Preface: These are opinions. I have scenes or episodes in mind to support these statements, but I'm not digging them out. Just reflecting.
- Opinion: Arrow was a good show that had its ups and downs. It was a great initial show for the 'verse and I still wish it was still on.
- Hot Take: The production team's dedication to a relationship was its biggest sin. Not because Stephen and Emily didn't have chemistry, or that the characters didn't work together, but because it became the central cohesive factor of the show, and anyone who fell outside of it (see: Diggle or New Team Arrow) felt benched in comparison. Those characters were interesting. The show became "how do we have this revolve around Oliver and Felicity's relationship?" instead of "what stories can we tell about the team as a whole?"
- Opinion: The Flash started strong, if a little "use my homework but make it different" from Arrow, but the show has declined in a way not seen in any other Arrowverse show.
- Hot Take: Stop using "family is good" as a trope. Family can be toxic, and more than once, the experienced superhero has been veto'd by his wife or his team because he should "put family first." This is bullshit, stop doing it, and let Barry be the leader of the team. Let him make decisions. If those decisions have consequences, have him deal with them. Every season feels worse than the last because Barry feels less and less in charge of his own show.
- Opinion: Supergirl started super strong, but something went very wrong later on and the writers just never found their footing again.
- Hot Take: The writers' decision to keep Lena Luther around after season 3 was what trapped them into terrible plots. They had no idea what to do with her after she served her initial purpose. Same with James. Winn got out in the nick of time. I love Katie and I love Lena, but her storylines were garbage and the writers just kept trying to make her important, which never worked in a way that felt fulfilling. That dedicated focus ruined the chances of other characters getting more, much more needed screen time.
- Opinion: Black Lightning was undervalued by the CW and overlooked by Arrowverse fans across the board. It was a great show. I have very few notes.
- Hot Take: This isn't so much a "hot take" as it is just pointing out the obvious: this show failed because of marketing ignoring it. Every chance the CW got to promote its superhero shows, BL was nowhere to be found until its final season. It should have had the same amount of promotion as at least Legends of Tomorrow, if not more. This show was good. The network failed the show this time, not the other way around.
- Opinion: Legends has managed to reinvent itself just enough each season that it keeps the show fresh enough to be interesting, while maintaining that familiar feel from season to season. It's the only Arrowverse show that has maintained a level of consistency for more than two years at a time.
- Hot Take: Stop using romance as a reason to get rid of characters. Ray, Nate, and Mick all left the show over being involved with someone (although Mick's was a bit more complicated). Have characters leave for real reasons. Mona left to become the next ghostwriter for Rebecca Silver. That's cool. The show treats the team like some kind of worst case scenario for its characters - the moment something better comes along, they jump ship. And while we're at it, it's okay not to be in romantic relationships. The Waverider feels like a shack-up ship sometimes.
- Opinion: Batwoman had a rough start but it has really molded itself into something new and fun.
- Hot Take: I don't really have any hot takes for Batwoman. It's getting more PR than BL ever did and it seems to be thriving. The show is strong for representation of all sorts. If I had a single "hot take," it'd be that I wish we could just shove season 1 under a bed and forget it happened.
- Opinion: Underrated. Underappreciated. A true powerhouse of a show that probably won't live to see its true destiny because of superhero fatigue and the network doin weird shit.
- Hot Take: Their. Suits. Are. Hideous. Update them. There is zero rule anywhere saying the kids have to use their predecessors' gear. They look like jokes. One look at Beth in the Dr. Mid-Nite gear would scare off any potential new watchers. Stop carrying the show on Courtney's kickass outfit and give the others some decent looks.
(Withholding Superman and Lois stuff until I watch season 2. Haven't touched Naomi yet.)
