Post by fonebone on Mar 23, 2023 2:09:30 GMT -8
The Flash "Wednesday Ever After"
If you are wondering if the show is going to up its game for the last season (and I sure was wondering that) we got an immediate answer in the first scene of the final season ever being a rip-off fake-out dream sequence. I imagine my hindsight review of the season will be ultimately be "And it was all downhill from there."
The episode itself was annoying, but not terrible. When Iris wants to spend the day in the time loop getting drunk I think she understood the selling points of those things more than most people do. And let me blunt: Barry's "Time Book" is presumptuous and stupid. Him being dumb enough to think Iris would like that shows Season 9 Flash is exactly as stupid as Season 1 Flash. Character progression in the Arrowverse? Never! We have toddler morals to shove down the audience's throat, and we can't do that unless the characters are total imbeciles! We aren't smart enough to write intelligent characters dealing with problems in an intelligent way. That would involve WORK on the end of the writers, and that simply isn't done. Am I too cynical? The show brings it out in me and has never proved me wrong yet.
I'm glad this is the last season of the show and even gladder it looks like the end of The Arrowverse. Legends Of Tomorrow was almost fun, but single other show got to be a total drag. And The Flash was and is remains worse than most of them. *1/2.
The Flash "Hear No Evil"
Fone Bone review shocker: I liked it a lot. No, that's underselling it. I kind of loved it. Maybe I'm being overly kind because I expected to hate it, but the episode made some good choices that I won't dismiss. I would have liked them even if I HADN'T expected to hate the week.
The first interesting choice is making the third Snow sister utterly unlike either Caitlin or Frost and making her a good and warm person. I fully expected this new persona to be full-on evil and for Caitlin to be one of the (if not the THE) Big Bads of the final season. I have never been happier to be wrong. And I'm almost never wrong when it comes to The Arrowverse. It is a very predictable franchise. And while I do enjoy predictable storytelling as comfort food, the ways The Arrowverse tends to be predictable aren't because they are telling the expected story correctly. But more because I know they are gonna mess up and I know exactly how. The Flash NOT messing up this episode, and keeping both Caitlin and Frost dead (at least for now) shows my rage last season over Frost's "fake-out" death was misplaced. I'm human. I don't love the feeling of being wrong. But when I'm wrong that something is gonna suck and I wind up enjoying it, I'll do the Mea Culpa and move on. Bragging rights would have been nice here, but really, I'm not too petty to simply enjoy a plot turn I liked.
I also like that the show is keeping Hartley on the straight and narrow. His backstory has become extremely muddled due to time travel considerations, but I thought him becoming an ally after Flashpoint was beyond irresistible, and I like that the show still sees value in it too.
I reserve the right to rescind this positive review on the off-chance that the reason Cecile can't read Keon is because she's secretly evil, and Caitlin and Frost are coming back after all. And while, since it's The Arrowverse, I wouldn't rule that out (Black Lightning did dirty with the character of Lightning in a similar scenario in its final season) I truly believe that is far less likely to happen than that it is.
Is this me giving the show a level of benefit of the doubt? Or even trust? Let's just say I don't even think THIS show is foolish enough to walk back these interesting ideas that have breathed new life into the show. I could be wrong. But I don't think they'll walk this back. Which is good and why the episode is something I loved. ****1/2.
The Flash "Rogues Of War"
It was decent. I liked more than I didn't. But still, I had a couple of gripes.
I love Barry realizing the correct solution was to plan to give Hartley the device and then pay off the rest of the Rogues. Him expecting them to do it for free, was actually silly.
Of course we all knew the Red Death was Ryan, or at least a version of her, but Batwoman recently having gone missing sets off alarm bells. Smart narrative move for the show.
Do you know what wasn't? Mark's betrayal. It is ill-advised to make him a series regular if he's going to be working for Red Death. They are gonna have to move unlikely storytelling mountains to keep him in most of the episodes anyways. Bad idea.
Also I was digging Keon last week, until I realized the show simply created a character completely unlike the other two Snows, and have no idea what to do with her. Her role in the show is down to giving relationship advice. One of the smartest / most powerful members of Team Flash has essentially turn into Neelix for Star Trek: Voyager. Another ill-advised plot idea.
So it's clear they are not keeping Goldface an antagonist. He wouldn't have learned Barry was the Flash otherwise. It means he was either going to join the good guys, or get killed off by the end of the episode. Joining the good guys is more interesting.
I expected Hartley to get killed off based on what the chick in the mask was signing to him. You shouldn't use that kind of dialogue if you aren't gonna go through with it. It was a little more more scary and disturbing than simple "I'mma kick your ass" trash talk.
