Jessie Robertson reviews the twelfth episode of The Flash season 4…
This week’s Flash again seemed to be a tear-away from the main storyline; it’s best to let that one breathe but I thought the idea of everything happening this week was a bit too strained to say it’s all coming from DeVoe’s plan, although I guess that’s what’s happening. Our villain of the week, Dwarfstar (Cisco’s latest name) directly ties into our title; plus it’s the second week in a row The Flash has aped an old movie title!
Dwarfstar has gained the ability to essentially shrink things, anything; now, why he wants to keep a collection of cars, buildings and planes I have no idea; it’s never explained. The humor of Cisco and Ralph being shrunken (with the exception of Ralph being stepped on like gum) gets old quickly and I didn’t quite think the motif of Harry thinking he’s not smart enough anymore holds much water either. No, this weeks’ episode, surprisingly, best moments are spent on the story of two side characters.
Cecile West, Joe’s wife, somehow gains the power to read minds; once it’s scientifically evaluated by Caitlin, it’s somehow determined a past absorption of black matter combined with her hormonal change being pregnant has surfaced these abilities; but the fun part is Cecile gets a kick out of this ability and brings back that child-like joy we first experienced when Barry gained his powers; she enjoys using them. And the joy rubs off on the viewer. It also gives her , for better or worse, an insight into Joe and opens up a new and vulnerable door in their relationship, bringing them closer. Joe and her also have a quick meeting with the world’s worst marriage counselor.
The surprisingly other low-key story that held the most weight was that of Barry’s new jail buddy, Big Sur. Barry gets the backstory on Sur and finds out he was possibly framed for whatever crime has put him in jail. So, he asks the team to investigate; in the most random part of this episode, Dwarfstar is the very person who basically let Sur take the fall for him. Anyways, you get some nice conversations about the life of a prisoner and how hope can be a dangerous commodity in jail; Big Sur is played by aging tough guy Goldberg, former WWE Champion, and he, again, surprisingly brings some weight and realism to his character within this story. Once those dreams are dashed and they can’t get Dwarfstar to confess, Barry takes it upon himself to get Sur out of there and plants him his dream location if he were to ever leave prison: a monk village in China. But, that is where it all goes down hill for Barry. Stay tuned for next week.
Rating: 7.5/10
Jessie Robertson
