Line #46 Recap/TheFlash2014S1E8FlashVsArrow


1	Team Arrow comes to Central City seeking a fugitive, just in time to help Team Flash capture a rage-inducing metahuman. Part of a {{crossover}} that is continued in the ''Arrow'' episode "[[Recap/ArrowS3E8TheBraveAndTheBold The Brave and the Bold]]".
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4	!!Tropes:
5	* AntiClimaxBoss: [[invoked]] Bivolo is a complete and utter non-threat physically. Once Oliver and Barry understand how his power works (and calm Barry down), they capture him entirely offscreen.
6	* ArrowCatch: In pitting an archer against a speedster, this is bound to happen. But both times, Barry catching an arrow leaves him open to attack from another direction.
7	* ArtisticLicenseChemistry: Why are the Arrow crew in Barry's town? [[GPSEvidence There's something in the boomerang's alloy that's commonly found here.]] What is the rare substance in question? Iron oxide, more commonly known as ''rust''. Interestingly, the ''Arrow'' crossover episode talks about S.T.A.R. Labs analyzing residue found on the boomerang, completely bypassing the artistic license taken in this episode.
8	* BewareTheSuperman: This episode demonstrates how powerful Barry could really be and also how terrifying it would be for him to go after ordinary people.
9	* BrokenPedestal: The Flash becomes one to Iris after his Bivolo-induced rampage.
10	* TheCape and TheCowl: This crossover shows that the Flash (TheCape) and the Arrow (TheCowl) operate in different cities against vastly different enemies, and they're different kinds of heroes because of it.
11	* ChekhovsGun: When training Barry, Oliver tricks him into catching an arrow he fired so that Barry will be an easy target for two crossbows hidden, hitting him in the back. A "reverse" of this (the Arrow's cycle shoots two arrows at the Flash in the back, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce which he catches]], only for Oliver to ''throw'' (not loose) a flechette through Barry's leg) is how Oliver manages to finally get the upper hand on Barry, allowing Wells and Joe to come in and undo Bivolo's brainwashing.
12	* ContinuityNod: A couple to previous episodes of ''Arrow'', and a few others to past episodes.
13	** Deathstroke and Huntress are referenced when Oliver criticizes the use of codenames for his villains.
14	** Oliver bumps into one of his ex-girlfriends, specifically the one who had his child that he doesn't know about, who is clearly shocked to bump into him after all these years.
15	** Felicity asks for Caitlin's help with breaking down a DNA sample from Canary's murder scene.
16	** Oliver comments on Barry's mask, after he suggested it to him in the pilot.
17	** Enraged Barry's line to Eddie after he attacks him is identical to what he said to Iris when he confronted her about her blog.
18	** Wells references the two major terrorist attacks on Starling City that have happened since the Arrow appeared.
19	** When Bivolo is being locked up in the Pipeline, Oliver compares it to his prison facility on Lian Yu.
20	** Captain Cold is referenced twice; once when Oliver dismisses "silly codenames" and once when Cisco voices that a cold gun to take Barry down sure seems like a good idea now that he's out of control.
21	** As it happened in "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S1E5Plastique Plastique]]", Cisco is a bit too eager to throw a boomerang.
22	* CrazyPrepared: How Arrow always evens the odds against the Flash; when Barry catches his arrow during training, a trap shoots two more in his back. During their fight, the trap makes a return, only for Barry to be ready for it ("Fool me once!"), but Oliver was ready for ''that'' and simply hurls a flechette through his leg while Barry is distracted.
23	* CreditsGag: During the first cut-away after Oliver shows up, the "Flash" logo is pierced by an arrow.
24	* {{Crossover}}: Between Arrow and The Flash, both of which air on the CW.
25	* DeconstructionCrossover: Both shows have some holes poked in their M.O. by the others' casts. Oliver isn't impressed with how the ''Flash'' team isn't taking their job seriously, while some of the ''Flash'' characters have a dim view of the Arrow's brutal methods. By the end of the accompanying ''Arrow'' episode, members of both casts admit the other has a point.
