"Therefore I Am" Finally Brings A Compelling Villain To The Flash!

The Good: Awesome character progression, Great acting, Good effects, Wonderful direction
The Bad: Disbelief of the Flash team reads as a bit false
The Basics: The Flash creates its best episode of the series with the revelation of the backstory for DeVoe in "Therefore I Am!"


After years of The Flash following a very familiar format in its seasons and villains, there is something very satisfying about the progression of the fourth season of The Flash. Instead of having a Speedster adversary who the protagonist is clueless about, the fourth season of The Flash began with a pretty strong idea of who The Flash would be encountering. Namedropped several times late in the third season was DeVoe and since the fourth season began, The Thinker has been seen building an elaborate trap for The Flash. By the seventh episode, "Therefore I Am," Barry Allen is coming face to face with the DeVoe he has sought since Ralph Dibny mentioned him.

"Therefore I Am" picks up where "When Harry Met Harry. . ." (reviewed here!) left off and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without some references as to what happened in the prior episode. After all, "When Harry Met Harry . . ." was preoccupied (occasionally) with trying to narrow down the thousands of options of people named "DeVoe" to the one most likely to be the adversary of The Flash. The prior episode climaxed with Barry Allen and Joe West arriving at the door of Clifford DeVoe.

Four years ago in Central City, Clifford DeVoe is teaching at Central City University, where his students are uninterested. DeVoe shows his wife the prototype for his thinking cap and asks her to build it for him so he might better be able to think and interface with his students. In the present, Allen and West interrogate DeVoe and his wife. Despite DeVoe giving many of the right answers, Barry suspects that he is the right suspect for their emerging villain. After ruling Clifford out as a metahuman, Iris suggests to Barry that he is just having pre-wedding jitters.

On the night of the S.T.A.R. Labs accident, Clifford DeVoe attempts to take advantage of the dark matter explosion by harnessing the power of the event to fuel the thinking cap his wife built for him. DeVoe visits the Central City Police Department where he files a complaint against Barry for harassing him. When the camera in the samauroid head goes active, Barry sneaks into the DeVoe home. That gets Barry a restraining order and his friends turn against him.

Almost immediately, "Therefore I Am" sends up a red flag for the continuity police. Clifford DeVoe and his wife are super-geniuses who were working in Central City at the time of the dark matter accident. People like Stein, Raymond, and Dibny were all on the S.T.A.R. Labs radar when the accident occurred. So, how Clifford DeVoe and his wife were not approached by S.T.A.R. Labs to work for them seems suspect. Fortunately, in the course of "Therefore I Am" S.T.A.R. Labs and the accident are addressed, including the rather sensible moment when the time traveling Eobard Thawne subtly acknowledges that he knows who DeVoe will become.

The real joy of "Therefore I Am" is that it unfolds in an incredibly compelling and engaging way. Barry Allen has his guy from minute one and the investigation into DeVoe and his wife follows a methodical and interesting journey for revealing what the audience pretty much already knows. The episode follows Barry Allen doing actual policework to investigate and prove his hypothesis, while flashbacks provide explicit backstory information.

The unfolding of the mystery in "Therefore I Am" well-executed and the episode's direction is quite good. David McWhirter seems to give viewers the answers early on in the form of Cisco's vibe, but the progression of the episode is engaging.

It is only in the episode's final third that the pacing starts to lag and the episode starts to feel like it is headed off the rails. Clifford DeVoe's motivations are not clear - how he developed from the professor who wanted to save the world into the bald man confined to the futuristic chair (until the end when it becomes clear that is simply a lifesaving measure) - outside his frustration. It is as the episode progresses that it suddenly seems ridiculous that at no point did anyone on Team Flash actually ask what it was that DeVoe did that was so bad.

DeVoe is characterized well by "Therefore I Am" and it is instantly refreshing to see a "villain" who has his own support network and love in his life. That sets him apart and the result is that outside the utter disbelief of Barry Allen's friends, "Therefore I Am" builds to a truly compelling and engaging episode that is almost perfect!

