Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Tuesday TV Touchbase (12/10/2019)


Welcome to Tuesday TV Touchbase, a weekly feature here on I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You that answers the burning question of "What is Dave-El watching on television from his Fortress of Ineptitude?"

So we're gonna talk about Crisis On Infinite Earths, right?

Yeah?

Right?

Well....

Eventually.

But first, let's check in with...

Stumptown
A few weeks ago, a woman named Liz Melero has come into Grey McConnell’s life. Sexy and a little bit mysterious, Grey really likes her a lot, even hiring her as a bartender at his bar. 



Dex Parios has been acting weird about it.


Dex and Grey hooked up once years ago and they have remained close friends ever since. Grey is almost family when it comes to helping take care of Dex’s brother, Ansel. 


But is Dex jealous that Grey has found love with Liz?


Well, “jealously” may be a factor but not the way one might expect. 


Last week’s episode ends up with Dex in bed with Liz.


Well, HELLO!


In the original Stumptown comic book series, Dex is bi-sexual. This element of her life has carried over into the TV series which I think is remarkable for a series on broadcast television. 


This Wednesday is Stumptown’s mid season finale and whatever triangle is forming with Grey, Liz and Dex is gonna get awkward. 


OK, great. Are we gonna talk about Crisis On Infinite Earths, now?

Well....

Eventually.

But first, let's check in with...


Wheel of Fortune

A few weeks ago, Pat Sajak had to go into the hospital for emergency surgery and miss tapings of Wheel of Fortune.


Vanna White was tapped to take over as host. 


Standing over by the letter board for 37 years, it might be assumed Vanna has been paying attention. Vanna White is not just another pretty face.


She has great legs too.


OK, seriously…


Monday night was the first broadcast of the episodes with Vanna as the host.


How did our Ms. White do?


Well, the good news is she doesn't screw up the show. 

But she is clearly nervous. 

You can see her obviously looking at the hidden scoreboard that Pat uses to keep track of the game. 

She also lacks that easy patter that Sajak has to engage with the contestants. 

But she kept the game on track and I think if she can become a bit less concerned with not screwing up and feel free to relax and be herself, she has the potential to become a better host over the coming weeks.  

OK, now Crisis?

Fine, now Crisis.

YAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!


Supergirl – Crisis On Infinite Earths – Part One

Worlds will live! Worlds will die!

And the universe will never be the same! 


And wow! Part one of Crisis delivered on that!


Earth-89

Earth of the Tim Burton Batman movies. Robert Wuhl returns for a brief cameo as reporter Alexander Knox.


POOF! Earth-89 is gone!


Earth-9

Designated Earth for the DC Universe streaming service. Hawk and Robin look up to a weird other worldly glow and


POOF! Earth-9 is gone!


Earth-66

Dick Grayson is out for a walk on a sunny day in Gotham City. He's walking his dog and humming a little tune to himself. (The theme to the 1960s Batman show, of course.)

Then the city is suffused with a terrible red glow!


“Holy Crimson Skies of Death!”  And…


POOF! Earth-66 is gone!


Earth-38

The Earth where TV’s Supergirl has lived for 5 seasons! Despite a gathering of heroes including Earth-38’s Superman and from Earth-1, the Flash, the Atom, Batwoman and Green Arrow, the wave of anti-matter overtakes the planet.


POOF! Earth-38 is gone!


WHOA! 


And also, Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, dies!


We’ve known since last year’s Elseworlds crossover that Oliver was doomed to die in the Crisis. If there was any doubt, the series Arrow spelled that out in no uncertain terms.

But already? In part ONE? With four more parts to go?


So Oliver Queen is ALREADY dead.

Supergirl’s Earth has been destroyed.

And the worst is yet to come?!

More than likely, I suppose.  


Which brings us to…


Batwoman– Crisis On Infinite Earths – Part Two

Our heroes divvy up for seperate quests. 

The Monitor says there are 7 specific heroes he refers to as "Paragons" who are instrumental in saving the multi-verse. 

Superman, Lois Lane and Iris Allen are searching for The Paragon of Truth which is the Superman of another universe. And they are racing to beat the clock not just against an encroaching wave of anti-matter but it seems Lex Luthor has gotten hold of the Book Of Destiny and has gone Earth hopping to kill every Superman he can find. 

Lex pops up on Earth 167 which is where the Clark and Lois from the Smallville TV series lives. Anyone hoping to see Tom Welling finally suit up as Superman will be disappointed once again. Clark has given up his powers to be live on the farm with his wife and kids.  This irks Lex to no end. 

Which brings us to Earth 96 which is where we meet Brandon Routh's Kingdom Come version of Superman which is born out of the world of the Chris Reeves movies and Brandon's on turn as the Man of Steel in Superman Returns. 

As in the classic graphic novel by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, Clark is weighed down by a lot of grief over the deaths caused by an attack on Metropolis by the Joker that resulted in the deaths of Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and many more, including Lois Lane. It is a grief that Lex Luthor and the Book of Destiny manipulate into mind controlling Earth 96 Superman into fighting Earth 38 Superman. 

Don't worry. They work it out. 

Meanwhile, Kate Kane and Kara Danvers have gone off to find the Paragon of Courage, the Bat of the Future. Here we meet an older Bruce Wayne, getting around with the help of an exoskeleton.

Bruce is played by Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman from many an animated series and video games.  

It was originally assumed that Conroy's Batman would be from the Kingdom Come world. But this world is designated as Earth 99.  And we find this world's Batman has broken his self imposed codes and taken up murder to defeat his foes, including it seems the Superman of Earth 99. 

I have to admit I was a bit bummed by this turn of events. The idea that we would finally see Kevin Conroy in a live action turn as Bruce Wayne or Batman is something a lot of fans have longed to see for many years. Only to have this version being a dark deranged vision of the Bat is more than a little disheartening. 

Nonetheless, Kevin Conroy acts the hell out of his scenes and really delivers a gut punch of a twist when we realize how far this Batman has fallen. 

A third group with the Flash, John Constantine, White Canary and Oliver's daughter Mia journey to Earth 18 to find the last remaining Lazurus Pit in the multiverse to bring Oliver Queen back to life. 

There are, to put it mildly, some complications.  

The episode ends with Harbinger, the Monitor's associate, being lured into the thrall of a very ugly looking Anti-Monitor.  

The decimation of universes actually takes a back seat to other shenanigans. On one hand, I was a bit put off by that. It felt like the plot was spinning its wheels to mark time before we get to Part Three. On the other hand, we did get some good character moments. Kate and Kara, especially, played off each other very well. Supergirl, identified as a Paragon of Hope, has her hope shattered in the wake of the destruction of Argo City and Earth 38. Kate Kane, who just last week had the last vestiges of her hope in her sister's redemption totally destroyed, finds herself in the odd position of keeping Kara's hope alive. 

But Kara's hope manifests itself in a desire to use the Book of Destiny to bring back Earth 38, something the Monitor said should not ever, ever be done. Kate, holding a piece of Kryptonite she filched from the Batman of Earth 99, ponders what she will do if she has to stop Supergirl. 

To be continued! 

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