Monday, February 23, 2015

The Flash: Season 1, Episode 14


The Flash
Episode Title: “Fallout”
Channel: CW
Director: Stephen Surjik
Writers: Ben Sokolowski and Keto Shimizu
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 43 min
Rated: TV-PG
Original Air Date: February 17, 2015

“Fallout” is the second part of an arc detailing Ronnie Raymond and Prof. Stein's struggles with their new found power. While the episode focused primarily on their situation and the way it affected their loved ones we also got some important moments in regards to Barry, even if he did take a back seat this week.

First, the Firestorm stuff. Following the events in “The Nuclear Man” the audience discovers that Ronnie and Stein have been successfully separated. Caitlin's reunion with Ronnie it touching, although we shortly find that everything might not be as blissful as we thought. Ronnie wants to start over somewhere new, but Caitlin has moved on from his death more than even she knew. She has a purpose now, friends and a mission that she's unwilling to leave behind. Stein on the other hand is exhibiting some interesting side effects from his time in Ronnie's body, notably a craving for pizza, a food he previously loathed. These are just the the first of several consequences for their merging as they can often feel what the other is feeling.

General Eiling has returned, still determined to harness the powers of metahumans to enhance the country's military might. He tracks down Ronnie, and when Barry shows up to save the day Eiling reveals that he's ready for the confrontation and knows the Flash's identity. Although Ronnie and Barry get away, Stein is captured by the general, with in assist from Dr. Wells. I'm honestly not sure what Dr. Wells' motivation was at that moment, it seemed like an off the wall decision from him. Barry and Ronnie swoop in to save the day and Ronnie and Stein combine to become Firestorm once again, with much more control over things due to their acceptance of what's happening. Flash and Firestorm lay waste to Eiling's men and speed off to the lab. It was a fun team-up moment with some decent action, although I would have liked to see them complementing each others powers in some way.

Elsewhere in the episode, Joe revealed to Barry what he learned about the night Nora Allen died. Barry went to Prof. Stein to question him about the possibility of time travel, which seemed a little odd since we had the proof staring him in the face. Later on he becomes determined to alter the course of events and save his mother. Which brings us to the highlight of the episode for me. A speedster abducted General Eiling and dragged him into the sewers. After some back and forth Harrison Wells revealed himself to be the man in the yellow suit. While not a surprise it does give the audience some confirmation of what they already thought they knew. The other moment of import revolved around where he brought Eiling, the lair of Gorilla Grodd. We know that Grodd has reason to hate Eiling, and this gave him a chance to show off his telepathic abilities. I was surprised at Grodd's appearance, which given the budget this show must be given to work with surpassed my expectations. The episode ended with Grodd dragging Eiling off into a tunnel. I hope it's not the end of Eiling, even if he is a rather one dimensional villain he does offer a threat that is outside the norm for the series.

Conclusion: A fitting conclusion to this part of the Firestorm saga, and a proper introduction for what must be the main villain going into the home stretch of the season. Everyone's suspicions regarding Wells were confirmed and Barry found the determination he needs to alter the way things have already happened. The lone weak element involved Iris' decision to begin investigating S.T.A.R. Labs, that aspect of the episode needed more time to develop, which it didn't get.

Rating: 8/10

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