The episode was fine though. I'll allow it. ***1/2.
The Flash "The Mask Of The Red Death, Part One"
Favorable impression this week. It also makes me wonder what the heck happened to the real Ryan Wilder.
Good plan to bring Mark back to Team Flash. His heel-turn would have been interesting if he weren't now a series regular. But he is, so it was a mistake. Bringing him back to the good guys will make it easier to include him in future stories.
Iris was pretty insightful with Red Death in her apartment. And I like that fact, but the truth is it's unusual, and the characters usually run around doing stupid things on behalf of the plot. I am glad the show had her acting clever. But it usually doesn't, so it can argued she's acting out of character.
Iris' Royal Flush Gang trick was good because I certainly had forgotten those details myself. Well played.
The show asking me to believe Cecile is a superhero is still a really big ask. I'm not up to it yet.
The episode did a major mistake, one of the biggest I have ever seen in The Arrowverse, and I'm shocked it made it to air. But when Keon gave her defense of saving Mark, Barry says "Caitlin's right." Now if Keon had corrected him, it would have been an interesting plot-point that the team is still getting used to Keon. Because nobody did, that means it was a continuity and production error not a single person caught before it made to air. The show has never felt as sloppy as it did just then.
But like I said, the rest of the episode was pretty good all things considered. ***1/2.
The Flash "The Mask Of The Red Death, Part Two"
Reasonably satisfying. I especially like that they found a good solution to have Jesse L Martin step back from being a series regular on the show and gave Joe a nice goodbye while they were at it. Nicely done.
I especially love that the solution to learning that Barry believes he was wrong about Grodd turning into a hero, is that he actually wasn't. I love stuff like that.
I see now why the Marvel and Star Wars Disney+ stuff, as well as Star Trek: Picard do their main title cast credits AFTER the episode. Since this show does them at the beginning, seeing David Sobolov's name means Grodd's "surprise" appearance is actually spoiled. I'm seeing the logic of the movie-style end credits because of stuff like that.
If Alt-Ryan truly believed her version of justice was righteous, you'd figure she'd come up with a better name for herself than The Red Death. It's exactly as dumb a name to give oneself as The Brotherhood Of Evil, and stupid for the exact same reason.
Good to actually see Batwoman, and maybe get a little extra wrap-up we were denied when the show was canceled. But if the Red Death is in prison, it makes it an open question who the Big Bad of the final season (and thus series) actually is. If the show sucks they'll make it Thawne for the billionth time. I predict the show sucks. Hey, I like any episode where the rogues quip THEY are the only ones allowed to beat up the Flash as much as anyone, but history suggests Flash will take the sucky way out. I would love to be wrong. Psst! I'm not.
Checked off all the right boxes for a good night. ****.
The Flash "The Good, The Bad, And The Lucky"
I was cursing the show and my lowered IQ as the episode was going on, and hating every inch of it. But the ending gives me pause in totally dismissing it. It was an empowering, positive ending. The show's entire problem is how dark and depressing it's gotten despite the fact that the premise does not support that tone. I can talk smack about the episode (and I'm gonna) but really, I can't be TOO hard on the show for setting an appropriate tone. It doesn't do that very often.
But there is MUCH to complain about. While we are on the subject of the show being unnecessarily depressing, did killing off Frost and Caitlin actually help the show any? As cute as Khione is, does she improve the show in any measurable way? No, she does not. Also, why was Caitlin never given a funeral? Was Cisco even given a head's up she died? The fact that Cisco hasn't even been MENTIONED first after Frost's death and then Caitlin's is outright disturbing.
I think the stupidest thing in the episode is it positing the idea that a guy in debt to the mob could choose his own inside blackjack dealer to constantly lose to him. Forget the fact there is literally no way for ANYONE to do that, how is it him getting so many blackjacks one right after another didn't raise red flags at the casino? I hate The Arrowverse because the writers are lazy, don't do even cursory research of a given subject they explore, and botch things even I as a layman know are not possible. I've never set foot inside a casino. And even I know this is utter b.s.. And I'm tired of this crap, and I won't miss Greg Berlanti when his tenure running DC stuff comes to an end. Him being involved in SO much stuff makes a LOT of stuff a lot worse than it would have been if there were a different production company involved. It's frustrating as hell how bad that producer is for all of television,, and considering Superman & Lois is my favorite DC show, it puts a knot in my stomach obsessing every week over when they'll finally wreck it (which they probably will). I'm totally sick of this crap.
The Luckiest Girl alive opening is cute, but a little of that chick's screechy voice goes a long way.