9.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Triggers" Would Be Fine Supergirl . . . Had The Flash Not Beaten The Show To The Punch.

The Good: Acting, Special effects
The Bad: Entirely derivative plot, Glossed-over character conflicts and characterizations
The Basics: Supergirl presents an entirely familiar Metahuman Of The Week episode with "Triggers."


As is the trend with superhero television shows - both from the DC and Marvel Television Universes - the season might have lesser adversaries that endure for only a single episode, Supergirl tends to have a villain intended to ride out the bulk of the season. The third season of Supergirl is poised to feature Reign as its primary adversary and by the second episode, all that the viewer has seen of her is that she rescued her daughter from being crushed with what appears to be superhuman strength. Having read some Supergirl graphic novels, but not recalled at all Reign from them, I was eager to see how Supergirl would characterize and reveal Reign. All that viewers truly know is that Samantha Arias has super strength and that she is probably the Kryptonian alluded to in the final season of the second season finale.

"Girl Of Steel" (reviewed here!) led into "Triggers" and it almost instantly calls back to the events of the season premiere. Samantha Arias is confronted early on about her saving her daughter and she brushes it off and Lena Luthor arrives at CatCo, which she bought at the climax of the prior episode. The serialized elements in "Triggers" are minimized as the episode very quickly turns into a Metahuman Of The Week villain episode.

After the main characters wake up for the day, Samantha Arias goes to start her first day of work at a new job. Lena Luthor arrives at CatCo, much to the chagrin of James Olsen, to take over as the new CEO. Arriving at the DEO, where Detective Sawyer and Alex are arguing about wedding music, Supergirl learns that there is a thief in National City who has hit multiple banks by incapacitating the people in the banks. Supergirl attempts to intervene and stop the bank robber, Psi, but she is affected by Psi's power to manipulate emotions. When Kara is terrified by Psi and sees her mother and the crippling loneliness of being alone in the pod launched from Krypton, she turns to Winn for help in developing a psychic shield.

When Samantha's daughter shows rebellious tendencies because her mother is lying to her about her super powers, Samantha has to go looking for her. Kara, stressed over Lena actually keeping tabs on her at work, turns to Alex for emotional support. Psi continues to terrorize National City by robbing banks and stealing cash bags from armored car companies. When Psi attacks people near where Samantha's daughter has run, Samantha is called to rescue Ruby. Before Samantha can be outed, Ruby is rescued by Supergirl.

"Triggers" is an all right episode of Supergirl, but for anyone who is a fan of the DC Television Universe, it is entirely derivative. Psi is a metahuman and when Winn references the metahuman database, one has to assume that that was a gift from Cisco as a footnote in last season's crossover episode. Metahumans are not a typical problem on Supergirl, so the moment Psi pops up and is revealed to not be an alien it sits poorly with the viewer. Beyond that, Psi is essentially a recast of Roy G. Bivolo from The Flash episode "Flash Vs. Arrow" (reviewed here!). Roy altered emotions with a flash of his eyes and robbed banks . . . Psi does the same thing, without the flash of her eyes.

Somewhat disappointing in "Triggers" is that Kara is affected by Psi's powers the exact same way as humans. The episode does not offer a satisfactory explanation for why the metahuman's power has an effect on Kryptonian biology.

The acting in "Triggers" is solid, save that once again Katie McGrath's British accent makes an unexpected appearance. Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh have good on-screen chemistry and their scenes are well-executed. Regardless of how absurd it might feel that Psi is able to manipulate Supergirl using her psychic powers, Benoist plays shaken and horrified incredibly well. Jeremy Jordan does an excellent job in "Triggers" of providing a reasonable level of comic relief.

Unfortunately, "Triggers" does not leave much for the viewer to consider as it is almost entirely derivative. J'onn J'onzz is used for humor and then set up in an awkward way and Psi is a terribly generic villain of the week. The episode is forced to resolve the Psi conflict fast, as opposed to actually wrestling in a compelling way with the feelings and memories Psi's powers bring up in Supergirl.

