The Flash Hits Its Stride With “Power Outage!”

The Good: Engaging plots, Cool character work, Good performances, Decent special effects
The Bad: Thematically light
The Basics: Before degenerating into a bloodbath that eliminates some of the most potentially compelling adversaries for The Flash, “Power Outage” builds into a cool story that finds Barry Allen robbed of his powers and his friends held hostage!


In superhero stories, there are some virtually inevitable plotlines or plot devices, arguably the most prevalent is the superhero being robbed of his or her powers. The Flash wastes no time going there and in its seventh episode, “Power Outage,” the result is actually the best episode so far. Entertaining, fast-paced and full of DC Comics Universe allusions to thrill the die-hard geeks, “Power Outage” is a wonderful hour of television. “Power Outage” also manages to utilize a plot device which is typical in super hero stories, but virtually impossible to pull off believably when the superhero has super-speed: the hostage situation wherein the hero’s friends and family are held captive.

“Power Outage” is a direct sequel to “The Flash Is Born” (reviewed here!) and it actually returns Girder from that episode to the plotline, while progressing other elements, like Joe’s sense of fear inspired by his encounter with the Reverse Flash in the prior episode. Realistically shocked by that, Joe is somewhat marginalized in “Power Outage” and the Flash is forced to rely more upon his new, S.T.A.R. Labs, friends than his police comrades and family.

On the night of the particle accelerator disaster, Farooq Gibran and his friends were out across the river, watching the particle accelerator come online. Gibran survived, but was electrocuted and he now has the ability to siphon electricity. Gibran comes to the attention of the Central City Police Department when Barry Allen, Joe West, and Eddie Thwane investigate a severely charred body found in an alley. When Barry encounters Gibran, his energy is siphoned off by the metahuman and Barry struggles with the loss of his super-speed.

Barry’s helplessness could not come at a worse time; the CCPD is preparing a prisoner transfer when Barry loses his powers. As Gibran attacks S.T.A.R. Labs in his search for vengeance against Dr. Wells, causing a city-wide power outage, William Tockman seizes his opportunity, grabs an officer’s gun and shoots two police officers before taking the remaining occupants of the Police Department building hostage. While Iris and Joe fight to keep Eddie alive, after he is shot trying to subdue Tockman, the S.T.A.R. Labs team works to get Barry his powers back. Dr. Wells is especially on-edge as Gibran is in the facility hunting him and he makes a gambit that pits Girder against Gibran and risks the future he seems intent upon creating!

“Power Outage” is arguably the most dense episode of The Flash yet and the packed quality makes every moment of it seem vital. This episode moves forward at a decent clip and while it might not make much of a larger thematic statement, it progresses the plot and characters of The Flash remarkably well. The closest to a statement “Power Outage” makes on more universal themes is “friendship can be a powerful motivator” and given how Barry Allen realized that a few episodes back the fact that the much smarter Dr. Wells realizes it now undermines his otherwise awesome and insightful character.

That said, “Power Outage” is magnificent and it holds together with so much happening largely because of the awesome characters. While Barry Allen is helpless and has to rely almost entirely upon his friends and, in an unexpected twist, his old childhood bully, Tony Woodward, Iris West steps up. Far from being a damsel in distress, in “Power Outage,” Iris West antagonizes Tockman and leaps upon her opportunity to take him down.

While Joe becomes more reserved in “Power Outage,” Dr. Wells reveals himself to a surprising number of people in the episode. In contact with a mysterious new entity, Gideon, Wells is seen out of his wheelchair and he shows his true self to both Woodward and The Mist. Wells is an intriguing time-traveler and in “Power Outage” he continues to illustrate an overt sense of care for Barry Allen while exhibiting sinister tendencies (like trying to understand just how Blackout is able to steal the Flash’s power).

The balance of villains in “Power Outage” is an important component of the episode. Central City’s extraordinary heroes are beset by a metahuman while the mundane allies of Barry Allen are held hostage by an equally-dangerous criminal mastermind. William Tockman is a cool, cruel villain who has only hints of backstory in “Power Outage” (apparently, he was the subject of an episode of Arrow before this) and that he is both able to hold his own against Joe West and Eddie, but has a reasonably flaw (which allows Iris to get the drop on him) makes him seem realistic and compelling. Tockman is a good foil for Farooq Gibran as well. Gibran is broken, but has incredible power while Tockman takes control to hide how broken he is. Gibran is a metahuman who, like Tockman, has an entirely relatable human core and as his feelings of guilt are exposed, his expressions of vengeance make much more sense.

