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Thursday, March 8, 2018

The Flash S4 Ep. 15 Thoughts

"Enter Flashtime"

This week's episode of The Flash was by far one of the greatest episodes in comic book TV history. You read that right. This is one of the rare occasions in this particular genre where both the concept and the execution are nearly flawless. The idea of Barry having to deal with a nuclear bomb explosion that has already triggered is something that could have easily been an episode opening mission before getting to the typical and possibly easily forgotten meta of the week. However, the writers saw this to be an entire episode worthy plot which, after watching and gushing over every second from beginning to end, was an excellent creative decision on their part.


The opening sequence alone showing Barry covered in sweat and tears nervously pulling Iris inside of his "Flash time" zone just to tell her that he wouldn't be able save everyone this time shook me to my core. It's definitely in the discussion of being the best opening of the series yet. There are honestly countless of things that I fell in love with during this episode. For example, the idea of Barry needing the help of the other speedsters that we haven't really seen in quite some time like Jessie and Jay to solve the bomb issue all within the "Flash time" space was a geek out moment for fans. We're seeing Barry literally pulling in everyone that he possibly can into his speed-time zone to help him during the bomb's ultra slowed down explosion leaving him at the edge of his wits. I cannot emphasize enough how truly engaging this was to watch with every second passing.


The entire episode acted out as a literal ticking time bomb laid out as a visually slowly approaching impending doom which is, again, absolutely genius for this series to do. One of my favorite things aside from the concept was the fact that almost every single scientific idea that they (some of the most brilliant minds on the show) came up with had serious consequences or risks if they'd actually went through with it. Ideas like time traveling and negatively using the speed force were met with strong opposition and a legitimate explanation as to why they wouldn't be the best choices to exercise. This may be a reference to the complaints about past seasons (Season 3 specifically) where many fans were outraged with how immature Barry seemed with his handling of situations.


If it wasn't clear before, Barry has now significantly matured but he still has much to learn. This is why it was downright genius and crucial having two other speedsters around during this thought provoking conflict. One speedster who is still in her beginning phase as a superhero and the other being a veteran in the game who is essentially on his last outing as such. Getting to see the different ideas, perspectives, and reactions from this ensemble showed the magnitude of the bomb issue while also giving us an even deeper look at how certain characters think during crisis situations.


Not only did this make the episode 10 times more spine tingling dramatically speaking, but it also showed that sometimes speed powers and a scientific background may not be the guaranteed combination to win the battle at the end of the day. Sometimes it takes someone observing on the sidelines to come up with the idea that saves the day. We get to see our speedsters, our God-like superheroes, placed in a situation that even they're not able to outthink and/or run their way out of which powerfully grounds them as human beings. Jay Garrick's age and physique catching up to him during the lighting throwing scene, Jessie not being able to stay in the speedster plane as long as Barry, and Barry himself frustratingly blazing through ideas as he slowly breaks down physically and emotionally gave us a side to our heroes that we've never really seen before. 

What if something as conceptually simple as a bomb going off completely pits all of our meta-human and scientist heroes in a lose-lose situation that they're not able to get out of? It's a captivating idea that, executed correctly, can make for a thrilling roller coaster ride of drama and tension driven character moments which this episode delivered perfectly on.


This brings me to my favorite component of the episode being how much screen time was spent on characters struggling to work out a plan with limited time while each individually getting crossed out of the equation via "Flash time". Visually, it was fantastic seeing this new power presented as Barry is now able to literally tap someone into his realm of hyper speed. However, and what I think is a logical and perfect counter to this, it's only temporary as non speedsters can potentially die due to not being able to physically handle the strain. Within the episode, there's a strong sense of seemingly obvious and perfect ideas being met with dire risks setting this apart from the others. Sure, if Cisco or Harry gets tapped in, they'll definitely solve the puzzle because their highly intelligent right? Unfortunately, that isn't the case here which makes Iris's epiphany all the more satisfyingly surprising.


Speaking of surprising, it's also refreshing and highly admirable that this week's episode had nothing to do with the season big bad necessarily or the traditional "meta of the week" trope. It's a very human villain with a realistic conflict that sets the stage for one of the team's most massive and nearly tragic situations yet. I know I've praised the brilliance of the writing already, but it has to be stated that the usually decent writing on the show has definitely reached a new bar of greatness thanks to this entry. The way that characters are utilized lining up with the overall plot and how it strongly and uniquely affects each individual created a jaw dropping dramatic experience with an explosive twist.


So, with heart snatching performances (especially during Jessie and Harry's end scene), an outrageously entertaining use of a new ability, a furiously intense gallery of character moments, a spectacular visual flare, and a powerful emotional core, this was definitely one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. Considering how all of the elements beautifully comes together delivering an emotional story within its "comic-booky" roots, its a prime example of what shows like this can be while at the top of their game. I now highly look forward to seeing what's next for the scarlet speedster with greater enthusiasm than ever before. 

No Bonus Thoughts/Easter Eggs this week as I really wanted to focus on the core elements that made this episode breathtaking in particular. Consider this a rare exception.

Episode Rating: 10/10

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