The Flash 1x20 The Trap

 

See, this is what happens when you concentrate on the bigger picture for two consecutive episodes instead of bringing in a few more one-off villains just for the sake of comicbook shout-outs: your show suddenly becomes super fun and enjoyable. Or at least that was the case with The Flash this week, and after watching these last two episodes I suddenly find myself very much excited for the finale. There’s three more episodes to go, so hopefully they don’t ruin this great momentum until then. 

The Flash 1x19 Who Is Harrison Wells?

 

You might think that I would be angry at this episode because last week I clearly said that the only reason I was excited for this one is because judging by the title, we’re probably right to expect some answers to the biggest overarching mystery of the season, and yet the episode completely failed to deliver on that front... but the truth is, as baffled as I am by the incredibly deceptive title, this was still one of the most fun episodes of The Flash to date, so this time I’m willing to forgive its shortcomings and hope that maybe next week we’ll get some of those answers. There aren’t that many episodes left of the season so it’s about time, I would say.

So what is it exactly that made the episode so enjoyable? For one thing, the guest starring Arrow characters, but also the fact that for probably the very first time on the show, the Villain of the Week was actually interesting. But really, it was mainly the Arrow characters. God bless the Lance family, is all I can say.

The Flash 1x18 All Star Team Up

My overall reaction to most of this episode can be summed up in one word: ugh. Because here’s the thing: I’m not that big of a fan of The Flash to start with, and add to that another 40 minutes with Ray Palmer, after I already have to suffer through him week by week on Arrow… well to put it simply, I had close to zero motivation for watching this episode. The only reason I did was because, on the other hand, I really really wanted to watch this week’s Arrow as soon as possible, and I usually like to watch them in the order they aired, if I can.

Now, I’m actually glad that this episode was just as I was expecting it to be, because it gives me a great opportunity to address all my problems with this show without sounding like a nitpicking douchebag. So here’s the thing: I love Arrow. I loved pretty much everything about it since the first couple of episodes: the background story, the main seasonal arcs, the fantastic characters, the dry humour… it was everything a gritty, realistic, but still highly entertaning superhero show should be. So was I happy when I heard that they’re developing a spin-off which would expand the show’s universe and give me another potentially great series to watch? Hell yes I was! I was all prepared to love The Flash the same way I love Arrow, especially after they introduced Barry’s character and I found him to be extremely likeable, the perfect main character for the new show. Then came the Pilot which introduced a cast of potentially great characters and a very exciting main storyline, and I was just as pumped as everyone else… but then the weeks went on and on, each new episode was praised by critics and fans alike, and I was just sitting here, wondering why I can’t see what everyone else is seeing. The main story wasn’t really moving anywhere, the Villains of the Week were boring beyond imagination, and apart from Barry and Joe, and maybe Caitlin, I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of the characters. Things have improved a bit lately ever since most of the show’s focus have been moved from the insufferable one-off villains to the central story arc, but I’m still not entirely satisfied. So while it’s still not a question that I’m gonna watch every new episode to find out the latest discoveries on the Harrison Wells front, I’m just simply not as excited for them as I usually am for Arrow.