26	* DudeNotFunny: InUniverse, the S.T.A.R. Labs reaction to Cisco's brief [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]] [[BriefAccentImitation impression]].
27	* EatingTheEyeCandy: Iris openly fawns over Oliver and gushes to Barry about how attractive he is.
28	* EveryoneHasStandards: Oliver will help Barry catch Bivolo. He will not, however, call him a [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual metahuman]]. [[NotSoAboveItAll He does call Bivolo a metahuman]] after he and Barry fight, however.
29	* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: Oliver shoots an arrow "at" Barry, which turns out to be an explosive arrow that works just fine when lodged into the nearby wall.
30	* ExactWords: Oliver told Barry to run to the other side of the field and back, and he'd get hit with an arrow. He never said ''he'd'' be shooting the arrow...
31	* ExperiencedProtagonist: Oliver, and this is highlighted when he lectures Barry on how the latter should use his SuperSpeed more properly. When Barry is struck by Bivolo's HatePlague and is required to be stopped by Oliver, their respective team members except Felicity (who is close to both and thus more concerned about the situation happening than the possible outcome) have an argument with Diggle invoking this very trope in the discussion.
32	-->'''Caitlin:''' I just hope they [Wells and Joe] can turn Barry back before he kills Oliver.\
33	'''Diggle:''' Me, I'll be more worried about what Oliver might have to do to Barry.\
34	'''Caitlin:''' Barry has super-powers, Oliver [[UnderestimatingBadassery has a bow and arrow]].\
35	'''Diggle:''' Do you have any idea how many people Oliver has put down with that bow and arrow? \
36	'''Cisco:''' Recurve bow arrows can travel up to 300 feet per second, so, like, 200mph? Barry can run ''three times'' that fast.\
37	'''Diggle:''' Whatever. Oliver's been doing this a lot longer; my money's on experience.\
38	'''Cisco:''' My money's on speed.\
39	''[pan to a mortified Felicity sitting away from them]''\
40	'''Felicity:''' Please tell me you're not ''actually'' having this conversation!
41	* EyelashFluttering: Iris does this when she flirts with Oliver at Jitters.
42	* {{Fanservice}}: Felicity having to remove her burning shirt is a most memorable case. Cisco's definitely going to remember that...
43	* FishOutOfWater: Oliver's vigilante methods might work well enough in a place like Starling City, but not so much in a more-or-less normal city like Central City.
44	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Oliver sensed that there's "something off" about Wells...
45	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: when Wells outs the Arrow's secret identity, take a closer look at Cisco.
46	* GreenEyedMonster: Toyed with; Barry accuses Oliver of this, due to Ollie's tough love approach to training him making him think he's hard on him out of resentment. Played straight with Barry's HatePlague-induced attack on Eddie, whom he still holds ''some'' resentment for because he's dating Iris (though in this case, his eyes turn ''red''). Eddie himself is noted to ''also'' be at least partially jealous of Iris's HeroWorship of the Flash, which is largely why he pushes to get a task force to deal with him assembled.
47	* HatePlague: Roy Bivolo's power.
48	* HealingFactor:
49	** Used against Barry because it's fighting the Hate Plague which means it gets bottled up, which leads to some very bad things.
50	** Then Oliver expects this after he shoots him in the back with arrows then rips them out.
51	* HeroAntagonist: Oliver (and by extension the rest of Team Flash and Team Arrow) becomes this to Barry after he's exposed to Bivolo's HatePlague, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin hence the episode's title]].
52	* HypocriticalHumor: Oliver says that they need to discuss Barry's use of "silly codenames" for his enemies. Barry counters by suggesting that they have that conversation "over coffee with Deathstroke and the Huntress." Although ARGUS gave Deathstroke his and Huntress was an ally of Oliver's when Detective Lance gave dubbed her "the Huntress".
