Supergirl Preview: “Worlds Finest” 

On CBS’ Supergirl, things aren’t going well for Kara. She’s minus half her support team with Alex and Hank on the run. She’s still reeling from the effects of what went down when she was under the influence of red kryptonite. She’s trying to figure out how to win back the respect of the humans, who are being stubborn.

Sometimes a girl just wants to stay in bed and hide from the world. Sounds like this is the perfect time for a very “speedy” arrival. Yes, Barry Allen a.k.a. The Flash makes his presence known in tonight’s episode and this Supergirl universe is all the better for it.

The EPs Talk “Worlds Finest”

TV Goodness attended a special “Worlds Finest” screening and Q&A where executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg discussed this cool crossover — one that takes The Flash across universes, TV networks and countries since Grant Gustin had to travel from Canada to California to film his scenes. But, thankfully, all the powers aligned. It became something that was well worth the logistical complications of making an event like this happen.

“From the day we cast Melissa, the notion of her in scenes with Grant or someday, maybe, in the best of all worlds, with Stephen [Amell, Oliver Queen/Arrow] as well, it’s exciting to think of them on screen together,” raves Berlanti.

Kreisberg agrees. “Melissa and Grant are so similar as actors and Barry and Kara both have a light to them and they’re definitely heroes that are daytime heroes that live more in the light,” he says. “Watching these two form this instantaneous best friendship was, creatively speaking, really exciting for us to explore in this episode.”

This similarity between the two characters, the Earth-2 mythology being introduced on the CW’s The Flash as well as Barry’s ability to run fast enough to allow this universe-jumping to happen is what sealed the deal for something like “Worlds Finest” to exist.

“For me, [Barry] was the door and the gateway,” explains Berlanti. “He was the only one that had the capacity to really open that door. And, hopefully, now it’s open.”

And then what needed to come together took a lot of coordinating and finessing of schedules, including the actors and the networks. “I think one of the things that kept the flame and the torch of it really alive was just a lot of journalists and the fans online,” claims Berlanti. “That kind of feedback throughout the year and enthusiasm for the idea and once people, the executives, everybody had a sense of how the shows worked independently and how they could possibly come together, that was how it all happened.”

The crossover also paves the way for a new kind of relationship for Barry Allen. “When I called Grant and I said, do you want to do this? I said and you’re going to get to be Oliver. [Grant says] I’m going to get to be all dark and brooding,” laughs Kreisberg. “I was like, no, no, no. In the same way in the pilot you were just starting out and Oliver’s the one who had been doing it for a while and he was the voice of reason and he was able to help you out. That’s what you’re gonna be for Kara because Kara’s just starting out and she’s had a crisis of conscience because of the red Kryptonite episode.”

In “Worlds Finest,” fans will finally get to see Siobhan Smythe transform into the sinister Silver Banshee. “Our shows tend to be so much about the heroes and so much about the heroes’ eternal lives, the villains tend to get short shrift,” reveals Kreisberg. “It was a real opportunity for us to introduce the character and have them stay on the show for a while and kind of get to know them and maybe even like them, so that when they did transform, it actually meant something.”

Plus, one of the show’s villains makes an electrifying return. “We thought Livewire was one of our most successful villains from early on so we were very much interested in bringing her back,” Kreisberg continues. “And if you’re going to have two heroes, you’re going to want to have multiple villains. An early version of the story actually had Bizarro teaming up with them as well, [it] was going to be three against two but that proved to be financially irresponsible so we stuck with the two.”

Berlanti says there’s plenty of reasons why a quality crossover like “Worlds Finest” can be beneficial. “There’s so much for people to watch these days. So if you get a chance for people to tune back in who may have lost touch in the new year or been busy, you want to put your best foot forward,” he says. “And then you want to honor everybody’s time and commitment that goes into this and we were excited to do that. Grant and Melissa and everybody in the whole cast just really delivered. It felt like Grant had been on the show before.”

Quick Assessment

For me, Supergirl has been on a roll as of late. “Falling” was the episode that hooked me for good — it actually moved me. “Manhunter” built on that emotional resonance. And once you watch tonight’s “World’s Finest,” you’ll see why I love the episode so much. It’s instantly one of the best of the season. The Barry/Kara scenes are stellar. In fact, Barry’s very presence allows James to exude jealousy, which is not how we’ve seen him portrayed thus far. It’s as amusing to Winn as it is to me to see that. Also, one of the best aspects of tonight’s episodes is the dialogue. A lot of the lines are hilarious. It’s entertaining all the way through, from beginning to end. Plus, the Supergirl powers that be score bonus points for the fun CW reference. Of course, Cat gets to utter that goodie.

Supergirl airs tonight at 8/7c on CBS.