For other works with Odette Annable, please visit my reviews of:
Cloverfield
Transformers
The Holiday

3.5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Flash Crosses The "Finish Line" With One Of The Best Episodes Of The Season!

The Good: Wonderful performances, Cool special effects, Good character moments
The Bad: All the characters become idiots for the season's final problem, Plot of the final few minutes of the episode
The Basics: The Flash ends its third season at "Finish Line," which is a surprisingly smart and well-executed episode!


The third season of The Flash arrives with "Finish Line" and it is a tough finale to get excited about. The big question for fans of The Flash is: will the writers and executive producers actually kill Iris West off or will the status quo be restored by the end of the season's final episode. The thing is, as "Finish Line" begins, the episode has the feel of being one where Barry Allen will either risk creating another paradox or the episode will hinge on a reveal that explains how Iris West was not actually murdered in the prior episode. Well before "Finish Line" began, the logic of creating a temporal remnant of Iris West made the most sense for setting up the long-awaited murder scene and given that in the prior episode, Iris West went to Earth-2 (where speedster Jesse Quick could, conceivably, help her create a temporal remnant), the clues to the easy resolution seemed to be in place already.

"Finish Line" was led into by "Infantino Street" (reviewed here!), which saw Savitar killing Iris West, almost exactly the way The Flash watched it happen months before. When Dr. Brand's Speed Force Bazooka fails to stop Savitar and Iris West is killed, all looks bleak for the S.T.A.R. Labs team. Thus "Finish Line" is instantly burdened with either committing to Iris's murder or finding an inventive way to undo it. Fortunately, it does.

Iris lays dead on Infantino Street, with the rest of the S.T.A.R. Labs team shocked at their failure to save her. H.R. used a holographic generator to replace Iris West, however, and he was sacrificed in Iris's place. H.R. gives inspiring words to Dr. Brand and Barry to deliver to Cisco before he ultimately dies. The Flash returns with Iris and Joe to S.T.A.R. Labs and the time vault where it appears history has been restored. Savitar prevents Killer Frost from killing Cisco because he needs the scientist to build something for him. Savitar wants to have Cisco alter the Speed Force Bazooka to splice himself in every moment in time to make him godlike and rectify the paradox.

Dr. Albert returns to S.T.A.R. Labs with a cure for Dr. Snow's metahuman DNA and Savitar uses that knowledge to extort Cisco into helping him with his work. Trying to save Savitar, Barry Allen approaches his future self and attempts to appeal to his humanity. Future Barry returns to S.T.A.R. Labs with Barry and Iris appeals to Barry. Dr. Brand is reticent to help Future Barry, so Iris turns to Harrison Wells from Earth-2 to try to appeal to her. But when Savitar recognizes that his own existence is not likely to be a happy one, he turns on the S.T.A.R. Labs team. That allows Team Flash the chance to band together to desperately attempt to stop Savitar one last time.

"Finish Line" is one of those rare episodes of television that manages to make a phenomenal and engaging end to a dog of a season. The third season of The Flash was riddled with conceptual problems and had a number of episodes that were just awful. As a result, the bar was set terribly low for the season finale, but "Finish Line" managed to exceed all expectations - up until the final scene.

The moment the reversal in "Finish Line" is revealed in the teaser, the finale for The Flash falls under a different burden; when Barry and Iris are reunited, Savitar will know that Iris is still alive. When that happens, Savitar should be consumed by either a paradox wave, time wraiths or the Black Flash. "Finish Line" addresses the paradox of Savitar, but it does not have the massive effects of Eddie Thawne killing himself to erase Eobard Thawne from existence.

What is refreshing about "Finish Line" is that the episode commits early on to not being a super hero slug fest. The best moments of the episode occur when Barry stands opposite his future self and has a conversation about a deeply human moment they both remember. The conversation has its desired effect and the episode spends much more time making intellectual arguments and character-based appeals than it does delving into science fiction device problems. In fact, the philosophical questions raised by Future Barry about what his place is in the world are very smartly delivered.

