The ELSEWORLDS CW crossover is here! Barry is Oliver and Oliver is Barry! Batwoman! What do we think? We’ll be reviewing each part as they air this weekend so make sure to keep checking back in!

ELSEWORLDS Part 1: THE FLASH…Is Oliver?

Part 1 of ELSEWORLDS begins with that same tag we got with last week’s Arrowverse shows: Earth-90 in flames, superheroes dead, with the John Wesley Shipp version of the Flash barely escaping the power of a book in the hands of a pretty powerful-looking being.

Cut to Earth-1 and Dr. John Deegan is speaking about imperfections. We want to help his patients with the power of eugenics, giving them superpowers. He is mocked. Out in the parking, the same powerful being greets him. He says he needs Deegan’s help, giving him the book and telling him to reshape the world as he sees fit. The being advises Deegan to think big. There are red skies and lightning outside. Oliver wakes up, confused by his surroundings. Iris kisses and calls him Barry, much to Oliver’s confusion. Oliver plays along, then Iris says there’s a breakout at Ivo labs. Oliver speeds forward, and it’s obviously disorientating. He puts on the Flash suit and runs, overshooting the lab by a few blocks. After dispatching the thugs, a robot comes online.

Team Flash tells him he’s totally fine, but think he’s acting odd. Oliver says he’s going to see Oliver Queen.

ELSEWORLDS Part 1: ARROW…Is Barry?

Barry realizes the same thing Oliver has. Barry is the Green Arrow. Diggle asks Barry for back-up, so he suits up as the Green Arrow and fights the thugs with Diggle. Oliver grabs them both and speeds them out of there. They compare notes. The world thinks that they are each other. Their lives have been flipped. Barry thinks it’s cool until Oliver shares that he woke up in bed with Iris.

They tell Team Flash, who determines that they’re both crazy. Instead, they knock them both out and lock them in the pipeline. Barry comes up with the idea to see Kara as she’s from another Earth and could verify their real identities. However, Barry and Oliver plan their escape by guiding each other to use each other’s strengths. They then portal to Earth-38 to see Kara. Cisco discovers red skies and lightning in the atmosphere.

The escape attempt is probably one of my favorite parts of this episode. The banter that Oliver and Barry have is great, and truly shows their dynamic, which is only really seen in the crossovers. Oliver convinces Barry to dislocate his thumb, and Barry helps Oliver phase through the wall.

ELSEWORLDS Part 1: Smallville!!!

We cut to Earth-38 and it’s Smallville! But wait, it gets better! The opening theme from the SMALLVILLE show plays! And the Kent farm we see is the same Kent farm from SMALLVILLE! AHHH! This 30-second moment is pure gold, and I’m sure fellow SMALLVILLE fans jumped from their couches as I did.

Kara works on a tractor with Clark and Lois Lane. Clark and Kara talk about her refusing to give up her real identity to the DEO, and his time away on Argo City. Nonetheless, Barry and Oliver arrive and Kara can tell whose truly who. Meanwhile, on Earth-1, the robot is attacking Team Flash and taking powers. It’s Amazo.

Barry and Oliver train together and train the same way they did in the first crossover. Barry shoots an arrow and Oliver speeds up to catch it, only to be shot by crossbows in the back. It’s a great moment that reminds us how far we’ve come in the Arrowverse. Barry laughs and Oliver is angry about Barry not taking things seriously. They argue about how the other operates. Team Flash learns about Amazo and discovers that Iris let Barry and Oliver go. Oliver and Barry realize that they both need to act like each other to succeed. Cisco arrives and says that they believe them. He needs their help. Superman tags along as well.

ELSEWORLDS Part 1: Super Friends vs. Amazo

Barry and Oliver imitate each other as they fight Amazo. Superman beats it down, but Amazo resurfaces and now has all of their powers. Team Flash thinks that it also has all of their weaknesses as well. Oliver phases Amazo, the Supers hold him, and Oliver shoots an arrow with a virus at him, thus defeating Amazo.

