Mind Your Surroundings: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Other Superhero Universes

[TwistedandBored]

3 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

I really hope she and Dean Cain get to have some scenes together. :) #firstOTP.  Lol.

I am not watching Supergirl right now but will definitely watch the Teri episode and hope this happens. 

[BkWurm1]

4 hours ago, kismet said:

Love that Teri Hatcher is making an appearance in SG. Lois & Clark has always been one of my first TV loves. I can remember making time to watch that show. I was a die-hard fan and didn't even know it was a thing.

Really wish SG was on a better night... I'm so far behind on it, I don't feel like I have time to catch up. That and it seems to have not been the best season from what I heard.

It's mixed.  There's been some really fun character stuff  but it's tempered with the annoying (IMO) Jimmy wants to be a hero too stuff.  But a lot of that is in the back ground.  Otherwise, I think I've liked this season better than the last and I think it has been better this year than The Flash.  

[Sakura12]

I didn't think I'd want a pov episode of the villains, since I was sick of them on their respective shows but I really enjoyed seeing them on LoT tonight. Yes, there's a lot of scene chewing, it works on LoT. 

[Mellowyellow]

They put Ray in a tank top last week and I swear this entire season I'm going to live in hope that he wears a tank top again!

[Velocity23]

Flash and LOT are off on 14th February.  Arrow and Supergirl air new episodes that week. 

Due to local elections: 

Oklahoma City Primary Election - Tue Feb 14, 2017

Americans really have those local elections spread out. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Velocity23

[statsgirl]

LoT really is the best of the Flarrowverse shows IMO.  I was fed up with DD and MM but they were so much fun this episode. Klemmer knows how to spread the time around so that the best of the characters comes out.  I also really like Lily.  There's no real role for her on the Waverider between Ray and Martin but I like the character.

Supergirl is losing me.  I still like it better than The Flash but the Kara/Mon El constant pair-ups is Zzzzzzz and while Alex/Maggie is cute, I don't care either about either of them to get excited about shipping.  J'onn is too tangential, and I can't figure out if they really don't know what to do with James or if they're planning something for the end of the season. I suspect the former. 

I was amused at Kara channelling Oliver with her "you're not strong enough/skilled enough to be out in the field so I'm benching you" speech to Winn and James.  I'd like to see that come back and be revisited but I don't have enough faith in the show to do that.

[Starfish35]

LoT was fantastic tonight.  The Legion of Doom is amazing - all the evil snark.  Vandal Savage who? (I couldn't believe they actually threw shade at the character last episode - lol) They've even managed to make me like Malcolm again, and I was so over him it wasn't funny.  

[thegirlsleuth]

I've heard so much good about LoT this season from everyone. Catching up on the season might be my weekend binge.

[Proteus]

I've been so done with Malcolm these past two years but I loved him during tonight's LOT. That was such a great episode. It's my favorite of the DC shows as well.

[Starfish35]

It was a great episode.  I think I'm going to need to watch it again. :)

[BkWurm1]

I think what is making me love this show week in and week out is episodes like tonight, where people just pretty much are talking to each other and trying to figure something out.  All the personalities come into play.  It's just plain enjoyable.  It's what Arrow is missing

[Velocity23]

So i guess this means they nixed the idea they had for KCs SL on LOT ....

 

[Guest]

Oh wow. Yikes!

[Velocity23]

I mean KC wasn't one of the major characters on LOT like Snart so its not surprising they prioritizing who they gonna feature on their show. 

[Sakura12]

That's the best new I've heard today. My show is free from Laurel this season.

Was that special guest star contract only for 1 year? 

[Morrigan2575]

Looking at the Households, Flash will probably rebound but, LoT may hold steady. Will have to wait until the overnights are released

[Morrigan2575]

Flash up 2 tenths and LoT up 1 tenth.

