Line #87 Series/Invasion2016


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6	->'''Felicity:''' Aw, that is so cute. You guys are just gonna get together and go fight some aliens - ''have you lost your mind?!'' They're aliens, and there's only four of you.\
7	'''Barry:''' Not if we get Stein and, you know, all the others.\
8	'''Oliver:''' They're calling themselves the Legends.\
9
10
11	''Invasion!'', also called ''Heroes vs. Aliens'', is the third annual {{crisis crossover}} {{television serial}} of Creator/TheCW's Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}. Unlike the previous previous crossovers which were two parters this crossover is told across four shows: ''Series/{{Supergirl\|2015}}'', ''Series/{{The Flash\|2014}}'', ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', and ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''. It is based off the classic ''[[Comicbook/InvasionDCComics Invasion!]]'' from the 1980s.
12
13	An alien ship crash-lands near Central City getting Team Flash's attention. Learning from Lyla that these aliens, the Dominators, have come back after visiting Earth before in the 1950s, and not content to sit by and let ARGUS take care of it, Barry takes it upon himself to recruit Team Arrow, The Legends, and his new friend Supergirl from Earth-38 to drive off the alien invaders.
14
15	''Invasion!" was told throughout four nights on November 28, November 29, November 30, and December 1, 2016.
16	!! Episodes
17	[[index]]
18	* "[[Recap/Supergirl2015S2E8Medusa Medusa]]"
19	* "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S3E8Invasion Invasion!]]"
20	* "[[Recap/ArrowS5E8Invasion Invasion!]]"
21	* "[[Recap/LegendsOfTomorrowS2E7Invasion Invasion!]]"
22	[[/index]]
23	----
24	!!''Invasion!'' contains examples of the following tropes:
25	* TheFifties: The ''Legends'' episode has Nate, Amaya, Mick, Cisco, and Felicity travelling to 1951.
26	* AccidentalAesop: Happens InUniverse in this episode. Dr. Stein recounts the story of AndroclesLion, but he seems to think that the moral of the story is, "big enemies can be hurt by little things."
27	* ActorAllusion:
28	** In the LotusEaterMachine, "Malcolm" says that [[Creator/ColinDonnell Tommy]] is [[Series/ChicagoMed working as a doctor in Chicago]].
29	** At the victory party, [[Creator/BrandonRouth Ray]] looks confused and says that Kara/Supergirl reminds him of his cousin for [[Film/SupermanReturns some reason]].
30	* AesopAmnesia:
31	** Once again, members of Team Flash try to keep a secret from one of the others (in this case not telling Wally how powerful he really is). Cisco lampshades it and correctly points out it will not turn out well, again.
32	** Then Barry and Oliver wanting to keep the message from future Barry secret, but in their defense they were planning on telling the team after they dealt with the aliens, since Oliver thought it would be an unnecessary distraction (and he's proven right).
33	** Iris and Joe think they can stop Wally from becoming a hero, forgetting how Harry tried to do the same thing with Jesse when she got her powers and how ultimately he gave into Jesse's desire.
34	* AgeCut: A cut from 1951 to the present day is used to show past Mr. Smith is the belligerent government official menacing the Flash and company, still wearing the same horn-rimmed glasses.
35	* AlienInvasion: The main plot of this {{Crossover}}. Why do you think this event is called ''Invasion''?
36	* AmazonChaser: Downplayed. When someone comments on how powerful Kara is, Sara responds that it's "kinda hot." Mick also implies that he's been giving her (Kara) a MaleGaze by calling her "[[LegFocus skirt]]".
37	* AndStarring: The SpecialGuest Stars line-up mostly ends with Creator/MelissaBenoist getting this credit, but the final part ends with Benoist and Creator/GrantGustin sharing the citation.
38	* AndThenWhat: Barry tells Oliver that they should hang out more often, not just when the world is in danger. Oliver then asks him what they would do if the world didn't need saving. The answer is drink.
39	* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Oliver actually has ''two'' to "Laurel":
40	** First when he's apologizing for missing their rehearsal dinner and is slowly realizing something's wrong:
41	--->'''Oliver:''' I'm--I'm sorry if this is confusing or I'm scaring you, but the only thing ''in the world'' that makes sense to me right now--is that I love you, and I'm going to take that job at Queen Consolidated, and I swear to God I'm going to work every single day to be the man you fell in love with.
42	** And again when he and the others leave, he whispers, "I love you," before he walks away from her.