After Amazo’s defeat, Iris makes Barry promise to not become Oliver Queen. Nevertheless, Cisco vibes and everyone sees the being giving Deegan the book. He turns to the heroes and tells them there’s nothing they can do to stop what’s about to happen. Oliver draws what they saw. Wayne Tower is in the background and Oliver says that they’re going to Gotham City. Part 1 of ELSEWORLDS ends with a shot of Batwoman standing on top of a clock tower.

All in all, Part 1 is a great start for the ELSEWORLDS crossover and leaves us wanting to see more. Part 2 looks like it’s focus will fall heavily on Gotham and Batwoman!

ELSEWORLDS Part 2: Going To Gotham

Part 2 of ELSEWORLDS begins with the typical opener for ARROW. However, all of the scenes with Oliver has been replaced with Barry. It’s super cool and awesome! Moving on, we see more of the red skies above Star City as Diggle and ARGUS take on the son of Deathstroke. Barry, Oliver, and Kara arrive, stop him, and they all return to ARGUS.

With all of the crazy stuff that’s happened to them in the previous crossovers, Diggle isn’t even surprised that Barry and Oliver have swapped lives. They decide not to tell Felicity because of the strain that’s already on her relationship with Oliver. As they head to Gotham, Barry and Oliver argue about whether or not Batman is real. Oliver says that Batman is an urban legend and that he’s the original Vigilante. It’s a super funny debate and my favorite part of this episode. Arriving on a Gotham rooftop, they deliberate as to how they are going to find the two men from the vibe.

While they talk, Barry removes a tarp to reveal the Bat-signal. While it’s confirmation for Barry, Oliver still refuses to believe that Batman is real. On top of a tower, a figure watches them. As they walk through the city streets, they are attacked by thugs. Before they can fight them off, the GCPD arrive. Seeing Barry, they handcuff them all, not wanting the Green Arrow on their streets.

ELSEWORLDS Part 2: Meeting Kate Kane

Back at ARGUS, Team Arrow and Flash work together to figure out what the deal is with the red skies. They realize that the red skies follow Barry and Oliver, obviously connected to them in some way. Felicity finds out about the swapped Barry and Oliver and is upset that Oliver didn’t tell her.

Back in Gotham, Barry, Oliver, and Kara are in custody. However, someone posts their bail. Reluctantly, they get into a car which takes them to Wayne Tower. Kara asks why Bruce Wayne would bail them out, but Oliver shares that Wayne left Gotham 3 years ago. No one knows why. Going inside, they see that the tower has been abandoned for some time. Kate Kane greets them, telling them that the sooner the Green Arrow finds what he needs, the sooner they can leave Gotham. She also confirms that Batman is real, but has been gone for years.

On a rooftop, Kate offers to let them use Wayne Tech facial recognition software. Kara says that it’s strange that both Bruce and Batman left around the same time. Kate says that when Batman left, the city went to hell. It took a toll on Bruce. Before going back downstairs, she tells them that the WiFi password is Alfred!

ELSEWORLDS Part 2: A Kinship Over Cousins

Oliver finds John Deegan. Apparently, he’s gotten away with torture and illegal experiments on his patients. Kate says that she knows Deegan and that he’s a doctor at Arkham Asylum. Kate also shares that she’s Bruce’s cousin, which is something Kara can relate t0. Kara asks if she thinks Bruce broke from the burden of the city.

Kate says that he didn’t break and didn’t leave without a fight. Does this mean that we could potentially see Batman down the line in the Arrowverse! That’d be so cool!!! Kara goes to tell the others about Deegan, and Kate goes down an elevator. We then get the reveal of the Batwoman suit! It looks incredible, complete with the red bat-symbol and wig, straight from the comics.

