The Flash Review: Episode 1×03 - “Things You Can’t Outrun”

Green Mist, Joe West ‘Pep Talk,’ and Harry Allen ‘Story-time’ highlight this week’s “The Flash”

Barry’s adversary of the week on The Flash, Kyle Nimbus, introduces himself by offing the Darbinian crime family with some green gas that seems to have a mind of its own. Dr. Wells and the rest of the team work together to begin converting the particle accelerator into a prison that will be able to house meta-humans, once a few extra modifications get put in. All this drudges up some painful memories for Caitlin, thus introducing us to her fiancé Ronnie Raymond via flashback. As for Iris? She’s still creeping around with Eddie, but he’s getting tired of all the secrecy. Will their relationship make it? How will Barry handle Kyle’s gas? Let’s discuss!

Feel That Heat

Throughout a series of flashbacks, we watch the events leading up to the explosion of the particle accelerator that seemingly killed Caitlin Snow’s fiancé Ronnie Raymond. The scenes of a happy couple playfully bickering over a honeymoon destination gave us a better perspective on Caitlin so we better understand the loss she has suffered and the walls she has built to shield herself. In just a short amount of time, Robbie Amell endeared Ronnie to us through a heartfelt display of heroism as he willingly put himself in the line of fire to save the lives of everyone else at the lab. Director Jesse Warn made great use of the shaky cam and flashy lights, which added another level of chaos on top of all the panicked characters running around. The floating champagne was a visually appealing “calm before the storm” before the alarms started blaring.

“We were very different. You might have noticed I can be a bit guarded. Ronnie knew how to make me laugh. He used to say we were like ‘Fire and Ice.’ He wasn’t supposed to be there that night.” ~ Caitlin Snow

All the drudged up emotions from the memories of Ronnie’s death allowed Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes to further develop their characters. Panabaker brought more emotion and vulnerability to Caitlin Snow than we’ve ever seen before. Valdes played Cisco as more serious when struggling with guilt over Ronnie’s death, a nice change of pace given how happy-go-lucky Cisco is. Writers Alison Schapker and Grainne Godfree crafted a heartfelt story of bonding between Barry and Caitlin that stemmed from their shared experiences of losing loved ones. But perhaps what we most loved was their ‘Fire and Ice’ line, as it was an exciting nod to the eventual destinations of those characters: Ronnie Raymond as one half of ‘Firestorm’ and Caitlin Snow as ‘Killer Frost.’ Ronnie’s dramatic introduction to the show has greatly upped the anticipation to see him return.

Joe West, Wisest Of Them All

As if we weren’t still reeling from that emotional scene between Barry and Joe last week, yet again we find ourselves moved by these two. Joe has agreed to help Barry out with trying to get his father out of prison, but Barry struggles with the temptation to just break him out, a task he could do easily with his newfound speed. Not only is Joe’s speech to Barry well-written, Jesse L. Martin performs it with the utmost excellence. We love seeing Joe as this moral center that gives Barry guidance, further enhancing their father/son relationship. Composer Blake Neely‘s score here is made up of mostly strings with little movement sprinkled with piano and what this does is create a steady mood, keeping us grounded in the deeper discussion of morality, personal struggles, and the wisdom being imparted from Joe to Barry. When Barry later echoes Joe’s advice to Caitlin, “Some things you can’t fight,” it emphasizes how much of an influence Joe has on Barry and how much Barry values Joe’s advice, making their relationship all the more compelling.

“You think I don’t understand what you’re feeling? I have been a cop for almost as long as you’ve been alive so you should know, putting on that suit does not make everybody safe. For every person you save, there’s gonna be somebody you can’t. And the hardest thing you’re gonna have to face is not some monster out there with powers, it’s gonna be that feeling of uselessness when you can’t do anything, or the guilt that weighs on you when you make a mistake. Some things, Barry, you can’t fight. Some things you just have to live with.” ~ Joe West

Where Are You Running To?

Barry Allen is so spoiled; he has TWO incredible fathers! We were ready to get into the villain of the week but first we have to discuss Henry Allen. When Joe comes to visit Henry at Iron Heights Prison, he brings news that he will be reopening Henry’s case, as he now believes Henry is innocent, and to apologize for all the years Henry has spent behind bars for this crime. What’s Henry’s response? “It doesn’t matter that you didn’t believe in me because you always believed in my son.” The fact that Henry’s first priority is and always has been Barry is what makes him such a remarkable character. It’s such a treat to have two men with strong integrity, and it paves the way for Barry to follow in their footsteps and come into his own as a hero.

