The Good: Good character moments, Performances, Decent effects
The Bad: Predictable resolution, End robs the Legends Of Tomorrow of their big moment
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow gets the big moments of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4," but the biggest character moment for the team is robbed for a saccharine end to the crossover.
In some ways, it seems like the showrunners for Legends Of Tomorrow had a good idea that the massive crossover event for the DC Television Universe would be falling just as the third season of the show began to gain momentum. That seems like one of the best reasons that almost as soon as Damien Darhk pops up as one of the principle antagonists for the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow, there is an almost completely divergent episode that puts Grodd in the narrative. Just as "Welcome To The Jungle" (reviewed here!) had no real tie to the prior episode (save the very last scene), "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" has no real connection to "Welcome To The Jungle."
"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" comes right after the climactic events of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the final episode in the arc without some references as to where the show prior ended. After all, with Dr. Stein shot on Earth-X and a distress call from Felicity Smoak out to the Waverider crew, it seems like the Legends Of Tomorrow characters who have been noticeably missing from the prior three parts might actually become integral to the episode's resolution.
Almost instantly, it becomes clear that the reason most of the Waverider crew was absent from the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West was that the room being too full of super powered people would have defied the suspension of disbelief.
"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" opens with Dr. Stein shot, bleeding to death on the floor where he manages to open the breach to Earth-1. The Flash and The Ray manage to take out Red Tornado before managing to return Earth-1 with the rest of the heroes. When Eobard Thawne attempts to slice into Kara, The Atom appears and manages to save her. With the S.T.A.R. Labs team freed, Stein and Jax lay near death from Stein being shot repeatedly. Mr. Terrific figures out that the Earth-X Nazi Waverider and Earth-X Kara are bombs with the potential to destroy much of Earth.
Realizing that he is tethered to Jackson, Dr. Stein separates from the Firestorm matrix. While the heroes unite to protect Kara from the Earth-X Oliver and Eobard Thawne, Felicity, Ramon and Wells try to bring down the alternate Waverider. And the big battle ensues and it is cool and it gets resolved pretty much as anyone with a brain would have figured it would.
More than with last year's big crossover event, the Legends Of Tomorrow actually are integral to the resolution of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4." While there is a key moment where it seems like Cisco would have been able to open a breach to resolve a serious problem, much of the resolution to "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" feels organic and the big emotional moments are mostly related to the Legends Of Tomorrow. And then the very end of the episode craps on what should have been the big moments for The Flash and Arrow.
"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" finally rewards Franz Drameh with a part that plays up to his acting talents. Drameh plays Jefferson Jackson and while Victor Garber gives his usual masterful performance in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4," it is Drameh's acting and reacting to Garber's performance that makes the episode's emotional moment land. The episode's final scene gives Drameh a moment to stand on his own and it promises to keep Jefferson Jackson vital going forward.
Legends Of Tomorrow bears the brunt of the big, emotional, casualty in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" and the series creates a powerful moment that will remain so . . . unless it is undone. Leonard Snart made a powerful exit from Legends Of Tomorrow, but "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" restores the character by bringing the Earth-X doppelganger over in his place. Snart and Thawne being put back in play is interesting, but it diminishes the multiple sacrifices made that put their characters in the ground. "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" gives a big character a decent, heroic exit and it has the potential to rock the Waverider crew to its core . . . but it does not emotionally decimate the viewer because the follow-up to the loss is such a non-sequitor moment for Legends Of Tomorrow fans.
Ultimately, "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" does what it needs to in order to finish the crossover, but it falls more toward average than exceptional.
For other DC Television Universe Crossover episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"Crisis On Earth-X Part 1" - Supergirl
Crisis On Earth-X Part 2 - Arrow
"Invasion!" - Legends Of Tomorrow
6.5/10
For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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