ELSEWORLDS Part 2: Arkham Asylum

Team Flash and Arrow build an anchor to draw whoever’s trying to breach through, which is the cause of the red skies. They get a glimpse of a man who looks like Jay Garrick from Earth-2. He tells them to find the book and fix everything. They breach to Arkham, relaying the info to Kara, Barry, and Oliver.

As Diggle and Oliver walk through the Asylum, we see cell doors with names of several classic Batman villains: Penguin, Ivy, Clayface, and Nigma. Upon finding Deegan, they realize that he’s the one who changed their reality. They tell him to fix it and he asks why he would want to. He escapes, releasing the inmates as cover. A riot ensues.

Notable parts of the riot are seeing the villain Psycho-Pirate, as well as Caitlin having a run-in with Nora Fries, wife of Mister Freeze. Deegan pulls the book from behind a wall and is found by Kara. Kara gets the book, but Deegan escapes. Psycho-Pirate tries to escape in a van but Batwoman arrives on the scene, stopping him, making awesome use of a grapple gun.

ELSEWORLDS Part 2: Fear Toxin and World’s Finest

Nora and Caitlin are in the evidence locker. After seeing Bane’s mask from THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, Nora grabs Mister Freeze’s gun and shoots Caitlin. Oliver and Barry arrive, and Oliver shoots a lightning bolt, missing and hitting a crate of Scarecrow’s fear toxin. Barry and Oliver start to fight each other, seeing themselves as each other’s arch-enemies, Merlyn and Thawne. Barry fights Merlyn and Oliver fights Thawne. Batwoman gets both of them out of the toxin cloud.

After the inmates get put away, Batwoman tells them to leave. Barry asks if they can get a ride in the Batmobile, and Batwoman repeats herself. Kara stays back for a bit, revealing that she knows that Batwoman is Kate. She says that they would make a good team, and Kate agrees. “World’s Finest,” she says, a great reference to Batman and Superman team-ups in the comics. It’s a perfect line, possibly hinting a future crossover for the two of them? We’ll see!

Barry and Oliver talk about what they both saw in the fear toxin. They now have a better respect and understanding of each other’s lives, seeing each other’s unique struggles and burdens. Oliver then goes to Felicity and tells them that no matter how much the two of them change, their feelings for each other won’t.

ELSEWORLDS Part 2: The Monitor

At that moment, Jay Garrick shows up, but it’s not Garrick. It’s a version of Barry Allen from Earth-90. He greets Diggle and asks John why he’s not wearing his ring! He says that things must be different here. This is a reference to the fact that on his Earth, Diggle is actually John Stweart, the Green Lantern! We have a Green Lantern reference in the Arrowverse!? What?!

He tells them about the being Mar Novu, the Monitor. He uses the Book of Destiny to create Elseworlds in order to combat a crisis that he believes will soon come to destroy the Multiverse. They see the Monitor on the TV and go to face him. They tell him to make things right. He refuses, making the Earth-90 Allen disappear. He says he means to prepare for the crisis that is coming. For someone who is far more powerful than him. He tells them that he’s so far unimpressed. However, they show potential and he wants to see if it’s anything more. He disappears with the Book and goes to Deegan. He tells him to do better and think bigger.

ELSEWORLDS Part 2: A New Reality

With a flash, we see Barry and Oliver wearing matching jackets, and a newspaper labeling them as the criminal Trigger Twins. Cops arrive to arrest them, but the cops are Diaz, Merlyn, and Deathstroke’s son. Barry and Oliver don’t have their powers. They escape the cops, but then a black-suited Superman land in front of them, telling them that can’t run and that it’s over.

Thus concludes ELSEWORLDS Part 2! This one was chock full of Batman references and easter eggs and was sure to leave plenty of eager Batman fans satisfied. Not to mention Batwoman herself! Her Arrowverse debut is totally legit and awesome and I’m so ready for a BATWOMAN series.

Looking forward, It looks like there will be a whole new reality to contend with in part 3!