Now on to the scene towards the episode’s end between Henry and Barry. Writers Alison Schapker and Grainne Godfree infused so much poetry, beauty, and symbolism into that last story of Barry that it made our head spin. It gave such insight as to the depth of Barry’s love for his mother and how all the running he is doing now is still ultimately for her. Director Jesse Warn split the scene just right in switching back and forth between Henry and Barry’s face. Grant Gustin and John Wesley Shipp bring out the best in each other here as they play off one another beautifully. With the swelling score accompanying this interaction, you’d be well within your rights to shed a few tears.

“Did I ever tell you about the time you learned to walk?” ~ Henry
“A couple times.” Barry
“Everyone was walking before you, all the little babies running around the neighbourhood, not you. But your mom was never worried, she just said ‘He’ll walk, when he has some place to go.’ And sure enough, the first time you took a few steps, you moved so quick you didn’t just walk. You started…” ~ Henry
“…to run.” ~ Barry
“And you ran to your mom, Barry. Right into her arms. You had some place to go.” ~ Henry

FINAL VERDICT

There was a great deal of things set up and movement in the stories this episode. Ronnie’s introduction was a nice teaser for Firestorm and with the particle accelerator being converted into a prison, the stage is set for Team Flash to start collecting meta-humans. Tonight’s adversary, Kyle Nimbus, is the first one to be caged and guest actor Anthony Carrigan was nice and creepy but it felt like only the surface was scratched as far as Kyle Nimbus is concerned so hopefully he’ll be brought back and this character will be delved into a bit more. The special effects were especially impressive when Kyle transformed from person to gas and vice versa. Grant Gustin did terrific work acting things out in the scenes where Barry fought against “The Mist” when there wouldn’t have been anything physically present for him to fight against.

As the show continues, we hope that equal attention will be paid to other characters, such as Iris and Cisco. Iris’ relationship with Eddie doesn’t do much for us but we’re eager to see her be a super-sleuth in her pursuit of Barry… though she doesn’t know it’s Barry she’s basically stalking. For Cisco, we love the bit of depth we saw with him tonight but we’d like more. It’s already been established that Carlos Valdes has fantastic comedic timing, like with his gleeful delivery of the line, “The Mist! That’s his name, end of discussion.” It gives Cisco a childlike enthusiasm for the action the team is involved with, which is great since it mirrors our excitement at watching them take on these meta-humans, but eventually it would be nice to see a more serious side of Cisco. No one can be silly all the time.

Finally, we want to give another round of applause to composer Blake Neely because his score was so well-rounded and is quickly becoming an integral part of the show’s narrative, as it helps to shape and direct the events we are watching. It added great humour to the scene where Iris and Eddie officially revealed their relationship to Joe, furthering the silliness of them thinking they could pull one over on him. Then it seamlessly transitioned into the emotionality of the private moment between Iris and Joe, showing how ultimately Iris’ happiness is what’s most important to him. The Flash is continuing to maintain solid quality overall and we are looking forward to seeing what’s next for everyone.

Questions, Comments, Concerns…

• “Zombie movie scale” - Barry, you’re such a nerd; let’s be best friends!
• “Maybe it’s a she” - way to be inclusive, Barry. I respect that.
• Jealous Barry with that jaw clench and the eye roll. #TheSassIsReal
• “How are you not fat?” Because lightning gave him abs, Iris! Keep up!
• Someone had too many beans… oh no wait, that’s just the Big Bad of the Week.
• OITNB? How can anyone say ‘no’ to that? Sign me up!
• Floating champagne? Give me a meta-human that can do that and they’re invited to all my parties.
• “Right now, you’re killing us.” What a dramatic boyfriend. Calm down, blondie.
• FIRE AND ICE, I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE
• Once again, Barry + Joe = FEELS
• Too emotional over this Joe / Henry scene right now
• Kyle Nimbus is so creepy and I LOVE IT
• Barry and his daddy… someone needs to bring me some tissues.