Duet – With Supergirl in a coma Martian Manhunter and Mon-El follow Music Mesiter to Earth 1 in the hope of saving her. When The Flash also gets zapped the two heroes find themselves inside their own musical fantasy where the only way out is to follow the script, singing and dancing included.
With so many cast members having a background in musical theatre it’s really a wonder these DC shows haven’t tried busting out a show tunes episode sooner. Thankfully it’s not just the Glee alumni of Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist taking the stage with faces from all 4 shows getting involved, some of which will be accompanied by your thunderous applause. The best results come from the more surprising sources and everyone involved looks like they absolutely love it making this a real feel good episode. Right, let’s get the obvious bit out the way and make a comparison to Buffy’s classic Once More with Feeling musical episode..... but with a point. Anyone going in with that 2001 (God I feel old) affair in mind will find this to be a different composition being lighter in musical content and not all songs being plot/narrative orientated. That’s because the perspective has been reversed whereby the two stars find themselves unwillingly in the middle of a musical and it feels more natural for them to wait a little while before joining in.... but it’s worth the wait including two original songs. The first, “Super Best Friends” is a magnificently hilarious musical parody on the superhero friendship of Barry and Kara. Whereas the second is Barry’s concluding love ballade, “Running Home to You” (with Lyrics by La La Land’s Benji Pesak and Justin Paul); a wonderfully moving number to close the curtain in style. There’s also some enjoyable pokes musical troupes, like just how easily people do things when it’s plot relevant. Like we’ve seen before on The Flash’s multiverse adventures the regular cast give some great out of character performances.
As glimpsed in the preceding Supergirl conclusion, the visual styling of the musical fantasy is stunning. From the lavish period jazz decor of the central Club Moran location to the glamorous costumes on show (particular on Melissa Benoist who looks amazing) it really feels like so much love and effort has gone making it feel like an immersive experience. A lot of due credit must to go Darren Criss on ring master duties as Music Meister. Whether you’re a closet Glee fan or not he’s one of the most charismatic characters we’ve ever had on The Flash and if he ever wants to come back (for a team up with Peter Gadiot’s Mr Mxyzptlk?) that’s fine with me. We also get a decent subplot outside the musical fantasy too. This delivers some more conventional crossover thrills as we see Vibe, Kid Flash and Martian Manhunter going into the field together with good use of combining powers. There are some great laughs from Team Flash meeting the Manhunter’s Green Martian persona too. It even serves to give Wally his mojo back following Speed Force imprisonment.
Most of all this comes across as a musical with a purpose, transforming the central romantic pairings on both shows from darker states of conflict into renewed affection via a heavy dose of lightening up. You could argue that the love conquering all theme is a little cheesy (but this is a musical) and that they made Music Meister too overpowered (... ok, you’ve got a point there) but the nature of the episode encourages you just to go along with it. For The Flash especially it’s ideally positioned as the last big lighter episode before things get serious with season the main villain. It’s best watched with your own super best friend.