A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in January 2021, our DC Television Universe or DCTU Series panel – including moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Hilary, Kyle, Spencer, Kristen, and Nick – reconvenes Around the Water Cooler for the twenty-eighth episode of our DCTU ongoing series to discuss Season 1 of the Arrowverse’s/CWVerse’s 2019-2020 season entrant (prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths), Batwoman. If you have not watched any of the DCTU/Arrowverse/CWVerse (through May 2020), be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), or our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/couchpotatoesunite. Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Batwoman” is an American superhero drama series based upon the DC Comic character of the same name, which currently airs on the CW Sundays at 8:00 PM (Season 2 premiered on January 17, 2021).
What: “Batwoman,” a series developed by Caroline Dries that is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and is part of the Arrowverse (or “CWVerse”) continuity. The first season follows Kate Kane (Ruby Rose), the cousin of vigilante Bruce Wayne, who becomes Batwoman in his absence.
When: Season 1 aired from October 6, 2019, to May 17, 2020, with a total of 20 episodes, all on the CW.
Where: The action is set in the fictional Gotham City, home of all “Bat” characters, as set in the DC Comic Universe.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to tonight’s episode, where our panel covers the first season of Batwoman, via the embedded link below!
It should be noted that CPU! Chief Couch Potato Kylie previewed Batwoman during the 2019-2020 network pilot season with a portended pick up for the podcast and this potential review. Back then, I noted:
Though many of our DCTU panel won’t like it, this is an automatic Pick Up for our CPU! DCTU Series panel, as Batwoman will be an Arrowverse entry, designed to fill the hole left by the flagship series, Arrow, when it takes its series bow at mid-season following the Crisis on Infinite Earths mega-crossover event coming in December. None of our panelists loved the “Batwoman” entry in last year’s Elseworlds crossover, but we didn’t all hate it either. If the show’s writers can do justice to Gotham City and can breathe new life into Kate Kane’s version of the character and member of the Bat-Family, cynicism might sway to positivism. We won’t know until the series premieres in October.
Sometimes, I just know how to call them. Sometimes.
How – as in How Was It?
The pilot/premiere rating scale:
***** – I HAVE TO WATCH EVERYTHING. HOLY SMOKES!
**** – Well, it certainly seems intriguing. I’m going to keep watching, but I see possible pitfalls in the premise.
*** – I will give it six episodes and see what happens. There are things I like, and things I don’t. We’ll see which “things” are allowed to flourish.
** – I will give it three episodes. Chances are, I’m mainly bored, but there is some intrigue or fascination that could hold it together. No matter how unlikely.
* – Pass on this one, guys. It’s a snoozer/not funny/not interesting/not my cup of tea… there are too many options to waste time on this one.
Batwoman = 2.1, by average of the podcast panel.
SYNOPSIS
Three years after billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter-ego Batman disappeared, his cousin Kate Kane (Rose) sets out to overcome her demons and become a symbol of hope by protecting the streets of Gotham City as Batwoman from criminals like the Wonderland Gang, led by Kate’s thought dead sister Alice (Rachel Skarsten).
THOUGHTS
This is the twenty-eighth episode in CPU!’s long-running DCTU series but only the first in the series to discuss Batwoman. The last five episodes in this series are linked below (to listen to the whole series, find the dialog box at the top right of the header, with the picture of the couch full of TV watchers, to search for any prior podcast episode or blog/website entry):
DCTU Series, Episode 23, “Crisis on Infinite Earths – LIVE!”
DCTU Series, Episode 24, “Arrow,” Season 8 and Looking Back
DCTU Series, Episode 26, “Black Lightning,” Season 3
DCTU Series, Episode 27, “The Flash,” Season 6
In our last DCTU episode, our cheeky and feisty DCTU panel – namely Kyle, Hilary, Spencer, Kristen, and Nick – continued addressing the most recent full seasons of each of the “Arrowverse” series in order of the airing of each season finale by discussing the sixth season of flagship Arrowverse/CWVerse spinoff The Flash. Tonight’s episode finds the panel returning to the Water Cooler to talk the inaugural season, Season 1, of Batwoman in the twenty-eighth episode of our DCTU series.