[tv echo]

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Star Pens Song For “The Flash” / “Supergirl” Musical
Jan. 31, 2017 Jarett Wieselman
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/rachel-bloom-wrote-a-song-for-the-flash-supergirl-musical-ep?utm_term=.rpdXorOoV#.kqbvEK9E6

Quote

Bloom told BuzzFeed News in a statement that as soon as she heard the two series were doing a musical crossover, she e-mailed The CW president Mark Pedowitz, who connected her with the shows’ executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg. “I immediately offered them my services,” Bloom wrote. “As soon as they picked one of my song ideas, I hopped on the phone with my old Robot Chicken boss Tom Root and we brainstormed and, based on that brainstorm, I wrote up the song ‘Super Friend.’ I am so excited to contribute more to the upward trend that is musicals in television and film. Music can be one of the most amazing and efficient forms of storytelling and character development. Also, it was really fun to write a comedy song for two superheroes.”

“Super Friend” will be performed by Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist in “Duet,” The Flash portion of the two-episode crossover, airing March 21 (the musical action kicks off at the end of Supergirl’s March 20 episode). Jesse L. Martin, Victor Garber, Carlos Valdes, Jeremy Jordan, and John Barrowman will also be singing in the episode, which will include Glee alum Darren Criss as Music Meister, aka the musical’s big bad.

The episode will also feature an original song written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen) called “Runnin’ Home to You” that Gustin will perform.

Edited February 1, 2017 by tv echo

[tennisgurl]

10 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

I think what is making me love this show week in and week out is episodes like tonight, where people just pretty much are talking to each other and trying to figure something out.

That's what I love most about the show, that and its clear love of being a Comic Book Show. The Flash and Arrow seemed to get too lost in angst and complex plots, to the point where they've lost a lot of their fun, and their character interactions (granted, they have both gotten a bit better about that lately), while LoT relies strongly on character interactions, conflicts, and excitement. This week, the show even spent a bunch of time with the villains, showing their personalities and team dynamics, and even had them learn a lesson about teamwork! They made me like Malcolm again! And I HATED him by the end of his Arrow run! It seems like this whole season has been "lets get a bunch of heroes and villains with diverse backgrounds, personalities, and skillsets, throw them into some kind of crazy situation, and see what happens".

[TwistedandBored]

14 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Supergirl is losing me.  I still like it better than The Flash but the Kara/Mon El constant pair-ups is Zzzzzzz and while Alex/Maggie is cute, I don't care either about either of them to get excited about shipping.  J'onn is too tangential, and I can't figure out if they really don't know what to do with James or if they're planning something for the end of the season. I suspect the former. 

This is pretty much the reasons why the show lost me. I mean, I really dislike Mon El  and I didn't like how they dropped Kara/James in favor of them. I also dislike James's story and the constant de-powering of J'onn. The show just lost me this season. 

I will however be back to watch the episodes that have Superman or ones that have guests like Teri. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by TwistedandBored

[Starfish35]

Final ratings are out - no adjustments.

Last week's low rating for The Flash was apparently an outlier, since they're back up this week.  More interesting to me - LoT tied Supergirl in the demo (though not in total viewers).  Has that ever happened before?

It doesn't really say much about LoT, since 0.7 is in their normal range this season.  But I think it's not so good for Supergirl.  

[dtissagirl]

I'm having A BLAST with all the ridiculously clichéd pre-'ship stuff they're doing with Kara and Mon-El. It's EXACTLY the kind of pre-romance set up *made for me*. It's one of the reasons I'm enjoying Supergirl a lot, even. Heh. Dumb 'ships are my favorite 'ships, always.

[way2interested]

Just now, dtissagirl said:

I'm having A BLAST with all the ridiculously clichéd pre-'ship stuff they're doing with Kara and Mon-El. It's EXACTLY the kind of pre-romance set up *made for me*. It's one of the reasons I'm enjoying Supergirl a lot, even. Heh. Dumb 'ships are my favorite 'ships, always.

Same. I don't """ship""" them, but I just like knowing where stories are going in the midst of all of the other shows I'm watching, especially these comics shows. Following a cliched romance narrative is actually kind of refreshing in the midst of everything to me.