Blackout’s incredible siphoning ability affords Barry Allen the chance to reflect upon just what his powers mean to him. After an early incident when he uses his powers in a ridiculous way to thwart a minor criminal, Barry loses his powers and his dependence upon his friends motivates him to take extreme measures to try to jump-start his super powers. Allen without his powers encourages Wells to push him and the extreme reaction Wells has to Barry not reaching his potential is explained in a compelling way when one of the precepts of The Flash Universe is established: the future is malleable. Wells’ contact with the future is warped by current events and that opens the door to potential storyline which might fundamentally alter and prevent the Crisis which the show seems to be building to since the first episode.

“Power Outage” features decent performances all around. Guest stars Michael Reventar (Gibran) and Robert Knepper (Tockman) blend seamlessly with the main cast. Knepper especially plays off Candice Patton and Jesse L. Martin beautifully. Knepper plays weird, precise and creepy incredibly well. “Power Outage” is also notable in that Grant Gustin (Barry Allen) and Tom Cavanagh (Wells) finally have a chance for some meaty scenes together and their relationship develops as more than just a collection of quips. Gustin and Cavanagh lay down a bedrock for a new relationship for their characters that should credibly lead to Dr. Wells acting as a more active and stable mentor to the energetic young man.

The special effects surrounding Blackout are pretty cool. The special effects end up as the icing on the cake for a wonderful episode that is well worth watching multiple times and is certainly worth returning to!

For other works with Robert Knepper, check out my reviews of:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
R.I.P.D.
Heroes - Season Four
Prison Break - Season 1
Carnivale
"Dragons Teeth" - Star Trek: Voyager
“Haven” - Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

9/10

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

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Two Bottle Episodes Sell The X-Files To Science Fiction Fans: "Fallen Angel" And "Eve"

The Good: Suspenseful and creepy, Acting, Decent enough plots
The Bad: A bit plot intensive
The Basics: Two episodes of The X-Files that effectively scared audiences are brought together on VHS. "Fallen Angel" and "Eve" still freak viewers out!


As I rewatch and perform more detailed reviews on The X-Files, I find myself recalling why I fell in love with the show in the first place. While the first season tends to be a bit rockier than most fans want to admit (given Fox's trigger-happy cancellation finger, it's amazing that the show was ever renewed for a second season, much less a ninth!) and it was far less serialized than it would later become. Indeed, in watching the recent The X-Files: The Truth Is Out There, I was reminded of how much the series was episodic - bottle episodes that were resolved in the single episode. In my reviewing of the entire series, I have often critiqued this as a weakness and it is: that the conspiracy the government was involved in was never clearly figured out by the writers before hand makes the show remarkably erratic when viewed as a body of work.


That said, in the first season of The X-Files, there were some pretty impressive bottle episodes that were remarkably good at what they set out to do. With "Eve," the point was to be creepier than pretty much anything else on television and "Fallen Angel" is supposed to freak the bejezus out of viewers. Creepy and freaky and, yes, both are remarkably successful at what they do.

In "Fallen Angel," Mulder acts on a tip from Deep Throat that sends him to Townsend, Wisconsin, site of a crashed UFO. As the town is evacuated, Mulder attempt to get evidence that the government is covering up not only a downed UFO, but also the presence of an alien life form running around the woods. Unfortunately for him, he is captured by the military forces sent to retrieve the craft and its occupant before he can get anything conclusive. In government holding, he meets Max Fenig, a UFO enthusiast who has been following Mulder's career.

The next morning after his capture, Scully arrives and Max is gone. Scully, deeply concerned over Mulder going AWOL because an FBI disciplinary investigation has been opened against him, tries to convince Mulder to return to Washington to answer for violating a federal quarantine. While leaving town, the pair run into Max, who seems to have a deeper connection to the downed UFO than either Scully or Mulder previously believed!

In "Eve," two identical murders happen on opposite sides of the country involving the exsanguination of the fathers of two little girls. Mulder suspects a cattle mutilation phenomenon related to extraterrestrials, but Scully suspects serial killers working in tandem. The case takes a turn for the bizarre when one of the girls is abducted and Mulder and Scully find the other, who appears to be her identical twin.

The FBI agents soon abandon their theories involving extraterrestrial phenomenon and while Mulder begins investigating a series of cloning experiments while Scully begins to suspect that the girls themselves might be involved in killing their fathers. As the case deepens, the other girl is abducted and the agents are in a race to save both girls' lives before a deranged scientist "cleans up" her past work!

"Fallen Angel" begins a quiet arc that is sustained through the end of the season and almost persists until the very end of the series, which is issues of professional review threatening the X-Files. Because Mulder goes AWOL using government resources, he becomes accountable to a board of review. This means most of Scully's place in the episode is to nag Mulder to return to D.C. so he doesn't get fired and the X-files don't get shut down. This adds an element of realism that is lacking from most science fiction shows, so one ought to be pleased with that. In general, it works, but it does limit Scully some and the way it is played out soon borders on the annoying. In other words, the viewer becomes tired with the supposed dramatic tension of the bureaucracy that holds Scully and Mulder accountable.