In fact, the power of Grant Gustin's performance in "Finish Line" comes when Future Barry Allen delivers a monologue where Gustin moves the idea of continuing his existence forward in the most minute of degrees. Future Barry's slow realization is incredibly well-executed in its subtlety. The realism of that moment is expertly executed.

While most of "Finish Line" is absolutely wonderful, the threat that is established in the episode's climax is increasing in magnitudes before the team is able to even identify it . . . it takes a convenient pause in its logarithmic development for an extended coda scene. Between that and the fact that the ultimate problem appears without any of the supposedly-smart characters attempting to head it off (most of the people in the climactic battle with Savitar knew of the issue presented by the appearance of one of the characters in that battle, yet none of them thought to attempt to put Savitar back within the Speed Force prison?!).

Despite the minutia, "Finish Line" is a (mostly) satisfying end to the troubled season and it is enough to remind viewers why they fell in love with The Flash in the first place.

For other DC Television Universe season finales, please check out my reviews of:
"Fast Enough" - The Flash
"Legendary"- Legends Of Tomorrow
"The Race Of His Life" - The Flash
"Aruba"- Legends Of Tomorrow
"Nevertheless, She Persisted" - Supergirl

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into The Flash - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

8/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Cause And Effect" Diverts From The Threat Of Savitar For An Amnesia-Filled Love Episode Of The Flash!

The Good: Decent performances, Good special effects, Interesting character interactions
The Bad: Ultimately simple plot, Killer Frost's subplot is very unsatisfying.
The Basics: The Flash makes a satisfying, but contrived, amnesia episode with "Cause And Effect."


By the time "Cause And Effect" comes up in the third season of The Flash, you've either been watching or you haven't. But given that the Big Bad of the third season of The Flash was finally revealed in "I Know Who You Are" (reviewed here!), it is impossible to talk about "Cause And Effect" without references to the episode that preceded it. "Cause And Effect" very naturally deals with Barry Allen wrestling with figuring out Savitar's mundane identity and working yet again to change the future by stopping Savitar.

"Cause And Effect" finds the heroes wrestling with the threat of Savitar that is looming above Iris West and the immediate threat of Killer Frost. The plot cards are stacked for the resolution to the Savitar arc as Dr. Tracy Brand has come into the narrative and she is known to be the person who ultimately allows The Flash to defeat Savitar. So, "Cause And Effect" begins with bearing the burden of starting to explain in a satisfying way just how Barry Allen developed into Savitar. And "Cause And Effect" pretty instantly explains the nature of Savitar.

Barry Allen confronts the burned version of himself, who has stepped out of the Savitar suit, and recognizes him as a temporal remnant. The Savitar version of Barry Allen reveals that Barry attempted - much like he did with Zoom - to create temporal remnants to set against Savitar and one was left alive . . . in order to eventually become Savitar. Returning to S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry reveals Savitar's identity to his team and Wally worries that the temporal remnant has no reason to go after Iris or the rest of the team. Cisco decides that the best way to defeat Savitar is to prevent Barry from making new memories - thus preventing Savitar from having the memories that Barry is making in his quest to stop Savitar.

Unfortunately, the procedure goes horribly wrong and Barry loses much of his long-term memory. Iris talks down the freaking-out memoryless Barry, while Joe freaks out on Cisco. When D.A. Horton needs Barry for something at the CCPD, Iris and Joe take Barry to her. Horton needs Barry to testify in an arson case that Allen was the C.S.I. on. At S.T.A.R. Labs, H.R. and Dr. Brand bond over coffee while trying to figure out the new Speed Force Bazooka. Killer Frost is unsettled when she discovers that Savitar has lost his memory. Julian Albert and Cisco Ramon attempt to use technology to feed Barry information on the stand, but it goes very wrong for him. The S.T.A.R. Labs team gets unlikely aid from Killer Frost in getting Wally's speed back and restoring Barry Allen's memory. When Heat Monger attacks, Barry leaps into heroic action . . . even though he is not sure of exactly how to do what The Flash does!

