In my humble opinion, being a fan means being an ardent supporter of someone or something, not simply a blind enthusiast who can never find fault with the thing you are devoted to. That being said, this episode as a whole was pretty underwhelming. True Colors certainly wasn't terrible, but it couldn't hold much of a candle to last week's episode.There were some strong scenes, but The Flash was pretty boring last night.
What Saved the Episode:
Dibny as Warden Wolfe
Trying to pass Ralph off as Warden Wolfe was really funny.Thanks to the acting of Richard Brooks,the unflappable Warden Wolfe was hysterical when reduced to the awkward movements and musings of Ralph. Brooks' range as an actor was certainly on full display. He seamlessly went from hard ass to bumbling in a matter of seconds. Watching Dibny as Wolfe try not to break character (oh wow) when being tested up close by Amunet Black was a highlight of the night.
Barry AllenWe have all been waiting for Barry Allen "The Science Guy" to truly resurface. Of course he uses science as part of his job at the police department, but the guy who ultimately creates Gideon hasn't been seen in a while. If the prison arc did nothing else, it reminded viewers what a talented and smart person Barry was before he became The Flash. Barry the selfless friend, Barry the scientist, Barry the leader- all these parts of Barry have been given some much needed development during his time in Iron Heights.It was extremely satisfying to watch Barry the double major in physics and chemistry use that knowledge to get out of the prison cell. Let's hope there's more of that to come ala working with Cisco to create the cerebral inhibitor Savitar referenced or The Flash's ring. Whatever the writers decide to do, more of the prison Barry Allen would be really useful on the outside.
What Didn't Land:
Killer Frost The CheerleaderIf Danielle Panabaker has questions about Killer Frost/Caitlin Snow, then it's no surprise that we do too.Killer Frost surfacing to fight bad guys- check. Killer Frost surfacing to give pep talks- that's gonna be a no in my book without more explanation. She is a villain, right? Maybe? Hence, the utter confusion. We all saw her try to kill Iris and anyone on Team Flash who got in her way (in the way of what I still have no earthly idea), so why would she all of a sudden turn into someone who gives a damn about being friends with anyone? And I am more than peeved that the context of her pep talk revolved around being forgiven by the team for something she really hasn't apologized for doing. Sure, Killer Frost pops up to assist the team, but she has never seemed remorseful for any of her actions before tonight and certainly hasn't put voice to any remorse.
I am open to any plausible interpretation of what is going on with her because I can't figure it out, and I'm afraid the writers can't either. Is Caitlin in control of Killer Frost now? Is she slowly figuring out how to wield Killer Frost's powers, but keep Caitlin Snow's personality? It's obvious that I have too many questions. Help!
The Prison BreakAside from Barry dissolving the prison locks, I can't think of anything exciting about the prison break. That should have been an entertaining sequence of events, but it landed with a thud. We had this group of people without powers and plenty of opportunities for comic banter but nope, we didn't really get that. There have been episodes with the Weather Wizard, Peek-a-Boo, Roy G. Bivilo, and a few other metas that were really well done. Maybe these metas just weren't as interesting or the actors not as strong- who knows. They just didn't seem to have chemistry, and it made for an awfully boring turn of events that even the arrival of DeVoe couldn't salvage.
True Colors was sort of a let down after such a great episode last week. Hopefully after the hiatus
The Flash will return to more even handed Tuesday nights and more great moments with our favorite characters.
Things that made me take a pause:
1) The West-Allen reunion was beyond weak."Every tomorrow" and "You're my home" Seriously! It didn't really seem that way last night. Iris complained about not being able to touch Barry and all they did was peck each other on the lips once he's home from prison? Not cool. Joe and Barry's embrace carried more emotional weight than the moment Barry shared with Iris. That was no standard- let alone the gold standard.
2) Marlize is souring on Clifford. That oh so perfect union she once touted is falling to pieces. What will be her justification for continuing to go forward with the enlightenment?
3) Is DeVoe losing his powers as a result of body jumping? Is he becoming so drunk on power that he's losing sight of his original mission?
What did you think of
True Colors? Sound off in the comments.
The Flash will be on haitus for the next two weeks.