How did our rather critical panel of comic book aficionados and adjacent adorers regard the first season of Batwoman, now the sixth show to be covered by our DCTU Series? Unfortunately, as the star rating average might hint at above, the reviews are decidedly lukewarm to not so good at best and are also influenced by Ruby Rose’s controversial departure from the show, as she played the title character in the first season, only for the show’s Season 2 renewal to persist with a new character and new actor donning the tailored, red-accented Bat-suit. Listen to tonight’s episode and judge the panel’s reactions for yourself but brace for the impact – Batwoman does little to move our panel’s collective comic book consciousness, which is admittedly critical but always with an eye to good TV storytelling standards.
This particular episode was recorded in January 2021 (the day after the show’s Season 2 premiere), and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of Season 1 of Batwoman. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, on Amazon Music, and now on Patreon(!) to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and/or blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our DCTU Series panel returns once again to the CPU! Water Cooler to continue their annual marathon of Arrowverse (or “CWVerse”) recaps and reviews by discussing the penultimate season, Season 5, of Supergirl. Stay tuned for the next round of DC-related snark from CPU!’s spiciest panel!
Questions, Impressions, and Future Considerations
We have only one primary question: how can a completely new character unrelated to the Wayne and Kane families, when the first season so heavily revolved around these units and their connection to Batman through the lens of Kate Kane, possibly make the show work when the show barely worked to start? The only reason Season 1 is remotely watchable, to the extent that any of our panelists find the show watchable at all, stems from the complex, antagonistic forces driving the decisions of Kate and, long thought dead but discovered alive, fraternal twin sister Beth aka Alice. Their trauma-informed enmity and complicated, lasting devotion to the other are entirely what gave the show any kind of life, despite the supporting cast’s best efforts and apart from the fact that Rose offered a middling performance in her role. Additionally, the writers employed a disappointing approach to adapting this latest incarnation of the Bat properties – with little to no explanation of what happened to the entirety of Gotham City following Batman’s alleged departure (where’s Robin? Batgirl? Joker? are all of Batman’s nemeses tied up in Arkham Asylum?) that left the entire panel, unanimously, wanting for more and, as a byproduct, more interested in the DCU shows now streaming on HBO Max. Though preliminary reviews by some of our panelists suggest that Javicia Leslie, who portrays new Batwoman secret identity Ryan Wilder, proves to be a vast improvement over Rose in terms of overall performance quality, the feats of writing gymnastics needed to sell the new version of the show – for Season 2 much less for any sustained longevity beyond that – are almost too much to overcome and/or to execute, particularly when the writers follow the same formula driving the narratives of all of the Arrowverse entries. After all, the writers of the other remaining “CWVerse” series have collectively done little to cheer our panelists’ nerdy hearts with respect to this TV universe for some time, with the possible exceptions of The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, owing to their engaging and solid ensemble casts. Notably, however, the panel has not reached consensus about our level of enthusiasm for even these two shows.
Batwoman has a tough road to hoe and a tall mountain to climb, and our panelists are fairly skeptical about the writers’ ability to achieve what feels like the impossible, at this stage of the Arrowverse’s life and without the universe’s namesake, Arrow, left to anchor the whole thing. Even if Javicia Leslie renders the title character more inherently watchable and engaging, can the story around her sustain for this season and/or inspire hope for additional seasons beyond the instant one? We will watch to find out, but we’re not convinced that these writers or the executive producers have produced a pattern of past behavior to demonstrate that they have the chops to mount these obstacles. Time will tell.
RECOMMENDATION
Our feisty, spicy, and admittedly judgmental group of DCTU Series panelists, unfortunately, does not recommend Batwoman to anyone, even to comic book fans or to, specifically, DC Comic fans. They prove less than enthusiastic about the fact that a more obscure and less developed member of the Batman canon was chosen as the lead character of her own series. The panel was demonstrably most incensed by the fact that, considering that the CW/Warner Media chose to use the character of Batwoman in a Gotham City vacated somewhat recently by Batman, the show ignores every other character adjacent to Batman, including his sidekicks and apprentices (like Robin and Batgirl) and some of his notable villains – even if this series’ story exists in a world in which neither the Joker nor Batman no longer do.