"Cause And Effect" does more than simply explain the nature of Savitar. Barry Allen moralizes about all of the times he has wanted to repay the violence he encounters with further violence and that creates an interesting philosophical moment for Barry. Barry is now able to see exactly what happens when he steps over the line and seeing what he could become horrifies and saddens him.

When the episode moves into Barry Allen as amnesiac, "Cause And Effect" actually provides the viewer with the first truly substantive romantic episode for Barry and Iris of the third season. For the first time in an very long time, Candice Patton and Grant Gustin are able to illustrate their amazing on-screen chemistry. Patton is able to play Iris as very organically falling in love with Barry Allen in a way the show has not devoted real time to in the past. Recalling previous experiences together, Iris and amnesiac Barry begin to actually bond again and it is incredibly satisfying to watch in "Cause And Effect." Seeing Barry happy actually causes a fairly compelling conflict for Iris.

In a similar vein, when Killer Frost comes into the picture at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco attempts to revive Dr. Snow's good memories. In "Cause And Effect," Killer Frost insinuates that Savitar has something she wants. Until Killer Frost mentions that, Ramon's attempts to make Dr. Snow resurface seem reasonable and good. In fact, Ramon's calm conversation with Killer Frost, especially with Dr. Albert present and contributing makes Snow's failure to revert frustrating to watch. In fact, it is only in the rejection Killer Frost makes of the S.T.A.R. Labs team that hints at why Killer Frost would actually remain Frost instead of revert to Dr. Snow and, given the amount of time since Ronnie Raymond's death, it feels particularly unsatisfying and contrived.

Ultimately, "Cause And Effect" is a simple episode and the Barry and Iris moments save the average episode from being something less-than, but even in the episode's climax, attentive viewers are left with one nagging question that makes the Savitar arc feel inherently frustrating. Barry Allen was willing to go to the future to get information and in "Cause And Effect," Dr. Brand manages - with H.R.'s inspirational aid - to make a grand technological leap forward. But when "Cause And Effect" sets up one incredibly contrived solution to the problem, viewers are left wondering about the unasked contrivance; why doesn't The Flash just steal Dr. Brand's Speed Force Bazooka from the future?!

As such, "Cause And Effect" is enough to make viewers remember how they ever fell in love with The Flash . . . and then mortgage that by making us recall just what made us come to be indifferent to the convoluted problems faced by the S.T.A.R. Labs team.

For other episodes of The Flash with Tobin Bell, please visit my review of:
"Flashpoint"
"Paradox"
"Magenta"
"Shade"
"Killer Frost"
"The Present"
"The Wrath Of Savitar"
"Into The Speed Force"
"The Once And Future Flash"

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into The Flash - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

5.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"The Martian Chronicles" Is "The Adversary" For Supergirl!

The Good: Good performances, Good moments of character
The Bad: Entirely derivative plot, Some truly unimpressive fight scenes
The Basics: Supergirl continues fairly well, albeit in a very derivative way, with "The Martian Chronicles."


The problem with having a truly great episode of television is that it is hard to follow up on it. The unfortunate truth of achieving perfection - or something very close to it - is that there is nowhere to go but down. Supergirl had a series high with "We Can Be Heroes," but that episode came around the middle of the second season. As a result, it was hard to believe the rest of the season could truly be as good. The episode that had the unfortunate "honor" of following "We Can Be Heroes" was "The Martian Chronicles." "The Martian Chronicles" is not bad, but genre fans will find it immediately familiar; this is the Supergirl rewrite of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Adversary" (reviewed here!).

"The Martian Chronicles" picks up shortly after "We Can Be Heroes" (reviewed here!) and is preoccupied with the J'onn J'onnz plotline from that episode. Having made peace with the White Martian M'gann M'orzz, J'onn J'onnz now has an emotional attachment to the defector White Martian. "The Martian Chronicles" finds M'gann in peril and J'onn J'onnz must step up with the DEO to save her!

