The Flash returned this week coming off the tail of an interesting (in theory) encounter with Amunet.  The episode still left much to be desired for many fans due to the poor choreography, and gaps in the plot.  The Thinker is beginning to make his way to rounding up his Rogue’s Gallery.  Will this week’s episode bring more excitement back to the show? Read on to find out.

(Photo Courtesy of The CW.)

Dibny Gets a Suit — The episode opens with Dibny being used as the comic relief as he is shot by a mugger whose bullets are engulfed by Dibny, and shot back.  He does also have a fun moment when he asks when the visiting hours for Becky, aka Hazard, are.  Barry and Iris take Dibny to a hypnotist in order to help him remember what happened on the bus hit by the dark matter.  Viewers see The Crier, as well as the others on the bus during Dibny’s hypnotized state.  This gives them clues as to who they should target, which will get them closer to DeVoe.  This leads them to find Black Bison, who is actually a minor DC character usually portrayed as a male.  Black Bison can use her powers to control statues.  Also introduced in this episode is Dibny’s new costume, which may look a bit campy, yet is actually a great nod to The Elongated Man’s first appearance in the comics. Barry and Dibny have made good foils for each other over the past couple episodes, and tonight added to their relationship as Dibny is humbled when he is at fault for the injury of a young girl during a fight.  This moment leads to him confiding in Barry, which helped helped the two empathize with each other and reminded Barry of his early years as The Flash.

 

(Photo Courtesy of The CW.)

Well, Well, Wells — Don’t get me wrong, I love Tom Cavanagh, but The Flash seems to be overusing previous ideas, and it’s only Season 4.  We have seen a variety of different Wells characters throughout the seasons (thanks to Cavanagh’s amazing range of acting), and they have all worked well due to all of their differences; from serious to the lovable, heroic H.R., but tonight’s episode seemed overboard. Some of the interactions were funny (Wells dropping-trou), but still was unnecessary.  Harry and Cisco did have a good, personal conversation that worked well because it helped add to the continual development of their relationship, which has spanned the past seasons.

(Photo Courtesy of The CW.)

Deceitful DeVoe — “This only ends…with my victory.”  DeVoe spends little time letting viewers know how smart he is and how nothing can match his intellect. He knows that the team will eventually find him, but claims to still be levels ahead of his enemies. I am still struggling with his appearance.   The other  issue that I have is that aside from Dibny, the rogues gallery DeVoe is creating are about as interesting as he is…which isn’t saying much at this point.  Maybe it is because The Flash’s actual Rogue’s Gallery has been established over the decades through the comics, but there is more sustenance to those characters as opposed to those who were on the bus.  There hasn’t been any depth allotted to those characters because they are used as a one-and-done / meta-of-the-week rather than creating any type of character development. It is difficult to invest in characters if they are one-dimensional. My fear is that the season will culminate in the members from the bus joining together to take down the team, yet will end up anticlimactic due to the lack of character depth/development.  I could be wrong (I usually am.  Ask my wife).

The twist comes at the end of the episode when Barry and the team go to DeVoe’s house in the suburbs where he looks completely different in his “disguise” (yet at the same time somewhat resembles a Season 1, wheelchair bound Harrison Wells with longer hair).  It looks as if next week the team will have a much more personal encounter with him, and also figure out that he is a more formidable foe than they expected.

Overall, tonight’s episode was mediocre.  It wasn’t as bad as “Girl’s Night Out”, but something needs to change with if this season is going to improve. Could that change be coming next week?  What do you think DeVoe is planning? What did you think of this week’s episode?  Was a it a hit, or another miss for the season?  What should the writers do to steer this ship back on coarse, or is it still too early to judge?  Leave your comments in the usual spot, and thanks for reading!

The Flash returns next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

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