Broadcast TV The Flash - seasons 8 & 9 (The CW) (2 Viewers)

[TonyD]

The first two season were some of my favorite superheroes viewing I’ve had but now it’s so boring and uninteresting it’s like this version is the reverse of everything from the first couple of seasons.

 

[David Weicker]

This weeks episode was really awful.

I know its been not-great for the past few years, but this was a new low.

Spoiler

Someone puts a cup of coffee on the table for the sole purpose of spilling it?

Oh, I missed my train. If only there wasn't another way for me to get to my daughter's birthday. If only I knew someone who could get me there really fast.

And the police are complete absent when a murder suspect is abducted - twice.

I'm curious how that casino operated? The 'employees' are forcing the House to lose? Wouldn't the owners step in?

And that pep talk - "your daughter is going to grow up to be a strong independent woman because you weren't there for her". "you're so wise for telling me that being a bad mother is good for my child"

Oh, and the 'powers testing' scene. Hmmm, maybe someone who's only shown powers with living beings might not react to a hunk of inanimate plastic.

And with only a short 13-episode season, why was this a Flash-less episode?

 

[jayembee]

This weeks episode was really awful.

Can't disagree, but on the other hand, I thought it was a step up from the previous 2-parter.

 

[Sean Bryan]

And the show is going with the idea that this is Nora that was conceived even though they are several months early? No, this would be a new person.

When they decided to just do their own thing and forget about doing things to match Nora’s timeline and then revealed that they were pregnant months earlier than Nora was conceived I thought “Congratulations. You just wiped your future daughter out of existence”. But with the crappy, lazy writing of this show I’m sure they’ll just have this be Nora anyway.

Agreed that this was just really bad.

I read about how they would have liked to have worked in an episode that gave a wrap up for the Legends but felt they couldn’t because of the shorter season length and needing to focus on the Flash. And then they did this episode?

And ugh, they have repeatedly shown that it is no effort for Barry to basically run anywhere in the world in no time, and to take people with him. She could have him commute her to the country house every night of the week if she wanted. No need to sleep in CC 5 nights a week and worry about weekend train rides.

 

[NeilO]

That Barry-lite episode had a truckload of plot holes most of which David Weicker pointed out in the spoiler text.

In addition, they know she is having bad luck, why are they taking her everywhere with them?

As far as Nora - they could do some sort of space-time speed force thing that makes her be the same Nora. But I really think they should go with that she is different, but essentially the same in all the important ways since Barry and Iris will be bringing her up the way that they were always going to bring her up.

As far as some of the Legends appearing, I still hold out hope. There appear to be a lot of contradictory articles out there regarding that. It does seem strange that they were feeling constrained by the shorter season length and then have this episode which contained about 5 minutes of possible arc material that could have fit into another episode. Were Grant Gustin and Candace Patton only contracted for 12 full episodes?

Looking at the wikipedia article on the season this episode is listed as an "interlude" between the two "graphic novel" arcs of the season. I hope it makes more sense why they did this when we look at the season as a whole.

 

[jayembee]

As far as Nora - they could do some sort of space-time speed force thing that makes her be the same Nora. But I really think they should go with that she is different, but essentially the same in all the important ways since Barry and Iris will be bringing her up the way that they were always going to bring her up.

I have this nasty suspicion that what's going to happen is that their first child will be Bart instead of Nora.

 

[NeilO]

"Wildest Dreams" this week. It was basically an Iris and Nia episode. Grant Gustin has really had a light load two episodes in a row. It basically resolved Nia's issues from Supergirl and wrapped that in a nice little box. A nice guest appearance, but it seemed out of place. Iris did realize some things and I hope this is the last we hear about her being uncertain about her path.

The other half of the episode was Mark and Khione having a weird time. I thought we had already tread some of the territory before and it seemed really poorly written. I guess they needed to write Mark out for a while.

At the moment it seems like the creative team did not really know what to do this season, but maybe things will pick up next episode.

 

[jayembee]

It was nice to see Nia (and Nicole Maines) again, and that plot-line worked well enough -- definitely a step up from what we've been seeing this season.

