"Somethings, You Can't Fight"
The Hype
The Flash is 2 episodes in, we've had a pretty damn good premiere and a pretty OK follow up, However Flash has been performing fairly well. today it was announced that it was picked up for a full season order by CW. Also it was the PTC (Parent;s Television Councils) Pick for best show of the week. It looks like this time we will get our third weekly villain in three episodes, it seems CW and the show runners are in the mindset that they are still hooking fans and don't have enough weekly viewers. Let's find out if Flash is fast enough to catch up with the momentum of it's first episode.
The Review
This week we start off with another lecture/voice-over from our hero Barry Allen, It almost feels like a childrens show, and we're being told what lesson we will be learning this week. Our villain, eloquently dubbed "The Mist" is introduced attacking some very awkward actors. Dear TV, no one calls their uncle "Uncle" and no uncle calls their nephew "Nephew". I mean why do these gymnastics with the script to convey this relationship? especially when it has NO relevance to the story.. Early on we get a reference to the Flash Museum, cute and harmless easter eggs like this can really earn a show some points from viewers with background knowledge, unfortunately I don't think it's going to be enough to redeem this episode.
We are finally getting some more background on The Flash's secondary characters, more specifically Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker). I'm sure this is a good thing as Barry's family is extremely well developed especially considering we're three episodes in. However, I feel almost no attachment to Barry's crime fighting team. I feel as though Panabaker is a likable enough actress, but her character is oddly shallow, her and her fellow STAR employees are lacking some chemistry with the rest of the cast.
The concept of Team Flash building a super villain prison is pretty damn cool, and comes in handy with this weeks villain. "The Mist" is a conscious cloud of poisonous gas with the power to instantly kills anyone who's not apart of the main cast. The actor is serviceable but more importantly he's tense and creepy, in looks and demeanor, and i was glad to see him locked up at Star Labs rather than conveniently killed, to never return again. Unfortunately, the visual effects felt cheap and out of place. Barry breaking into prison feels like a wasted opportunity as virtually none of it was shown, this is even more disappointing considering the line, "I'v been planning this since I was 11".
Finally we get a great little scene between Barry's father and Joe, his father figure. Overall the episode was entertaining enough, but ultimately nothing changes, this entire episode could theoretically be left out completely in a second and/or binge viewing. Outside of our big
(but none too surprising cliffhanger) and our the new super jail, virtually no new information is revealed. The Flash is 1 for 2 and if it doesn't pick up soon, it's going to prove itself just another mediocre series
The Verdict
A lukewarm entry that's more filler than Flash.
6.8/10