43	* AnnoyingArrows: Oliver shoots two arrows into a Dominator, which at best is inconvenienced by them.
44	* ArchEnemy: At the climactic confrontation, 3 out of the 5 heroes fight their respective nemesis. Thea fights [[ArchnemesisDad Malcolm]], Oliver fights [[WeUsedToBeFriends Slade]], and Sara fights [[YouKilledMyFather Damien Darhk]]. Only Diggle and Ray are left fighting the {{Mooks}}, though FridgeBrilliance adds some sense to this; Diggle's most personal fight previously was with his brother, so Andy's likely the H.I.V.E. Ghost that he's fighting, and Ray's up against a Mirakuru goon, probably representing the one that killed his fiancée Anna.
45	* ArcVillain: The Dominators, the aliens behind the titular invasion.
46	* ArcWords: The word "God" shows up again. And Oliver, like so many other characters this season, tells Barry that he's not one. In this case, he's arguing that Barry shouldn't hold himself responsible for every difference in the timeline, given all the ways everyone else shapes the future every day.
47	* AscendedMeme: The Arrowverse finally acknowledges the strong resemblance between Felicity and Kara (in her civilian attire) that fans noticed since ''Series/Supergirl2015'' first began airing.
48	-->'''Felicity:''' It's like looking into a mirror.
49	* TheAtoner:
50	** Caitlin tries (in vain) to patch things up between Barry and Cisco, feeling responsible for their fallout in the previous episode.
51	** Barry is willing to sacrifice himself to the Dominators in part to atone for creating "Flashpoint".
52	* AvengersAssemble: To a ridiculous degree. This episode includes all of the regulars of ''The Flash'', Team Arrow minus the new recruits and Quentin, Supergirl, and the Legends minus Amaya and Nate for some reason.[[labelnote:*]]Left behind on the Waverider because they were "rookies" according to Sara. [[WatsonianVersusDoylist Doylist]] explanation, actors cost money; this crossover must have cost a small fortune.[[/labelnote]] All are teaming up to fight the Dominators.
53	* BadassBookworm: Barry when he intentionally goads a brainwashed Supergirl into destroying the mind control device.
54	* BaitAndSwitch: After learning about Flashpoint and the aftermath, Professor Stein pays a brief visit to his present home to see if his own life is affected in any way. It ''is'', just not [[LukeYouAreMyFather as negatively as he anticipated]].
55	* BattleInTheRain: It is raining very lightly during the climactic fight in the first episode.
56	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Played for laughs. Oliver tells Kara not to hold back during training, as they need to go up against someone much more powerful than them as preparation for fighting the Dominators. Cut to Kara tossing around the team like ragdolls (Barry excluded), not even the slightest bit affected by their powers or weapons.
57	* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Played with at first, but ultimately averted. It starts off with [[HollywoodAtheist Curtis]] respectfully telling [[TokenReligiousTeammate Rory]][[note]][[OneSteveLimit Ragman, not Mick]][[/note]] that he finds the notion of a Divine Plan put in place by an [[{{God}} All-Powerful Being]] hard to believe, but later on it's Rory's knowledge of [[Literature/TheBible The Old Testament]] that allows them to find Oliver & Co. due to the fact that the Dominators' coding language matches up with the Ancient Hebrew Numerical Alphabet.
58	-->'''Rory:''' ''[to Curtis]'' You wanted proof of a Divine Being, didn't you?
59	* BigBrotherInstinct:
60	** Iris trying to stop Wally from jumping into heroics in an effort to protect him, much to his frustration; it doesn't help that she acts very overbearing about it.
61	** {{Inverted\|Trope}} with Sara. She makes it clear she is very upset with Oliver for missing the rehearsal dinner, and only sending a text message as an explanation.
62	-->'''Sara:''' You're lucky I'm not a trained assassin or anything.
63	* BigDamnHeroes:
64	** Wally ''tries'' to do this but he ends up getting [=KOed=] by a brainwashed Supergirl.
65	** Diggle, as the Hood, saves Oliver and Robert from a mugger.
66	** Flash and Supergirl save Wild Dog from "Cyberwoman".
67	** At the end, the Waverider (piloted by Nate) shows up in the nick of time to rescue the jumpship carrying Oliver and the others.
68	** Cisco and Felicity rescue the kidnapped Legends. "Y'all called for Tech Support?"
69	* BlatantLies: The Dominators claim that turning Barry over to them will make them go away, but it's clear they are fully intending to launch the metabomb anyway since their issue is with the existence of metahumans overall, not just Barry.