ELSEWORLDS Part 3: Deegan Becomes Superman

Part 3 of ELSEWORLDS begins with Deegan giving the opening monologue. Through it, we learn that in his latest change to reality, he is now the black-suited Superman we see at the end of Part 2. The dark Superman flies towards Barry and Oliver, with crowds cheering him on. They realize that Deegan has control of Superman’s body. This is his destiny, Deegan says. So much more than it was Barry’s destiny when he was struck by lightning.

He says it’s no longer their world, it’s his. Oliver shoots a crane so that it will fall on the crowd. If he truly wants to be a hero, he can either save the crowd or go after them. It’s his choice. This is such a villain ultimatum to give and to have Barry and Oliver give it is crazy, even if it’s for the right reasons. Deegan totally has a whole INCREDIBLES Syndrome thing going on, where he’s playing at being the hero.

Barry’s worried:

“Being bad makes me feel bad man!”

Even with Barry about to puke, they go to find out how much reality has changed.

Meanwhile, Star Labs is now Superman’s base of operations. He’s angered that the fugitives escaped. We discover that he’s keeping Kara imprisoned down in the pipeline. He knows she’s not part of this Earth. She calls him a monster, yet he calls himself Superman.

Barry and Oliver plan to go back to Earth-38 and bring the real Superman to help, but then they are teleported to a platform in space. The Monitor is there and says it’s time they talk about their destiny.

ELSEWORLDS Part 3: Getting The Real Superman

The Monitor is impressed with them. He tells them that this world may have hope yet. However, self-sacrifice alone will not suffice. Survival lies in them knowing their true selves. They return to Earth and go to look for Cisco in a bar. We get a surprise LEGENDS cameo with Gary as the bartender. They want to see his boss, which is a criminal version of Cisco. Meanwhile, Kara discovers that one of the guards is her sister.

She tries to get Alex to help her, but she refuses, believing Kara to be a terrible monster. Back at the bar, Oliver and Barry try to talk to Cisco, but he refers them to his assistant/bodyguard, Jimmy Olsen. They tell Cisco they have a business proposal. He’s not interested. Cisco tells Jimmy to kill them, but Barry connects with Cisco by telling him about his brother Dante. They ask if they’d like to get rid of Superman and find out that he can still vibe. They convince him by offering him a way to get to a whole different Earth. Cisco gets Barry and Oliver to Earth-38 and they find Lois and Clark in the Fortress of Solitude. They tell him about what’s happening on Earth-1.

Back on Earth-1, Kara tries to break out with her super-breath, but Alex catches her and electrocutes her. She starts speaking in another language that Alex knows from her childhood. It’s something only Alex could know. She tells Alex about her Alex on Earth-38. She bonds with her and convinces Alex to help her. Kara promises to stop Superman and his reign.

ELSEWORLDS Part 3: Superman vs. Superman

Back at the Fortress, Barry, Oliver, and Clark plan how to stop Deegan and get the book. They realize that the book has to be at Star Labs. Superman catches Alex letting Kara out of her cell. Right as he’s about to burn them with his heat vision, the real Superman arrives. He compliments Deegan on his suit.

He grabs Deegan and they fly through the roof. Oliver fights the guards while Barry looks for the book. He runs into Kara and Alex and she says Deegan (Superman) keeps all of his important items in his Fortress of Solitude. Barry complains that he just came from there. As the Supermen fight through a building, a woman screams that the real Superman is Bizarro. It’s a pretty funny line, and from her perspective/reality, makes sense. Deegan asks Clark how it feels to be the villain for once.

It turns out that Deegan’s Fortress is really just the Time Vault. They get to the book and it’s unlocked. Kara opens the book and feels a shock of power. Kara decides to get the book to Clark as she still weak. Clark opens the book and starts to fix reality. Kara, Barry, and Oliver all have their respective suits and real powers back.