53	* HypotheticalFightDebate: As Flash and Arrow start fighting, Cisco and Diggle start talking about who would win it; with Cisco backing Flash's super speed, Diggle saying that Arrow's experience would trump it, and Felicity not amused that they're taking the situation so lightly. It ultimately proves to be an EvasiveFightThreadEpisode. The argument can be summed up with these two quotes.
54	-->'''Caitlin:''' [[CurbStompBattle Barry has superpowers. Oliver has a bow and arrow.]]\
55	'''Diggle:''' [[UnderestimatingBadassery Do you have any idea how many people Oliver has killed with that bow and arrow?]]
56	* IdiotBall: While it is to showcase Barry's naiveté, it is still pretty stupid to look Bivolo directly in the eyes ''after'' being told that his power works through the ocular nerve.
57	* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Arrow even utters, "I still believe in you, Barry," near the end of their fight.
58	* ImplacableMan: Barry himself while under the effects of Bivolo's powers; while Ollie is eventually able to restrain him, their fight is almost completely one-sided as everything Oliver throws at him is shrugged off, leading to an almost CurbStompBattle (which isn't surprising given the big difference in their power level). However, Oliver ends up overpowering Barry towards the end of the fight.
59	* {{Irony}}: The Arrow, a dark and brooding vigilante who has no problem wounding (or killing, if necessary), is on good terms with the Starling City Police Department, while the Flash, who is inherently upbeat, more fun, is very much opposed to killing and will do things like stop and help out someone painting a building, is considered a threat by the Central City Police Department. That being said the Central City police are even less thrilled to have The Arrow in town because he's a vigilante with a body count and want him gone ASAP.
60	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Oliver truly wants to help Barry be a better hero, but his methods are just a bit extreme.
61	* JerkassHasAPoint:
62	** Oliver points out (with crossbow bolts) that there's no excuse for Barry to be caught by surprise by someone setting up traps or other surprises when with his speed he should have plenty of time to scout out an area before confronting his opponent.
63	** Also Barry has a series of these while under the HatePlague. Specifically he points out that Caitlin is treating him like Ronnie, calls out Singh for getting on his case despite the fact that he does his job to the best of his ability, and calls out Joe for putting his innocent father in jail.
64	* TheKilljoy: Oliver. Amongst other critiques he has of Barry's operation is "giving his enemies silly code names"...which Barry points out the authorities do about Oliver's own rogues in Starling City.
65	* LaserGuidedKarma: Barry's been encouraging Iris to have a crush on the Flash, even though she's with Eddie. So her disowning of the Flash seems pretty fitting.
66	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Sara's death if you don't watch ''Arrow''. Ditto Moira's.
67	* {{Leitmotif}}: As the composer of both shows, Blake Neely's able to pit his Flash and Green Arrow themes against each other during Oliver and Barry's fight.
68	* LetsYouAndHimFight: As promised in the title, the Flash and the Arrow fight when the former is under the influence of Bivolo's powers.
69	* LongLostRelative: Oliver meets the mother of his (unknown) illegitimate child.
70	* MeaningfulEcho: Joe tells Oliver at the end "I may not agree with your methods, but I agree with the results", which is what Detective Lance told Oliver once after a rescue of Laurel, cementing Lance as an ally.
71	* MuggingTheMonster: The two guys in TheStinger who end up trying to mug Firestorm.
72	* MundaneUtility: Barry uses his speed to steal Captain Singh's hamburger. The funny part is that he planned to eat it in the office because his boyfriend doesn't want him to eat "junk food".
73	* MyGodYouAreSerious: When Oliver tells Felicity he's going to shoot Barry with an arrow, she isn't sure if he is joking or being serious.
74	* MythologyGag:
75	** Caitlin's suggestion for Bivolo's codename is "Rainbow Raider", which was the name the character used in the comics.
76	** Caitlin and Felicity mention a color spectrum of emotion while studying Bivolo's powers; the Emotional Spectrum is a huge part of the mythology of fellow DC hero Franchise/GreenLantern.
77	** Flash and Iris both refer to ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' when she asks if he has a first name and he asks "What, like Ralph?"
