Big week. Big week, guys. Not only did The Flash and Arrow return after their winter breaks, but we also, at long last, got the first episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
Was it any good? You'll have to read further to find out...
The Flash: "Potential Energy" (Season 2, Episode 10)
For its midseason premiere, The Flash decided to put the relationship between Barry and Patty under the microscope, and revealed that it is indeed flawed.
When Patty begins to question Barry's recent stress, which, unbeknownst to her, is about Zoom, Barry decides it's time to let her in on the whole "I'm the Flash" thing. At the same time, the STAR Labs crew is tracking down a metahuman Cisco calls Turtle. Turtle has the power to slow down everything around him, making him appear as if he is as fast as the Flash. Harry and Cisco believe they might be able to use his abilities to defeat Zoom. Do these two plotlines intersect with dramatic consequences? You bet your CW formula they do!
Despite being a newer character. Patty is already a pretty well-developed character, and the Barry/Patty romance is one that easy to get invested in, so seeing Patty herself and the relationship hit a huge rough patch was heartbreaking, considering things were looking pretty good for them as the episode opened. Bridges will inevitably be rebuilt by season's end, and Patty will probably learn about Barry's speedy exploits, but, fortunately, that knowledge didn't take away from the impact the episode left for me.
Now let's talk about Turtle. I was really surprised by how formidable a foe he turned out to be for Barry. I was expecting Zoom to pop up and be this episode's bad guy, and when Turtle was introduced, I thought he would be defeated pretty quickly. Boy, was I wrong. Turns out, a guy who can slow things down is hard to beat for a guy who can run really fast. I thought him kidnapping Patty was a generic climax for the episode, but the way I was unexpectedly entertained by Turtle makes up for that.
Oh, and there's more West family drama this week with the arrival of Wally. The scenes between him and Joe were well-acted, as Wally showed resent toward Joe for not being there while he was growing up while Joe is shocked to learn that Wally drag races to pay for his mother's hospital bills. The two come to a truce as both acknowledge them getting to know each other will be a hard path to go down, which was a realistic, touching way to leave them this week.
Other Thoughts:
- The whole "Jay might die unless he gets his speed back" was a good twist, but has no dramatic weight because we all know he's getting them back at some point.
- So, did Harry kill Turtle? It's not made quite clear but if he did, wow.
- "We will return to The Flash in a moment. But first, we present the CW version of The Fast and the Furious."
- Cisco and Caitlin warn Barry that he won't be able to beat Turtle just by running faster, but that ends up being the way he defeats him. Weird.
Rating: 8.6/10 burning bouquets of roses
Next week, Team Flash once again faces off against Eobard Thawne...
Arrow: "Blood Debts" (Season 4, Episode 10)
Let's get the elephant out of the room...
Felicity's not dead. She was never going to be dead. How people could actually think she'd be dead is beyond me. And all the red herring promos bashing us over the head telling us she was dead were exponentially annoying. Got it? Good.
"Blood Debts" instead reveals that Felicity's life will be changed by her accident. The damage to her nervous system has left her paralyzed from the waist down, meaning she won't be able to walk for (remember this is a TV show) a long time. I liked (not in a dark way, sickos) this revelation. It gives the accident at the end of the last episode impact while not slowing the show's momentum. In fact, I'd say it increases it.
Felicity's condition has sent Oliver on a manhunt for Darhk through Star City (I loved how the opening of the episode cut between Felicity in ER and Oliver beating up HIVE ghosts). His desperation to avenge his love boils over when he uses the resurfaced Lonnie Machin/Anarky, who also has a vendetta against the HIVE head-honcho, to find Darhk. It was kind of creepy to see Oliver almost become the villain this week, though he did what he did with Star City's safety in mind.
Speaking of Anarky, he was also pretty creepy. I mean, serial-killer level creepy. Just look at that mask. Look at it! I have to admit, his "pretty boy" look kind of makes it hard for me to take him seriously at times, but I still think Alexandre Calvert does a reliable job in the role. His interactions with Thea ended up being quite intense, as he urged her to give into her bloodlust once more. It's safe to say Thea finally has her own nemesis.