Deegan grabs Barry in a headlock. He tells Kara to make Clark close the book or he will snap Barry’s neck. Oliver counters by saying it won’t happen if he kills Deegan first. He has a Kryptonite arrow nocked and drawn. Barry tells him to not kill him. To not channel his darkness. He can overcome it and be better. Maybe that’s the Monitor’s test. Deegan lets Barry go and thunderclaps them all. Clark drops the book, which Deegan grabs and flies off.

ELSEWORLDS Part 3: Oliver Makes a Deal

Deegan starts to rewrite reality again. We see Star Labs go back to its original state, then to it’s Nazi look from the last crossover, and then back to the Superman HQ. Barry comes up with a plan for him and Kara to run in opposite directions around the Earth to stop time and then get the book. It’s a similar move to what happens in the original Christopher Reeves’ SUPERMAN climax where Superman flies around the Earth to reverse time to save Lois. The problem is that when Clark opened the book, he saw them both die doing this very plan they just came up with. Regardless, they say that they have to try something.

Deegan is standing with the open book, rewriting history once again. Oliver tries to get the Monitor’s attention. He’s not scared or afraid. The Monitor tells them his time is limited. Oliver says he knows what happens to Barry and Kara. He believes the Monitor’s testing them see if they’re good enough, not strong enough. The Monitor admits that he’s the first one in all the Earth’s to confront him like this.

Oliver says that his true self is darkness, but Barry and Kara inspire hope. They’re the best of them. He says that if the Monitor’s test kills their best chance at stopping the Crisis, then he’s not a very smart god. The Monitor asks Oliver how he would suggest keeping the universal balance if he saves Barry and Kara like Oliver’s requesting.

Deegan still has the open book. He turns cops into taxi drivers. Superman confronts Deegan and Deegan says he didn’t think big enough. He conjures Amazo. Lois, Martian Manhunter, and Brainiac arrive to fight Amazo. Lois and Clark take on Deegan.

ELSEWORLDS: Deegan Defeated

Meanwhile, Barry and Kara keeping running in opposite directions until time stops. In doing so, they start to burn up. With time stopped, Oliver loses a blue-tipped arrow at Deegan. He falls and the book’s power washes over him. Deegan reverts to his normal self, albeit with a gray and scarred face. He is now officially Dr. Destiny from the comics. Barry and Kara arrive, completely fine. Brainiac takes down Amazo no problem as he’s an AI.

With everyone back at Sar Labs, the heroes of Earth-38 return. Back in Smallville, Kara and Clark talk about her not being with the DEO. She doesn’t need an organization to keep the world safe. Clark confesses to Kara that Lois is pregnant and that she’ll be having the baby on Argo. More so, Clark will be hanging up his cape for a time. Back at the Fortress, Clark proposes to Lois.

ELSEWORLDS Part 3: The Crisis is Coming 2019!

Back on Earth-1, Barry and Oliver have drinks at a bar. Oliver admits he enjoyed having super-speed. Barry thanks Oliver for talking to the Monitor and changing their destinies. Oliver says that because of Barry, he might one day become a better man. Oliver gets a call. It’s Batwoman. She says that Deegan has made a friend at Arkham, and it’s Psycho-Pirate! We then get a tag that saying CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS will be happening Fall of 2019!

Oh my gosh!! It’s actually happening! Yeah, there’s been a lot of set-ups but we now have confirmation! For those who don’t know, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS is a classic DC Comics event where the Anti-Monitor starts destroying all of the Earths in the Multiverse. The end of the event leaves one Earth standing.

It’s also notable for killing off Barry Allen and Supergirl, something the two of them narrowly avoided in this crossover, thanks to Oliver. We’ll be sure to provide more info on what a CW version of the Crisis could look like soon. For now, let’s just enjoy how freaking awesome this entire crossover was!

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You can watch ELSEWORLDS and more Arrowverse episodes on the CW app.