That said, these are remarkably tight episodes. "Fallen Angel" presents Max Fenig, someone so crazy and geeky he makes Mulder look normal. Actually, the pairing of these episodes is decent if for no other reason than it effectively illustrates the weakness of The X-Files for the writers who were stuck with the concept. Originally, The X-Files was about alien abductions, even though the writers soon got away from that rigid formula and did other paranormal "freak of the week" episodes.

"Eve" is one such type of episode and the insistence that Mulder find some potential UFO related phenomenon with it seems ridiculous now. Mulder tends to be literate on many different paranormal phenomenon and his insistence that the identical murders at the same time is somehow UFO related plays poorly upon review. In other words, Mulder and Scully are more slave to plot and original character outlines than actually vibrant beings in these episodes, especially "Eve."

But the episodes work other than that. Both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson seem more comfortable with their roles in these two episodes, making for a better sense of continuity on that front when watching the episodes now. Duchovny plays Mulder as smart and intuitive, if a bit insistent and close-minded. He's played without the pragmatism that defined his character early on, but Duchovny seems much more confident with the technobabble than in some of the earliest episodes.

Gillian Anderson is given a truly difficult task, which is to make Scully appear authoritative and in control without making her into a complete pain-in-the-butt or lackey. Anderson largely succeeds by keeping any shrillness from her nagging lines in "Fallen Angel" and contributing quite a bit more in "Eve."

In "Eve," though, it is Harriet Harris who steals the show. An always-busy character actress, she is perhaps best known as the unethical agent Bebe Glazer on Frasier (reviewed here!). She plays Eve in the episode and she is maniacal and twisted in the role. But more than that, she plays other roles which are not allowed to be openly psychotic and Harris gives a nuanced performance to create four different characters throughout the episode. She changes her posture and her vocal tones to sell the audience and she is incredible!

On VHS, there are snippets of "A Conversation With Chris Carter" discussing each episode. They are interesting and offer an interesting view of the episodes from while the series was still in progress. These episodes are for science fiction/horror fans more than those who simply like straightforward drama.

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete First Season, reviewed here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy and the review is available by clicking here!
Thanks for reading!]

"Fallen Angel" - 6.5/10
"Eve" - 8/10
VHS - 7/10

For other television episode or boxed set reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Loud Message About People With Disabilities: "As Loud As A Whisper"

The Good: Acting, Message, Process, Troi's character
The Bad: Thematically heavy-handed at times, Moments of character awkwardness
The Basics: A fair Troi episode, "Loud As A Whisper" tells a story of the basics of communication and the value of diversity.


By this point in the second season of Star Trek The Next Generation, the avid viewer must be wondering if the same person who remembered Counselor Troi existed forgot that Commander Riker did. By "Loud As A Whisper," the sixth episode of the second season, Troi has been featured in a prominent position in three of those episodes, while Riker - essential in the first season - has, at best, had a peripheral role in one. Troi features heavily in this next episode.

"Loud As A Whisper" sees the Enterprise delivering a renowned ambassador to a war torn planet. His name is Riva and he is revealed almost immediately as a deaf mute. He communicates through a Chorus of three people who are able to express various emotions and thoughts he has. When Riva and his people beam down to the planet, the leaders of the different factions arrive and a crazed fanatic attacks the Chorus, killing them. Returned to the Enterprise, Riva and Troi attempt to figure out how to solve the problems of the war torn planet below.

Basically, this episode is a treatise on how alike everyone is. This is a "people with disabilities are just as unique and wonderful as people who have no obvious disabilities" episode. It's a necessary social message and this episode explores that with a relatively sensible amount of liberalism. The problem is that some of the episode gets heavyhanded, such as when Picard grabs the poor ambassador and shouts "We are all in this together!" There are moments that make the viewer shudder.

The strength of this episode is that it actually gives Troi a decent role. Riva and Troi hit it off in a way that is very sensual. We finally see Troi as a strong, liberated woman and one who is more than simply competent at her job. Here she rises to the challenge of problem solving and communicating and her character works quite well.

The episode suffers upon repeated viewings; we know the message the first time around and so much time is spent belaboring that that upon seeing it again the poignancy is lost. This is a good episode for anyone to watch as it focuses on the nature of communication and it is quite explicit about how and why things work. It is not limited to appealing only to fans of Star Trek The Next Generation. But watching it more than twice? Eh. You'll find it less worthwhile upon those other times. I mean, there are only so many times you can learn the same lesson.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

6/10

For other Star Trek episode and film reviews, please visit my index page for an organized listing!

© 2010, 2008, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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