In tonight’s review of the first season of this series, our panelists observe that Batwoman continues this network franchise’s trend of recycling elements, formulae, and themes from other Arrowverse shows and, like other entries in the universe, boasts erratic writing choices that seem aimed to capture attention by mere mentions of pieces and parts of “Bat-family” comic lore without actually utilizing characters or story arcs in a logical way best suited to the version of Gotham City being depicted in this series. The panel spends considerable time in tonight’s episode further discussing the mediocre quality of most performances in the show, but particularly that by Rose, who the panel unanimously agreed was largely disappointing all around, despite the potential she displayed in the Arrowverse’s 2018 “Elseworlds” crossover. The panelists also ruminated upon the fact that the engine driving this particular Batmobile or Bat-cycle is the sisterly relationship between Kate Kane and Beth Kane aka Alice, and that any improvements made in logical narrative flow or engaging character choices spurred primarily by their dynamic, as this inaugural season progressed, were lost with Rose’s abrupt departure from the series, rendering the entire effort of watching the first season feeling like a wasted one. The panelists also surmised that watching the second season with a new secret identity behind the cowl and/or red wig and a new actress portraying that secret identity appears to be an exercise in futility in terms of potential overall viewer engagement and quality of entertainment, no matter how much the new actress’ performance might be regarded as an improvement over that of her predecessor, as early reviews seem to indicate. The panelists muster some praise for the production aspects, including the art direction (despite the fact that Chicago exterior shots remain non-subtle for its frequent use as Gotham’s real-life stand-in); cinematography; and costuming but are squarely critical of most of the cast and the overall story continuity, with the possible exception of Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox and, to a lesser extent, Nicole Kang, whose Mary Hamilton, i.e. Kate’s stepsister, experiences the most interesting character evolution of the entire enterprise.
Ultimately, the panel finds that the show shines brightest when the story is focused upon Kate and Alice’s fraught bond, a luminosity that will be lost without Ruby Rose. In fact, without Rose, and no matter how much her performance and/or other aspects of her casting might have undercut the quality of the proceedings, our panel fears that what made the show watchable at all is now gone, and that Batwoman is merely a checkbox for anyone interested in remaining connected to the Arrowverse and determined to complete it. To that end, the panel notes that anyone not already invested in this universe will probably be less interested in Batwoman, particularly as those who are already invested are generally having a tough time with it; the internet has been similarly unkind in its critical reception, though fans of Ruby Rose might enjoy the show, and there might be some appeal for those identifying as LGBTQIA+, given the prominence of the character and the fact that she is a lesbian. In the end, however, our panel could not, in good conscious, recommend this series as good television; to wit, panelist Kyle noted that everything that a Bat-universe fan might want from Batwoman that they are not getting – due to the poor quality of writing, general haphazardness in continuity, and lack of connection between the showrunners of the various CWVerse series – a fan could find in Titans on HBO Max, leaving Kyle to recommend that show, featuring all members of the Bat-family and a haggard and hardened Bruce Wayne, over this one.
THE FUTURE OF THE SHOW
In January 2020, the show was renewed for a second season; Rose departed the series in May 2020, spurring the recast and, therefore, the ongoing continuation of the series. Season 2, featuring Leslie as Ryan Wilder aka Batwoman, premiered on January 17, 2021. Moreover, some breaking news: tonight, the CW renewed Batwoman for a third season, which is sure to make our DCTU panel so happy (although, preliminary reviews of Season 2 by some of them do seem to indicate a turnaround…the intrigue mounts!). In the meantime, our DCTU Series podcast panel will next convene around the CPU! Water Cooler next week to review and recap Season 5 of Supergirl. Until then! Stay tuned!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded LIVE via Zoom on FACEBOOK in April 2020, our panel of comic book and superhero enthusiasts – including moderator Kylie, Kristen, Nick, Hilary, Kyle, and Spencer – reconvenes Around the (Virual and Quarantined) Water Cooler for a special, live streamed presentation of the twenty-third episode of our DCTU ongoing series. After specially requesting a separate recording to discuss the five episode mega-crossover Arrowverse event “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” our panel herein provides their review and recap of the 2019-2020 blending of casts from the CW series Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman. If you have not watched any of the DCTU/Arrowverse through “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
PS: The contest mentioned in the live recording was only in effect during the live stream. A winner has been selected, and the contest is closed.
