The Flash season 6, episode 9 review: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 3

“The Anti-Monitor? Is that set-in stone or can we workshop that?” Spoilers for The Flash season 6, episode 9/Crisis on Infinite Earths part 3 follow.

In order to save the Multiverse, members of Team Flash head back to their Earth’s Central City to find Ryan Choi, the last paragon they need.

Meanwhile, the others attempt to bring Oliver’s soul back from purgatory after putting him into the Lazarus Pit.

The Anti-Monitor arrives

Having only just appeared in-person during the final moments of the previous episode of Crisis on Infinite Earths, it’s revealed that the Anti-Monitor has been playing the long game. All the way back in the first episode of this season of Arrow, Earth-2 was destroyed, which seemed a bit premature for how long it’s taken for other Earths to die. It turns out though, it was a test fire for using The Flash from Earth-90. That test fire has now led to every Earth and everyone except for eight people to be destroyed.

The Anti-Monitor has been also playing Nash Wells from the start, causing him to transform into Pariah. This has been happening for the entire season of The Flash, so to see him transformed into such a tragic figure, it’s kind of heart-breaking. He’s part of the cause for all of this destruction across the multiverse and now has to witness everything, only saving very few, which includes Black Lightning.

The tragedy extends to Kingdom Come Superman, played by Brandon Routh, and the Monitor himself. For Superman, Routh embodies the symbol of hope that he needs to be and continuously fights back against the darkness as hard as he can, no matter what happens. It’s amazing that Routh is able to reprise this role because he’s so good in it and never got the proper chance to shine in it.

As for the Monitor, we learn a bit more of his backstory in this episode. We learn he had a family and that his world, like so many others, has died. It’s a humanizing moment for this god-like character and it makes him much more empathetic. Now though, he’s dead and the Anti-Monitor reigns supreme.

Everyone has a purpose

A huge storyline in last year’s season of The Flash was about the metahuman cure, which Cisco took, is pretty much reversed in this episode. Given his powers back by the Monitor, Vibe has returned. On the surface, this may seem like a bad thing, but it’s not. That story was quite weak and this season so far, it has seemed that Cisco really hasn’t had much to do. Now, with Vibe back, the character feels whole again and that means that the crossover can happen. Just like Lex Luthor played an important role in the previous episode of the crossover, Vibe plays a big role in this episode.

Not only does Vibe play a large role in this episode, so does the newly introduced character of Ryan Choi and the Barry Allen of Earth-90. Osric Chau is phenomenal in his introduction to this universe. He plays Ryan similar to how Roy Palmer is portrayed, but brings his own sense of self to the role and makes the character his own. His arc follows the traditional hero’s journey arc and it’s done quite well.

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The entire first half of this season of The Flash has predicated on the idea that Barry will die in Crisis. That could still happen because the vision he has earlier in the season is different than the setting here, but by having the Barry Allen of Earth-90, played by John Wesley Shipp, it subverts expectations extremely well. It also hits on every emotional level when, in his dying moments, he remembers his wife. It works no matter if you’ve seen the show or not.

Through hell or high water

One thing that makes this episode standout from the rest is its sense of humor, which is telling because this is The Flash portion of the crossover. Nothing is more apparent about that is when Constantine, Mia, and Diggle head to Earth-666 to meet Lucifer Morningstar of the show Lucifer. It’s pretty dark humor which fits the tone of the crossover, and it works well with the fact that they are trying to get Oliver’s soul back.

Not much time is put forth in this part of the episode though and it’s resolved quite quickly, but if you’ve been watching the Arrowverse since the beginning, you probably don’t want an extended scene like this. What is there though is drastically important as Jim Corrigan, aka The Spectre, arrives, transforming Oliver into the iteration of The Spectre, which is similar to Hal Jordan in the comics.

The more important soul-saving in this episode is the one that hasn’t yet died, Supergirl’s. In her attempts to bring back her Earth, she begins to walk a dangerous line and becoming a person that she isn’t. Thankfully, Batwoman is there to pull her back from the ledge. Their scenes are great as it details their budding friendship in way that challenges them, but makes it grow at the same time.

Crisis on Infinite Earths has been great so far and The Flash episode of the crossover may be the best yet. It balances plot and character moments incredibly well.