Where last week’s season opener focused on tying up loose
ends, episode two threw us full force into this year’s story. This episode was
more of a setup of what is to come this year, with a good episodic villain thrown
in for effect. It was a tricky episode to pull off. How can they explain the
multi-verse to people who haven’t read the comics? How can there be more than
one Flash and a double of every person on Earth? The showrunners pulled it off
in spectacular fashion and gave us a fun hour of entertainment.
Let’s start with the exposition on what exactly is the
multi-verse. It was so deftly handled with Joe being the audience’s touchstone.
He seemed completely lost about the multi-dimensional paradigm the scientist in
the room were theorizing about. While not many people truly understand what
they are talking about, or that there is an actual hypothesis about this
subject. The show did a good job of explaining the theory in a way that is plausible
and relatable. There are infinite possible earths, but we are only going to
deal with two (or possibly 52) for the show. Jay Garrick is the Flash on earth
two and is here to help Barry defeat Zoom.
This was the only part of the episode that felt a little
stiff and wooden to me. Garrick initial introduction didn’t seem to flow well
with the show. I'm not sure if it was Teddy Sears who
plays Garrick, or just the dialogue, but it didn't seem genuine. It seemed like he was having to force the
lines out. I enjoyed him by the end of the episode and thought the arc of Jay
having to gain Barry’s trust was well done. The part I didn't buy was Iris
kicking Barry into gear about trusting Jay. The chemistry between Barry and
Iris seems off, and maybe it’s supposed to because of Eddy. However it may be
more on the actor level, and nothing to do with the actual show. Hopefully not
because Grant and Candice will share a good chunk of screen together.
A character who did have great chemistry with Barry tonight
was Patty Spivot played by Shantel VanSanten.
She stole the show for me tonight, and every interaction between her and Barry
was extremely enjoyable. I’m not sure how Barry can get gorgeous women to immediately
fall for him, but props to the guy. Patty wants to join the meta-human task force
with Joe, because her father was killed by one of the Mardon brothers. Joe
doesn’t want to give into her, but she proves herself worthy.
Some might take issue with her being captured and Barry and
Jay having to rush to save the day. I didn't mind it, and still think Patty is
going to be a strong presence on the show, not just a person Barry has to go
out and save on a constant basis. She seems smart and capable and will be
welcome addition to Team Flash. I'm not sure what it was about her character that
stuck out to me, but she was a refreshing presence to the show. I thought they
may try to force a relationship between Barry and Caitlin on us, but looks like
she has eyes for Jay. Once they start dating, it should make for some fireworks
when Ronnie finds his way back to earth one.
While I thought they did a good job of explaining how there
could be multiple earths, many things are still unanswered. One big question is
why do other meta-humans from other worlds still have their powers and Jay
Garrick does not? The Sand Demon and Atom Smasher retained their powers why not
Jake? This is too big of a plot hole not to be discussed on the show and I’m interested
to see where they take the story. The second question is why is Zoom bringing
other villains to face Flash? He is obviously powerful enough to take out
Barry, so why not strike now? Other than the obvious fact that there would be
no show without him doing this. Zoom should have a larger plan. I’m sure he
will, and the if last year twists were any indication of what’s in store, it
should be enjoyable This batch of episodes should start to answer some of these
questions and it should be exciting for them to be revealed and answered.
The villain this week was run of the mill, but I enjoyed him
more than Atom Smasher. The CG this week was still a little spotty when it came
to the battles with Sand Demon, but not as comical as last week. They were
still a fun to watch, and the CG didn’t take away from my enjoyment. The
effects that were well done were Cisco’s visions. Cisco finding out he has
powers is fantastic, and I am intrigued to see where they take his progression
as a hero. A couple of the other scenes were fantastic. The initial handshake
between both Flash’s was cheesy, but still uplifting and fun. The nod to the
comics with each Flash walking down the brick wall was awesome. I may not read
the comics, but I knew that was an Easter egg.
The only other strange thing not to be addressed is that
Barry has killed two villains, and not apprehended them. When did it become
okay for Barry to just off the bad guys? Last year they went to painstaking
efforts to capture them and not kill them. This week we just found the easiest
way to defeat the bad dude and proceeded full steam ahead. Don’t get me wrong, the lighting attack was awesome, just not sure it fits. I hope they address
this in the next few episodes. I don’t necessarily care how Barry handles the
bad guys, but it’s an important issue for Barry’s character. He’s not a stone
cold killer, and these deaths should take a toll on him. They may be setting
this up for a story arc during this season.
The second episode of The Flash was strong installment to
the show. While I thought the season premier was ok, this was leaps and bounds
better. It seemed to have a more detailed story and flow than last week.
Nothing seemed jammed in, and it easily could have with the introduction of two
new characters. The show left me wanting next week’s episode to drop tonight,
and that’s the best praise I can give any show. You want to keep watching, even
after it has ended.
What was your thoughts on tonight’s Flash? Did you like it
as much as me or have issues? Do you find it interesting that Barry has killed
two villains, and do you think it will be addressed? Comment and let me know.
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