78	** Oliver encounters the woman he got pregnant eight years prior, with the child being implied to be Connor Hawke.
79	** Flash gets on Eddie's case saying about living the life Barry thought was meant for him. Eddie basically succeeded where his comic book namesake failed, whose goal is to ruin the Flash's life and take his place in history.
80	** Oliver's parallels to Batman are given another nod with how Wells tells Oliver that Robert would have been proud of what he had become, a more direct version of the ending of ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'', where Bruce recieved a letter from his father Thomas which presumably contained [[SoProudOfYou the same message]].
81	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Barry going after Bivolo and therefore exposed to his anger plague, causes him to attack Eddie which leads to the approval of the Anti-Flash Taskforce and Iris heartbroken at her hero.
82	* NotHimself: Barry for about half the episode due to being exposed to Bivolo's HatePlague.
83	* NoSell: Barry pulls a couple, super-speeding up a building and yanking out Oliver's grappling-hook arrow to prevent his escape, intangibilizing out tranquilizers he's injected with, and catching arrows fired from set-up crossbows.
84	* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Oliver falls from the top of a skyscraper and fires another grappling arrow that stops his fall about an inch before he hits the ground.
85	* NotWhatItLooksLike: Barry brings Felicity to S.T.A.R. Labs at SuperSpeed and her clothes catch on fire. They're tearing her shirt off in a panic just when Caitlin and Cisco walk in.
86	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: We don't actually see Bivolo get captured by Oliver and Barry working together. Then again, considering their respective abilities, it would likely be so much of a CurbStompBattle against him it would be more likely a funny moment.
87	* OhCrap: Oliver's reaction when he shoots Barry with an arrow full of powerful horse tranquilizer, only for Barry to work it out of his system in seconds due to his speed.
88	* OnlySaneMan: How the two casts react to one-another seems to be this. Diggle is ''utterly'' freaked out by Barry's powers, compared to how Felicity and Oliver were about them, and can't help but ponder certain implications of his powers (namely, how fast does he digest food). Meanwhile, Joe finds Barry's trust in the Arrow sketchy given the fact Oliver has killed many people in the past, just like Quentin Lance over in ''Arrow'' did at first.
89	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The Flash's team start noticing something is wrong when generally optimistic and cheerful Barry starts giving several TheReasonYouSuck and WhatTheHellHero speeches.
90	* ProductPlacement: Felicity's ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'' ShoutOut, considering that said character is Creator/WarnerBros' (the show's distributor) mascot.
91	* ProtagonistTitle: The title puts the main hero of this show against the main hero of where this show was spun-off in a VersusTitle.
92	* PsychoticSmirk[=/=]SmugSmiler: A {{Hate Plague}}d Barry is fond of doing these during his battle with Oliver.
93	* PunchCatch: During the fight between Ollie and Barry, the former catches the latter's fist before putting him in a headlock so Joe and Wells can de-rage him.
94	* RapidFireFisticuffs: Barry gave Oliver dozens of them.
95	* RedEyesTakeWarning: The victims of Roy Bivolo's powers get a set of this.
96	* RevengeByProxy: Oliver warns S.T.A.R. Labs that his enemies may resort to this.
97	* ShoutOut:
98	** Cisco says what we're all thinking:
99	--->'''Wells:''' Anger. Hate. Aggression.\
100	'''Cisco:''' [[Franchise/StarWars "A Jedi craves]] [[BriefAccentImitation not these things!"]] ''[beat]'' Come on, no one is feeling that quote?
101	** Upon being asked to see Wells, Felicity introduces herself to him again with [[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny "What's up, Doc?"]] [[LampshadeHanging She immediately apologizes, as that was dumb.]]
102	* SinkOrSwimMentor: Much to Barry's shock, this is the role Oliver plays instead of the partnership he was hoping for. Understandable, as ''Arrow'' Seasons 1 and 2 demonstrate that's how he was primarily trained and he himself trains Roy. It's unlikely he's used to training people any other way.
