The CW quickly made itself the go-to network for superhero-related television shows, thanks to its partnership with DC Comics.
One of those shows, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, just finished its first season, while The Flash just wrapped up season two, with Arrow ending its fourth season.
The network also just recently picked up Supergirl, which aired its first season on CBS.
How did those shows do this season? We already examined Supergirl's rookie year, but how did the shows airing on The CW fare? We take a look at the full seasons of Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash and Arrow and grade them on just how good (or not) they were.
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Although DC's Legends of Tomorrow started off with a strong premise, it lost steam about halfway through the season. Part of the problem was with its cast, and the tendency of Wentworth Miller to over-act (and over-pronounce) everything about Captain Cold. When added to the Legends of Tomorrow mix, he just didn't work as well as he did on The Flash, because he was the only character on the new show to remain a little too over the top.
That's not saying that the other actors on the series weren't good, but they could only work with what they were given. Also, how many times do we have to hear Kendra, aka HawkGirl, whine about she was recently "just a barista?" Her romance with Ray felt forced, especially after she started to remember her life with Connor right after his untimely demise (and knowing he would eventually come into her life again). HawkGirl was utterly wasted on this series, and spent most of her time as the damsel in distress. This is not the HawkGirl we know from the comic books.
The show did have some spectacular special effects, and it was obvious that The CW put some major dollars into its budget for that. However, even the best special effects can't save a plot that kept getting more and more convoluted, when all the team really needed to do was to stop Vandal Savage from destroying the world.
Vandal Savage was also a horrible villain, and not because he had dastardly plans, but he really had no reason for said evil plans: sure, he wanted to rule the world, but the writers made him too one-dimensional. This character was flat, and it didn't help that the actor who portrayed him, Casper Crump, kept slipping in and out of this really weird accent.
Viewers who hoped that the season finale would give them something better, though, only received a disappointing end to the show's first season. Not only did the writers decide to change the rules of time travel that they set early on in the show, but they also had three final battles in three different timelines that should have been epic, but just really didn't feel all that great.
Grade: C-
The Flash
Something The Flash writers did last season was introduce time travel into the concept of the series early on. Not only that, but there's also the concept of the multiverse, which allows the show's storytelling to go in literally any direction. Yet, with all of those choices, this season of The Flash made the right ones, not only giving viewers a great villain, but also adding some dramatic impact that left viewers crying for and cheering on the hero.
The reveal of Zoom as Jay Garrick, aka Hunter Zoloman, was particularly good, especially after the set-up with Jay as a potential love interest for Caitlin. The show was also wise in bringing back Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Harrison Wells from Earth-2, the doppelganger of the Wells destroyed in season one.
The future Kid Flash and Jesse Quick also appeared this season, although the two still don't have their powers yet (although they got zapped with something when Barry regained his powers). It was also really cool to see Barry trapped in the speed force, allowing viewers to learn more about this mystical thing that's responsible for his superpowers.
There were some really great dramatic moments, too, this season. When viewers believed that Zoom killed Jay, they were heartbroken for Caitlin. Cisco's changing relationship with his brother made him all that much more of a sympathetic character. Joe and Iris finding out about Wally made viewers care. Barry losing his father had many fans in tears.
Add all of that up and you get a great season, but the season finale made it even better with events that could change the entire DC cinematic television universe.
Grade: A
Arrow
Oliver Queen, you have failed this city. Many Arrow fans have already complained about the non-stop focus on the Oliver and Felicity relationship. However, the series took Olicity to new highs and lows this season, and the drama around them pretty much overshadowed everything else going on. It became too much like a soap opera, and the whole "will they or won't they" remained even through the season finale.
Not only that, but Damien Darhk wasn't just a bad guy with a weirdly-spelled last name: he was also a weak villain. Neal McDonough did his best, but the actor just didn't have a lot to work with. At first, Darhk seemed rather intriguing, especially when viewers learned that he had magic, making him nearly unstoppable. However, his plot to destroy the world to rebuild it again was an old one, something we saw way back in season one. At this point, viewers probably don't even care that Star City will suffer again, because that's become too standard for the show.
The show also wasted the character of Black Canary, who ended up dying, only with her last words telling Oliver that he and Felicity belonged together. Is that why she died? Really? It was an embarrassing end for the strongest female superhero character of the show: fans had every right to get mad about it.
Then, there are the flashbacks. This season's flashbacks felt more like filler than explanation, and it got to the point where they did absolutely nothing to move the story along. Oliver was missing for five years, but those flashbacks sure make it seem like he was gone a lot longer.
The only good episode this season was the one where Matt Ryan recreated his character of John Constantine, but even that couldn't save Arrow this time around.
Finally, the season finale had Oliver beating Darhk, the nearly invincible villain, by basically giving a pep talk to the citizens of Star City. In the end, there was very little fighting, nor that power within Oliver that he showed in a previous episode. It was a let-down to an already lackluster year, and here's hoping that what happened in The Flash season finale gives Arrow a chance to reset, because it really needs it.
Grade: F
