‘Heroism’ is made of more than creepy balloon animal hands, and Ralph has an uphill battle before he will embody anything resembling a hero

This week on The Flash, our Scarlet Speedster (Grant Gustin) works hard to turn Ralph, The Elongated Man, into a hero. Is it possible? Debatable. That’s the premise of the entire episode. While Barry works with Ralph, Harry (Tom Cavanagh) and Cisco (Carlos Valdez) work with a Council of Wells (A.K.A.Harrison Wells from multiple Earths) to determine a way to beat DeVoe. Unfortunately, the ladies of The Flash – Caitlin and Iris (Candice Patton) –  take a bit of a backseat tonight, offering support but getting no focus of their own (aside from a crass comment from Ralph regarding Caitlin’s body measurements.)

RELATED | The Flash Season 4, 4 Episode Challenge

The episode was solid. It’s not exactly anything to write home about, but it works as a filler. Ralph’s journey to heroism also gives us a lot to think about – is it irresponsible to present a clearly misogynistic character as a potential hero? Also, our villain of the week, Black Bison, was on a mission to restore her culture’s stolen property. Is it too much to suggest that many viewers were drawn more towards Black Bison’s struggles than Ralph’s? Of course, any redemption arc needs something to redeem, but we sincerely hope that the show makes it abundantly clear that Ralph’s remarks towards Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) and others are inexcusable and anything but heroic.

Here to discuss all this and more is TV After Dark’s flashiest roundtable:

Holly (@hollyanderson30) – Social Media Addict who runs two fan pages and loves everything CW, especially The Flash

Fowsia (@iriswestallens) – Lover of all things Iris West and Westallen

Will (@willmpolk) – Blerd, Producer of the @SceneNNerd Podcast, The Flash fan!

Samantha (@pandecker_) – High school student, aspiring actress, lover of TV

Reagan (@reagandpierce) – TV enthusiast, super-nerd, writer and editor for TV After Dark

[wp_ad_camp_2]

1. The Council of Wells was hilarious, right? Who was your favorite Wells?

Holly (@hollyanderson30):  The council of Wells was hilarious and from the new versions of Wells my favorite had to be from earth 22. But still none of them came close to beating Harry during the council of Wells he will always be my all time favorite.

Fowsia (@iriswestallens): The Council of Wells was actually hilarious which was surprising. I do think it took a lot of screentime, and that this episode was a filler, but it was hilarious seeing Tom Cavanagh get to portray this many Wells, especially in one scene (which can’t be easy). I don’t remember where my favorite iteration was from, but my favorite was definitely the first Wells with the blonde hair. I liked his accent haha.

Will (@willmpolk): I must say out of the gate that I was not a big fan of the episode this week. I thought it took  a great premise of a council of Wells and ultimately we were left an uninspired and boring story and waste of the excellent Tom Cavanagh talents as the multiple Wells.  That being said, even though he was there for a brief moment, the Wells the Grey was my favorite. Plus as usual the Cisco/Wells banter was the highlight of the show.

Samantha (@pandecker_): It was so weird with all the different Wells. It was funny how annoying so many of them could be.

Reagan (@reagandpierce): I find it amazing how much impact “Wells the Grey” has had just from his very brief appearance, so I’m going to go with him. His appearance was a really funny moment and added a lot to the episode in very little time.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

2. Who was tonight’s MVP?

Holly:  Tonight’s MVP has to go Tom Cavanagh, acting 5 versions of himself in one episode was amazing and he pulled it off so well.I am always so amazed at how well he can do different versions of himself and you can almost sense his enjoyment in doing doing so which makes me enjoy it more.

Fowsia: This is tough! Only because I don’t think anyone particularly shined this episode. So my safest choice will go to Iris, because she essentially figured out the villain was Black Bison. I loved her and Joe working together and in the “West and West are on the case!” Much like last year, she prompted Barry into figuring out that Julian was Alchemy. I’ve always loved Iris figuring things out.

Will: The whole cast was a MVP in taking this script and doing their best with it. So far Season 4 has made a pretty good course correction from the missteps of Season 3, but this episode was one of the weakest of the entire 4 year run of the series.

Samantha: I’m biased because she’s my fav but Iris is 100%. She was just the best in this episode even though she didn’t get as much screen time that I had hoped for.