Kara visits the alien bar, where Mon-El is working as a bartender, a few nights after Mon-El was honest with his feelings to Kara. Kara is almost immediately as disappointed as Mon-El when Alex cancels their annual birthday plan so Maggie can take her to a Barenaked Ladies concert. Outside the bar, M'gann recognizes J'onn in the form of a homeless man and confronts him . . . moments before a White Martian attacks them both. Supergirl rescues the Martians, but the White Martian escapes. Returning to the alien bar, M'gann is confronted by the White Martian who is hunting her, her former husband, Armek.

But when Armek invades the DEO, the few people at the facility turn on one another in paranoia. Armek takes the form of one of the DEO agents and in trying to determine who in their midst is a White Martian, Armek manages to (essentially) set off a self-destruct mechanism. With fifteen minutes until the DEO building explodes (and destroys ten city blocks), Supergirl and her friends try to hunt the White Martian.

"The Martian Chronicles" establishes that Mars in the Supergirl world is populated entirely by White Martians. Mars is not barren, as most of the DC Comic book universe has established; in Supergirl, the White Martians won in their genocidal quest to eraticate the Green Martians. Armek has a government that he works for and he has a grudge against M'gann that has been fueled by continued dogma.

Kara's opening attempt to relate to Mon-El and let him down easy is particularly artless. More than that, Supergirl falls into a very standard trap of having people deliver critical information in insecure places. Kara does not know the capabilities of all of the various aliens in the bar and it seems very foolish for her to talk to Mon-El about her secret identity in a room full of aliens who might be able to hear them. In fact, given that Kara knows M'gann is a telepath why would she even risk thinking about her identity as Supergirl around her?!

Apparently, online, there has been a strangely strong backlash against the Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyer relationship and it is tough to see why in "The Martian Chronicles." In "The Martian Chronicles," Danvers and Sawyer have a surprisingly mature, emotionally smart relationship that is hard to find any possible objection to. Maggie clearly loves Alex and she works hard to look out for her emotional health. What is not to love about that?! Chyler Leigh and Floriana Lima have great on-screen chemistry in "The Martian Chronicles," even if they are not given a lot of passion to play, instead playing a very mature and sedate side of romance.

Sharon Leal is good as M'gann in "The Martian Chronicles." Leal has the chance to perform with a decent amount of emotion in the episode and she plays off David Harewood incredibly well and stands on her own nicely.

Unfortunately, though, outside the few moments where characters talk with one another about their relationships, it is impossible not to watch "The Martian Chronicles" and feel it is way too familiar. Seriously, this is "The Adversary" for Supergirl. Plot moments in "The Martian Chronicles" come up at incredibly similar points to the same key moments in "The Adversary." There is the paranoia during the test (it's a fire test in "The Martian Chronicles" as opposed to the scan in "The Adversary"), the exposing of the White Martian during the test and the body of the person being used by the White Martian is found right around the same time in the episode as Bashir stepped out of his cabin in "The Adversary." It's virtually impossible for genre fans to not yell "No Changeling has ever harmed another!" as the climactic scene comes in, essentially, the DEO engine room.

The character moments - especially between Kara and Alex - are all that saves "The Martian Chronicles" from being entirely a festival of eye rolling. Having characters who actually discuss their feelings, played by people who are able to credibly emote a bond between each other, is refreshing to see and well-executed in "The Martian Chronicles." Despite that, "The Martian Chronicles's" derivative nature makes it virtually impossible to recommend to those who might be predisposed toward a good doppelganger story.

For other works with Terrell Tilford, please visit my reviews of:
"Melinda" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Serenity
"Divergence" - Star Trek: Enterprise
"Affliction" - Star Trek: Enterprise

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Supergirl - The Complete Second Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the sophomore season of the Kryptonian superheroine here!
Thanks!]

5.5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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