It's Not REALLY About "Shade" As The Flash Uncovers Its New Villain!

The Good: Decent performances, Good moments of character, Impressive special effects
The Bad: Very scattered plot until it gets where it is going!
The Basics: The Flash develops in a scattershot way before coming together in "Shade!"


Before the third season of The Flash began, viewers had a lot of trepidation about where the show would go. After all, the sweeping DC Comics crossover event Flashpoint was an ambitious piece of writing which was absolutely impossible to execute in the world of The Flash. So, when it was adapted as best it could be in "Flashpoint" (reviewed here!), viewers had to take the word of the executive producers that the events of "Flashpoint" would resonate through the entire season and justify the weird leaps the episode took. "Flashpoint" continues to profoundly influence events up to and including the latest episode, "Shade."

"Shade" picks up where "Monster" (reviewed here!) left off and it is impossible to effectively discuss the new episode without some references to where the previous episode went. After all, in "Monster," H.R. Wells was exposed as a fraud - or simply a writer, not a scientist - and Dr. Snow learned that she could not keep using her powers, lest she be unable to have them reversed (if her mother can even figure out how!). "Shade" resonates with the consequences of the events of "Monster" as well as "Flashpoint." Unfortunately, until the final act, the story truly goes off in a ton of directions - including a particularly banal "Metahuman Of The Week" story - before coming into focus.

Opening with Wally West running through Central City as Kid Flash, Wally is revealed to be only dreaming and he is relaying his dreams to his father, Joe. Joe is instantly made nervous as the types of dreams Wally is having are similar to the ones that Magenta and others affected by Alchemy had before they became super-criminals. At the Central City Police Department, Julian and Barry are visited by D.A. Horton, who reassigns Barry to the Metahumans Crime Task Force. At S.T.A.R. Labs, H.R. Wells is working to revamp S.T.A.R. Labs and the team. Cisco points out that H.R. cannot leave the lab without looking like a confessed murderer. To try to keep Wally West from harm, Barry Allen comes clean to Wally and Iris about who they were in the Flashpoint Tangent Universe.

But soon thereafter, a new metahuman kills a stockbroker; the metahuman appears to be the man's shadow before he became corporal enough to kill him. Investigating, Barry reaches out to Julian, while Cisco becomes suspicious of H.R. when his metahuman power dampening cuffs go missing. While preparing to bring Wally in to S.T.A.R. Labs, Wally collapses after having a vision of Kid Flash being killed by The Rival. Suffering the inadvertent effects of her sudden metahuman status, Dr. Snow turns to Ramon for help and he vibes her future, one where the two if them are locked in mortal combat. While most of the team goes out to a movie in the park night, Wally West is kept in the Pipeline. But when Shade appears in the park, The Flash needs his teammates to stop the new metahuman threat. With Shade defeated, though, Alchemy begins a full-court press on Wally West, so everyone has to close ranks to uncover the new adversary.

The Earth-19 version of Harrison Wells continues to develop in "Shade." H.R. is working to find his place and discovering that the previous version of Harrison Wells, native to Earth-1 confessed to the murder of Barry Allen's parents and he cannot actually leave the lab without looking like him. H.R. gets to play with some Earth-19 technology to get around the problem of having his face out in public, which is fun. H.R.'s idea to lock Wally up in order to keep him safe from Alchemy is a great twist that helps to illustrate to the team how he incepts people with ideas.

"Shade" is one of few Wally West episodes to date. The typical "metahuman of the week" story is diluted with Joe West and Barry Allen terrified that Wally West will be targeted by Alchemy. Ironically, Wally West leaps to the opposite conclusion of logic when Wally concludes that he loves Barry more than him by not wanting him to develop powers. Logic would be that Joe loves him more and wants to keep him safe. Wally being terrified of dying from the potential transformation into Kid Flash finally overwhelms his desire to be a speedster. Through his arc, the viewer gets to see just how Alchemy is influencing people, which starts to raise the profile of this season's new adversary.