Reagan: Tom Cavanagh. That man does an absolutely fantastic job of portraying multiple different characters and giving them each their own distinct mannerisms and personalities. It’s extremely impressive.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

3. Do you agree that Ralph “has the makings of a hero?” If so, he should probably get a new suit, right?

Holly:  I definitely agree that Ralph has all the makings of a hero.That became more and more obvious the longer I watched the show.Some of the jokes I found to be a little unnecessary but in the end you could see a major change in him especially with the little girl.I definitely think a change of suit is a necessity and hope that Cisco gets on one right away.

Fowsia: I do like the development that Ralph is getting. I’m still not a huge fan of his misogynistic tendencies (and assuming women’s measurements, gross!) but he did a lot of growing this episode in realizing what he did wrong. I did enjoy his conversation with Barry and I liked that Ralph got to explain how he’s not used to caring about other people. But yes, he definitely needs a new suit! Just in general, not because he’s a superhero in the making!

Will: Where do we begin with Ralph. I am really not liking this character and it is no fault of the actor Harley Sawyer who is doing a great job with the physical aspects of the character, but everything else about him is just not likable, which I know is what the show-runners wanted to distinguish him from the comic book version of Ralph who was pretty squeaky clean. However, even before the Kreisberg allegations I was not feeling this character as someone I wanted to root for and now with that context in the background, as a viewer to be honest it was hard to separate the two right now. However, taking it in-universe if they wanted a jerk around they could have easily worked a story solution with Julian, or even still have Ralph around without all the juvenile antics he engages in.

Samantha: I do believe that he could be a hero but he’s well… in the nicest terms a bit of a prick. So that he needs to work on. And he should definitely get a new suit. Every time I saw him with it on I started laughing. You can tell Cisco is not the biggest fan of him and the suit was a nudge to that.

Reagan: I am extremely unimpressed with Ralph. His dismissal of Caitlin, and his comment on her body measurements, was so insanely misogynistic that I had to rewind it because I couldn’t believe my ears. Especially in light of recent news, it just doesn’t seem like Ralph is the type of person the show should be referring to as ‘hero’. Maybe if he has a killer redemption arc, and acknowledges his sexist tendencies, maybe I will be on board. But that’s a big maybe.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

4. What was the best moment in tonight’s episode?

Holly:  The best moment for me in tonight’s episode was when Ralph and Barry were talking at Ralph’s office.You could almost see a bond forming between the two of them and again when they were talking about what happened to the necklace.You could even see that there is a good guy underneath all the jokes and stuff with Ralph.

Fowsia: My favorite moment of this episode was Barry and Iris taking Ralph to see Sharon Finkle by far! It was actually hilarious, and seeing Mrs. Finkle and Ralph banter was really enjoyable. It was also nice to see (or at least, assume) that Barry and Iris still see Finkle regularly — a very healthy thing to do as a couple! This scene brought some of the lightheartedness back into the show, especially before darkness looks ahead from the next episode.

Will: The best moment was the introduction of the “suburban” Thinker. It was a great moment and really opens the door to what could be a very strong villain for Barry who is not like the conventional meta human’s he’s used to fighting. It reminds me of a super educated Captain Cold, who was very street smart and savvy but did not have the educational chops like the Thinker.

Samantha: I don’t really have a favorite scene from this episode. There was a few scenes I liked more than others but I have no favorite.

Reagan: I got a kick out of Barry and Iris bringing Ralph to see Dr. Finkle. It was a brief moment but it was great. The Council of Wells was also endlessly entertaining.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

5. Ralph’s balloon animal hand – cute or terrifying?

Holly:  Ralph’s Balloon animal was absolutely adorable, I was just disappointed we didn’t see the giraffe!

Fowsia: Definitely terrifying. It’s funny you asked because I was literally thinking in my head “I know this is supposed to be sweet, but it’s actually gross” haha. I could’ve lived without seeing that CGI!

Will: I thought it was a cute moment, even though we had the “product” placement to get to it. Hopefully, this episode will begin to shift Ralph from the character we were given at first to a more likable,  yet reckless hero as he is still learning.

Samantha: It was strange to say the very least.

