The Arrowverse has remained one of the most popular DC franchises, but some of the episodes are hard to watch today. The TV universe began with Arrow‘s October 2012 debut and ran until Superman & Lois concluded in December 2024, though most people consider The Flash’s season 9 finale the ending.
Despite the franchise being over, fans continue to revisit all the Arrowverse shows in their spare time, falling in love with their favorite superheroes and villains all over again. I can attest to the fact that they’re the perfect mental escape from the world we’re living in.
However, not every episode in the Arrowverse is enjoyable on rewatch. Some of the stories and visual effects have aged poorly. Select episodes and dialogue have become cringier over time. Meanwhile, others are just too tragic with future knowledge about characters and storylines.
10
Supergirl season 2, episode 13, “Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk”
When I first watched “Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk,” I found it zany and amusing, though Mr. Mxyzptlk was always a little bit creepy. However, the episode is virtually unwatchable today because, in retrospect, it’s packed with controlling men and incel behavior.
Mon-El always gives off frat boy vibes, but he is especially childish and controlling in this episode. Kara kicking him out was great. However, I can’t stand that she just forgives all his bad behavior and kisses him at the end without a second thought.
On top of that, Myxy started mildly funny with his Mon-El prank, but he quickly became creepy and rapey. By the end, Mxyzptlk’s behavior is anxiety-inducing, as he clearly has no boundaries or qualms with forcing a woman into something she doesn’t want. Ultimately, “Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk” is neither romantic nor fun to watch.
9
The Flash season 1, episode 18, “All-Star Team Up”
“All-Star Team Up” is an episode I skip on almost every watch-through. For starters, the episode felt misleading because it was more of a Flash and the police team-up rather than a Flash and The Atom team-up.
Additionally, the villain was also one of the weakest in the entire show, as her powers and motivation come across as quite juvenile. Barry getting attacked by bees is so campy and ridiculous that it could only be taken seriously in a comic book. It doesn’t work onscreen. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to outrun the bees.
On top of that, Iris feels like a very sexist stereotype of a woman in this episode, whereas she is usually enjoyable. She talks so much about how she wants a career, but then she spends the whole episode complaining about her relationship. Iris is usually written with more nuance than this.
8
Legends of Tomorrow season 1, episode 15, “Destiny”
Legends of Tomorrow’s “Destiny” lands on the “hard to watch” list because it’s the last episode with Leonard Snart as a main character. Snart is one of the best villain-of-the-week characters on The Flash, and he only became more interesting in Legends of Tomorrow.
The spinoff show gave him a fantastic character arc, which was tragically cut short at the end of season 1. If they had to write him off the show, they did it perfectly.
He has the second-most-devastating death on the show, only behind Martin Stein. There’s no doubt that Snart’s sacrifice was compelling. However, the quality of the writing doesn’t change the fact that “Destiny” just brings overwhelming sadness with every rewatch.
7
The Flash season 3, episode 17, “Duet”
I love a good musical episode, and the actors in this crossover episode have great voices. They really played into the strengths of the Arrowverse cast. Unfortunately, the music and choreography, minus one song, are the only positive aspects of “Duet,” making it hard to watch today.
The previous episodes on both The Flash and Supergirl feel much heavier and more serious. As such, the chipper tone felt completely off in “Duet.” The storyline was all over the place and incredibly cringey at points. Plus, the ending felt unearned.
Kara and Mon-El had a really good reason to break up, as did Barry and Iris. However, the two relationships reconcile without anything actually changing. What’s worse, Barry proposes to Iris with an original song, “Runnin’ Home to You,” that has too on-the-nose lyrics.
6
Arrow season 4, episode 15, “Taken”
The Arrow episode “Taken” includes so many narrative issues that make it hard to watch today. I can’t stand that Felicity walks again for the first time because she gets mad enough at Oliver to literally walk out on him. The writing feels ignorant at best and actively ableist at worst. Plus, they built the recovery up too much for that.
Then, Felicity breaks up with Oliver because of William, which feels wildly out of character for her. He makes it very clear that he wanted to tell her, but William’s mom said he could only have a relationship with his son if he kept it a secret. This feels like something Felicity from past seasons would usually understand.
What’s more, this launches the breakup storyline. The entire arc felt forced and added nothing to the story. Oliver and Felicity got back together about a season later, and they had the same communication issues as before.