PSS: In addition, this audio episode has only been *lightly edited* to streamline for time; since the episode was live, (most of) our bugaboos were left in tact. There’s nothing like spontaneity, after all, and the show must go on!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: The DC Television Universe or DCTU Series Panel – Kyle, Hilary, Spencer, Kristen, and Nick – plus Chief CP Kylie as moderator.
What: “Crisis on Infinte Earths,” the five-episode 2019-2020 Arrowverse crossover event melding cast members from “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Supergirl,” and “Batwoman,” the five shows that comprise the so-called “Arrowverse” on the CW, at least through the airing of “Crisis,” otherwise known as the DC (Comics) Television Universe or DCTU.
When: The “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover began on December 8, 2019, with Supergirl (8:00 PM) and concluded on January 14, 2020, with DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (9:00 PM).
Where: The action is primarily set in the DC Comics Universe, specifically in Central City (The Flash), Star City (Arrow), Gotham City (Batwoman), on Earth-38 in National City (Supergirl), and throughout space, time, and the multiverse in keeping with the Legends of Tomorrow.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching each of these shows, listen to tonight’s episode and/or to our DCTU series in full by clicking the floating box at the top right of our website header, the picture of the couch full of TV watchers, to search for all of the prior DCTU series episodes. As for why we are covering this crossover separately, read on!
How – as in How Was It?
The Specially Formulated For Your Viewing Pleasure “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Crossover rating scale:
***** – HOLY SMOKES! This is the BEST. CROSSVER. EVER!!!!!
**** – Intriguing. Please make more, CW/Arrowverse producers. You get better each time, though you’re not perfect yet.
*** – It was fine/okay. Nothing special. There were parts I liked and parts I didn’t. Allow me to explain.
** – Meh. I was bored. Nice idea, but the execution left something to be desired.
* – Not your best, Arrowverse. Stop trying!
Crisis on Infinite Earths = 3.2, by average of the podcast panel.
SYNOPSIS
“Crisis on Infinite Earths,” inspired by the comic of the same name, continues plot lines established in the previous crossover, “Elseworlds.” The preceding episodes of Arrow Season 8 and much of The Flash Season 6 are a prelude to the crossover. In “Crisis,” the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) gathers Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), the Flash (Grant Gustin), Supergirl (Melissa Benoist), Batwoman (Ruby Rose), Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), and several others from throughout the multiverse to stop the Anti-Monitor (Garrett) from destroying reality. The crossover’s events result in the Arrowverse being rebooted, affecting all composite shows of the TV universe.
THOUGHTS
This is the twenty-third episode in CPU!’s DCTU series. Because we have reached double digits for this massive series, from here on out, we are only going to embed prior episodes from the immediately previous season at mid-season or only the previous episodes of the show in particular that we are covering if we are covering any of the series individually, which you can listen to for reference in advance of the current podcast episode. All of our episodes, however, are searchable here at the website or, for audio-only types, you can find our page at our file host, the Internet Archive (archive.org), which has all of our episodes compiled in one handy menu. It’s pretty nice, actually. If you feel so inclined, please also donate to the Archive, so garage podcasts like your humble CPU! can continue to thrive.
