Spoilers below for anyone who didn’t watch the Supergirl/Flash crossover episode.
It’s almost impossible to believe that not even two months have passed since it was first revealed The Flash would get a crossover episode with Supergirl, and “Worlds Finest” is now already a thing of the past. It came together so quickly, it’s as if The Flash was part of the creative team. While the episode was heavy on Kara’s story, to be expected, there were still a good assortment of moments that Flash fans who didn’t get to watch the episode (or chose not to) should be aware of. And without further ado…
The Heroes’ Super-Introduction
It makes total sense that the first time The Flash entered Supergirl’s universe, he was doing something heroic, though it was entirely unnecessary in this case. After Kara was blown through one of CatCo’s windows by pre-Silver Banshee Siobhan’s crippling sonic scream, Barry inexplicably came speeding into National City through a wormhole and immediately dashed up the tall building to save Kara before she (wouldn’t have) hit the ground. And after a few moments of zippy confusion and the confirmation that Kara had no idea who Green Arrow and Black Canary are, Barry realized that he’s on a completely different Earth from the one he’s used to (which makes him the ideal hero for the crossover). He even gets to introduce himself as “Barry Allen, the fastest man alive” before asking for help.
Barry Is A Hit At Cat-Co, Mostly
In a conversation that confirmed Mariah Carey exists on both Earths, Kara revealed to James and Winn that Barry is from a different universe, while also cluing him in on her alien origin. Barry got on the same page with Winn by mentioning time travel and going into a markerboard explanation of parallel universes, and he then wins the others over by zipping out for ice cream cones to prove how super-speedy he is. Even if Barry wasn’t down for doughnuts, he would have fit right in with the CatCo crowd, except possibly with Cat Grant herself. And only after James realizes Barry isn’t trying to get superfreaky with Kara. This immediate kinship between everyone bodes well for later character interactions in future crossovers, should they exist.
Barry Got To Be The Mature Superhero Advisor
Even in The Flash’s most current episodes, Barry Allen can still came across as a superhero novice inside of his Flash costume, often letting emotional impulses drive him into situations half-cocked and without a solid plan. But on the whole, his experiences as the Scarlett Speedster indeed turned him into a more centered human being, which was perhaps evidenced best when Barry dropped some elder superhero knowledge on Kara by telling her to calm down and allow things to happen to her, rather than always causing things to happen. Corny and obvious, certainly, but it also embodied the show’s upbeat comic book spirit. Maybe showing off his inner advice columnist is what makes Barry so happy on The Flash’s upcoming episodes, considering it was the only actual good he did in the episode.
The Flash Didn’t Even Really Get To Save The Day
Supergirl, a freshman drama, allowed The Flash to come over to Kara’s home turf, but there was no guarantee that Barry was ever going to outshine the Girl of Steel on the battlefield (i.e. a warehouse and a couple of city blocks). In fact, in the episode’s two big fight scenes, The Flash and Supergirl were remarkably ineffective against Silver Banshee and Livewire. Flash’s attacks just gave Livewire power boosts, and Kara’s super-hearing couldn’t handle Banshee’s piercing screams, among other ways in which the heroes were outmatched. The first battled ended in the good guys retreating, and the second fight ended when firefighters short-circuited Livewire with a firehose, which in turn electrocuted Banshee. Never assume that public servants are irrelevant in a world with superpowered folks.
Cat Grant Knows Barry Is The Flash
No complaints would have been voiced had Cat’s most memorable moment in “Worlds Finest” been the cheeky easter egg when she referred to her staff and Barry as the cast of a CW drama. But she topped that by impassively revealing that she knows Barry is The Flash. Now, we all know part of how Cat became such a media mogul is through being perceptive and a whiz at deduction, but it didn’t seem likely that Supergirl would give Cat, the person most capable of letting someone’s alter ego cat out of the bag to the world at large, the knowledge of who The Flash really is. Not that she could ruin the reputation of someone from a different Earth, but what does that say about her instincts involving Kara’s secret life? As well, what does it say about Kara’s poker face that she instantaneously confirmed Cat’s words?
How Supergirl Helped The Flash Get Back Home
With this most recent adventure soaking wet and sparking, it was time for Barry to head back to Earth-1 and Central City. So after some friendly chiding over racing and Barry’s arguably needless intrusion into Kara and James’ relationship, they get to the task at hand. How? They both run as fast as possible, and then Supergirl throws Barry as hard as she can, not only sending him through a makeshift dimensional breach, but also creating a situation with a mathematical explanation that I wouldn’t be able to understand on any version of Earth. So when are we going to see Barry get thrown back into National City for another crossover? When everything works out is the basic answer, and we’re hoping everyone’s schedules allow that kind of thing to happen as often as possible once the fall season starts.
Supergirl, which has yet to nab a Season 2 order, airs Monday nights on CBS, while The Flash airs Tuesday nights on The CW.
