My plans for this review series just aren’t going to plan! So what’s happened in the weeks since the last review? Well, I’ve caught up with all of the CW opening episodes and here’s my quick thoughts! Supergirl remains boring as sin, Legends has a weak opening but it’s got Matthew Ryan as Constantine so I’m in. Arrow has an interesting premise and intriguing flash-forwards, and Black Lightning remains the most consistently good out of all the CW DC shows, not hampered by many of the tropes and trappings of the others.

So what’s been happening with The Flash? Shenanigans, mostly. While they’ve skipped the initial mistrust of Nora, I think Barry and Iris are a little too into being parents to this twenty-something they‘ve just met. Zero-to-sixty with the parenting. It’s awkward but since Nora is still an interesting character, I can put up with it. It’s the kind of development and mentorship we should have had with Wally though…

Cisco is still coming to grips with his break-up with Gypsy, being a curmudgeon and generally having a moan. That’s it. That’s his schtick now. Meanwhile, Caitlin and Ralph are going full-on Mystery, Inc and sleuthing the case of the missing dad which gives them a cool dynamic and adds to the Killer Frost Retrieval Arc. Caitlin finds a supposed suicide note amongst her father’s old notes and by using a cipher, decodes the notes to reveal a message from her father. Kinda hoping that this is Caitlin trying too hard to find a connection and the accumulated grief will see her go full Frost once more but probably not.

It wouldn’t be a season of The Flash without a new incarnation of Harrison Wells and I think I’ve finally reached my limit of Cavanaugh’s numerous characters and garbage accents. It was fun for a while but I think this Sherloque persona is one persona too far. The only semi-meaningful thing that he did was set up some doubt in the audience regarding Nora’s intentions. Like, yeah; obviously she’s hiding something, she’s from the future, there’s all sorts she could be keeping from the team.

And on the villain front, Cicada’s death-count is up to two with the deaths of both meta-jobbers, Gridlock and Block. His hostage situation with Joe reveals a lot about his motivation while Nora talks about his legacy; a metahuman serial killer who is never caught but who has clearly lost his family due to metahumans. It’s an interesting villain, for sure, especially since his lightning bolt dagger can even the playing field by stripping metas of their powers but the swerve with Vibe is a huge mistake in my opinion.

While I don’t want to see Cisco killed, it would definitely make Cicada more of a threat and galvanise the team. It’d make Nora step-up since his early arrival is a result of her actions and Barry wouldn’t be holding her hand as much. Plus this is the second time Cisco has escaped the reaper and he’s definitely got it coming.

Flash Fact: The titles of the first three episodes are a secret message that comes to pass at the end of the third; Nora Blocked The Death of Vibe. Not sure if that’s intentional or not but neat none-the-less.

So Blocked and The Death of Vibe aren’t as good as the opening episode but there’s elements that are just interesting enough to keep me coming back. In comparison, Supergirl is boring as sin and the only thing I’m interested in is the Red Daughter-esque subplot that will hopefully go somewhere. Next time, we’ll see things spin out of control in News Flash.

What? If the episode can overuse that pun, so can I! As the (rather suggestive) title suggests, this episode is primarily focused on Ralph Dibny’s graduation from zero to hero and, I have to say, it’s really enjoyable!

I have to give props, again, to Hartley Sawyer’s performance because his Jim Carrey-esque mannerisms really suit Ralph’s personality as an elastic-faced goober. He’s so expressive and gets a fair amount of sensible chuckles out of me any time he’s on-screen.

Not so much a fan of his new costume though. It’s too dark and looks more akin to the Firestorm suit than the white and lilac one Ralph is known for. Hell, I’d even take the Plastic Man rip-off suit! I’m surprised Ol’ Plas wasn’t name-checked as a potential title for Ralph.

Another surprise came in the form of Bill Goldberg, the WWE/WCW icon! He plays a prison hard man called Big Sir who knew Henry Allen and subsequently protects Barry. It’s a neat little role for someone who is both old and hench, and Bill does the job admirably.

Yet another surprise was both the return of Axel Walker, aka The Trickster, but also a The Flash ‘93 alumni, Corinne Bohrer! She plays Axel’s mother and the ex-partner in crime of the original Jesse James Trickster, again referencing the ‘93 series’ continuity while adapting it to the new one. Together, Axel and Zoey are quite a delightful, boisterous duo and really inject some energy and fun into their roles, something other villains on this show fail to do.

