DC TV Roundup: A Week Of Trials And Tribulations, Hardships And Hell

While Marvel and DC battle to see who wins at the box office, it’s virtually inarguable that it's the latter who dominates the small screen. Now having taken over four nights of the week when it comes to prime time programming, serialized superhero storytelling has swiftly become a cornerstone in the lives of many a geek these days. And who could blame any of us? Twenty-some episodes afford more character development and make room for introductions of heroes and villains that you would never be able to see in a two-hour movie. Multiply those possibilities due to a handful of these shows now existing and we’re being treated to a Golden Age of Superhero TV that we hope doesn’t end any time soon. Given that, we've established this column with the intent to recap the most memorable moments in DC TV each week, analyzing all the unforgettable developments to occur on Gotham, Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, provided a new episode airs. Check it all out on the next page and be sure to comment down below letting us know what your favorite moment was this week from DC's TV universe. 3) Planet Hoo-ston, We Have A Problem Despite some recent visual effects woes, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow redeemed itself this week when the Waverider crew successfully averted the Reverse Flash’s attempt to pilfer a fragment of the Spear of Destiny from the American flag Neil Armstrong planted on the moon. I know that’s the first place I’d hide it. Or behind the couch. Some trips to the past haven’t yielded the best results on this series, but this week, the chemistry amongst the cast, the writing and everything else were all on point. Even with Sara Lance and Rip Hunter passively butting heads over who the captain should be didn’t hinder the smooth flow of the episode. One thing that caught my attention was that Eobard Thawne was still evading Black Flash, whom appeared to have been destroyed on The Flash in the preceding time slot. Either Hunter Zolomon didn’t meet his ultimate demise or, perhaps, Legends is lagging behind a little in chronology. My gut says this relentless pursuer will be showing up to collect Thawne in the season finale in three weeks, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. But, hey, at least outer space wasn’t clearly made up of black curtains when scenes took place on the moon as was the case with Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. 2) Need For Speed Force This week on The Flash, Barry Allen threw caution to the wind as he fearlessly journeyed back to the Speed Force in an attempt to liberate Wally West, who had been imprisoned there by Savitar the week before. Along the way, the sentience that occupies the ethereal plane took on several forms such as Eddie Thawne, Leonard Snart and Ronnie Raymond in an attempt to show Barry the many consequences his actions have had to this point. Ultimately, our hero was able to succeed with the help of Jay Garrick, who opted to stay behind in Wally’s stead. On the plus side, Kid Flash no longer has to suffer through his own personal Silent Hill by reliving the death of his mother over and over again, but this could very well mean that John Wesley Shipp has made his exit for the season. Hopefully they find a nifty way to bring him back next year. Elsewhere, and perhaps most important of all, Jesse Quick found a chink in Savitar’s armor and proved (in H.R.’s words) “he’s just a man, baby!” It’s just unfortunate that we have to take a break from this storyline right as it’s heating up due to a musical special next week. Hopefully we’ll get some answers when it comes to the self-proclaimed God of Speed’s identity in two weeks. 1) Per Aspera Ad Inferi Wow, Oliver Queen’s life really went down the toilet rather quickly on the latest episode of Arrow. First, I’d like to say that it was pretty cool to finally see Talia in the present, but it came with a price. Apparently, she now harbors ill will against Oliver for killing her father, whom she now reveals to him to be Ra’s al Ghul. But, at least he left with a nice consolation prize in the form of learning Prometheus’ true identity, Adrian Chase. Now that everything is out in the open, it feels like the real game has begun as Oliver and Chase can share scenes that just weren’t previously possible. And, believe me, the titular hero hates the big bad’s guts like no other after having to spend the bulk of the episode tracking down his kidnapped girlfriend. Perhaps the big takeaway from this episode is knowing how ruthless Chase truly is. I mean, the guy brutally stabbed his own wife once she learned his secret. But now that he’s kidnapped Oliver and has been revealed to be in collusion with Talia, I can’t wait to see what next week’s chapter has in store. This is undoubtedly the best the show’s been since season 2.