The Flash has had some communication problems in the past. Chief among the frustrations that steadily accumulated through seasons two and three is that the characters had become moody and introspective, unwilling to share their thoughts and thereby storing up secrets and resentments which would inevitably explode out in a painful, ugly way. At some point down the line, Barry, Joe, Iris et al simply just forgot how to speak to each other.
It's no surprise, then, that after a premiere that cleaned up the mess of season three mostly by apologising for it, that season four's sophomore outing took its aim at those communication problems. Mixed Signals is not a particularly rich episode thematically, but its aims go beyond just restoring the original meta-of-the-week formula - it's about the characters of STAR Labs and Central City learning how to talk to each other again. It's a sign, in spite of the narrative flaws, that The Flash has found itself again.
The most important facet of the episode, and likely the one that decides whether you're on board with it or not, is the reassertion of Iris and Barry as the show's emotional centre, the pairing around which every other character orbits. Their conflict this episode covers familiar ground, but it's a necessary dose of emotional reality to the heady joy of having Barry back and cheerful once more (illustrated brilliantly in the delightful opening sequence in Barry's apartment). Season three had to have consequences, and this was a smart way to go about it.
Ultimately, though, the point of the therapy scenes is to get Iris and Barry back in sync, communicating how they really feel after months of lying and unilateral decision-making. It's an example of how The Flash has smoothed over a lot of the details of season three in order to make the drama more streamlined this year, in how Iris' emotional confession scene works as a psychologically realistic conflict to get Barry to look beyond his own perspective and realise the value of the others around him, but doesn't make a lot of sense when actually applied to the details it's referring too (the storm in the season three finale was a life-or-death situation where a snap decision was the only one available).
Likewise, the quick and emotionally mature resolution of their couples conflict, in which, shock horror, they actually listen to one another, Nonetheless, the plotline does feel like a slight recon of season three that's taken the cliffhanger and used it for different dramatic purposes than was originally intended. Given season four's campaign to push every element of this show in a different direction to season three, I wouldn't be surprised if I make this complaint again in the coming weeks.
Gypsy is a fine character and the kind of utility player who comes in every now and then that every superhero show should have, but we still don't really know her as a person. Mixed Signals offers the most textured portrayal of her so far, with her confession to Cisco showing a convincingly endearing interior beneath all the smirking and threats, but she's still primarily defined by what Cisco thinks of her. That was okay for the story when she was an unattainable crush, but now they're properly dating, it feels just a touch retrograde. On the bright side, this is a problem The Flash is evidently aiming to fix, given that we have a guest appearance from her father (played by Danny Trejo!) in a couple of weeks, but it's a sticking point in the here and now.
Kilgore is a good example of that simply, unfussy approach working in The Flash's favour. He has a cool power, which is realised cleverly in a few tense set-pieces that allow for a return to the spectacular showcases of Barry's speed the show had mostly left behind, and he strikes a balance between being threatening and silly (I mean, he says "Call me Kilgore"). So while he's a fairly dull character, with the actor bringing little to the role, he serves his purpose just fine.
These episode-ending puzzle piece scenes are working really well for season four, slowly unfurling an inscrutably complex plan in a way that nostalgically recalls the early days of Harrison Wells skulking around STAR Labs and looking at future newspapers. Ultimately, the show is going to have to push DeVoe into the spotlight soon enough, but I'm enjoying the slow burn for now. Season four has come out of the gates carefully, nudging things back into the classic formula, but there's a sense that it's building to something exciting and different with each week. Episodes like Mixed Signals are a reminder that The Flash has relearned how to strike the balance between good episodic stories and overarching intrigue, and it's going to be exciting to see how that'll change as we head further into the new status quo.
Episode Grade: B+
+ Couples therapy
+ Fun and light-hearted tone
+ Good spectacle
- More retconning
- Gypsy needs development