For now, here are the DCTU series episodes since the DCTU 2019 Mid-Season Roundup:
DCTU Series, Episode 17, the DCTU 2019 Mid-Season Roundup
DCTU Series, Episode 18, “Elseworlds”
DCTU Series, Episode 19, “Arrow,” Season7
DCTU Series, Episode 20, “The Flash,” Season 5
DCTU Series, Episode 21, “Supergirl,” Season4
DCTU Series, Episode 22, “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” Season 4
Our cheeky and feisty DCTU panel, again this year, specially requested a separate discussion to dissect the five episode mega-crossover Arrowverse event entitled “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” Why, might you ask? Well, we might answer. Though the panel’s average reception to the latest Arrowverse crossover proved surprisingly lukewarm compared to crossovers past, the panel enjoyed at least the concept of the new crossover event, especially given the fact that the Arrowverse’s producers and writers never fail to jam-pack the crossovers with all of the DC Comic Universe goodness, including a number of highly nerdy Easter Eggs and pop culture references outside of comic books (DC or otherwise). The panelists additionally felt, yet again, that a separate recording was necessary to digest everything included in this special event; plus, given our globally quarantined status in light of the current Coronavirus Pandemic, and in light of the fact that we had a gift card to give away, the panelists also felt motivated to go Live…at least the only way we could in these, our current times! Our DCTU panelists, therefore, went LIVE on Facebook on April 30, 2020, to talk about their generally and unfortunately middling assessment of the latest crossover of casts from Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman, as some of our panelists genuinely exhibited more qualms overall with this crossover compared to last year’s entry, “Elseworlds,” and to several of the preceding crossover entries as well. Watch below or listen at our typical outlets, and let us know if you agree or disagree with our thoughts!
This particular CPU! episode was recorded – LIVE via Zoom and Facebook – in April 2020, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of the “Crisis on Infinte Earths” crossover. Listen/watch at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, or on Spotify (!) to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly – except this week! This week is special because this Thursday, Couch Potatoes Unite! ispleased to sponsor an encore presentation of an episode of a podcast on which Chief CP Kylie and frequent panelist Nick appeared on behalf of CPU! The podcast is called “Connect Grand Rapids;” the hosts, Rick and Brian, interviewed us about our podcast panelists’ recommended quarantine binge TV, as we fancy ourselves the local TV experts (naturally), and we were only too happy to oblige. Of course, the conversation didn’t stop at that topic – you’ll have to listen to find out how, but this also means that CPU! is providing you a rare two-episode week! Hey, it’s how we are filling our quarantine time. We’re also calling it even for late March, when we had to scramble as the pandemic began. Fair? Stay tuned!
Questions, Impressions, and Future Considerations
1) The predominant question arising from this crossover is what Earth Prime really looks like compared to the other Earths developing in the newly reconstituted multiverse. Does Earth Prime contain aspects of all of the Infinite Earths that were lost prior to Oliver Queen’s move to recreate the universe as Spectre? Are the Earth 2 characters that we’ve grown to love, such as Harry Wells (Tom Cavanaugh), Jessie Quick, and Laurel Lance’s (Katie Cassidy) Team Arrow, alive again? Are they on Earth Prime? Is Breecher alive again? Is he back the new Earth 19, or is he on Earth Prime? These are the unanswered questions…which we feel certain will unravel in some way on the remaining Arrowverse shows.
2) Does Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) retain his Vibe powers, or will he revert back to being an ordinary, non-meta human?
3) Are we left with only one Harrison Wells now, and is that Harrison Wells the Nash Wells we meet in The Flash Season 6? The panel would be disappointed to learn this news.