I will not miss this show. And I will not miss The Arrowverse. At all. **.
If you are wondering if the show is going to up its game for the last season (and I sure was wondering that) we got an immediate answer in the first scene of the final season ever being a rip-off fake-out dream sequence. I imagine my hindsight review of the season will be ultimately be "And it was all downhill from there."
The episode itself was annoying, but not terrible. When Iris wants to spend the day in the time loop getting drunk I think she understood the selling points of those things more than most people do. And let me blunt: Barry's "Time Book" is presumptuous and stupid. Him being dumb enough to think Iris would like that shows Season 9 Flash is exactly as stupid as Season 1 Flash. Character progression in the Arrowverse? Never! We have toddler morals to shove down the audience's throat, and we can't do that unless the characters are total imbeciles! We aren't smart enough to write intelligent characters dealing with problems in an intelligent way. That would involve WORK on the end of the writers, and that simply isn't done. Am I too cynical? The show brings it out in me and has never proved me wrong yet.
I'm glad this is the last season of the show and even gladder it looks like the end of The Arrowverse. Legends Of Tomorrow was almost fun, but single other show got to be a total drag. And The Flash was and is remains worse than most of them. *1/2.
The Flash "Hear No Evil"
Fone Bone review shocker: I liked it a lot. No, that's underselling it. I kind of loved it. Maybe I'm being overly kind because I expected to hate it, but the episode made some good choices that I won't dismiss. I would have liked them even if I HADN'T expected to hate the week.
The first interesting choice is making the third Snow sister utterly unlike either Caitlin or Frost and making her a good and warm person. I fully expected this new persona to be full-on evil and for Caitlin to be one of the (if not the THE) Big Bads of the final season. I have never been happier to be wrong. And I'm almost never wrong when it comes to The Arrowverse. It is a very predictable franchise. And while I do enjoy predictable storytelling as comfort food, the ways The Arrowverse tends to be predictable aren't because they are telling the expected story correctly. But more because I know they are gonna mess up and I know exactly how. The Flash NOT messing up this episode, and keeping both Caitlin and Frost dead (at least for now) shows my rage last season over Frost's "fake-out" death was misplaced. I'm human. I don't love the feeling of being wrong. But when I'm wrong that something is gonna suck and I wind up enjoying it, I'll do the Mea Culpa and move on. Bragging rights would have been nice here, but really, I'm not too petty to simply enjoy a plot turn I liked.
I also like that the show is keeping Hartley on the straight and narrow. His backstory has become extremely muddled due to time travel considerations, but I thought him becoming an ally after Flashpoint was beyond irresistible, and I like that the show still sees value in it too.
I reserve the right to rescind this positive review on the off-chance that the reason Cecile can't read Keon is because she's secretly evil, and Caitlin and Frost are coming back after all. And while, since it's The Arrowverse, I wouldn't rule that out (Black Lightning did dirty with the character of Lightning in a similar scenario in its final season) I truly believe that is far less likely to happen than that it is.
Is this me giving the show a level of benefit of the doubt? Or even trust? Let's just say I don't even think THIS show is foolish enough to walk back these interesting ideas that have breathed new life into the show. I could be wrong. But I don't think they'll walk this back. Which is good and why the episode is something I loved. ****1/2.
The Flash "Rogues Of War"
It was decent. I liked more than I didn't. But still, I had a couple of gripes.
I love Barry realizing the correct solution was to plan to give Hartley the device and then pay off the rest of the Rogues. Him expecting them to do it for free, was actually silly.
Of course we all knew the Red Death was Ryan, or at least a version of her, but Batwoman recently having gone missing sets off alarm bells. Smart narrative move for the show.
Do you know what wasn't? Mark's betrayal. It is ill-advised to make him a series regular if he's going to be working for Red Death. They are gonna have to move unlikely storytelling mountains to keep him in most of the episodes anyways. Bad idea.
Also I was digging Keon last week, until I realized the show simply created a character completely unlike the other two Snows, and have no idea what to do with her. Her role in the show is down to giving relationship advice. One of the smartest / most powerful members of Team Flash has essentially turn into Neelix for Star Trek: Voyager. Another ill-advised plot idea.
So it's clear they are not keeping Goldface an antagonist. He wouldn't have learned Barry was the Flash otherwise. It means he was either going to join the good guys, or get killed off by the end of the episode. Joining the good guys is more interesting.
I expected Hartley to get killed off based on what the chick in the mask was signing to him. You shouldn't use that kind of dialogue if you aren't gonna go through with it. It was a little more more scary and disturbing than simple "I'mma kick your ass" trash talk.