5
The Flash season 6, episode 18, “Heart of the Matter: Part Two”
The Flash wasn’t always top-notch, but most scenes have some redeeming qualities. However, the lightning bolt lightsaber scene in “Heart of the Matter: Part Two” is an exception to this statement. It was cringey. The CGI looked terrible. The dialogue was poorly written. I absolutely love Star Wars, but this homage brought me zero joy.
The lightning bolt scene is hands-down the worst thing that The Flash has ever done, and it’s bad enough to overshadow anything redeeming in the episode. Even Grant Gustin hated this scene of The Flash and tried to get it changed.
Ultimately, the one scene is so bad that “Heart of the Matter: Part Two” ranks as one of the hardest Arrowverse episodes to rewatch today.
4
Batwoman season 2, episode 1, “What Happened To Kate Kane?”
Cast transitions are difficult for even the best TV shows, so it’s no surprise that “What Happened To Kate Kane?” is one of the worst episodes of Batwoman.
Even though it’s supposed to be Ryan Wilder’s introduction, the shadow of Kate Kane is so heavy in this episode that Ryan doesn’t feel like the main character. The story focuses on the old lead. The visuals feature multiple homages to Kate’s start as Batwoman, which shift the focus from Ryan to Kate.
Ultimately, it’s tough to watch this introductory episode because Ryan Wilder is so fantastic as a character later in the second half of season 2 and throughout season 3. She really gets short-changed with “What Happened To Kate Kane?”
3
Supergirl season 4, episode 11, “Blood Memory”
This episode of Supergirl is hard to watch for all the best and worst reasons. “Blood Memory” was already emotionally challenging at the time it came out because it shone a light on the fact that transphobia can come from the most unlikely individuals. It does a great job of conveying that truth, which is a testament to the writers.
However, it feels even more difficult to watch today because of the current political climate. The message feels even more true now than it did before. My heart breaks for Nia because she thought her sister was safe.
On the other hand, the rest of the narrative in “Blood Memory” is flawed. The meta-pills felt like a contrived plot point. Alex not knowing fundamental details about Kara feels unrealistic, even with the mind wipe. Plus, Nia’s sister walks out of her mother’s funeral when it’s burning, which feels ridiculous in retrospect.
2
Legends of Tomorrow season 3, episode 17, “Guest Starring John Noble”
“Guest Starring John Noble” was considered excellent when it first aired, but it is difficult to watch in retrospect. I would like to know who approved a story where a giant psychic gorilla goes after Barack Obama. The premise is silly even for Legends of Tomorrow, which embraces campiness and absurdity.
On top of that, the CGI for Grodd looks worse in this episode than it did in The Flash. The comedy comes across as cringey not funny. The two lines that stand out to me are “Run, Barry, Run” and “looks like we’re all on Obamacare.”
The inclusion of Obama also felt like an unnecessary gag. In past episodes, historical figures have had a good narrative reason for their inclusion. Young Barack Obama could have been substituted for virtually anyone else and had the same impact.
1
Arrow season 7, episode 13, “Star City Slayer”
The Arrow episode “Star City Slayer” is actually really well written and acted, which makes it difficult to include it on this list. However, the episode serves as the foundation for two terrible Arrow storylines that continue throughout the rest of the show.
Firstly, William leaves to live with his grandparents in“Star City Slayer”, and Oliver and Felicity don’t speak to him for decades. While I’m indifferent to whether he lives with Oliver or his grandparents, the lack of contact is out of character and cruel. Secondly, this is the episode where Felicity finds out she is pregnant.
Emily Bett Rickards said before season 7 came out that she didn’t want an Olicity baby this season (via Comicbook).
Like Felicity, Mia isn’t a character from the DC comics, and she really wasn’t necessary. Oliver and Felicity’s baby made the William situation more cruel. They left Star City for a baby but not him. Plus, Mia’s introduction led to an unresolved storyline in which William gets kidnapped. Ultimately, I wish I could cut the ending because it makes “Star City Slayer” too difficult to watch.
- Created by
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Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Phil Klemmer, Geoff Johns
- First Episode Air Date
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October 10, 2012
- Latest Episode
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2023-05-24
- Cast
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Stephen Amell, Grant Gustin, Melissa Benoist, Caity Lotz, Cress Williams, Ruby Rose, Javicia Leslie