PARTING SHOTS
Our intrepid DCTU panel. almost unanimously but for Chief CP Kylie’s somewhat generous mood at the time of assessment, offered surprisingly middling, even lukewarm reviews of “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” especially compared to “Elseworlds” and to “Crisis on Earth-X,” the previous two crossover events. The general panel consensus noted that this latest special presentation proved far more uneven in terms of pacing and story plotting, with the first two hours, the Supergirl and Batwoman episodes, deemed by our panel to be the strongest of the lot; the middle two episodes, The Flash and Arrow chapters, faltering with shoddy continuity and a lack of sufficient plotting for major devices used to advance the story forward; and the whole affair ending adequately if somewhat anticlimactically in the Legends of Tomorrow segment. The panel was quick to note that the network and the Arrowverse’s various producers and show-runners spent a year (possibly) over-hyping this crossover, given its adaptation of a seminal set of events in DC Comics history, without paying closer attention to the plotting of not only the five episodes of the event itself but of the episodes of Arrow Season 8 and The Flash Season 6 that were devoted to setting up the “Crisis” story arc. In fact, panelist Kyle said it best: the creators and writers behind “Crisis” appeared to spend more time trying to secure stunt casts, awesome though they might have been, than they did actually crafting the chronology and continuity of the story events themselves, since this live action version of “Crisis” deviates from its comic source material dramatically. As a result, the panelists expressed a variety of mixed emotions about what they saw, though no one could mistake the cautious disappointment on display as the panel discussed the crossover in the episode (and you, gentle listener and viewer, can actually watch facial expressions this time).
On the other hand, the panel feels strongly, especially those panelists who have watched the five constituent shows beyond the crossover, that the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” treatment, including the collapse of the initial version of the multiverse, may do well to inject new and fresh energy into several of the Arrowverse shows, particularly Supergirl, which has struggled to galvanize around a convincingly plotted and paced story arc in recent seasons. In addition, the crossover further cements and legitimizes the presence of Batwoman, the rookie on the Arrowverse block, which has also unfolded via a somewhat disjointed beginning season, though all signs point to improvement, as described by the panelists who have watched more of the season beyond the midway point. As such, the panelists find themselves excited to continue to explore the shows comprising the Arrowverse, but for Arrow itself, which has since aired its series finale, and with the addition of Black Lightning, which has been folded into this television universe via the deft stroke of the multiverse compression as depicted in “Crisis.”
Furthermore, in their review of “Elseworlds” in 2019, our DCTU panel postulated that the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event would not be an exact copy of the major DC comics story of the same name. Because this prognostication became fact, our panelists are more reluctant to recommend “Crisis” to anyone who does not already love superhero/comic book adaptations, particularly from the DC universe. The panel believes that viewers who have tuned into previous crossovers will likely enjoy the plethora of new Easter Eggs as well as the cameo appearances by DC character actors from television and film past. The panel also surmises that Arrowverse and comic book fans will enjoy the nostalgia conjured up by the use of those Easter Eggs and cameos as well as the use of the story itself, given its importance to the DC Comics lexicon. Still, the panel strongly cautions that a potential viewer not expect to see a carbon copy of the comics story and to be aware that some segments of the five episodes feel bloated and consequentially fall flat while, at the same time, fail to properly introduce key character insertions as well as to appropriately flush out important plot points, such as the characters of Harbinger, Spectre, Pariah, and the ability of science-oriented characters like Ray Palmer (Routh) and Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) to develop large, novel pieces of technology in what seems like hours or even minutes. These underdeveloped elements left the panelists underwhelmed and, at times, especially if not already familiar with the original “Crisis” story, confused by the action and unfolding story that they were watching. To that end, if we were confused or caught off guard by these developments, we expect that casual and even some devoted and comic knowledgeable viewers would no doubt feel the same, which does not bode well for the overall success of “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” In fact, our panel would likely characterize this crossover as “barely successful” but still largely entertaining, given the ambitious concept and the efforts of the writers to cater to DC fans of all types.
LOOKING AHEAD
The five Arrowverse shows returned from their mid-season hiatuses as follows:
Batwoman: Sunday, January 19, 2020, 8:00 PM Supergirl: Sunday, January 19, 2020, 9:00 PM Arrow: Tuesday, January 21, 2020, 8:00 PM DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: (premiered) Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 9:00 PM. The Flash: Tuesday, February 4, 2020, 8:00 PM
In January 2020, the CW renewed all Arrowverse shows except for Arrow, which has since ended, for an additional season, all of which will likely premiere some time in fall 2020 and likely in or around October, if the trend from prior seasons holds (and based upon the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic). In the meantime, the DCTU podcast panel will next convene around the CPU! Water Cooler next week, and not live, to review and to recap Season 8, the final season, of Arrow as well as to Look Back at the show as a whole, now that all is said and done. Until then! Stay tuned!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in February 2019, our DC Television Universe or DCTU panel – including moderator Kylie, Hilary, Kyle, Spencer, Kristen, and Nick – reconvenes Around the Water Cooler for the eighteenth episode of our DCTU ongoing series. After specially requesting a separate recording to discuss the three episode mega-crossover Arrowverse event “Elseworlds,” our panel herein provides said bonus review and recap of the 2018 crossover of casts from CW series Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl. If you have not watched any of the DCTU/Arrowverse to date, be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Who: The DC Television Universe or DCTU Series Panel – Kyle, Hilary, Spencer, Kristen, and Nick – plus Chief CP Kylie as moderator.
