‘Supergirl’ season 2, episode 8: Why was there so little ‘crossover’ with ‘The Flash,’ other shows?
In the past forty or so minutes since Monday night’s new episode of “Supergirl” came on the air, we’ve seen one criticism across the internet: The CW billed this as a four-part crossover event, when it fact there was barely a crossover at all here. This was the winter finale of the Melissa Benoist-led superhero series, and the writers chose more to focus on Project Cadmus, romance for Kara and Alex, and unleashing a new mystery when it comes to Mon-El.
So why did the network promote it like this? The easiest answer that we can offer you is that it was easier for them to do this rather than proclaim that they had a “three-part crossover plus one sort-of crossover.” The one issue that the show may run into here is that if you cry “crossover” in hopes of getting more viewers, you run the risk of nobody tuning in down the line when you claim it to be so.
As for some other reasons why there wasn’t more of Barry Allen and company in tonight’s episode, we’ve got a few theories on that.
1. Schedules – Effectively, with this crossover you have many members of the cast all collectively working on several shows at the same time. There may not have been a way to do more than this while still allowing people to get some sleep.
2. Story – For the other three shows, the winter finales are not airing this week. For “Supergirl,” it was. Clearly, the show didn’t want to go off the air for the year with an installment that didn’t have that much to do with the main story of Mon-El, Cyborg Superman, and everything in between.
3. Canada? – We don’t think this is a huge factor, but “The Flash,” “Arrow,” and “Legends of Tomorrow” all air on CTV while “Supergirl” airs on a different network in Showcase. CTV’s been promoting this as a three-part crossover. In doing the story in this way, Canadian viewers who didn’t watch “Supergirl” will still understand what’s going on without being confused.
If you missed it, head over here to read our full review for the winter finale of “Supergirl” this season. (Photo: The CW.)