103	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Caitlin mentions to Felicity how she's glad that another girl is around.
104	* SpecialEditionTitle: To mark the momentous crossover, the lightning bolt running through the title is replaced by an arrow, and the one behind it is green instead of yellow.
105	* StepfordSmiler: Barry. Turns out the poor guy's hiding a lot of anger and grief behind that goofy smile of his.
106	* StraightGay: Captain Singh reveals in passing he has a boyfriend, just like his New 52 counterpart.
107	* TheStinger: Two muggers apprehend a seemingly-homeless guy...only for the guy to explode into flame, revealing that a) Ronnie's alive, and b) he's got ComicBook/{{Firestorm\|DCComics}} powers.
108	* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: Played with; Joe does not like Arrow operating in his city, believing him to be a lunatic, and his methods are not welcome. Oliver's Starling City is very much a corrupt WretchedHive on the brink of collapse, while Central City was more like an average city until the particle accelerator explosion. So while Oliver has to be a hardline vigilante out of necessity, Barry is able to bit less cynical and more playful which leads to their conflicting heroic ideals: Oliver wants to stop crime by punishing criminals, Barry just want to help people.
109	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
110	** Just as [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Quentin Lance]] did at first over on ''Arrow'', Joe West's trust in the Arrow is sketchy given the fact that he killed many people in the past, and is therefore technically a criminal as well.
111	** While it is ultimately a tie, Barry ''all but destroys'' Oliver when they fight, as to be expected by someone with his powers against a guy with a bow and arrow. The show plays to both of their strength and shows Oliver relying on trickery and catching Barry off-guard, which works to keep him in the fight despite Barry's power, letting Joe and Wells activate the machine to de-rage him.
112	** However, Barry's inexperience leads to several humiliating moments for him: Oliver first stuns him with explosive arrows, hits him with a tranq arrow, then actually manages to land a blow on Barry with his bow while Barry was [[FlashStep arrogantly dodging]]. He then hurls a flechette into Barry's ankle, severing his tendon and [[UntouchableUntilTagged removing his speed advantage.]] If Oliver had fought to kill, Barry would have been dead from the start.
113	** Barry thinks he can convince Iris that the Flash is not himself when he attacked Eddie, but Iris just completely lost faith in her hero.
114	* TookALevelInBadass: While under the effects of Bivolo's HatePlague Barry is functionally unstoppable and demonstrates new applications for his powers, such as running so fast that nearby objects actually catch on fire, vibrating himself to neutralize a tranquilizer, and performing RapidFireFisticuffs for the first time.
115	* ToughLove: Oliver uses this approach in training Barry.
116	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Caitlin and Cisco immediately conclude that Oliver doesn't have a slight chance against Barry. Diggle quickly makes a point.
117	* UnfortunateNames: Iris's implied reaction to the Flash saying his [[BlatantLies "real name"]].
118	-->'''Iris:''' ...is your name ''Ralph''?
119	* VersusTitle: And it delivers.
120	* VillainProtagonist: Barry becomes this due to the HatePlague.
121	* WhatTheHellHero:
122	** Caitlin repeatedly points out to Barry that by constantly involving the Flash with Iris, it's almost as if he's trying to break her and Eddie up. The most apparent is when, directly after she tells him to "stop ruining Iris's love life" and go do his superhero work, he ''immediately'' hits on Iris by heavily implying she's the only girl he talks that way about.
123	** Wells and Joe aren't happy that Barry is friends with Green Arrow.
124	** Felicity delivers a soft one to Oliver because he is reluctant to help Barry with Bivolo even after Barry defended him from Wells and Joe.
125	** Barry delivers several of these while under the HatePlague.
126	** Felicity isn't impressed that Cisco and Diggle chose poor timing to argue on who would win between Arrow and the Flash.
127	* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Oliver shoots a grappling arrow and ziplines away. Barry runs up the side of the building and yanks it out.

Context Recap / TheFlash2014S1E8FlashVsArrow