Vandal Savage (Casper Crump) threatens Kendra (aka Hawkgirl, played by Ciara Renee), Barry (aka THE FLASH, played by Grant Gustin) has her hold up in Star City under the watchful eye of Ollie (aka Green ARROW, played by Stephen Amell) in part one of the two-night crossover event. We've got our running shoes on, we'll get you caught up in a flash.
We open with Barry training. He's trying to run faster, given that Zoom bested him in speed the other week. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) and Harrison (Tom Cavanagh) monitor his progress. Harrison realizes it is still not fast enough. Barry cuts out early to meet with Patty (Shantel VanSanten).
A ship pulls into the harbor, carrying a stowaway. It's Vandal Savage. He quickly escapes from his handcuffs and takes out the sailors and the cop at the dock. He's come to town to hunt.
Barry, Patty and Det. Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) review the crime scene photos the next day. A piece of Savage's blade broke off in one of the victims. It gives them a lead and Barry is going to run tests.
At the coffee shop, Kendra opens up the place for Cisco (Carlos Valdes). She's made dinner for him. They flirt. It's cute. Savage materializes inside the closed coffee shop. Cisco sends a distress call to Barry via text and Barry races over. Savage throws a knife at Cisco and THE FLASH catches it in the nick of time. Savage vanishes just as quickly as he showed up. Cisco acciddentally calls THE FLASH "Barry," revealing Barry's secret to Kendra.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry tests the knife. It's a match for the murders on the dock. The blade is centuries old. Iris (Candice Patton) is ever the journalist and asks Kendra if she knows why Savage would be stalking her. She has no clue.
Joe offers to extend a cop detail, but Team FLASH all agree that cops aren't going to be able to stop Savage. Barry mentions they have a few friends who can help out, but they'll have to leave Central City. Cisco still thinks Team ARROW won't offer any protection Team FLASH can't. Barry tells Cisco he sensed something metaphysical about Savage.
Over in Star City, Damian Darhk (Neal McDonough) is draining the lifeforce out of a bunch of A.R.G.U.S. soldiers. He and his ghosts are there to steal a chemical bomb. Green ARROW, Speedy (aka Thea Oliver, played by Willa Holland) and Diggle (David Ramsey) are there to stop them. Green ARROW shoots a magnetic arrow, drawing all the ghosts' arms and the team descend from atop the truck to battle the baddies.
Back at the compound, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) prides herself on creating the magnetic arrow. The three are able to do what an entire squad of A.R.G.U.S. soldiers cannot --namely, take down all the ghosts. Damian grabs Green ARROW and begins to draw his lifeforce. The FLASH arrives to spirit Green ARROW to safety. Damian is very impressed.
Speedy seems starstuck that they know THE FLASH. Ollie comes out and says he doesn't think Barry was there to protect him and Barry tells him the truth: he has a friend that he needs Team ARROW to protect. They give Barry a tour of the new compound (he is impressed). Felicity is pissed that Barry didn't tell her Zoom broke his back two episodes ago.
Kendra is also impressed by the set up. Cisco, however, is not. They have not followed his specs when building the compound. Turns out Felicity didn't use copper wiring. Kendra is enamoured about meeting Green ARROW and THE FLASH.
Barry quickly sketches Savage and Felicity runs it through facial recognition software. The only match is from 1970. Ollie lets loose at Barry. In brining Kendra there, he has made all of them unsafe. Felicity defuses things by inviting everyone back to the loft for cocktails.
Caitlin checks in on Harrison. He's been working on a drug that will enhance THE FLASH's abilities. He was originally working on it on Earth-2 for Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears). He has tried and failed five times. Caitlin uses her background in bio-engineering to tweak his formula.
At the loft, Cisco pleads with Thea to let him come up with a better name than "Speedy" for her. She tells him to get a haircut. Loving the mash up of the two teams so far!
Felicity and Barry get caught up. He tells her about Patty. She wonders what an Earth-2 Ollie is like (we know from last ep that Earth-2 Ollie died in the shipwreck whereas Ollie's father survived to become the Green ARROW of Earth-2). Ollie then patches things up with Barry by apologizing to him for flying off the handle. Barry notes that Ollie seems to be in a happy place.
Later, Cisco confides in Barry about the Vibe he has got off Kendra (namely that she has wings). He doesn't want her to know about his powers for fear it will kill their relationship. Just then, Savage literally crashes the party by smashing through a window.
Barry quickly speeds off to retriefe Ollie's bow. Savage throws a fistful of knives at each of the people. Barry grabs each of the knives before it hits its intended target all save for the blade meant for him. Ollie charges at him and they exchange blows. Ollie is clearly out-matched, though.
Thea grabs her bow and Ollie and she begin to assail Savage with a rain of arrows. Ollie tells her "no," but she deals a final arrow to Savage, sending him off the balcony of the loft to the street below. Savage survives the fall and again escapes.
