YMMV / Heroes Join Forces

• Broken Base: Was Felicity justified for being angry at Oliver for keeping his son a secret after all the lies he told in Season 3 and his promise to be honest with her from then on? Or is Oliver entitled to some time to process this life-changing information by himself before he tells other people about it?
• Fridge Horror: Most of them did not appear in this episode, but every known character in The Flash (2014) (Iris and Joe West, Earth-2 Harrison Wells, Jay Garrick, Patty Spivot, The Rogues, etc.), Dinah and Sara Lance, and Samantha and William Clayton all likely died when Savage blew up Central City.
• Ho Yay:
  • Their final scene together has Oliver and Barry hugging each other gleefully.
  • Malcolm is seen gently caressing Vandal Savage's ashes.
• Narm: Felicity's breakup speech sounds like it was written by a 13-year old.
• One-Scene Wonder: Damien Darhk only appears in one scene, but it's very memorable.
• Romantic Plot Tumor: The Oliver/Felicity and William issue takes up a chunk of screentime that could otherwise be spent on the Savage plot or the Flash and Arrow cast getting to bond. Especially criticized as thus far Season 4 had managed to balance the Olicity relationship with the plot by keeping them relatively drama-free and in the background of most episodes. This episode returns to soap-opera style romance that was criticized regarding Oliver/Felicity in Season 3.
• Shocking Moments: The deaths of Oliver and the other main characters sans Barry might have given this reaction from the audience.
• Strangled by the Red String: Kendra and Carter at the end. Because they are meant to be with each other, Kendra gently ends things between her and Cisco with whom she has better chemistry. Lampshaded when Cisco tells her that she does not seem to like Carter much. This later got an Author's Saving Throw on Legends of Tomorrow when Kendra blows up at Carter for acting like they're destined to be together when she still doesn't remember anything about him.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Vandal Savage not being a 13,000 year old caveman, but rather an amalgamation of himself and Hath-Set.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Given Dinah Lance's history professor background and the fact that she lives in Central City and travelling to it was essential to the plot, the Crossovers could have been the perfect time to utilize them, with Vandal Savage and the Hawks being immortal and reincarnated and thus heavily attached to history. This is probably just because Alex Kingston was busy filming the Doctor Who Christmas special.
  • Moreover, there's nothing to say that Iris, whose entire job is to investigate things, couldn't have helped them find info in Vandal Savage, especially when half of her plot last season was investigating metahumans and strange goings on in Central City. It's especially jarring because we see Diggle, Laurel and Thea essentially doing that job instead even though that isn't their area of expertise.
  • Damian Darhk is nothing more than a literal One-Scene Wonder who really has no effect on the overall plot with Vandal Savage.
  • The absence of Sara, but more on that below.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Sara's appearance in the two-part Crossover. Last time we heard, she's staying with her mom in Central City. Her involvement could have been a perfect time to plant seeds for Legends of Tomorrow by building/establishing character relationships with her future teammates Carter and Kendra, as well as to the show's Big Bad Vandal Savage.
• Tough Act to Follow: To Flash vs. Arrow, mainly because the second half is consumed by a cumbersome relationship drama surrounding Oliver's son William instead of giving more focus to Kendra and Carter.
• Trapped by Mountain Lions: The subplot with William has no connection to the main plot and is a literal distraction that keeps Oliver from being focused on the mission.

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