What: “Elseworlds,” the three-episode 2018 Arrowverse crossover event melding cast members from “Arrow,” “The Flash,” and “Supergirl,” three of the four shows that comprise the so-called “Arrowverse” on the CW, otherwise known as the DC (Comics) Television Universe or DCTU.
When: The “Elseworlds” crossover began on December 9, 2018, with The Flash (8:00 PM) and concluded on December 11, 2018, with Supergirl (8:00 PM).
Where: The action is primarily set in the DC Comics Universe, specifically in Central City (The Flash), Star City (Arrow), Gotham City, and on Earth-38 (Supergirl), specifically in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, and in the North Pole, where Superman’s Fortress of Solitude is hidden.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching each of these shows, listen to our DCTU series in full by clicking the floating box at the top right of our website header, the picture of the couch full of TV watchers, to search for all of the prior DCTU series episodes. As for why we are covering this crossover separately, read on!
How – as in How Was It?
The Specially Formulated For Your Viewing Pleasure “Elseworlds” Crossover rating scale:
***** – HOLY SMOKES! This is the BEST. CROSSVER. EVER!!!!!
**** – Intriguing. Please make more, CW/Arrowverse producers. You get better each time, though you’re not perfect yet.
*** – It was fine/okay. Nothing special. There were parts I liked and parts I didn’t. Allow me to explain.
** – Meh. I was bored. Nice idea, but the execution left something to be desired.
* – Not your best, Arrowverse. Stop trying!
Elseworlds = 3.9, by average of the podcast panel.
SYNOPSIS
“Elseworlds” introduces the characters Kate Kane aka Batwoman (Ruby Rose) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) to the Arrowverse as well as the fictional Gotham City. In the crossover, Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), Barry Allen aka the Flash (Grant Gustin), and Kara Danvers aka Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) are drawn to Gotham City to confront Dr. John Deegan (Jeremy Davies) over his work at Arkham Asylum.
THOUGHTS
This is the eighteenth episode in CPU!’s DCTU series. Because we have reached double digits for this massive series, from here on out, we are only going to embed prior episodes from the immediately previous season at mid-season or only the previous episodes of the show in particular that we are covering if we are covering any of the series individually, which you can listen to for reference in advance of the current podcast episode. All of our episodes, however, are searchable here at the website or, for audio-only types, you can find our page at our file host, the Internet Archive (archive.org), which has all of our episodes compiled in one handy menu. It’s pretty nice, actually. If you feel so inclined, please also donate to the Archive, so garage podcasts like your humble CPU! can continue to thrive. For now, here are the DCTU series episodes since the DCTU 2018 Mid-Season Roundup:
DCTU Series, Episode 11, the DCTU 2018 Mid-Season Roundup
DCTU Series, Episode 13, “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” Season 3
DCTU Series, Episode 14, “Arrow,” Season 6
DCTU Series, Episode 15, “The Flash,” Season 4
DCTU Series, Episode 16, “Supergirl,” Season 3
DCTU Series, Episode 17, the DCTU 2019 Mid-Season Roundup
Our cheeky and feisty and full DCTU panel, again this year, specially requested a separate discussion to dissect the three episode mega-crossover Arrowverse event entitled “Elseworlds.” Why, might you ask? Well, we might answer. The panel, by and large, yet again, enjoyed this season’s crossover event, particularly due to the fact that it was so jam-packed with all of the nerdy, DC Universe goodness, plus a staggering, possibly record, number of Easter Eggs and pop culture references outside of comic books (DC or otherwise). The panelists additionally felt, yet again, that a separate recording was necessary to digest all of the wonderful everything included in this special event. Our DCTU panelists, therefore, talk about their mostly positive assessment of the crossover of casts from Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, though some of our panelists might have exhibited more qualms overall with this crossover as compared to last year’s entry, “Crisis on Earth-X.” Give us a listen below, and let us know if you agree or disagree with our thoughts!
