Wednesday, November 16, 2016

The Flash - Shade


As Alchemy reaches out to Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) to embrace his Flashpoint life, the season takes a big turn. Wally will choose to help the group take down the villain, but not at the cost of the speed he so desperately desires. Caitlin's (Danielle Panabaker) powers will be revealed to the group. And Alchemy's boss, the season's true big bad, is revealed to be Savitar (i.e. yet another speedster). The episode is problematic in that its purpose is more to set-up what is to come than offer a strong standalone episode. The result is a metahuman shadow who is more of an afterthought than a legitimate threat while foreshadowing big changes for both Wally and Caitlin in the coming weeks.

Events lead to more moping by Barry (Grant Gustin) who once again has the weight of the world on his shoulders. I wish the show understood that a grim Barry isn't in The Flash's best interest. At the same time the show locks itself into yet another speed villain (while teasing us with a throwaway line about the far more interesting Gorilla City). While Alchemy's motivates were muddled (at best), at least it offered a different type of antagonist for our hero. However, if Cisco's (Carlos Valdes) vibe is to be believed (and there is some question about his interpretation about exactly what he sees) there may be a cold frost sweeping into Central City in the not-so-distant future.

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