[ruby24]

I still basically think that hiatuses hurt the ratings for when the shows come back. People just don't like long breaks.

I'm not into the Kara/Mon-El thing. I thought she had zero chemistry with James, so I'm glad they dropped that, but this one isn't working for me either, for some reason. I can't put my finger on it though. It's not like he's terrible, but it just isn't clicking.

Does she HAVE to have a regular cast member love interest? Couldn't she be a single, independent, career woman who's not looking to get into a long-term relationship? I'm not saying she shouldn't date, but they could maybe have recurring love interests for her, or guest stars, instead of feeling like they have to have some kind of male romantic lead on the show permanently.

[way2interested]

Honestly, my favorite of her love interests was her (soon-to-be ex) husband. I thought they had the best chemistry and they're story could have gone in an interesting direction and kept him a background recurring character.

[Starfish35]

I'm still somewhat on the fence about Kara/Mon-El. (I lean one way or another depending on the week, but haven't gotten down yet - lol.) I really liked last week's episode, but I haven't seen this week's yet.

As far as James/Kara, I always thought that was terribly awkward, so I wasn't sorry they ended it. I wasn't pleased with HOW they ended it, and I haven't been thrilled with James' storyline in general this season.  But I had no attachment to the pairing itself.

[dtissagirl]

Jimmy is Laurel to me. Unwatchable.

[Starfish35]

He's not quite at that level for me, just because I don't think Mehcad Brooks is that bad of an actor.  But I definitely do feel like he's getting the Laurel Lance treatment this season.  I don't understand what they're doing with him at all - it makes no sense to me.  Why even bother to make him Cat's replacement if they were going to do this whole Guardian arc? 

[dtissagirl]

Yeah, I think he is that bad of an actor. I watched Necessary Roughness, and thought he was terrible on that show too. :/

[TwistedandBored]

I don't think Mehcad Brooks is a bad actor. I just think the writing for James sucks.

I do however agree he didn't have that much chemistry with Kara but the way the ended that relationship left a bad taste in my mouth. All of last season, I watched Kara chasing him and drooling over him and then she dumps him in a minute and in the same episode, they introduce her mayo boyfriend. I don't think I recovered from that and Mon El's stupid and cliche character traits didn't help the situation. 

[BkWurm1]

6 hours ago, dtissagirl said:

I'm having A BLAST with all the ridiculously clichéd pre-'ship stuff they're doing with Kara and Mon-El. It's EXACTLY the kind of pre-romance set up *made for me*. It's one of the reasons I'm enjoying Supergirl a lot, even. Heh. Dumb 'ships are my favorite 'ships, always.

I have this feeling that they may still be able to make me like Mon-el so then I'd be able to go back and rewatch earlier episodes where I'm on the fence and like him.  I at least don't hate him and at times I'm amused.  Really, I don't dislike him, just the set up and timing and of course some of the awkward writing.  

Part of me thinks from a storytelling aspect, they should go back to James and Kara, it's just that it wasn't really working and I'm not sure they could make it work, which is frustrating since I think when they first introduced James, him as her love interest DID work.  

Right now they are so far from it ever working, I'm pretty open to shipping anyone else with her.  Or at least holding out for friendshipping her with Lena Luthor.  

[statsgirl]

I like a twist in my shipping, especially if it's the colouring book version.  They knew what they were doing when they had Barry bring Kara ice cream last season.

On 2017-02-01 at 5:40 PM, Starfish35 said:

He's not quite at that level for me, just because I don't think Mehcad Brooks is that bad of an actor.  But I definitely do feel like he's getting the Laurel Lance treatment this season.  I don't understand what they're doing with him at all - it makes no sense to me.  Why even bother to make him Cat's replacement if they were going to do this whole Guardian arc? 

I think he's a better actor than KC (One of the better things in Necessary Roughness) but when Callista Flockhart left the show, the EPs had no more use for Catco and it really reflects in the storyline.  Winn moved over to the DEO but they have no idea what to do with James and Catco.

