On the first look, this seemed like a weak, boring hour of television. Maybe because the villain this week, The Pied Piper, was not a very fun one and therefore The Flash had very insignificant scenes in this episode. But luckily, everyone else picked it up a notch and delivered another solid installment.
I’m loving Joe and Barry’s father-son relationship more and more each week. Their joy at seeing glass break using sound was so amusing and fits well with the show’s tone, and that kind of humor was balanced perfectly with their emotional scene later at the end. That’s one thing this show does flawlessly that Gotham has so far astoundingly failed at: knowing the nature of the show and sticking to it.
Even better was the fact that the writers are always finding interesting ways to improve the dynamics between its core characters. I find it enchanting that Joe and Eddie are working together to dig more on Harrison Wells behind Barry’s back. Intriguing story arcs like this make me want to watch more. It’s only time before they find out he’s the Reverse Flash (we can now confirm this as we see him speed through several times during the episode) and that he can walk—you know, sometimes.
Wells has kind of been one of my favorite characters so far; his enigmatic, cynical and disturbing personality is mesmerizing to watch, all thanks to an impeccable performance by Tom Cavanagh. It’s a truly amazing character because he’s not a “good” villain yet, nor is he exactly a “bad” hero, and keeping us guessing about his motives is part of the fun. And picking Iris out of a crowd of journalists was a brilliant, chilling moment for this show, and it was necessary to make us hope that this clueless lady will be piecing together all the information to uncover The Flash’s identity soon (one can hope, no?). And comic-book fans are probably ecstatic after hearing the words “speed force” on the show this week. What a tease.
That’s exactly what the episode was after all: an hour of building up exciting storylines and setting the mood for part two of the season. It wasn’t the most entertaining or groundbreaking episodes of The Flash, but at least it knew exactly what it was doing and how to do it without being boring (yes I’m looking at you again, Gotham).
Speedy Bits
– Iris is slowing growing on me thank goodness. I loved her face-off with Mason (check it out in the quotes section below).
– I didn’t exactly think the flashbacks were anything extraordinary, but they didn’t really bother me so much either.
– Loved the show toying with us when Hartley said he knew Harrison’s secret and it ending up not being about Reverse Flash. Good one, show.
– Amusing moment: Harrison saying “I failed this city”. Arrow fans, you know what I’m talking about.
– Did Hartley look a lot like Harry Potter to anyone else too?
– Joe ending his touching conversation with Barry with “awe” was EVERYTHING.
Red Blurs and Quotes
Iris: Look, I’m not stupid. I know that Larkin hired me because he thinks I have some sort of ‘in’ with The Flash. But I am serious about being a journalist.
Mason: Why, because you write a blog? My mother writes a blog.
Iris: I may not have a lot of experience, but I do have—
Mason: Spunk? Grit? Gumption? What is this, a chick-lit novel?
Cisco: Yo, this place is so dope.
Hartley: What a coincidence, we were thinking of making “yo this place is so dope” our new slogan.
Hartley: Being scooped up by a guy clad head-to-toe in leather is a longtime fantasy of mine, so thanks!
Harrison: There’s no chosen one, Cisco. There’s no second or third favorite. There never was. There’s just us.
Cisco: What she means is he was mostly a jerk. But every once in a while, he could be a dick.
Conclusion
A solid episode that builds up exciting storylines for the rest of the season.
Chris Rating
B