The Flash
Episode Title: “The Flash is
Born”
Channel: CW
Director: Millicent Shelont
Writers: Jaime Paglia and Chris
Rafferty
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 43
min
Rated: TV-PG
Original Air Date: November 18,
2014
A lot
of interesting stuff happened in “The Flash is Born” besides the
obvious, The Streak has become The Flash. First, blogging comes back
to bite Iris, she's used to lure Barry into a confrontation before
he's ready, almost costing him dearly. It was only a matter of time
before the writers used this avenue of attack, I just wish they had
waited until they had a villain of note to exploit that particular
hole in Barry's defenses. Allowing a meathead villain of the week go
that route means that no matter how sinister the next bad guy is,
that course of action will either be closed to him, or it will come
attached to a 'been there, done that' vibe that could have been
avoided.
Joe
and Dr. Wells butt heads this week, and although they appear to have
settled their differences by the end of the episode one has to wonder
if it will be a recurring theme. They are two father figures with
very different methods and goals. I could see them having many mini
showdowns throughout the series, with Barry picking different sides
depending on which one has most recently let him down. The ending
featured Joe getting his own red and yellow lightning visitor, who
issued a threat to stay off of the Nora Allen case or Iris will come
to harm. Joe West doesn't seem like the type of man to cave to
threats, but he doesn't always remain so stalwart when it comes to
his little girl, so his reaction next week is up in the air.
Eddie
featured more heavily in this week's episode, with he and Barry
sharing several scenes. I recognize his last name and what it hints
at, but I'm not sure that the writers are going to go that route. I
feel like this season features several red herrings to keep the
viewers off the scent of what's really going to happen, I'm just not
sure who's the scapegoat or if we've even seen the real bad guy yet.
The one thing that does hint at his eventual betrayal is this sudden
attempt to insinuate himself into a friendship with Barry. I know,
he said he wants to be closer to Barry because he recognizes the bond
that Iris and Barry have, the narrative side effect of this is that
his betrayal will shock the audience that much more.
After
defeating the baddie this week, who just happened to be a bully that
Barry endured during his childhood, Barry UNMASKED and revealed his
identity to the bad guy! What? That bit of writing makes no sense
at all. Barry has done things foolhardy and impulsive, but this is
the first time I can think of that they've actually written him as
stupid. It was a very questionable decision from the writers.
Conclusion:
This was a pretty average episode that sets the stage for some big
things in the future. Joe and Dr. Wells will be a constantly
shifting dynamic that has Barry's best interests in mind, but vastly
different methods of protecting him. The budding friendship with
Eddie just screams inevitable betrayal, but maybe it's too obvious.
Rating:
7/10
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