Even if The Flash had premiered as existing in a universe parallel to Arrow, comparisons between the two heroes would have been inevitable. As such, the prospect of a two-night in-universe crossover between the shows was met with no small amount of excitement. What would happen when the upbeat Scarlet Speedster and the stoic Emerald Archer joined forces? The episodes were among the best of each series, and that very different men with very different approaches to fighting crime in very different cities could bond was lovely to see. The contrast between grumpy Oliver with serious Team Arrow and bouncy Barry with eager Team Flash was a nice thread of humor to connect the halves of the crossover. A less fun connective thread was the consistency with which Oliver was called out for his past as a murderer and torturer while Barry was called out for... not doing his homework. Even the ending that saw Oliver reclaiming his humanity while Barry smiled beneficently at him just painted the Arrow as a slightly reformed crazy person and credited Barry as the voice of reason. It's not that Oliver should be free of the burden of his past crimes, but the guy torments himself enough without everybody else dwelling on who he was before he took on the mantle of the hero. He doesn't need to be constantly reminded, and neither does an audience looking to enjoy themselves.
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
