We recap this week’s Arrowverse episodes: Supergirl 3×13 “Both Sides Now,” The Flash 4×13 “True Colors,” Black Lightning 1×04 “Black Jesus,” and Arrow 6×13 “The Devil’s Greatest Trick.”
This week in the Arrowverse, Supergirl tries to save a Worldkiller, Barry mounts an escape attempt from Iron Heights, a new drug takes hold in Freeland and Star City is under a bomb threat.
‘Supergirl’ 3×13 ‘Both Sides Now’
The team tracks down Julia, a latent Worldkiller. Confronting her brings out Purity, but Kara sees the humanity in her and wants to save her while Alex is more confrontational. Kara’s faith that Julia remains inside Purity is eventually rewarded, leading Kara to the conclusion that the way to stop the Worldkillers is not to defeat them but to save them.
Considering how badly Reign beat Kara during a solo fight, this is a logical storytelling choice. However, it also makes sense for Kara as a person. She is meant to be a beacon of hope, and saving the Worldkillers would be the ultimate act of hope and salvation. It still seems like a problem Clark should be involved with, though.
Meanwhile, Sam disappears to be Reign — and kidnap Julia/Purity — while out with Ruby. Ruby calls Lena. When Sam returns, there is a confrontation and Sam has a blackout in front of Lena. Lena declares she knows what is wrong and is going to help. This is curious; what does Lena know, or think she knows?
Finally, we get some love triangle development. Mon-El and Imra aren’t actually a dream couple; they’ve been fighting recently, and they were an arranged marriage anyway. Ugh. We’re clearly being set up for the two of them to break up so Mon-El can get back together with Kara, and that is immensely frustrating.
It was far more interesting to see Mon-El having grown up and moved on; this gives Kara closure, and his departure to the future would leave room to focus on some of the show’s founding members like James and Winn, who have been criminally underused since Mon-El’s introduction.
Supergirl is now on break until April 16. Legends of Tomorrow will air in its time slot for the next nine weeks.
‘The Flash’ 4×13 ‘True Colors’
When Iris and Cecile come to visit Barry, Warden Wolfe says that Barry is in isolation. Cecile, though, reads his mind and discovers that he’s planning to sell Barry to Amunet. Team Flash decides it’s time to get Barry out. The best person to do this? Ralph, who has discovered that he can change his shape into someone else’s. However, his attempt to be Wolfe and postpone the sale falls short when he loses control of his new ability.
I’ve had mixed feelings about Ralph this season; in general, I like what they are doing with him. He’s grown since joining Team Flash but still remains flawed. His tone also brings some much-needed levity. On the other hand, his introduction coincided with Wally being written off. I’m glad Wally is going over to Legends, but it has been frustrating to see him shunted aside in favor of Ralph.
Meanwhile, the show finally remembers how smart Barry really is, as he MacGyvers a prison escape by stealing batteries from a plumber and creating acid to open the lock on his cell and the bolts holding the floor grate shut. To prevent the bus metas from falling into Amunet’s hands, Barry breaks them all out. However, Wolfe finds them and reveals to the metas that Barry is the Flash (thank you! I was waiting for someone to connect Barry’s speedster powers with The Flash), so they turn on him.
All except Becky, the meta who can control luck. She stops the others from harming Barry, but the confrontation is interrupted by DeVoe. He steals the abilities of the metas and kills them — except Becky, whose form he takes. He also kills Wolfe, which Marlize is shocked by.
Marlize’s doubts are building with her husband, and DeVoe senses this, so he doses her drink with something to make her more compliant. I’m guessing Marlize will be key in defeating DeVoe.
Barry returns to his cell, and at his appeal, Ralph shows up in DeVoe’s form. With Clifford DeVoe apparently alive and well, the judge has no choice but to release Barry.
However, Barry wonders why DeVoe is only interested in the bus metas. And considering Ralph is a bus meta, they’re worried he’ll be a target soon. This episode answered why DeVoe wanted the bus metas in prison — get them all in one place to steal their powers — but not why the bus metas only. What is the Enlightenment?
‘Black Lightning’ 1×04 ‘Black Jesus’
Jefferson must confront a deadly new drug sweeping through Freeland. It’s unusually addictive, and one of Jefferson’s students ODs. The school board wants to expel him while Jefferson wants to help him get his life together. This shows the difference between Jefferson, who knows his kids and wants the best for them, and a distant school board with no personal connection to or investment in the community they serve. It’s damning.
Anissa, meanwhile, is becoming convinced that she needs to use her powers to help. Like LaWanda and Reverend Holt before her, Anissa has been inspired by Black Lightning. When some local homophobes attack her and Grace and Grace is knocked out, Anissa pulls her hood up and fights back. As she comforts Grace afterward, she asks whether she should make bad people pay for their crimes. Grace agrees.
I love this arc for Anissa. She’s been set up as a politically-active character already, and now she can do something to literally fight for the causes she champions. She’s more like her father than she knows.
Meanwhile, Jennifer quits the track team to be at Khalil’s side while he recovers. However, his spinal cord is permanently severed, meaning he’s never going to walk again. Jennifer is clearly struggling with how to be there for him while still taking care of herself, and things are not going to get any easier. This would be hard for adults to deal with, and they’re teenagers.
And Tobias, who has been put on notice by Lady Eve, reunites with his sister, who suggests he convince Khalil that Black Lightning is to blame for his paralysis. Because the community supports Khalil, they will turn on Black Lightning.
Tobias sends Khalil gifts, takes care of his medical bills and helps his mother pay her rent. Then he meets with Khalil, setting up a dangerous path for an emotionally-fragile Khalil to go down.
‘Arrow’ 6×13 ‘The Devil’s Greatest Trick’
Team Arrow discovers that the video of Cayden James’s son’s death was doctored to hide the identity of an assassin hired to kill the boy. When Green Arrow presents this to James, who has threatened to blow his bomb, he demands Team Arrow bring him the surviving members of his team because one of them had his son murdered.
Black Siren, who is on Dinah’s hit list for killing Vince, takes credit for the death but she’s lying and James knows it. However, the confrontation is cut short when the signal to her power-dampening collar goes out. She blows everyone away with a sonic scream and flees. She’s injured in another fight with Dinah, but Quentin rescues her, planning to redeem his daughter’s doppelganger.
Dinah is not thinking straight in her grief, but neither is Quentin, who can’t stop seeing his Laurel in Black Siren. While it’s clear that Black Siren isn’t as cold as the facade she puts up, it can be hard to watch Quentin sometimes struggle to see the difference between the Laurels. I’m also still waiting for a meeting between Black Siren and Sara. Did Black Siren even have a sister on Earth-2?
Meanwhile, Green Arrow is able to disarm James, who is reduced to a grieving father, and arrest him. He gives up his former allies and even the money he embezzled from the city. Oliver promises to arrange a visit to his son’s grave, but before that can happen, Ricardo Diaz appears. He’s got the new police commissioner on his payroll, and he wants to take over the city. He murders James, but not before revealing he ordered the hit.
Much like Arrow‘s fifth season started with one villain, Tobias Church, only for the season’s true Big Bad, Prometheus, to execute and replace him, “The Devil’s Greatest Trick” saw the fatal transition from Cayden James to Ricardo Diaz. If Diaz turns out to be as strong a villain as Prometheus, the back half of Arrow‘s sixth season will be on a strong track.