Jim’s Thoughts

Flash came back with a whimper, and all the same things are wrong here. Kyle and I have been beating the Flashpoint drum all season long, but this episode also doubled down on the Barry/Iris romance.

I could harp on these things some more, but I’d rather focus on areas I’ve covered less. The dialogue on CW shows is never much to brag about, but this week’s Flash tested my patience with the constant heart-to-hearts. If I hear one more time that “you can talk to me about anything, you know,” I might just pass out from boredom.

In the area of suspending disbelief, I can’t give this episode a pass. It’s just too convenient that Barry tracked down the info he needed when Cisco vibed him because every member of his circle made headline news on the day in question. It’s just lazy, especially when “Star Labs Museum Closes” makes headline news four months after no one went to its opening.

There’s more to pick on here, but I’ll cut to the chase. Flash committed the mortal sin no comic book/comic book movie/comic book show ever should. It was boring. Halfway through the season, I’m losing hope that they’ll right the ship.

Kyle’s Take

I agree with Jim, but I’d extend the mortal sin of “don’t be boring” to all forms of artistic expression, not just comic books.

Flash is losing me. “Borrowing Problems from the Future” illustrated the show’s mishandling of Flashpoint; it’s the main reason the episode was so boring. To be fair the episode’s title holds some truth. Flash is borrowing problems—in terms of storytelling—from the future. Flash has nothing new to say until after Barry has his showdown with Savitar or goes back in time.

The abundance of heart-to-heart talks grated on my nerves too. The CW loves to throw in heart-to-hearts, so I’ve made my peace with the volume. While I agree with Jim that this week’s episode had more than its fair share, my biggest issue is that some of the people involved with these conversations made no sense. Barry tells Wally he can come to him with anything. Really? I haven’t seen those two do much more than exchange pleasantries.

Every member of Team Flash had their share of awkward exchanges to the point where Dr. Alchemy’s poor social skills fits in with the group. That’s right, Alchemy is part of the team now because of Caitlin’s sudden friendship, or at least kinship, with the former villain. You said something you shouldn’t, Alchemy? Don’t worry. Everyone on the team said something that was out of character this week.

The scene where Cisco vibes rubbed me the wrong way too. Not only does each member of Team Flash make headlines, generating the parade route for Flash to crawl its way to Savitar, it’s a cheat for time travel. Barry isn’t technically time traveling, but he may as well be.

Oh, and since when can Cisco bring someone along when he vibes to a specific time and stay long enough for that someone to read a news ticker? And since when can Cisco time vibe in the first place? While Cisco has brought people over from different worlds (with help), he’s never time vibed, let along time vibe with a friend to a specific time and location. That scene’s existence is too convenient. Maybe someone power leveled their role-playing character over the break.

I could go on, but the big take away is that the Savitar showdown isn’t supposed to happen for four months. Four months. Are we supposed to wait four months for anything new to happen? I don’t know if I can make it four months.

Thanks for reading.