The main characters from The Flash who are focused upon are Cisco Ramon and Dr. Snow. Snow's fear that she will become Killer Frost dominates her character arc and her knowledge of Killer Frost helps to nail down some of the details of things that were not changed as the results of "Flashpoint." Ramon being comfortable with vibing is a nice transition; his desire to keep Caitlin Snow safe is one of his most loving acts. The two are finally given enough space in the third season to show off that their characters have an actual relationship.

Joe West and D.A. Horton going on a date moves their relationship along and finally they begin to bond about things they actually have in common. It is refreshing to see as The Flash moves beyond the simple idea that "hey, these are the two age appropriate black people working around one another, we should have them hook up" phenomenon that plagues so much television.

The performances in "Shade" are decent, especially from Danielle Panabaker. Panabaker plays Dr. Snow with more emotional depth than her character is usually allowed and she rises to the occasion of playing an uncertain, deeply wounded version of Dr. Snow as she becomes consumed with fear over who she might become. Panabaker's performance outshines Keiynan Lonsdale whose moral dilemma and torment as Wally West seems like it would dominate the narrative. Lonsdale is cheated out of having the full episode focused on him, but when Wally is tormented by Alchemy, Lonsdale gets to show off more range and physical acting when Alchemy invades Wally's mind.

Jesse L. Martin gives his usual stellar performance playing Joe West as a loving father and an emotional man who just wants to develop a new romantic relationship. Tom Cavanaugh seems to have found his new shtick as H.R. and he is very funny and good in the new permutation of Harrison Wells.

The special effects in "Shade" are good as well, though Shade is defeated pathetically easily. The ultimate conflict in the episode is pleasantly low-tech, until the very final moments and the effects for the new Speedster villain are incredible.

Ultimately, "Shade" is a very satisfying episode that gives everyone in the cast something to do, even if the plot meanders before finally coming to a pretty incredible end.

For other works with Jesse L. Martin, please check out my reviews of:
The Flash - Season 2
The Flash - Season 1
Rent
Ally McBeal - Season 2
The X-Files - Season 6

[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!]

7/10

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

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Masks And Alternate Universes Become Vital When The Flash Tries To "Escape From Earth-2!"

The Good: Grant Gustin's performance, Danielle Panabaker's acting, Plot pacing and reversals, Moments of character
The Bad: Light on theme, Earth-1 villain
The Basics: "Escape From Earth-2" finishes the story begun in "Welcome To Earth-2" and leaves so many more questions for fans of The Flash!


The Flash has been one of the most pleasant surprises on television the last few years. With its second season heating up, the show refocused with a two-parter that put three of the heroes from The Flash on Earth-2. The two-parter that began with "Welcome To Earth-2" forced a conflict between Harrison Wells and Barry Allen and their mutual nemesis, Zoom. Like any two-parter, The Flash ran the risk of setting up something that it could not deliver upon. Fortunately, the show's streak for pleasant surprises remains unbroken with "Escape From Earth-2." "Escape From Earth-2" is one of the rare second parts that lives up to (or exceeds) the promise made in the first part.

"Escape From Earth-2" is the second part of a single story that began with "Welcome To Earth-2" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without some spoilers on the prior one. "Welcome To Earth-2" climaxed with Barry Allen, on Earth-2, trapped by Zoom in a prison with Jesse Wells and a mysterious stranger, while Geomancer menaces Central City on Earth-1. The bloodbath that ended the first episode sets up the foundation for "Escape From Earth-2" and those who have not seen the first part are likely to be lost and confused with just this episode.

Opening with Zoom hunting for Wells throughout Central City, Cisco reunites with Wells at S.T.A.R. Labs. After recovering the Earth-2 Barry Allen, Wells and Cisco escape to the Earth-2 equivalent of the time vault in S.T.A.R. Labs when Zoom attacks. Narrowly escaping the villainous speedster, the trio regroups to try to come up with a plan. At Zoom's lair, Barry consoles Jesse and together they try to learn the identity of the other prisoner Zoom has there. On Earth-1, Jay Garrick fixes the speed cannon and Iris meets her new boss. While Dr. Snow works to create a new permutation on the drug needed to give Jay Garrick speed, Iris West-Allen is reunited with her husband and helps the team formulate a plan to find the Flash. The Earth-2 Barry Allen uses his research to extrapolate a probable location for Killer Frost's lair as their best plan to finding where Zoom hangs his hat.