70	* BookEnds: With the ''Supergirl'' episode, which also features a powerful bioweapon that targets a certain group (aliens, in the earlier case).
71	* BottomlessMagazines: Averted. Oliver actually runs out of arrows when fighting his brainwashed friends.
72	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: The whole team gets mind-controlled by the Dominators, pitting them against Oliver and Barry.
73	* BrickJoke: Heat Wave calling Supergirl "Skirt".
74	* BrokenPedestal: The revelation that Barry created Flashpoint is not something the other heroes take well. Supergirl's fine with it, but then it's not something that has any effect on her. Oliver also doesn't get angry at Barry because he could understand the desire to want to bring your parents back from the dead and admits he would have made the same decision if he was in Barry's shoes. Stein, Jackson and Felicity aren't angered either because [[SecretKeeper they've known about it for awhile]].
75	* BrutalHonesty: When Supergirl asks Mick how he got the name Heat Wave, he casually explains that [[TooMuchInformation he burned his house down with his parents still inside and that he likes to burn things]]. Keep in mind that they've only known each for ''less than a day.''
76	* BulletCatch: Barry does this with almost contemptuous ease. Then he turns the bullet around and allows its momentum to carry it into the shooter's shoulder.
77	* BullyingADragon: The CIA trying to capture the Fastest Man Alive, a guy in superpowered armor, and two of the biggest {{Badass Normal}}s in the world. This couldn't end well.
78	* TheBusCameBack: This event has been a homecoming of sorts.
79	** This event is Heat Wave's first proper appearance on his home show since Season 1's "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S1E16RogueTime Rogue Time]]" (not counting the ImagineSpot in the second season premiere). Dr. Stein and Jax also make their first appearances since the spin-off began.
80	** This is the first time Sara and Ray have appeared on ''Arrow'' since leaving in Season 4 to be on their own show.
81	** Robert and Moira Queen, Laurel, and Slade all return. Malcolm Merlyn also appears, having not been seen since Season 4, and Damien Darhk shows up to fight Sara, but all their appearances are subversions because they are all hallucinations.
82	* ButtMonkey: Mick is on the receiving end of getting humiliated during the first episode, first getting his smug impression beaten out of him by Supergirl, then calling for her help when a minute ago he boasted he would never do that, then knocked out by Barry in a single hit and in the end a joke about his low intelligence is made.
83	* DoubleMeaningTitle: While it mostly refers to the on-going AlienInvasion, the ''Arrow'' side of the episode has the aliens invading Oliver, Sara, Diggle, Thea, and Ray's mind/memories.
84	* EventTitle: Referring to the AlienInvasion.
85	* FakeShemp: Slade in the ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' episode is notably portrayed by a StuntDouble as oppose to Creator/ManuBennett, most likely due to said actor's negative reaction to the series post Season 2.
86	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: One of the waiters in the big party scene is played by an actor who clearly decided to make the most of his on-screen time. He is practically dancing with his silver tray full of champagne.
87	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: The Dominators quickly abandon their conquest of Earth when they realize the heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-38 have them dead to rights.
88	* MythologyGag: The S.T.A.R. Labs hangar that serves as the heroes' base looks exactly like the Hall of Justice from the classic ComicBook/JusticeLeague comics.
89	* PragmaticAdaptation: Since the Arrowverse doesn't have the rights to the full DC roster, certain changes had to be made.
90	* RebuiltPedestal: Barry spends much of the crossover as something as pariah for creating Flashpoint. When he learns that his time meddling is why the Dominators are invading Earth, he offers to give himself up if that's what it takes -- this one selfless act is what gets him back in his friends' good graces.
91	* SerialEscalation: Unlike the previous crossovers which were just between "The Flash" and "Arrow" this one raises the stakes by having Team Arrow and Team Flash outgunned during an alien invasion, so Barry decides to even the odds by recruiting Supergirl and the Legends to help them.
92	* TrailersAlwaysLie: While advertised as ''four''-part crossover, the "Supergirl" installment is superfluous and can be skipped since the only connection is the scene of Barry and Cisco coming to get her, which they repeated in "The Flash" installment anyway.
93	* WTHCostumingDepartment: In-Universe, Mick points out that Nate looks like a star-spangled idiot in his new outfit. It's especially odd seeing as Ray could have used the extra material to upgrade his or the other Legends' gear (or possibly the Waverider), and Nate is ''already invincible''.

Context Series / Invasion2016