The Flash Subject 9 (2014– ) Online

SPOILER: What I will say about these past few episodes of The Flash is that they've done a lot better job of developing supporting roles or one-off roles. Just as a few weeks back they added a lot to Becky Sharpe's character by giving her valuable screen time, I thought the addition (albeit brief) of Izzy Bowin was solid to say the least. Even if we never see that version of Bowin again, and she simply just fills The Thinker's role for a few episodes, I think she proved to be one of the more memorable side characters this season. But that's just me.

On the other hand, it's of course worth noting just how pointless it feels that the show put Barry in prison. I guess Barry's extended leave of absence is somewhat important? But then again, it's not like we watch the show on a weekly basis because we're interested in seeing what Barry does at crime scenes, we watch because he's the flippin flash. But besides his suspension, the show returned to status quo and didn't seem to care one bit about Barry's time in prison. It begs the even bigger question, what the hell does DeVoe even want?

I guess the next few episodes will presumably deal with the team figuring out a way to enhance the cerebral inhibitor device while DeVoe just waits in his dungeon to strike against another bus-meta, because he likes playing dress-up with people's brains. Perhaps the thing this season has going for it is that I'm honestly not sure what comes next? It's not like I can even fathom what DeVoe is planning next, so it keeps me on the edge of my seat? Well, not completely. If I'm being blunt, the constant change in actor for DeVoe is REALLY starting to get frustrating and annoying. At least we get another week of Miranda MacDougall, right?

7.0/10

The Flash is back after yet another short break and it is here to stay until this season wraps up. Having not have had the Flash on our screens for a bit, I was worried that this episode would play it a bit safe and act as a bit of a remind as to what was happening. Luckily, this episode seems to have picked up where we left off and has really started to put to the foot down towards the end of this season.

I think this was a really solid episode despite having a few flaws. I want to address those flaws first. The first major one was yet again Barry revealing himself as the Flash. At this point of the series it has become a bit of a trope that the Flash is just going to rip the mask off whenever he feels like it, but it doesn't mean that it is suddenly something I am okay with.

The second negative I had with this episode was the relationship that formed between Izzy and Ralph. While at the start I thought they clicked well and it overall gave some great character moments for Ralph, there simply wasn't enough time invested into it that made me care about Ralph's emotions once she was gone. They spend all but a day together and it is unrealistic that Ralph could get that level of being attached to her.

Moving into the positives, I want to start small but focusing on the Harry and Cecile plot line for a second. The Flash does a great job at having these little side stories that are entertaining yet relevant in some way. I thought the back and forth between Harry and Cecile was great and it really gave as an insight into the current mind set of Harry. I also really liked how it brought us to the cerebral inhibitor from last season.

Like many fans, I was waiting for the moment that the inhibitor reintroduced itself and I thought they did a great job with it by giving it a twist. After seeing the original scene with Savitar, it makes perfect sense that the inhibitor would not actually work and I really liked how they took that route. While there's nothing stopping Team Flash from working on it and still using it to stop DeVoe, for now it seems that that connection to last season is done.

I have already mentioned Izzy in reference to the negatives of the episode, however I thought overall as a character she worked quite well. I thought that the actress, Miranda MacDougall, did a great job and the writing team utilised her quite well for the most part. With still three metas left, I'm not expecting many of them to stick around that long, but it is great that we will get more of Izzy as DeVoe like we did with Becky.

Another thing I took away as a major positive of this episode was the way that Barry has stood up as a leader. This is the first season where getting faster is just not an option so it is good to see the writers start to use Barry in other ways. While he is the title character and him being a speedster is what us as viewers come to see, I am really liking how they are spending some time fleshing out Barry from behind the mask rather than just Barry as the Flash.

Overall, a solid episode that did it's job. The short break didn't have any major effects on how the story flowed and I think that is much credit to how this episode was constructed. While this wasn't a perfect episode, I feel as though they are starting to ramp out towards the end of the season, especially with the new discovery of DeVoe possibly travelling to different dimensions.

8/10

It must be hard to be patient after a gap of 3 weeks. This episode now makes you really care about all the characters (except Amunet, who was so annoying since "Girl's Night Out" episode) especially The Thinker. He does seem to have a super brain! I like the dialogue when Iris West-Allen asks "Why is it damp?" and Ralph Dibny punches a corny dialogue- "I sweat a lot when I sleep!" I don't want to add any spoilers as it seems that I am the second person to post an IMDB review... See you fans next month!

You know what irks me the most in a show. WHen the characters forget thy have powers...powers that worked against this particular foe. Powers without the need of violin...ITs like watching DBZ when goku forgets he can fly..Its a lame plot attempt.