Encountering Killer Frost on Earth-2 puts Wells and his team in danger, though Cisco manages to reach the Caitlin Snow part of her that remains at her core. Geomancer attacks S.T.A.R. Labs, leaving Snow and Iris to attempt to stop him. In the process, his attack damages the speed cannon and Garrick, Snow, and both Joe and Iris West. While they work to get it fixed, on Earth-2, the team finds Zoom's lair and encounter the villain in a showdown that puts them all at risk.

"Escape From Earth-2" is not overly flawed, arguably because it does not try to be as clever as "Welcome To Earth-2." The preponderance of easter eggs in "Welcome To Earth-2" created some unforeseen issues for die-hard fans (i.e. fans have to accept that Zoom is more powerful than the combined might of the Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Batman?!), but "Escape From Earth-2" is very straightforward. Outside the special effects surrounding Killer Frost's route to Zoom's lair and the somewhat inconsequential nature of the Geomancer, "Escape From Earth-2" is a pretty tight episode.

With Geomancer very easily disabled, "Escape From Earth-2" is preoccupied with teasing the audience. For sure, there is the wonderful motivational speech from Barry Allen to Barry Allen, but the episode is all about jerking the audience around. The third prisoner spells out "Jay" and confirms that he is talking about Jay Garrick, leading the Flash to make some of the least imaginative guesses and suppositions possible . . . and leading fans to cream themselves with new theories about the identity of Zoom. "Escape From Earth-2" is engaging and well-paced and it may have introduced a time-travel element to Zoom's narrative (and, without confirmation, made its own big mistake). But, at the end of it "Escape From Earth-2" does what most great television does; it gets viewers talking and thinking and theorizing.

What makes "Escape From Earth-2" so engaging on its own is the performances. While "Welcome To Earth-2" was heavy in performance moments from Jesse L. Martin, Carlos Valdes and Danielle Panabaker, "Escape From Earth-2" is dominated on the acting front by Danielle Panabaker and Grant Gustin. Panabaker once again absolutely smashes it as Killer Frost. As Killer Frost, Panabaker is able to play a different skill set than she usually does as Dr. Caitlin Snow. Moreover, Panabaker playing double duty as both Snow and Killer Frost allows her to showcase her range and flexibility with performing and she nails both roles with very different emotional levels (and amazing make-up differences!).

Grant Gustin plays the Earth-2 Bartholomew Allen for the bulk of "Escape From Earth-2" and his super-nerd self is dramatically different from the regular Barry Allen and heroic Flash he usually plays. Bartholomew Allen may be relegated to comedy relief in "Escape From Earth-2" and a big dramatic speech, but Gustin makes the role work. Bartholomew Allen feels like an entirely different character and Gustin is the one who deserves the credit for that.

"Escape From Earth-2" is satisfying and entertaining episode that does what its title promises, but also sets up a potentially big de facto third part when Zoom's identity is finally revealed. The dynamic between Killer Frost and Zoom, the budding powers of Vibe and the man in the mask on Earth-2 make for an episode that is exciting to watch and discuss, even if it is generally not very complicated.

For other works with alternate universes, please read my reviews of:
Fringe
"Through The Looking Glass" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"Doomsday" - Doctor Who

8/10

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

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Half Crap, Half Intense On The Flash: "Enter Zoom!"

The Good: Performances, Moments of character, Special effects/latter half
The Bad: Lame set-up, Unremarkable plot construction, First half
The Basics: "Enter Zoom" is an episode saved by its rough climax from being an otherwise preposterous episode of The Flash!


