Some Spoilers Ahead
The Flash has been a fantastic show since it started, which is a surprise considering most shows struggle in their first few weeks. The only thing that has weighed it down has been some poor villains. That problem was alleviated this week and the visit from Felicity Smoak really spiced up the show. This week was a great episode in a series that is sure to have many more.
The episode gave us the introduction of Captain Cold, who got a name thanks to Cisco. I really liked Captain Cold. He was a strong villain, although he was just a bit of a petty thief in this episode. The character was very interesting, with a lot of mystery behind him. It was made clear that he is very smart and very calculated. That is an aspect of him that could work well in future episodes. He actually gave Barry a real challenge, which is something we haven't seen before. Captain Cold the first really good villain on the show.
The episode brought about the first failure story-line that we always see from heroes. It did have a nice twist, with the killing weapon having been created by Cisco. Captain Cold got the gun from some unknown entity, but that gun was created as a back-up plan if Barry turned out to be a sour grape. It really gave Cisco some really consequences and also slightly developed him more as a character. This was maybe the most we have seen of him that actually holds some meaning. It also gave Harrison Wells a chance to show Cisco his really dark side. We still have no idea what his real identity is, but he obviously cares about protecting Barry when you saw how dark and menacing he was being to Cisco. I wonder when Wells will be revealed.
Felicity Smoak was a great addition to this episode. She never felt shoe-horned in and worked on many fronts. I loved that Iris was pushing Barry to take a chance with Felicity. I thought the double date scene may have been a tad bit too much CW, but it gave Barry and Felicity a chance to bond. I also really enjoyed that Felicity used her experience with Team Arrow to try and bring Team Flash closer together. It seemingly worked for the better. The scene with her and Barry on the train was very sweet. I didn't really feel that that was too much of a romantic kiss, which is a bit disappointing when you see how well these two characters play off of each other. However, they both have a bunch of romantic turmoil in their life and it seems like they would be really great as friends. At the end of the day, we probably won't be seeing Farry.
We also saw Detective West have problems with Iris and Eddie dating. It didn't add much to the episode. I didn't really hate it, but I didn't love it. Iris and Eddie aren't really interesting characters, so that might be the problem. And I don't like the fact that the producers are pushing Jesse Martin to the brink of tears every weak. It doesn't add anything when used poorly like it was this week. Overall, this was just a weak add-on to the episode.
The CGI was a bit off this week. They have usually been able to provide decent effects for a TV show, but maybe due to the seer amount in this episode, some of it was a bit weak. I had a lot of problems with Captain Cold's ice gun shots. Those looked particularly cheesy. The opening action scene was also a bit off. And the train scene was pretty bad, but I will give that a pass, because what show would try to do that? It was pretty ballsy and it worked well enough.
Overall, the episode was the best one we have gotten so far. The villain was great, the action was gutsy, and Felicity Smoak was amazing. I really am excited for this show, and if this is what it is like in its first few episodes, I can't wait to see what this show is when it is firing on all cylinders. Sadly, there won't be an episode next week, but it will return November 11.
The Flash has been a fantastic show since it started, which is a surprise considering most shows struggle in their first few weeks. The only thing that has weighed it down has been some poor villains. That problem was alleviated this week and the visit from Felicity Smoak really spiced up the show. This week was a great episode in a series that is sure to have many more.
The episode gave us the introduction of Captain Cold, who got a name thanks to Cisco. I really liked Captain Cold. He was a strong villain, although he was just a bit of a petty thief in this episode. The character was very interesting, with a lot of mystery behind him. It was made clear that he is very smart and very calculated. That is an aspect of him that could work well in future episodes. He actually gave Barry a real challenge, which is something we haven't seen before. Captain Cold the first really good villain on the show.
The episode brought about the first failure story-line that we always see from heroes. It did have a nice twist, with the killing weapon having been created by Cisco. Captain Cold got the gun from some unknown entity, but that gun was created as a back-up plan if Barry turned out to be a sour grape. It really gave Cisco some really consequences and also slightly developed him more as a character. This was maybe the most we have seen of him that actually holds some meaning. It also gave Harrison Wells a chance to show Cisco his really dark side. We still have no idea what his real identity is, but he obviously cares about protecting Barry when you saw how dark and menacing he was being to Cisco. I wonder when Wells will be revealed.
Felicity Smoak was a great addition to this episode. She never felt shoe-horned in and worked on many fronts. I loved that Iris was pushing Barry to take a chance with Felicity. I thought the double date scene may have been a tad bit too much CW, but it gave Barry and Felicity a chance to bond. I also really enjoyed that Felicity used her experience with Team Arrow to try and bring Team Flash closer together. It seemingly worked for the better. The scene with her and Barry on the train was very sweet. I didn't really feel that that was too much of a romantic kiss, which is a bit disappointing when you see how well these two characters play off of each other. However, they both have a bunch of romantic turmoil in their life and it seems like they would be really great as friends. At the end of the day, we probably won't be seeing Farry.
We also saw Detective West have problems with Iris and Eddie dating. It didn't add much to the episode. I didn't really hate it, but I didn't love it. Iris and Eddie aren't really interesting characters, so that might be the problem. And I don't like the fact that the producers are pushing Jesse Martin to the brink of tears every weak. It doesn't add anything when used poorly like it was this week. Overall, this was just a weak add-on to the episode.
The CGI was a bit off this week. They have usually been able to provide decent effects for a TV show, but maybe due to the seer amount in this episode, some of it was a bit weak. I had a lot of problems with Captain Cold's ice gun shots. Those looked particularly cheesy. The opening action scene was also a bit off. And the train scene was pretty bad, but I will give that a pass, because what show would try to do that? It was pretty ballsy and it worked well enough.
Overall, the episode was the best one we have gotten so far. The villain was great, the action was gutsy, and Felicity Smoak was amazing. I really am excited for this show, and if this is what it is like in its first few episodes, I can't wait to see what this show is when it is firing on all cylinders. Sadly, there won't be an episode next week, but it will return November 11.
Highlights:
| The Score: 9 out of 10 Stars |