Originally published March 22, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
Jessie Robertson reviews the seventeenth episode of The Flash season 3…
Music Meister….or Cupid?
Tonight was the “musical” episode and while it had its flashes of pomp, circumstance and oh yes, the stars of our weekly superhero show belting out the tunes, it was more plot than musical. I believe most people thought (like myself) this would be a one-off episode, a fun, light hour of TV meant to give our heroes a break from all the heavy-handed and sad moments as of late. Well, turns out, it was a one-off episode but one meant to fix a plot point I gave a serious brow-beating to last week, namely the breakup of Barry and Iris. Now, I have to eat my words like an undercooked meatloaf. Turns out, the Music Meister with his completely unclear – nearly omnipotent power set – was there to right two major wrongs he saw; namely, two superheroes having trouble in the love department. Now, I’m not up on Supergirl, so not sure what’s going on with her and Daxamboy but Barry and Iris got into a weird space after last week’s episode and I hope it wasn’t just to have this play out like it did; who am I kidding that’s exactly why they split last week. But, who didn’t well up just a bit at Barry’s soulful, possibly auto-tuned ballad to Iris at the end of the episode and then, finally, a real true proposal? Things seem to be back on track in Central City.
Besides a quick and fairly cool team up between Wally, Cisco and J’onn J’onzz this episode stayed in the Meister’s, sorry, Barry & Kara’s dreamland of being inside a musical. The episode started off with a great cameo of Barry and his mom watching Singing in the Rain when he was a kid and her telling him “everything’s better in song”. Everything we know about upbeat Barry rings true to the statement that he would love musicals and the joy they bring people when done right. Kara apparently was obsessed with Wizard of Oz and it’s doubly cute when she constantly quotes the movie during tonight’s episode. Besides that, this was all about the spectacle of seeing our favorite heroes and villains warbling out the tunes. We all knew Jesse L. Martin can sing, but seeing Wynn, Cisco, Martin Stein and even everyone’s favorite assassin, Malcolm Merlyn was a rare treat. I believe Victor Garber and John Barrowman have done several musical productions in their careers but I was most impressed with Cisco (Carlos Valdes.) Melissa Benoist (Supergirl herself) also bellowed out a tremendous number in the opening moments and did double duty as she mimed out that she had no idea how or why she was actually singing. The original number “Superfriend” was as cutesy and corny as you would imagine but gave the two stars their moment to play off of each other. The only real downside was over half the large cast of both shows was not utilized in the musical fantasy at all, even a bit part singing background. Even Iris and Mon-el themselves, who were principal characters in Flash & Supergirl’s “script” didn’t sing a note but just stood and watched everyone else croon around them.
8.5/10- as fun and light-hearted as I expected if not the big , broad musical extravaganza maybe most were hoping for
Other Notes:
– I was thoroughly confused at the Music Meister’s powers; in his creation, on Batman: Brave & the Bold, he’s simply a guy who has a wand that makes people break out into song. Here, he’s an almost god-like character who seems to be on the side of good when it suits him. I was so hoping for Neil Patrick Harris to play him though.
– Cisco’s description of Martian Manhunter as “green skin and a sick ass cape” provided the Cisco quote of the episode I needed.
– “Dads?”
– Barry was great watching everyone around him singing
– ” I will drop a mountain on you”
– Barry and Iris’ loft looked like a Disney Condo at the end of tonight’s episode.
Jessie Robertson