At the compound, the teams regroup. Cisco comes clean to Kendra about his visions of her flying like a bird. The power goes out at the compound and when it comes back on Merlyn (John Barrowman) and the League of Assasins have dropped by. Something tells me it won't be a social call.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin tells Harrison she thinks she has succeeded in synthisizing the formula. Jay arrives, slightly miffed that Harrison has called him there for a sixth test of the speed drug. Caitlin thought it was for Barry. Harrison informs her that he wants Jay to be the lab rat before they risk Barry's life. Jay warns her to keep the serum away from Barry. Harrison leaves shortly after Jay, telling Caitlin he's going to get the ingredient and do what they need to do.
Merlyn fills in the blanks about Savage: he is immortal, the League has been tracking him for centuries and there is nothing that either team can do to save Kendra. Kendra leaves the compound for air. Cisco follows after her.
Back in Central City, Patty is walking to her car, checking in with Joe re the knife from the killings. She spots Harrison Wells (unaware this is Earth-2 Harrison and Earth-1 Harrison remains dead).
Cisco and Kendra share a touching moment just as Hawkman (aka Carter Hall, played by Falk Hentschel) swoops out of the sky and flies away with her.
THE FLASH speeds in persuit along with Green ARROW (on his bike). Hawkman takes off his mask and tries to explain to Kendra who she is. She has a brief glimpse of Egypt and then Hawkman flies off to deal with Green ARROW by throwing his mace at his bike, sending him flying. Green ARROW has his butt handed to him the second time tonight. THE FLASH arrives, but is knocked over by Hawkman. FLASH creates the wind tunnels with his arms, allowing Green ARROW to shoot a rope arrow to down the bird. FLASH runs circles around Hawkman and then generates a lightning bolt, knocking him out.
When he awakes, he's chained to a pillar in the compound. He tells Kendra that they are soulmates and have been for 4,000 years. Savage has killed one or both of them 206 times, gaining more power each time he succeeds. Merlyn and the League emerge from the shadows to fill in the rest of the puzzle: Savage has left Star City in search of a staff.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin tries to talk some sense into Harrison, who is still hell-bent on using the formula. Patty has followed him into the lab (again, so much for the crack security Cisco mentioned a few eps back). She tells Harrison to freeze and when he doesn't, she shoots him. Caitlin tells her not to call 911, but Joe instead. When he arrives, Caitlin tells him he has to find Jay as Jay is the only one who can save Harrison.
Meanwhile, Carter wants Kendra to take a swan dive off the top of the roof to emerge. Barry and Ollie argue about it (Ollie --who has seen his share of the mystical courtesy of John Constantine-- in inclined to try it, but Barry is against it). While they argue, Carter pushes Kendra off the roof. Barry races down and saves her. Ollie again tells Barry that he needs to let Kendra save herself before realizing where the staff is: it's in Central City. Kendra was drawn there because of it. Ollie kisses Felicity goodbye and he and Barry walk over to their respective suits.
Jay arrives at S.T.A.R. Labs. Caitlin wants to inject Jay with the serum so he has temporary speed and can use it to vibrate through Harrison's chest and retrieve the bullet. Jay grabs the serum and injects himself. His speed returns temporarily and he is able to save Harrison.
Cisco and Kendra are still on the roof. She is trying to break it off (there is an entire other life inside her, afterall). She climbs onto the edge of the roof.
We cut to a church in Central City. Savage has beat them to the staff. He wields it and it shoots blue electricity. Green ARROW fires a series of rounds at him, FLASH speeds in circles. They both seek shelter beneath pews. Savage lifts the staff above his head and then brings it down. FLASH grabs Green ARROW and speeds out of the church as it blows up.
Kendra leaps from the building and sprouts wings. Cisco dubs her Hawkgirl.
Harrison awakes. Jay informs him that the serum is out of his body and he has no intention of ever using it again. His parting shot to Harrison is to thank him by keeping it away from Barry.
At the compound, Diggle alerts the gang that Ollie wants them all to get to Central City. Good thing Felicity is the CEO of a company that owns a jet.
At the coffee shop, Barry and Ollie are in line for java. Ollie is amused there's an espresso drink named after THE FLASH. A little boy runs by him and drops a FLASH action figure. Ollie is again amused, picks up the toy and hands it back to the boy. The boy runs over to his mother. It is the woman that Ollie dated before the ship wreck (the one who got pregnant and was paid off by Ollie's mom to disappear). We've just had our first sighting of Conner Hawke (Ollie's son, who will someday inherit the Green ARROW mantle). Did. Not. See. This. Coming.
And the first half of our two-episode crossover comes to a close. Thoughts? Comment below and follow me @triggercric and follow @BWWTVWorld for all the latest updates, scoops and recaps.
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