 

[NeilO]

I am watching this week's episode and just can't help but commenting right now. Chester, Allegra and Cecile are playing Settlers of Catan. They are sitting around the table. Clockwise their order would be Chester, Cecile, and Allegra. Chester says he can't go and notices that Allegra has enough resources to build two roads and take Longest Road and then win the game. He skipped right over Cecile's turn. Just a shocking breach of game etiquette or they thought they were playing counter-clockwise.

Yes, it is a relatively small thing, but it is a symptom of them just not taking care to get things correct.

P.S. Given that the creator of Catan, Klaus Teuber, just died on April 1 before the episode aired, it would have been a nice touch if they added a note before the credits about that.

 

[NeilO]

Overall, "Partners In Time" is a relatively harmless episode with some humor that completely ignored the scene with Khione's powers at the end of the previous episode and doesn't appear to advance the arc of the season.

The preview for the next episode makes me think that the end-game is going to heat up.

 

[NeilO]

This week's episode was a lot of fun. Lots of guests celebrating Barry's birthday. And we got to hear "You have failed this city" another time.

When I saw the preview for this episode I thought they were starting a story that would finish the season, but they wrapped it up. Maybe they are just going to wrap up loose ends for the rest of the season? No idea, but this episode was a nice start to the end.

 

[Alex...]

 

[ponset]

The scenes between Barry and Eboard were deliciously dripping with vile from both characters.
Not only nice seeing Matt Letscher again but also Rick Cosnet, Michelle Harrison, and John Wesley Shipp.
4 Part finale off to a good start.

 

[jayembee]

Yes, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this episode. The best one this show has had in a long time.

 

[NeilO]

Yes, this was a really strong episode. How many Flashes were there this time?

Interesting frame to A New World Part 1 - someone who looks like Eddie Thawne (but isn't) works at Mercury Labs somewhere and is given speed force powers at the end. I guess we'll find out how that fits later.

Looking at the wikipedia page for The Flash they grouped the previous 4 episodes as Interlude and these final 4 make up "graphic novel #9." They started grouping them as "graphic novels" and "interludes" with season 6.

And even though it looks like we won't get a Legends of Tomorrow wrap-up (not enough episodes this season for that) we got a nice call-out.

 

[Garysb]

Here is Grant watching and reacting to one of his first interviews promoting The Flash.




I hope Grant has a significant role in the next episode. He was not in the preview at all. Could be because of spoilers but I hope this late in the series this is not an episode where he is missing or just shows up at the end.

Grant mentions he was out 10 days during filming of final episode with Covid. He had to be inserted into scenes which were filmed while he was out.

 

[Garysb]

Grant Gustin panel at Indiana Comic Con May 2023

 

[Garysb]

Was disappointed that tonight's episode was Barry light. He was in the episode maybe for 5 minutes. I do not care about the current team Flash. I would enjoy a Barryless episode if it starred OG Team Flash with Cisco, Caitlan, a Wells, Joe , Iris and I would even add Ralph and Sue as the only non OG cast I care about. The 3rd to last episode shouldn't be without Barry.

Spoiler

Why was it a surprise that Eddie's grave was empty? His body was sucked into the singularity at the end of Season 1. There shouldn't be a body in the grave.

 

[NeilO]

I also thought the episode was a step backwards.

Chester was written stupidly again. Why did he believe that Mark could help him program something? For that matter, why hadn't he already done the work?

And speaking of Chester, I guess they completely dropped that plotline from last season where he let some outside agency steal all of the scientific work he was doing.

As far as @Garysb 's spoiler. We actually see the scene he's talking about in this episode. I had thought that the Eddie Thawne lookalike plotline was on a parallel Earth, but now I really don't understand what is going on there.

 

[jayembee]

Chester was written stupidly again. Why did he believe that Mark could help him program something? For that matter, why hadn't he already done the work?

Mark's not up to Chester's level in certain areas, perhaps, but keep in mind he was a scientist working in cryogenics before he was a criminal. And he was the primary actor in trying to bring Frost back to life. He's isn't scientifically ignorant.

As far as @Garysb 's spoiler. We actually see the scene he's talking about in this episode. I had thought that the Eddie Thawne lookalike plotline was on a parallel Earth, but now I really don't understand what is going on there.

I imagine he's part of Eobard's plan to alter the timeline again.