Flash: The Sound and the Fury Review
Writer’s note: I’ve got an intense karate test coming up tonight so a portion of this week’s Flash review will be a little shorter than my usual, but I’ll be back next week with full-length!
Following a solid mid-season premiere, Flash returns with an episode that continues to make its way down the list of Flash rogues. This show isn’t squandering an episode when it comes to introducing longer-termed villains and this week saw the debut of Pied Piper, a genius young man with shady ties to Harrison Wells and the crew at Star Labs. There’s a reason that The Flash is the most beloved Superhero show this year and this episode is a great demonstration of why that is. At this point I’d be incredibly surprised if I watched an episode of the Flash that I didn’t enjoy.
Turning 23 episodes into one ongoing story necessitates a few filler episodes but scarcely anything feels filler in the Flash. While tackling its own plotline, this week’s Flash did an outstanding job of balancing the case of the week with the underlying plot. The writers found a way to tie Pied Piper to Harrison Wells’ ongoing story as well as Ronnie Raymond’s. I enjoyed the balanced of story quite a bit this week. We’re nearing the endgame of this season and we’re getting a perfect quantity of buildup that meshes well with the weekly plots.
However, my only issue with this episode is Iris. She’s okay but I don’t think many people want to see her solo-adventures. Her presence in the show stopped being a bit of a hindrance near the end of 2014 because it tied in nicely to the overall plot. Here, she got a job as a journalist because she’s believed to have ties with the Flash. So she ends up being upset after having thought that she got a real job because of her skillsets. I didn’t care much that people didn’t take her seriously and every time she was on screen I kept thinking what’s going on with Wells right now? She’s just not an interesting enough character to merit her own side-story. Her screen time felt like it was compensating for the lack of Jo this episode who is my favourite supporting player and someone who should definitely maintain the perfect amount of focus he’s had thus far.
Speaking of Jo, I love that his ambivalence towards Wells is flourishing into its own story. Last week’s confrontation between the two was definitely a standout and knowing that it’s only the beginning is great. As previously stated, though Jo didn’t get much screen time this week, although he was still great in his brief scenes. Especially his reaction to Barry’s sound-wave experiment, that was priceless. The two have such a great bond and every scene they share is a complete joy. I’m just hoping that he doesn’t continue to be underutilized like he was in this episode.
This is where I get pretty brief because I have to study :/
Harrison Wells had a really great showing this week, his character benefits greatly for his mysterious nature and that was certainly emphasized here. I’m really excited for his endgame to come into fruition and have the show focus on one main storyline. This is how you build an overarching villain right.
On the other side of the villain spectrum, Pied Piper played the villain of the week and he was certainly a good presence. He’s extremely unlikeable but I can’t help pity his insecurity. He seemed to cherish the position he had with Wells and now that he’s lost it to the Flash he’s completely lost his common sense. I’m glad he’ll be staying on board for the next (couple?) of episodes.
Flash continued to impress this week. The overarching story is building really well and we’re starting to feel the endgame approaching. Unfortunately, not all sequences built to that endgame this week and Iris’ plot in particular felt gratuitous and dull. Hopefully in the coming weeks, Jo will reclaim Iris’ screen time and bolster the show. Though, Flash remains, without a doubt some of best superhero T.V. to of all time.