Edited February 5, 2017 by statsgirl

[Starfish35]

5 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

when Callistga Flockhart left the show, the EPs had no more use for Catco and it really reflects in the storyline.  Winn moved over to the DEO but they have no idea what to do with James and Catco

I agree with this.  If it were up to me, they'd either lose the CatCo angle completely and focus on the DEO, or they'd have replaced Cat with Lena Luthor and not bother with Snapper and the Kara as budding journalist angle. 

My biggest issue with James/Kara was how she so often to me came across as a starstruck teen crushing on the hot older guy.  James just seemed a bit old for Kara, not in chronological years, but maturity/life experience.  He was established in his career, she's just starting out and finding out who she is.  And factor in James' crush on Superman, and it's hard for me to wonder whether that didn't just transfer over to Kara.  Would he be interested at all in nerdy awkward Kara if he didn't know she was Supergirl?

Edited February 2, 2017 by Starfish35

[BkWurm1]

45 minutes ago, Starfish35 said:

I agree with this.  If it were up to me, they'd either lose the CatCo angle completely and focus on the DEO, or they'd have replaced Cat with Lena Luthor and not bother with Snapper and the Kara as budding journalist angle. 

My biggest issue with James/Kara was how she so often to me came across as a starstruck teen crushing on the hot older guy.  James just seemed a bit old for Kara, not in chronological years, but maturity/life experience.  He was established in his career, she's just starting out and finding out who she is.  And factor in James' crush on Superman, and it's hard for me to wonder whether that didn't just transfer over to Kara.  Would he be interested at all in nerdy awkward Kara if he didn't know she was Supergirl?

Yes to all of this.  I actually thought the Lena thing was what they planned to do so I was really disappointed with James being put in charge of Catco.  

[Starfish35]

It will be interesting to see whether they make any changes going into season three in view of their dropping ratings, and if so, what those changes might be.  

[Starfish35]

I thought some here might enjoy this.  (I also found the timing interesting, but maybe that's just me.)

TVLine's Throwback Thursday:  Smallville's Chloe Kicks Black Canary's Butt, Reunites With Green Arrow

Quote

Six years ago this Friday, Allison Mack returned to Smallville for the superhero series’ final stretch — and boy, did she come back with a bang. Just ask Black Canary!

Edited February 2, 2017 by Starfish35

[Trini]

3 minutes ago, Starfish35 said:

I thought some here might enjoy this.  (I also found the timing interesting, but maybe that's just me.)

TVLine's Throwback Thursday:  Smallville's Chloe Kicks Black Canary's Butt, Reunites With Green Arrow

Not just you; TVLine knows how to get those clicks.

[dtissagirl]

7 minutes ago, Starfish35 said:

I thought some here might enjoy this.  (I also found the timing interesting, but maybe that's just me.)

TVLine's Throwback Thursday:  Smallville's Chloe Kicks Black Canary's Butt, Reunites With Green Arrow

Oh, this was no coincidence. This is throwing shade at Arrow hardcore. LOL.

[Morrigan2575]

37 minutes ago, dtissagirl said:

Oh, this was no coincidence. This is throwing shade at Arrow hardcore. LOL.

Could you explain your thinking. Not sure I'm getting it.

That being said, damn the first clip was cheesy as hell but, the Chlollie clip was just beautiful. It's sad to say (since I generally think Smallville was utter crap) they did it better!

ETA: Tinah should totally get Smallville's BC suit. ?

Edited February 2, 2017 by Morrigan2575

[dtissagirl]

10 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Could you explain your thinking. Not sure I'm getting it.

"Look, six years ago Smallville brought their lame-o Black Canary back just so Chloe could kick her ass and then OTP was super extremely OTPy for the rest of the episode. Meanwhile, in present time, Arrow has done two consecutive episodes of trying to make their lame-o Black Canary happen, and even though Felicity punched one of them, OTP is still noromo-ing like the dumbasses they are."

[Morrigan2575]

Ahh, gotcha. Thanks!

