The Flash is back – is it good again? Reserve the wolf howl for the end of the article.
1. The problem with future time travel
One of the hard things about doing future time travel on a show like this is that you have to nail not just the characters’ current motivations, but walk a line towards what they will likely/could possibly be like in the future. This episode did well in this regard with some characters – HR, Joe, Wally – and terribly in others, most specifically Barry.
Barry is a character that – in many ways – is defined by loss. His mother’s death led to his father’s imprisonment; his father was freed from prison, then left Barry again, then came back and was murdered. In the line of duty, he’s seen lots of compatriots fall. There is a version of Iris’s death that would lead to him saying “I’ve lost too much – I need to step away because I’ve lost everything that matters and I’m a broken man.”
But that’s not how the show presented it. It wasn’t the culmination of a life of loss, it was just Iris. And while, yes, he loves Iris, getting back up from adversity is sort of his whole thing. So, to make this into an instance where he just ‘isn’t strong enough’ is bullshit to me.
Future Barry was the worst for a few reasons (reasons that don’t include his hair – we’ll get to that shortly), but the biggest one is that his solution is always right in front of him. He can time travel! How much better would have 60 year old Barry in 2024 be? He’s that old because he’s spent 30 years trying to stop this, but only 8 years have passed in real time. That is a broken Barry, one whose body can’t take it anymore, who is ravaged by the effects of spending too much time in the Speed Force. Making Barry emo just doesn’t feel true to who the character is, and it never will.
2. The CW loves wigs
I will give Barry this: his hair game is strong. He could’ve been in Panic! At the Disco with that haircut, and it was just silly enough to be hilarious without being so distracting that you couldn’t look at him with it on.
That said, how did it all fit under his cowl?
3. Getting the band back together
The other part of the show that felt off to me was the dissolving/easy reforming of Team Flash. Sure, if there isn’t a Flash (or a Kid Flash), and if Cisco can’t vibe, there isn’t a ton of purpose in the team. But these are folks that spend Christmas together and seemingly have little life outside of their day jobs and their crime fighting. You don’t just turn your backs on that, do you? It seems awfully odd that Cisco and Joe wouldn’t speak, as they are the two most emotional folks on the show, and the people who constantly strive for family.
But let’s pretend that there was a giant falling out, and no one spoke. I don’t know if Barry’s plan to put them in the same room and do some cheesy hands in shit would really turn the tide. This was the showing wanting it both ways, but committing to neither.
4. They didn’t think about Top at all, did they?
Top and Mirror Master run Central City in 2024. Cool. Barry has fought (and defeated them) before. Barry runs into them as soon as he returns, and Top’s vertigo-shit knocks him on his ass. Ok.
So why, when facing them just a few days later, did Team Flash not prepare for Top’s powers…oh, at all? Barry doesn’t even try to look away, he just stares into her (lovely, I’m sure) eyes and glazes over. The team is more than capable of figuring out a strategy, but they were too busy doing cheerleading moves to accomplish such a plan.
5. Who could Savitar be?
So, we didn’t get a glimpse at Savitar, although Caitlin did, and was impressed. So, who would be impressive enough to convince her? Well, now we know it anyone we saw in the future segment, as Savitar is locked “forever” in the Speed Force. So, no Barry, Wally, Cisco, etc.
I’m honestly stumped, and I feel like the show is absolutely hinting that we know who it is.
Any guesses? If so, let me know in the comments!
