Jessie Robertson reviews the fifth episode of The Flash season 3…
Anyone up for a midnight showing of “Murder on the Titanic?” One of Hitchcock’s Best…..
So, this week, The Flash focuses on some of its side characters and it’s really, pretty good! First up is the new Harrison Wells; simply put, this dude is wacky. It’s a testament to the genius of Tom Cavanaugh that he can play a third version, again, completely different with shades of the same person, and it’s so fresh, and funny and you know they really can’t ever have a show without some version of this character. Apparently, he’s just an “Idea man” not really a scientist and I can’t see where it’s going, but they must have ideas for him, but I think it’s great. They tried to give you that suspenseful edge for just a moment that he’s not who he says he is; and he wasn’t, but it was nothing sinister. Wells just crushed it with so many great lines following Cisco’s lead especially “We’re going to Empire it, Empire of the Sun, Barry!” Not exactly, brochacho. Can’t wait to see how his novel turns out.
Then there’s Julian Albert; a side character being played by a very well known actor who got a lot more game time this week and it was looming before that this guy had edges and depth but we really saw it come out here. When Barry pushes him on why the hate for Metas (yes, even The Flash), Julian tells him he’s not going to recount a sob story about how a meta-human killed his family, he just resents what most of them do with the power they were given; he would love to have it to do some good in the world, for mankind. There’s a whole lot going on with him and as he uses deduction and science to figure out our 50 foot Kaiju is really just a hologram, The Flash stops him from doing something that would change his life forever, even without having to go through the transition of being a meta-human. There are a really great progression of scenes starting with him ratting on Barry to leaving to get a drink with him. Well done. (I’m standing up and clapping, take my word)
Finally Ms. Snow (was she ever Caitlin Raymond?) is losing control and she goes to the one person who she thinks can help her: her mother. If Caitlin is slowly becoming Killer Frost, her mother is already there in spirit. She’s a stark, sterile scientist who seems to view her daughter as an experiment when Caitlin reveals what’s going on with her. I don’t think her mother was ever explored before (another Flashpoint change?) but it paints an interesting dichotomy as her mother’s frigid conversation and stare contrasts nicely with Caitlin’s warm and cheery disposition. Her transformation into Killer Frost was something we knew we had to get after the handful of episodes on Earth-2 where we get to see this baddie in full effect; and it looks as if Caitlin could be even more menacing in this iteration.
For a second there, I almost though Wells himself had cooked up the hologram monster to test the team but no, it was a young kid who wanted some power after being picked on in school. Sometimes the Arrow-verse shows really just punch you in the nose with what they’re trying to say, like tonight, as the kid describes his line of thinking, you know this relates to his almost-would-be-killer Julian; but no, go ahead and let him exposition the gist of it right out loud. It’s not just a crime committed on the Flash so I can’t ding it too much.
9/10- an episode with no villain of the week and better for it, although very little Joe this week , which hurts a bit inside
Other Notes:
– Every person on every Earth should know what “Empire” it means!
– I loved H.R. (wells) explanation of “murder on the Titanic”- “Who did it? Who cares? We’re Drowning!”
– What was with the weird nutcase lab assistant to Snow Sr.?
– What little we did see of Joe, I thought it was really strange he wasn’t freaking out more about a giant monster destroying the city???
Well, Until Next Communion…
Jessie Robertson
Originally published November 2, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