The episode was fine though. I'll allow it. ***1/2.
The Flash "The Mask Of The Red Death, Part One"
Favorable impression this week. It also makes me wonder what the heck happened to the real Ryan Wilder.
Good plan to bring Mark back to Team Flash. His heel-turn would have been interesting if he weren't now a series regular. But he is, so it was a mistake. Bringing him back to the good guys will make it easier to include him in future stories.
Iris was pretty insightful with Red Death in her apartment. And I like that fact, but the truth is it's unusual, and the characters usually run around doing stupid things on behalf of the plot. I am glad the show had her acting clever. But it usually doesn't, so it can argued she's acting out of character.
Iris' Royal Flush Gang trick was good because I certainly had forgotten those details myself. Well played.
The show asking me to believe Cecile is a superhero is still a really big ask. I'm not up to it yet.
The episode did a major mistake, one of the biggest I have ever seen in The Arrowverse, and I'm shocked it made it to air. But when Keon gave her defense of saving Mark, Barry says "Caitlin's right." Now if Keon had corrected him, it would have been an interesting plot-point that the team is still getting used to Keon. Because nobody did, that means it was a continuity and production error not a single person caught before it made to air. The show has never felt as sloppy as it did just then.
But like I said, the rest of the episode was pretty good all things considered. ***1/2.
The Flash "The Mask Of The Red Death, Part Two"
Reasonably satisfying. I especially like that they found a good solution to have Jesse L Martin step back from being a series regular on the show and gave Joe a nice goodbye while they were at it. Nicely done.
I especially love that the solution to learning that Barry believes he was wrong about Grodd turning into a hero, is that he actually wasn't. I love stuff like that.
I see now why the Marvel and Star Wars Disney+ stuff, as well as Star Trek: Picard do their main title cast credits AFTER the episode. Since this show does them at the beginning, seeing David Sobolov's name means Grodd's "surprise" appearance is actually spoiled. I'm seeing the logic of the movie-style end credits because of stuff like that.
If Alt-Ryan truly believed her version of justice was righteous, you'd figure she'd come up with a better name for herself than The Red Death. It's exactly as dumb a name to give oneself as The Brotherhood Of Evil, and stupid for the exact same reason.
Good to actually see Batwoman, and maybe get a little extra wrap-up we were denied when the show was canceled. But if the Red Death is in prison, it makes it an open question who the Big Bad of the final season (and thus series) actually is. If the show sucks they'll make it Thawne for the billionth time. I predict the show sucks. Hey, I like any episode where the rogues quip THEY are the only ones allowed to beat up the Flash as much as anyone, but history suggests Flash will take the sucky way out. I would love to be wrong. Psst! I'm not.
Checked off all the right boxes for a good night. ****.
The Flash "The Good, The Bad, And The Lucky"
I was cursing the show and my lowered IQ as the episode was going on, and hating every inch of it. But the ending gives me pause in totally dismissing it. It was an empowering, positive ending. The show's entire problem is how dark and depressing it's gotten despite the fact that the premise does not support that tone. I can talk smack about the episode (and I'm gonna) but really, I can't be TOO hard on the show for setting an appropriate tone. It doesn't do that very often.
But there is MUCH to complain about. While we are on the subject of the show being unnecessarily depressing, did killing off Frost and Caitlin actually help the show any? As cute as Khione is, does she improve the show in any measurable way? No, she does not. Also, why was Caitlin never given a funeral? Was Cisco even given a head's up she died? The fact that Cisco hasn't even been MENTIONED first after Frost's death and then Caitlin's is outright disturbing.
I think the stupidest thing in the episode is it positing the idea that a guy in debt to the mob could choose his own inside blackjack dealer to constantly lose to him. Forget the fact there is literally no way for ANYONE to do that, how is it him getting so many blackjacks one right after another didn't raise red flags at the casino? I hate The Arrowverse because the writers are lazy, don't do even cursory research of a given subject they explore, and botch things even I as a layman know are not possible. I've never set foot inside a casino. And even I know this is utter b.s.. And I'm tired of this crap, and I won't miss Greg Berlanti when his tenure running DC stuff comes to an end. Him being involved in SO much stuff makes a LOT of stuff a lot worse than it would have been if there were a different production company involved. It's frustrating as hell how bad that producer is for all of television,, and considering Superman & Lois is my favorite DC show, it puts a knot in my stomach obsessing every week over when they'll finally wreck it (which they probably will). I'm totally sick of this crap.
The Luckiest Girl alive opening is cute, but a little of that chick's screechy voice goes a long way.
I will not miss this show. And I will not miss The Arrowverse. At all. **.