The episode ends with a continuation of that cryptic graveside scene in the season premiere. We now know for sure Felicity isn't, ISN'T, the one in the grave, since we see her with Oliver, and she looks pretty shaken up. So which character's death would leave Oliver, Barry and Felicity all devastated?
Other Thoughts:
- We get some insight into why Andy defected to HIVE and how the relationship between him and John was a lot more tense than we were made to believe. The card scene at the end was a nice touch.
- I liked how Lance hardly hesitated when he gave Oliver the location of Darhk's HQ. If it were any other character, it would've taken an entire episode before they decided to tell Oliver.
- The flashbacks picked up speed again. The tattoo Constantine gave Oliver is apparently really important to Reiter. Let's hope this story doesn't slow down again.
Rating: 8.4/10 cool spinny nunchucks
Next week, John and Andy team up to take on Shadowspire, and Felicity struggles with her new lifestyle...
Legends of Tomorrow: "Pilot, Part 1" (Season 1, Episode 1)
We're finally here. The first episode of the DC TV universe's equivalent of The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Doctor Who. 8 supporting characters from Arrow and The Flash join forces with time traveller Rip Hunter to defeat the immortal madman Vandal Savage before he can claim world domination. Awesome premise, awesome cast, but how's the first episode?
It's...okay.
Now, when I say it's okay, I mean it as if I'm judging a 2-hour movie by it's first hour. This is "Pilot, Part 1," so there's a very good chance that my opinion on Part 2 will affect my opinion on this episode. But judging this first episode alone, Legends of Tomorrow is off to a solid start, but there were some hiccups in the launch, so to speak.
Let's start with the good stuff. The best part of the premiere was seeing these characters interact with each other.. Whether it's Ray Palmer and Dr. Stein nerding out over Rip Hunter's time vessel or seeing Sara Lance, Leonard Snart, and Mick Rory grab a drink and beat the snot out of people, this part of the show is, and should continue to be, a complete hoot.
This premiere episode also had a bit of a cinematic feel to it. There were a couple times, and not at moments you would expect, that I felt like I was watching a movie and not a TV show, which is honestly a feeling I haven't yet had while watching Arrow or Flash. This could be because of this show's scope, or just the way some scenes were shot and edited. For example, the fight against Kronus at the episode's climax, or the team's departure from 2016. It's a great feeling. One which I hope can be maintained through the rest of the series.
As for the not-so-good stuff, the pacing was off. Like. way off. We're reintroduced to our 8 recruits at breakneck speed, not giving enough time for those who are newcomers to this universe to get to know theses guys very well. More time is spent, though, showing our heroes/villains pondering Rip's offer and explaining their motivations for joining them, which is good. A chunk of time is also spent re-clarifying Hawkman and Hawkgirl's backstories, which, to be fair to newcomers, is pretty freakin' complicated. The reveal that Boardman is Kendra and Carter's "son" was kinda sweet.
When Hunter confesses to the crew that they don't become "legends"as he so dramatically proclaimed and leaves them to decide whether or not they wish to return home, there's no drama at all. We know they're all going to stay, right? I liked Rip's confession, but found the whole pondering sequence to be a tad unnecessary, at least at this point. Maybe if it were later on?
Other Thoughts:
- Rip: "This is the Wave Rider, and it has been my vessel through many decades." Gandalf: "Shadowfax, lord of all horses, and he has been my friend through many dangers." Rip is Gandalf CONFIRMED
- How did Laurel get a costume for Sara from Cisco so quickly?
- Holy cow. Stein drugged Jax. What the heck, Martin?
- The music was pretty well done, especially the theme music and during the aforementioned pondering sequence.
- So Rip was part of an order that outlawed marriage, but Rip married and had a family anyway? Rip is Anakin KUNFERMED.
Rating: 8.0/10 pleads to stop hitting Rip
Next week, the pilot continues....
Noah
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