[apinknightmare]

‘Black Lightning’ Drama Eyes Move To the CW To Join Greg Berlanti Comic Lineup

Quote

I’ve learned that Black Lightning, the high-profile drama based on the DC character, which had a big production commitment at Fox, is on the move and likely to land at the CW. The project comes from Greg Berlanti, king of the CW’s DC universe, The Game and Being Mary Jane creator Mara Brock Akil and her husband Salim Akil. Discussions are still underway but I hear the drama would likely get a pilot order.

This is a swift turnaround for the project, which was shopped by Warner Bros. TV immediately after Fox opted not to go to pilot. I hear Fox brass ultimately decided that the superhero show was not a good fit into its already crowded genre drama space that includes the DC/WBTV series Gotham and Lucifer,Seth MacFarlane’s upcoming space dramedy, and two pilots, the X-Men-themed drama written by Matt Nix and The Passage, all from 20th TV.

[Morrigan2575]

Oh good lord that's all we need.

[calliope1975]

On one hand, yay! POC superhero lead. 

On the other hand

[Trini]

14 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

On the other hand

Hee! I don't feel that strongly about it moving to CW, but it definitely would have been better if it could have had a chance to stand on its own, and not be connected to the Berlanti/Arrow/DC-verse -- which I think is inevitable if it's going to be on the same network.

[calliope1975]

5 minutes ago, Trini said:

Hee! I don't feel that strongly about it moving to CW, but it definitely would have been better if it could have had a chance to stand on its own, and not be connected to the Berlanti/Arrow/DC-verse -- which I think is inevitable if it's going to be on the same network.

Heh. I agree. It's not the move to the CW, it's that I can foresee a 5 episode crossover written terribly, and I'm already exhausted. 

[BkWurm1]

9 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

Heh. I agree. It's not the move to the CW, it's that I can foresee a 5 episode crossover written terribly, and I'm already exhausted. 

And yet, if a DC superhero show came to the CW and DIDN'T become a part of the Arrowverse, I'd be upset.  Go figure.  

[Starfish35]

Now that the Tina Boland = Dinah Drake = (presumed) new Black Canary secret is out of the bag, and Talia Al Ghul has shown up to be one of Oliver's flashback mentors, I have some thoughts related to Sara and Tinah and Talia.

Talia first.  I was thinking about this, and Sara actually met Talia when Talia was a child, during those two years when Sara was stranded in the 50s and went back to the League.  In fact, Ra's tells Talia "We will watch this one closely, Talia.  There is much you can learn from her."  So maybe that was just a throwaway Easter egg, and they'll never follow up on the Talia/Sara connection (this is the Arrowverse after all).  But it does make me wonder if Ra's and Talia did indeed keep track of Sara after that.  

The obvious thing is that Talia found Oliver through Yao Fei.  But what if there is a connection with Sara as well? I think it would be an interesting thing to play with, all "timey-wimey", if Sara was one of Talia's teachers, and Talia becomes one of Oliver's teachers. 

And then Tinah.  I don't know if they'll do this, and I hate to get my hopes up because the Arrowverse has so often disappointed me in things like this.  But Arrow has been making a huge deal all season about Black Canary and Laurel's "legacy".   The thing is, in the Arrowverse, the Canary originated with Sara.  Sara chose her League name based on the canary that her father gave her.   Laurel took up the name Canary and costume to honor Sara, and added Black to it (based on an insult from Quentin but whatever).  Now it's being passed to Dinah, but it still originated with Sara, not Laurel.  There would be no Canary at all if it weren't for Sara.  And I just want some acknowledgement of that in canon.

What I would like to see, ideally, is Sara and Dinah meeting, and after working out the obvious awkwardness, becoming good friends.  I don't know that I'll get that, but I'd really enjoy seeing them bring Sara in for an episode with Dinah (and maybe Felicity - a BOP-type teamup would be fantastic) to acknowledge the whole Canary history, and not just the Laurel of it.  

