Three episodes in, and it looks like The Flash is definitely steering down a path of formulaic episodes.
The villain-of-the-week, in particular, was very uninteresting. Forget the fact that the green mist was attacking people who really were just staring at that thing waiting for it to suffocate them, the guy just wasn’t scary enough, or bad enough. And how long will it be before this formula becomes so stale and boring to watch? Like Iris, who is perhaps the worst character on this show yet. I hope she and Barry are not the endgame couple the writers have envisioned for the show, because I cannot stand her guts. Just go off with your boring detective boyfriend and drive into the sunset or something.
Now that all of that is out of my system, we can discuss how great everything else was in this episode. Like Caitlin and Cisco’s flashbacks. I really loved that there was a focus on what had happened the night the particle accelerator went off and I hope we’ll get to see more flashbacks of that night. Caitlin, in particular, is finally becoming someone I am rooting for. Her conversation with Barry about her boyfriend and his need to save the world was a touching and heartbreaking moment that this show needed. Cisco’s involvement in the flashback was also a perfect way to have him and Caitlin share some back-story other than being The Flash’s sidekicks.
What I really admired about Things You Can’t Outrun is the way it decided to handle its villain, and its future villains. The fact that Barry couldn’t really kill the Mist and the only way to stop him was just to outrun him (really?) felt weird and boring to me at first. But then seeing that they will start locking up their criminals below STAR labs instead of killing them is an interesting development that the show desperately needs to become more than just a formulaic show about catching a villain week in, week out. And that’s what exactly what I’m hoping The Flash will turn into, sooner or later.
Speedy Bits
– I’m starting to get a little annoyed with the cheesy voiceovers now. Reminds me of Revenge in its early seasons.
– Seriously, who is this Harrison Wells guy? And why does he know so much?
– I’m glad that Iris told her father about her relationship with the detective whose name I refuse to care about. Can we please have less screen-time for those people now?
– Amusing touch: Barry blurring his face when injecting Joe at the prison so that his father wouldn’t recognize him.
– I still really appreciate that the show is lighthearted and funny sometimes. Gustin is still the most charming of the bunch, and I’m glad that Barry and Joe’s relationship is something we’re seeing more of every week.
Red Blurs & Quotes
Caitlin: So, we’re supposed to get used to working above a makeshift prison housing evil people with superpowers?
Harrison: You’d be surprised what you can get used to, Caitlin.
Caitlin: I didn’t want him to be a hero. I wanted him to be my husband.
Barry: My chest feels like that one time I had a cigarette. Yeah, teen-me lived for danger.
Joe: I really miss the ability to be able to ground you.
Joe: You should know, putting on that suit does not make everybody safe. For every person you save, there’s going to have to be somebody you can’t. And the hardest thing you’re going to have to face is not some monster out there with powers. It’s going to be that feeling of uselessness when you can’t do anything. Or the guilt that weighs on you when you make a mistake.
Conclusion
A solid episode, but I’m worried the show is falling into the stale villain-each-week formula.
Chris Rating
B-
“Amusing touch: Barry blurring his face when injecting Joe at the prison so that his father wouldn’t recognize him.”
Yeah. Quick thinking on Barry's part. 🙂
I like Joe. He's the smartestof the bunch. Hehehe.