The Flash (6×09) Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 3 Review

For our review of the last episode of The Flash, click here.

Synopsis: Pariah enlists Black Lightning to help stop the Anti-Monitor after Flash-90 Shares what he learned from his battle in Elseworlds. With Black Lightning’s help, Barry Cisco and Killer Frost come up with a plan that could save them. Iris has a heart-to-heart with Ryan Choi while Oliver and Diggle return to an old familiar stomping ground (IMDb)

Um, wow. “Crisis on Infinite Earths” has managed to surpassed expectations about this year’s crossover. Every time it seemed that it wasn’t going to get bigger and better, it did. It’s shocking how they managed to get so many cameos in, and in the most perfect way possible. It wasn’t overkill, and it was just enough to keep DC fans satisfied.

The episode kicks off in Earth-203 where Birds of Prey‘sHuntress is trying to get away from the anti-matter wave while talking to Barbara/Oracle. Not much can be done as the anti-matter wave demolishes their Earth as well.

Since this was The Flash’s episode, we catch up with Ralph, Cisco, and Frost, who make their way to the Waverider to join the others. Thanks to Ray, they figure out the remaining Paragons which include Barry, J’onn Jones, and some Ivy Town professor named Ryan Choi (Osric Chau) –Love, Honor, Humanity are the Paragons they represent, respectively.

Diggle finally shows up (where has he been, BTW?), and finds out that his wife is MIA and that his best friend is dead, and was brought back to life. All the while, Cisco figures out that whatever/whoever is causing the anti-matter wave is doing it from their very own Central City. Remember where Nash/Pariah broke into the Anti-Monitor’s chambers? Yup, the very same place.

Cisco had left his Vibe days behind him, but the Monitor confronts him to tell him that those days must make a comeback. Cisco doesn’t have much say in the matter, and before he can say anything, he’s back to vibing. And it’s a good thing because he uses his powers to vibe back Pariah’s memories Nash which allows them to enter the chambers.

Once inside, they realize that the wave is being caused by a speedster running on some sort of cosmic treadmill–by Earth-90’s Flash! Barry and Cisco manage to get him off the treadmill, but as we find out, if he stops running, then the Anti-Monitor’s fail-safe will cause all remaining Earths to be destroyed right then and there.

Enter, Jefferson Pierce, aka Black Lightning! There isn’t much time for formalities, because just as Jefferson arrives in the chamber (thanks to Pariah), he learns his Earth and his family are now gone, and he needs to help save humanity. His lightning powers help to keep the machine going until they figure out the treadmill needs to be reversed. Barry takes this to mean that he’s the one that will make the sacrifice, but Earth-90’s Flash steals his powers and does the job himself, saving Earth-1 from destruction.

Meanwhile, Constantine, Mia, Diggle, and Sara head off to Earth-666 where we get yet another unexpected cameo–Lucifer Morningstar. They need his help to get to Purgatory and save Oliver’s soul. For Oliver, Purgatory is one in the same as Lian Yu, and when they finally find him, he doesn’t end up going with them. Instead, he’s told by Jim Corrigan/Spectre that he has a “higher purpose” and needs to stay back. Ugh, give us Oliver back!

Iris, Ray, and Ralph try to locate Ryan Choi in Ivy Town but once he learns of their mission and what’s to come, he immediately refuses. If the world is going to end, he doesn’t want to spend it anywhere but with his family. Luckily, Iris’s pep talk manages to convince him otherwise and they all head back to the Waverider.

At this point, Kate has managed to convince Kara not to use the Book of Destiny to bring back her Earth. There has to be another way, and they’ll figure it out.

With everyone back on the Waverider, the momentary calm is disrupted by Harbinger’s return who has been taken over by the Anti-Monitor. Unfortunately, his return causes Earth-1’s decimation, but Pariah manages to teleport all seven Paragons to the Vanishing Point where the Anti-Monitor can’t get to them. But everyone else–they’re gone.

And just as the final moments of Crisis unfold, we see Brandon Routh’s Superman fall to his death as Lex Luthor emerges in his place. It looks like Lex used the Book of Destiny to rewrite himself as a Paragon. Well, then.

Ugh, we have to wait a whole month before we can find out what happens next. But it is safe to say that the first three episodes of the crossover have been perfect and a DC fan’s dream come true. We couldn’t have asked for anything else–truly.

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