You and me both, sister! We get a little more time with Barry and Iris, in scenes that are VERY reminiscent of the first seasons Barry/Henry discussions and it feels played out already. We know Barry isn’t going to be in jail for long because god knows they’re not going to let Wally take over…

Finally, we come to the return of Jessica Parker-Kennedy’s Mystery Girl, who offers some slightly odd but very friendly words with Ralph and Cisco after paying for their coffee. Her bubbly personality seems to throw the pair off-guard but I think I would be the same — then again I’m British and we subsist on a diet of quiet indignance and distrust of the blissful.

Since I didn’t get the chance to talk about her more in Crisis on Earth-X, I guess I’ll give my theory on who she could be given she reveals to be writing in the same odd language that Barry did when he returned from the Speed Force. I’m putting a fiver on this and saying that Mystery Girl is… Jenni Ognats aka XS!

Naw, I’m playing with you! It’s most likely Dawn Allen, one of Barry’s twin kids but having XS show up could link to the Legion of Super Heroes which would also mean we could get a “Legion of Three Worlds” style crossover going. Nah, it’ll be Dawn. Good choice though since she looks an awful lot like a mix between Barry and Iris.

Overall, a damn good episode with some good laughs, neat cameos and fun overall plot. Next week seems to be walking back this episode’s good will by taking one of the DC’s most deranged murderers and playing his abilities for laughs in Honey, I Shrunk Team Flash.

PS, y’all should be watching Black Lightning because no other CW show has had a stronger beginning than this show. It’s got such a unique feel, between the cinematography and utilising Atlanta as a filming location, it’s well worth your time.

What? No, I didn’t watch The Flash. It’s not out for another we-What? Oh. Um…

So Barry’s up the creek with no paddle, ain’t he? Thanks to the clever scheming of the now body-swapped DeVoe, Barry is standing trial for DeVoe’s murder and the fact that it’s so perfectly orchestrated is bewildering.

I would complain that DeVoe was able to arrange for all this evidence to incriminate Barry but Thawne was able to literally be in two places at once in the first season so I can let this slide. The episode is more focused on everyone’s efforts to save Barry and Barry himself doing Sweet FA because that’s… what… his… dad… did? I think it’s been properly established by now but Barry is an idiot and him thinking he will somehow be vindicated despite ALL OF THE EVIDENCE against him.

Meanwhile, Iris and Cecile have the right idea; Barry should reveal he’s The Flash. Not only has he garnered enough good will in Central City to earn a medal of valour, which is nicely juxtaposed with the judge calling Barry a sociopath during sentencing, but the old cliché about putting his family in danger doesn’t apply here.

Team Flash is constantly in danger and, more often than not, by the main arc villains who already know who Barry is! After Thawne, Zoom, and Savitar, who is he so scared of? Mirror Master? Peek-a-Boo? That jobber Rainbow Raider? Please. But no, Barry’s love convinces Iris not to do it and that’s so dumb and I’m moving on to some of the good parts of the episode.

We get a couple scenes of Joe and Ralph which are really good, the second of which sees Joe try to convice Ralph to plant evidence in DeVoe’s house. We get a powerful monologue from Ralph that really delves into his feelings on his own fall from grace for doing the exact same thing Joe is contemplating. It’s a fantastic scene with some genuine pathos and I hope they let Hartley Sawyer have more scenes like this.

In the B-Plot, the rest of Team Flash are dealing with a new Meta dubbed ‘Fallout’ due to being a walking nuclear reactor. While the character is absolutely nothing, it does lead to one of the funniest exchanges between Cisco and Wells and a reluctant Caitlin.

The only thing that I kinda like in the main plot is that the cell that Barry is placed in was his dad’s. Yeah, it’s trite and arguably a dick move on the Warden’s part but it got a smirk out of me.

So yeah, I wasn’t overly impressed with this mid-season opener since I watched this after the far superior Black Lightning premiere, which I earnestly recommend watching because it’s amazing. We’ll be back next week with Ralph taking centre stage while Barry is in jail with The Elongated Knight Rises.