Two moments make this episode for me. Two moments turn this from the status quo below average and raise it up from the, lately, standard two all the way up to that coveted “3 out of 5” position. Oops, score spoilers. Also spoiler spoilers. But first I know why you all are actually here:
The episode was incredibly boring for the most part. It was standard Flash fare as of late with a whole lot of nothing going on. Ronnie and Dr. Stein separate and then reform and then separate and then reform. I will give them this: Firestorm looks pretty cool, for the most part. The whole pea coat and/or hoodie instead of costume this is kind of stupid though. I don’t know enough about Ronnie or Dr. Stein to care about them. I also don’t know enough about them to really get the hints they drop about the two of them being “connected” (apparently Ronnie loves pizza and now so does Dr. Stein…?). So, most of the episode was boring, I found it really hard to get into what was happening or find the motivation to care. At this point my brain is primed for mediocrity. One the plus side their stupid coffee shop got shot up. TAKE THAT MILLENIALLS!
Alright, the two moments that made me mark out. The first was when Flash showed up to rescue Ronnie from being military kidnapped. He came on the scene and took out the guards in a way that hasn’t really been done before. He wasn’t just a blur superimposed on some guys jiggling before they fall over. It really reminded me, on a much, much smaller scale, of the scene in Days of Future Past with Quicksilver. It showed an evolution in Barry’s fighting style and it looked cool the way he took all those soldiers out. Those American soldiers. Of course he showed us that he hates The Troops by doing that but that’s fine. Flash is unpatriotic, you heard it here first! Comic Bastards, breaking news and breaking hearts!
The second was the premiere of Grodd! I literally stood up in my living room when that happened. Reverse Flash finally unmasks as Wells. Big surprise, we know it’s him but it’s the first time we’ve seen him IN the suit instead of next to it. Which, side note, I love how they do Reverse Flash in motion, every time I see it I get chills. The glowing eyes, the blurry, constantly moving silhouette and the voice… I don’t know it just hits me in all my fear centers. I really feel Reverse Flash’s powers when he’s actually in motion and not just talking to a computer next to a suit in a case. I kind of forgot that until this moment. Anyway, back to the ape! Grodd! In all his big ape glory, booming voice and all! I stood up, mouth agape, grabbing my hair like Mick Foley just won the belt off The Rock. The only unfortunate part is I just know they’re going to botch it somehow. They’ll tease him too long and stretch it out until I don’t care anymore just like they did with Thea becoming Speedy and Dinah becoming Canary on Arrow. It didn’t take away from this moment though. This moment was great. It was nice to be reminded of the great show I enjoyed so much during the first half of the season.
Score: 3/5