Jessie Robertson reviews the eleventh episode of The Flash season 3…
On a Steel Horse I Ride….’Cause I’m Wanted….yeah, that’s enough of that….
H.R. Wells may very well be the best Wells yet…but that’s like trying to argue which plate of lobster you’ve had in your life was better; it’s all good, so how can you decide? He’s also become a valuable member of the team so when a “collector” from Wells Earth-19 comes looking for him, Team Flash can’t just hand him over. Cisco steps up for Wells, as in a nice callback to the show’s history, he wants to do for Wells what the past versions have done for him: give him confidence and have his back. Now, he doesn’t know when he challenges Gypsy (our collector) to a trial by combat that it’s to the death (I find it very hard to believe he hasn’t seen Game of Thrones), but it takes him by surprise. Gypsy has never lost a trial by combat (HR informs us) and most of the team, in their heart of hearts, don’t think she will this time. It’s a little surprising how jokingly the team is about Cisco’s chances of survival but it’s one of the ways they cope with looming death, as it seems to loom quite a lot. Cisco does manage to defeat Gypsy (in his full Vibe outfit nonetheless) but only with strategic help from Julian, who proves himself to be an asset amongst what’s now a small NBA team roster of scientists and speedsters. Gypsy gets kind of a gloss over on character; we just need to know she’s tough, flirty and has the same powers as Cisco, so they’re a perfect match…and she makes quite an exit.
Kid Flash is totally trending in Central City. After Barry and him stop a gang of gun-runners and save a whole bus load of hot cheerleaders, Wally is feeling more excited than ever. He’s continuously running, trying to up his speed in a very comic-centric storyline as Wally is actually faster than Barry in that continuity. It appears he will be here as well. There’s a bleak storyline that’s short on details of Iris wanting to stop a major gun shipment coming into Central City, where the weapons are of a futuristic nature and could severely damage the town and it’s heroes. She lies, connives and charms her way into their warehouse (stockpiled with loads and loads of weapons and only 1 guy watching it?) when Wally and the CCPD make the bust. Joe chides her and knows something’s up but he’s still in the dark. Iris is a strong woman; there’s no doubt about that, but giving her fluff cases where she uses her speedster family to get these stories doesn’t make her seem like a very strong reporter and besides convincing Wally to steal a police file, she did very little work to get this story. They’ve never quite captured or spent much time at all that aspect of the show (with a million aspects already in motion) there’s reason why but if you take the time to make this important to Iris, it should seem important not showcase the worst weapons cache deal in the history of criminals and the universe.
8/10- this week’s episode was a side journey on the road to May, but that’s okay; we’ve met a new character, shown Cisco furthering his abilities even more but Iris’ characterization this week was off
Other Notes:
– How many different characters are going to draw out “time” and its varying effects on that clear erase board?
– “Adventures in the Multi-Verse” sounds like a huge best seller in the making
– Gypsy was a fun character but I don’t expect her around much; also some nice cameos during the “vibing” fight scene of National City, Earth-2 and was that Mustafar??
Jessie Robertson
Originally published February 1, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
