happen-but-awesome Kara and Barry.
Meg: Oh man, I’m totally a serial shipper too—I’m not even secret about it! Which is why it’s really weird for me to admit that I don’t have any big ships. I can totally be persuaded to like any and all of them.
...Okay, okay, fine, I may be guarding my heart a little too closely after last season’s Legends finale which dissolved my Captain Cold and Heat Wave ship in the most brutal way possible. I’m too scared to love again, it’s just too soon! And, I mean, cut me some slack, I have to somehow make it through Lenny’s return later this season... I’m very stressed out about it.
Shipping is exhausting!
Want more on the crossover? Ashley V. Robinson shares her thoughts on this week's Flash on the DC Fans YouTube channel.
Click here for more information on the INVASION comic series that inspired this week’s crossover!