Every now and then, there is an hour of television that is so fractured in its presentation that viewers almost are forced to ask "What the hell did I just watch?!" when it is over. In the worst television, it is because those fractured episodes are just so badly developed that viewers want to know how the executive producers could let the piece see the light of day in its poor form. The Flash is not bad television - in fact, it has been one of the best surprises to hit television in the last two years! - but "Enter Zoom" is not one of its best outings. Watching "Enter Zoom," one gets the impression that the executive producers had an idea of where they wanted the episode to end and they had absolutely no clue how to get there. So, they used the ingredients in the kitchen and the first course turned out terrible . . . but the second course is, to continue the analogy, a culinary masterpiece.

"Enter Zoom" is essentially two stories: one a witless entrapment ploy, the second a fast, brutal, smackdown. For a change, the action portion of the episode exceeds the character-based part of the episode and that is a bit of a conceptual disappointment as The Flash usually relies upon its smart characters fighting metahuman crime in clever ways.
"Enter Zoom" follows "The Darkness And The Light" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without understanding how the principle characters got to where they are at the beginning of the new episode.

Seventy-two hours before Doctor Light appears to thwart The Flash and steal his chest symbol, The Flash learns that Doctor Light had a plan to return home. She tells Barry that she was supposed to throw the chest symbol through the breach and Zoom would come to kill Barry. At S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Snow, Cisco and Dr. Wells hatch a plan to create a weapon that will sap Zoom's speed. At the Central City Police Department, Patty Spivot tries to pursue the Doctor Light case, telling Joe that the villainess can probably make herself invisible. Shortly thereafter, Doctor Light makes herself invisible and Cisco unintentionally lets her out.

The S.T.A.R. Labs team then decides to use Linda Park and Doctor Light's outfit to try to lure Zoom through the breach. When it appears to fail, the team is disheartened . . . until Zoom captures Linda and lures The Flash into a battle with horrific consequences for Barry.

The first problem comes in the episode's teaser. After The Flash so handily defeated Doctor Light at the climax of the prior episode, the opening of the episode does not play with any real dramatic tension or sense of realism. Any fan of science fiction or comic book movies will be able to tell that the event was staged and there is something insulting about half-assed attempt made in "Enter Zoom." Attentive viewers will wonder why no one at S.T.A.R. Labs even asks, "why can't we just throw the symbol through the breach and lure Zoom through?" The whole staged event with Doctor Light is overly complicated, even if Zoom is able to look through breaches (the breaches are a tunnel, ergo they act like a window, not something that has a 360 degree field of vision).

Peppered throughout "Enter Zoom" are flashes to Earth-2 where Harrison Wells interacts with his daughter, Jessie Quick. Wells is wary of Cisco, but Cisco fabricates conditions where he is able to use his power to see Jesse at Zoom's mercy! Cisco outing Wells at the episode's climax plays well opposite Wells outing Cisco for his power in the previous episode.

Also peppered into "Enter Zoom" are scenes with Barry and Patty and they are super-adorable together. Grant Gustin and Shantel VanSanten have amazing on-screen chemistry. Tom Cavanagh continues to illustrate his acting range by presenting Wells as both angry and cocky in a way that his role last season lacked. Perhaps the real performance highlight comes from Malese Jow, who plays both Linda Park and Dr. Light. When Jow plays Park playing Light the goofy quality she plays up is entirely different from anything else she has played on The Flash.

"Exit Zoom" is light on character development, though the episode delves into Linda Park and the lingering anger Barry Allen might possess for not being the one to defeat the Reverse Flash, but it generally works. After meandering through the first half, "Enter Zoom" hits its stride when Barry encounters Zoom and the episode turns into a terrible smackdown. The latter half is devoid of genuine character development, but the progression is fast, brutal and incredibly watchable.

Ultimately, "Enter Zoom" is an unbalanced episode that viewers and fans will trudge through until the second half when their hearts are bound to explode from the fast-paced battle it embodies.

For the other works with Tony Todd, check out my reviews of:
"Flash Of Two Worlds" - The Flash
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
"A Call To Arms" - Babylon 5
"Prey" - Star Trek: Voyager
"Sons Of Mogh" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"The Visitor" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"Sleepless" - The X-Files
"Redemption Part 2" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Redemption" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Sins Of The Father" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
Platoon

5/10

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

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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