The Flash (Out of Time) Review Spoilers

Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) coming face to face with Mark Mardon/Weather Wizard (Liam McIntyre)

Time Travel Say What!

The Flash “Out of Time” should have ended with the Huey Lewis and the News song “Back in Time”.  The episode was a great setup episode for the remaining 8 or 9 episodes for the season. The Flash hasn’t only been a successful in entertaining the core fan base but really successful with word of mouth buzz from non comic book fans in general.  The internet will absolutely love the ending of the episode because Barry does break the time barrier.  That’s not even the icing on the cake because the audience learns about Dr. Wells identity and his true intentions.

Detective Joe West was pursuing Mark Mardon and his brother on the night the Particle Accelerator exploded.  The brother shows up in the first episode and Detective West shoots him. West assumes his brother died in the plane explosion caused the Particle Accelerator. Mark Mardon shows back up and seeks revenge on Joe. His plan is destroy everything that Joe loves which includes Central City, Barry Allen, and Iris, his daughter. Cisco finally comes face to face with the Reverse Flash and pays for it dearly. Linda and Eddie have issues between the way Iris and Barry act with each other.

Malese Jow as Linda Park and Grant Gustin as Barry Allen share a moment at the bowling alley together

Before the Time Travel spoiler talk about Dr. Wells, the relationship between Iris and Eddie and Linda and Barry was a predominantly featured in this episode.  The two couples are hitting potholes in the road. Personality, Barry and Linda have great chemistry together as two characters possibly in love really and it makes the episodes much more enjoyable. However, the elephant in the room is The Flash has a 70 year comic book character with a large baggage of history. Barry and Iris get marry in the comics.  Barry’s relationship with Linda is storyline filler. However, Iris at the end of the episodes finds out who Barry is and that he loves her.  The kicker is that she won’t remember because Barry breaks the time barrier.

This is a screenshot taken from the TV trailer. Cisco learns all about Dr. Wells

Barry breaks the time barrier at the end of the episode and travels to a few days before Weather Wizard can destroy the city. This confirms that Dr. Harrison Wells is a criminal from the 25th century called Eobard Thawne. He is the Reverse Flash and has the ability to create mirror images of himself. He reveals that he needs to use Barry’s powers to return to his century. He did kill Nora Allen but was trying to kill Barry. He kills Cisco and Caitlyn Snows knows about his secret too. He doesn’t kill Caitlyn because Barry travels back in time. Barry can alternate the timeline by traveling back in the past. Cisco isn’t going to die because he does show up in Arrow promo. My opinion is that Eddie and Doctor Wells are the same person. The time aspect has always been hinted at and glad they finally got to it.

Overall, The Flash “Out of Time” was a great episode. Every character had a purpose and no one was wasted. Doctor Wells kills Cisco for the moment and reveals himself to be the Reverse Flash. Barry travels back in time.  This episode gets a 4.5 for introducing the time travel power in a clever way.   It was a really fun episode too.

The Flash (The Sound of Furry) review

Grant Gustin as the Flash and Andrew Mientus as Hartley Rathaway/Pied Piper

The mystery of Dr. Harrison Wells is the most significant story line of the Flash’s first season. Is Dr. Wells a good guy, bad guy, or even something more meaningful? Honestly, this episode has confused me on who or what Dr. Wells is.  This episode did give an answer that the audience has wanted to know the whole time. Dr. Wells was wanted the particle accelerator to explode so Barry Allen could transform into the Flash.

Barry Allen faces a new villain Pied Piper.  Pied Piper,Hartley Rathaway worked with Dr. Wells, has the ability to control sound waves and has a vendetta against Wells.  Rathaway told Wells that the partial accelerator could explode and harm innocent people. Rathaway’s revelation causes Team Flash to stop trusting Dr. Wells. Dr. Wells needs to earn back the trust of the team but can he do it?

The writers make the audience question the belief if Dr. Wells is The Reverse Flash.  The Reverse Flash runs with yellow streaks emulating from his body.  The Flash has red waves, and Dr. Wells used his speed in this episode.  His waves were red. The Flash writers are doing a hell of a job to cover up Dr. Wells’ interior motive by working with the Flash.  Who is Dr. Wells? Dr. Wells’ backstory was revealed a little bit with Rathaway and it made the episode intriguing.

Roger Howarth as Mason
Candice Patton as Iris West

Iris starting her job at a newspaper was another positive.  Her boss is Eric Larkin, played by Tom Bulter, and her rival colleague is Mason Bridge played by Roger Howarth.  These are two veteran actors might really develop the Iris character.  Honestly, Iris working in the coffee shop didn’t brother my inner fanboy. I didn’t really care about her becoming a reporter. However, I think these two actors and their characters can invest the viewing audience into the storyline of Iris West becoming a Lois Lane type reporter.

