“Seeing Red” was the first episode that really dedicated the entirety of itself khổng lồ developing Cicada’s persona, và 11 episodes in he’s finally living up to lớn his name.
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For someone who was described as the “scariest serial killer of all time,” Cicada wasn’t exactly following through with the actual being scary part, và while that"s partially due khổng lồ Chris Klein’s portrayal of the character, the blame also goes lớn the writers for not spending enough time developing his antagonistic side.
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Klein is still overacting, but brutal và unabashed Cicada attacks on various meta ’s, not to lớn mention Gustin’s unbridled fear when facing him, helps bring the story lớn life. What Flash feels, we as viewers tend khổng lồ connect with, and this episode it was all about pure terror.
At first, the concept of keeping Cicada in hiding seemed lượt thích a cop out (much lượt thích sidelining Flash last episode). In hindsight, however, it was the perfect move. Cicada is now completely healed, & able lớn take down metas with full force. Again, this is something the audience hasn"t seen before.
There are no more scenes of Orlin Dwyer bleeding out, dragging himself across the ground while gravely injured. Now, dressed up with his hood and dagger, Cicada comes off akin to lớn that of Michael Meyers — a beastly, overpowering creature who will stop at nothing to lớn reach his goal: killing absolutely everyone in his path.
As much as I love a complex villain, và understand why showcasing the relationship between him và Grace was imperative to lớn the overall arc of the character (it will be their way khổng lồ defeat him, after all), it provided almost too much sympathetic content for this seasons big bad.
The writers have also found a unique way lớn implement more of Killer Frost, who is entertaining as ever. It may be difficult lớn get past the retcon of how Frost’s powers came about in the first place, but if you forgo the details, it"s refreshing khổng lồ see her given a fleshed out backstory.
It"s also always fun when your female anh hùng ends up being the only one who can save the day.
I’m enjoying the writers switching which heroes team up depending on the episode. I fully believe it allows more individual growth from every character, but Killer Frost and Flash may be my favorite pairing to go against Cicada yet.
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The action sequences alone made the episode worth watching, and Marcus Stokes should be without a doubt be brought back to lớn the director"s chair soon. The Flash has fought an endless amount of bad guys over the years, but the use of hand khổng lồ hand combat with such intense stunt sequences had me on the edge of my seat.
Now comes the time in my nhận xét I once again rave about the excellence that is Grant Gustin’s acting. I am fully convinced there is nothing this man can’t do, và I am constantly in awe of how layered a character he’s able to make Barry Allen.
We’ve seen a lot of humor from Barry this season, but we’ve also seen a lot of darkness. Not lớn say The Flash hasn’t been angry before, but this type of unhinged rage is a new version of that anger, và it plays perfectly into his new role as a father.
Nora"s injury allows Barry to revel in his despair, and the parallel narrative built between Cicada & The Flash makes them increasingly interesting foils. Their similar motivations but ultimately opposite reactions truly highlights the heroic nature of Barry Allen.
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The same can be said for Patton, who has given us an angry, headstrong Iris often, but has never quite delivered It with the ferocity of a mother protecting her daughter, even if that means going against her so-called friends.
Of course, the chemistry that is the West Allen family couldn’t be complete without Kennedy’s emotional range, and seeing the three of them cry together over Nora’s temporary injuries played lượt thích a family dealing with true loss.
Letting Nora sit out for the majority of this episode was a nice change in pace, as it allowed other characters khổng lồ shine. The scenes that did focus on her were executed flawlessly, however, and tissues were definitely needed on more than one occasion.
When you"re blessed with the right cast, you don"t need the dialogue, the special effects, or the overexposure of screentime. Your actors can exude everything you"re trying to convey--sometimes without saying anything at all.
With Nora sidelined, it was gratifying khổng lồ see Killer Frost, Ralph and Cecile utilized in ways that were essential to moving the plot forward. I’m not sure I will ever be able lớn take Ralph’s superhero alter-ego seriously, but I vì chưng find his character to be a much better addition to lớn the team this season.
The one piece of the puzzle missing from this otherwise successful episode was Cisco Ramon who, through multiple chunks of expository dialogue, was explained lớn be off searching for a cure in isolation.
Why Cisco & Caitlin would promise lớn work together on finding a cure just for Cisco to disappear, is unbeknownst.
Why Cisco would want to lớn “work alone” when he’s usually such a team player also remains a mystery. I appreciate The Flash writers always attempting khổng lồ explain where their missing characters have run off to, but more often than not, those reasons are flaky và out of character.
Random Thoughts:
If Sherloque is so smart, shouldn’t he be a little farther along in his investigation of Nora?Forty-seven tacos? Yes please.Schway. I thoroughly appreciate how there is a Joe West reference every single episode, no exceptions.That last scene between Iris and Barry was some of the softest, most beautiful TV I’ve ever witnessed. They are what dream ships are made of.Do we think Barry’s excellent hand-to-hand combat in this episode stems from his time as the Green Arrow?Although predictable, the parallel narrative between Cicada & Barry makes them increasingly interesting foils for one another.Related: The Flash Season 5 Episode 9 Review: Elseworlds, Part One
Okay Flash Fanatics, it"s your turn! Did you think this episode got things back on track? Were you finally as scared of Cicada as I was? What are your feelings about so little Iris this season? and were you crying over the lack of Cisco too?
Let me know in the comments, & if you need to catch up you can watch The Flash online, right here at TV Fanatic!