This particular CPU! episode was recorded in February 2019, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of the “Elseworlds.” Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
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Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Once Upon a Time panel returns – for the last time – to the Water Cooler, in the second of two final triumphant discussions, to Look Back at the entirety of the long-running fantasy series and to say goodbye, both to the series and to each other (for now). Stay tuned!
PARTING SHOTS
Ultimately, our intrepid DCTU panel proffered more mixed reactions to “Elseworlds” than they did to “Crisis on Earth-X,” the all-series crossover event from 2017. The general consensus noted that this three episode event was a bit more uneven in terms of pacing and story plotting, though alternatively, it was positively giddy and/or stupid with DC Comics and other pop culture-related Easter eggs designed to keep engaged viewers rapt for hours of repeat viewing. While the panel generally believes that the writers did well to limit the number of “Arrowverse” characters that appeared in “Elseworlds,” there also seemed to be more of a struggle on the part of the writers to utilize even those characters featured in the most meaningful of ways. This struggle was most visible in relation to Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl, who seemed to be along only for color commentary, “adorkable” charm, and to act as a liaison for the real draw, her cousin Superman (guest: Tyler Hoechlin). The crossover also did little to advance the stories of any of the individual Arrowverse series’ seasons proper, though it did seem to function as the unofficial second act of an arguable trilogy beginning with “Crisis on Earth-X” and ending with the teased crossover event of 2019, “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
Still, according to all panelists who saw Justice League in theaters, “Elseworlds” continues to reign supreme compared to most DC cinematic vehicles, despite its small screen medium. On the other hand, some of our panelists, such as Kyle and Spencer, struggled with what they considered to be an anticlimactic introduction to Kate Kane aka Batwoman; some of our panelists, such as Kristen and Chief CP Kylie, lamented the pacing in the Supergirl chapter; and some of our panelists, such as Nick and Kyle, struggled with the written motivations of the villain, the Monitor, while postulating that the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event teased for the end of the year will not be an exact copy of the major DC comics story of the same name. Aside from other extremely minor nitpicks, however, the panel particularly enjoyed the extended screen time shared by Oliver Queen and Barry Allen in the “Freaky Friday meets Quantum Leap” Flash chapter as well as the protracted appearances of Clark Kent aka Superman and dream girl Lois Lane. Because of these aspects, as well as the high quantity of Easter Eggs (estimated to be more than 100 over the course of the three episodes), the panel highly recommends watching “Elseworlds” to anyone who loves superhero/comic book adaptations, particularly from the DC universe, and to anyone who loves action television and cinema in general. In addition, since the CW provides the opportunity to watch the three episodes separately from the main series within which they aired, and since the episodes can largely be viewed and understood without needing to see episodes before or after them, the panel believes that anyone who has not watched the crossover and would want to watch it simply has no excuse or cause for delay, especially since the CW app is free to all.
LOOKING AHEAD
The four Arrowverse shows returned or will return from their mid-season hiatuses as follows:
The Flash: Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 8:00 PM Supergirl: Sunday, January 20, 2019, 8:00 PM Arrow: Monday, January 21, 2019, 8:00 PM DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Monday, April 1, 2019, 9:00 PM.
On January 31, 2019, the CW renewed all four Arrowverse shows for an additional season, all of which will likely premiere some time in fall 2019 and likely in or around October, if the trend from prior seasons holds. In the meantime, the DCTU podcast panel will next convene around the CPU! water cooler, most likely in Summer 2019, to begin the annual series of four end of season recaps for each of the four Arrowverse shows. Until then! Stay tuned!
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