Overall, this Flash episode was a good episode. It was enjoyable, action pack, plot details of Harrison Wells is still shrouded in mystery, and have established more a bonding moment between Barry and Detective Joe West.  Flash “The Sound and the Furry” gets a 4/5 from me.

The Arrow vs. Flash crossover review

Arrow played Stephen Amell & Flash played Grant Gustin

Every Justice League begins with two heroes coming to a kick ass team!

There are events in television history that put the spotlight on a show or two television shows. Star Trek: The Next Generation had a series of episodes where Spock, Leonard Nimoy, was a guest star. The viewership for these episodes skyrocketed. Arrow and The Flash had their first crossover episodes, and it was the first of many.  Essentially what made this crossover so great was the fact every important character from the Flash or Arrow was essential to the storylines.  Felicity and Diggle appeared on the Flash and went to Star Labs while Cisco and Caitlin were hanging out in the Arrow cave in the Arrow episode.  Arrow and The Flash are created and run by the same people. Marc Guggenheim and Greg Berlanti created Arrow and Berlanti went on to be executive producer of the Flash while Guggenheim is the head man at Arrow as of right now.  Berlanti also looking at producing a Supergirl show for CBS. The two producers along with the team of writers for both show were spectacular at making high quality entertaining television for two nights.

Oliver Queen and Barry Allen decide to work together

The first episode of the crossover was Flash vs. Arrow.  The Flash, Barry Allen, has to face an enemy that can cause rage in people. The villain causes people to overstep their emotional boundary and it them to into a Hulk rage. Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, and his team are in Central City looking for a killer that kills people with boomerangs.  Arrow saves Barry and Detective Joe West from trouble. Barry and Oliver decide to find the new metahuman together and defeat him. Detective West and Dr. Wells tell Barry that the Arrow is dangerous and can’t be trusted. Barry has to decide to between working his trusted friend, Oliver Queen, or following the advice of his two mentors. His choice will either strengthen or destroy Barry’s alliance with his team who helps him at Star Labs?

Nick E. Tarabay plays Digger Harkness or Captain Boomerang

The second part of the Arrow vs. Flash crossover had Oliver going after Captain Boomerang. Caitlin and Cisco drop by Palmer Industries to help Felicity with the death of Sara Lance. They want to see the Arrow cave and which Oliver is not to happy about. However, Captain Boomerang shows up at Star Labs and starts to take out ARGUS soldiers left and right. Oliver, Roy, Diggle, and Lyia are on the brink of death when Flash shows up and saves Oliver from two boomerangs.  The Flash and Arrow again team to stop the former suicide squad member. Barry has a huge problem with Oliver’s methods of getting information and this causes friction between them. The question is, will Oliver change his ways or same the stay?

The most positive aspect of Arrow and The Flash crossover was the interaction between the characters.  The banter and conflict between Barry and Oliver was spectacular but the supporting like Felicity, Diggle, Cisco, and Caitlin stood out. Roy was a spectator between the members of the team debating who would win in a fight Arrow or Flash. The stories themselves were good. The first time Diggle saw Barry Allen use his super speed in person caused Diggle to be speechless. Caitlin and Ramon were psyched to see the Arrow cave. Every character was used properly besides a few of them.   The Flash and Arrow showed case their primary attributes that makes them unique.  The two episodes were funny and it is one of the reasons why this crossover got the ratings it did.

The negatives for me were Eddie Thawne deciding suddenly The Flash was a villain and wanting to take him down. It causes Barry Allen gives in to his rage and he nearly kills Eddie. Iris turns her back on The Flash just like that.  For me, that plotline should have happen at the mid-season finale, and it felt like the writers of The Flash tried to have every character be essential to the storyline.  My biggest pet peeve for the Arrow crossover episode was Lyia.

Lyia was almost dead and gone. Captain Boomerang puts a boomerang in her chest and she is at death’s door. I have applauded the creators of these two television shows in the past for killing their characters off. However, the writers of Arrow copped by having the Flash to run Lyia to the hospital so she could survive. Lyia for me is a weak character and really bitchy. She is not likeable. I would love to see her die and Diggle go on vegence streak or turn his back on Oliver. Hell, Diggle could go after Amanda Waller and is also a deceitful troll. Those would have been better options in my opinion instead of having the Flash there to run Lyia to the hospital, and she survives.

Overall these two episode were spectacular and funny. The Flash crossover gets a 4.7 out of 5.

(have links to the two crossover episodes below on the CW site. I suggest watching them because it is like watching a Batman episode with Superman involved.)

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-flash/flash-vs-arrow/?play=bd69b271-88c1-404f-880f-0e23fe34eaf8

 

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/arrow/the-brave-and-the-bold/?play=4254f82b-bf7d-4d18-819b-8e275ab45bec