Of the first nine episodes of Season 3, possibly the most fun was the crossover with The Flash. As sunny Team Flash leaves STAR Labs to invade the gloomier Arrow cave and interact with Oliver and Co. on their own turf, the overall tone of the hour was refreshingly light. Between the positive critical reviews and the enthusiastic fan response, future crossovers are all but guaranteed. Hopefully, however, the superpowers stay in Central City. Oliver may have emerged victorious from the Flash vs. Arrow showdown in the first half of the crossover extravaganza, but he took a pretty serious beating in the process. He wouldn't last long against typical Flash fare, and such an imbalance of power would turn what is already an emotionally heavy show downright depressing. It was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying to watch Oliver face Ra's al Ghul in single combat; watching Barry best Oliver on everything from apprehending bad guys to working the salmon ladder was already beginning to grate by the end of the crossover. Oliver needs to be the star of his own story. We don't want to feel protective of our hero as he spends his time trying to catch up. We want to see him catch criminals without losing his hood and save civilians without asking for credit and kiss the girl without caring who's watching. Speaking of which...
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 .