Edited February 3, 2017 by Starfish35

[emarasmoak]

On ‎02‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 5:49 AM, Starfish35 said:

I agree with this.  If it were up to me, they'd either lose the CatCo angle completely and focus on the DEO, or they'd have replaced Cat with Lena Luthor and not bother with Snapper and the Kara as budding journalist angle. 

My biggest issue with James/Kara was how she so often to me came across as a starstruck teen crushing on the hot older guy.  James just seemed a bit old for Kara, not in chronological years, but maturity/life experience.  He was established in his career, she's just starting out and finding out who she is.  And factor in James' crush on Superman, and it's hard for me to wonder whether that didn't just transfer over to Kara.  Would he be interested at all in nerdy awkward Kara if he didn't know she was Supergirl?

Yes to all of this. Also I never saw the chemistry with James/ Kara and the love triangle with Lucy was awful to watch. James is the Laurel Lance in Supergirl for me and I don't like anything about Guardian and not much about CatCo.

Said that, I am loving everything else in Supergirl season 2, including Mon-El (which is incredibly charming and funny... his awkwardness sometimes reminds me of Felicity), shipping him with Kara (great chemistry in my opinion and I also love cliché love storylines - tropes are frequently used for a reason) and the potential storylines about Daxam and the dominators. I also love Alex and Sanvers, J'onn and M'Gann, Winn in the DEO, aliens everywhere... Now that I really don't like Arrow anymore (I don't watch live anymore and probably won't see the last episode - reasons: no OTA, no Olicity, nuBC, newbies, Susan, everything is so boring and Oliver is soooo dumb), Supergirl is my new favourite DCTV show.

So sad as I used to LOVE Arrow. Now I can't even bring myself to watch old Olicity clips as they make me sad that now we have this crap show.

Edited February 3, 2017 by emarasmoak
grammar

[Sakura12]

3 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

Now that the Tina Boland = Dinah Drake = (presumed) new Black Canary secret is out of the bag, and Talia Al Ghul has shown up to be one of Oliver's flashback mentors, I have some thoughts related to Sara and Tinah and Talia.

Talia first.  I was thinking about this, and Sara actually met Talia when Talia was a child, during those two years when Sara was stranded in the 50s and went back to the League.  In fact, Ra's tells Talia "We will watch this one closely, Talia.  There is much you can learn from her."  So maybe that was just a throwaway Easter egg, and they'll never follow up on the Talia/Sara connection (this is the Arrowverse after all).  But it does make me wonder if Ra's and Talia did indeed keep track of Sara after that.  

The obvious thing is that Talia found Oliver through Yao Fei.  But what if there is a connection with Sara as well? I think it would be an interesting thing to play with, all "timey-wimey", if Sara was one of Talia's teachers, and Talia becomes one of Oliver's teachers. 

And then Tinah.  I don't know if they'll do this, and I hate to get my hopes up because the Arrowverse has so often disappointed me in things like this.  But Arrow has been making a huge deal all season about Black Canary and Laurel's "legacy".   The thing is, in the Arrowverse, the Canary originated with Sara.  Sara chose her League name based on the canary that her father gave her.   Laurel took up the name Canary and costume to honor Sara, and added Black to it (based on an insult from Quentin but whatever).  Now it's being passed to Dinah, but it still originated with Sara, not Laurel.  There would be no Canary at all if it weren't for Sara.  And I just want some acknowledgement of that in canon.

What I would like to see, ideally, is Sara and Dinah meeting, and after working out the obvious awkwardness, becoming good friends.  I don't know that I'll get that, but I'd really enjoy seeing them bring Sara in for an episode with Dinah (and maybe Felicity - a BOP-type teamup would be fantastic) to acknowledge the whole Canary history, and not just the Laurel of it.  

I doubt we'll get a Sara mention since they kept saying Sara was never the real Black Canary. Even though she was their first attempt and was nearly perfect as the Black Canary. 

I think the only way I can buy NuCanary having the same name is if she's Sara's daughter from the future. And for an Easter Egg they can say Tinah's father is Tim Drake.