Reagan: Look. If I was that poor little girl I would’ve hightailed it the hell out of there. What the hell was that?? That balloon animal hand was disturbing enough that I wouldn’t even question it if it became this season’s big bad. I’m more scared of that thing than I have been of any of the show’s villains. I still shudder when I think about it. Just no.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

6. Did you enjoy this week’s villain, the Black Bison?

Holly:  his weeks villian Black Bison was okay but isn’t one that I am overly excited about. She was okay for a villain of the week tho as we learned more about The Thinker.

Fowsia: I actually really enjoyed Black Bison this episode! She wasn’t a villain in my eyes, she was essentially reclaiming something sacred that was stolen from her people — isn’t that what museums really do anyways? I understood her frustration and determination in wanting to take back what was hers.

Will: Black Bison, who is a villain of Firestorm could have been more interesting.  Again no fault to the actress, I just felt it was a forgettable villain of the week, which was a shame because she had some very interesting powers and the fight in the museum (which had call backs to Night of the Museum among others) demonstrated that.

Samantha: Yes I did like this week’s villain. Black Bison was about to destroy a guy for disrespecting indigenous culture. I’m not mad about that at all.

Reagan: Yes, she was entertaining and compelling, and I almost hesitate to call her a villain. Honestly, I think “vigilante” might be the better term – sure, she operates outside the law, but her motivation was restoration of her culture’s stolen property. That’s not exactly villainous.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

7. Are you surprised by how quickly team Flash actually located their big bad this season? Or do you think it’s possible that the Thinker isn’t this season’s ultimate big bad?

Holly:  I’m not surprised at all by how quickly the team located their big bad this season.After last season and the reaction they got from the wait for the reveal of Savitar I’m not surprised at all. But the thing is even tho they discovered their big bad they still have yet to discover the rest of the new metas and what The Thinker needs Barry for. Yes I do think that the Thinker is big bad of season but i am sure we are still in for a few surprises still.

Fowsia: This is surprising considering Team Flash hasn’t figured out one of their enemies this early before. But I am really glad! In the promo for next week’s episode, Barry is frantically trying to beat Devoe to the punch. However, I think it’s super smart that Devoe is trying to paint Barry as the villain. First, Barry is going to break into his house and his wife (The Mechanic) claims that Barry is harassing her and her husband. It’s smart because he is trying to make Barry look and feel crazy to think that this man in a wheelchair is his enemy. I’m super excited to see where this goes! It could work really well.

Will: I think the Thinker is a big bad. We may have another one after the mid-season finale. I liked the way they introduced him to Barry as this non-threat which in a ways is a call back to Season 1 Harrison Wells.  It looks like we are going to get more details next week as to what his deeper motivations are for doing all the actions he has taken and what is his evil scheme for Barry and Team Flash.

Samantha: I’m not really that surprised. The team has a bunch of very smart people them working together on the same pace. But of course it is not easy, there is something the thinker is playing at here.

Reagan: I’m surprised that they located the Thinker so quickly, just because they usually don’t even know who their main villain is by this point, much less where to find him. So, yes, but I think it’s good that they are switching up the format – so I guess it’s a pleasant surprise. Plus, the suburban setting is interesting.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Final Verdict: This week’s Flash has us rooting more for the ‘villain’ than the ‘hero’

The Flash is trying really hard to simultaneously build up and tear down Ralph’s character, and it’s extremely confusing. Surely, as a modern audience, we aren’t expected to root for the guy that dismisses a female scientist’s intellectual input by guessing her body measurements, right? And yet, later in the episode, the show works to redeem Ralph, presenting him as a golden hearted, misunderstood – you guessed it – hero. It’s all very concerning, especially in light of recent real life headlines.

Contrasting Ralph’s total non-heroism this week is our villain, Black Bison, who actually has a pretty good motivation for her villiany. Her entire mission is retrieving an artifact which was stolen from her culture, and honestly? We can’t really blame her. Only time will tell if redemption is possible for Ralph, but we sincerely hope the show makes a point of highlighting how problematic he’s been so far. If they can acknowledge it and have Ralph truly change for the better, his story might turn out alright. The Flash really should’ve spent more time with the council of Wells, and less time with Ralph this week.

The Flash returns Tuesday, November 21st, at 8/7c on The CW.