The Flash combines superhero angst with Christmas episode conventions. How does it play for you?
Title: “The Man in the Yellow Suit”
Directed by Ralph Hemecker
Written by Todd and Aaron Hebling
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash
Candice Patton as Iris West
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow
Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells
Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West
Rick Cosnet as Detective Eddie Thawne
John Wesley Shipp as Henry Allen
Michelle Anderson as Nora Allen
Amanda Pays as Tina McGee
Robbie Amell as Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm
Full cast and crew information may be found at the imdb
Premise
As Christmas nears, the Reverse Flash returns to taunt Barry, Eddie requests that Iris share accommodations, and Ronnie Raymond reignites as Firestorm.
High Point
While I wasn’t a fan of the Batman Childhood Angst being foisted on Barry Allen, I think they’ve handled it well, because the character has reacted so much differently than, say Bruce Wayne. Despite the wild fluctuations of tone, this episode gave some intensity to Barry’s quest to find his mother’s killer.
Low Point
They have to keep the existence of metahumans a secret to protect their loved ones?
Really? It wouldn’t be better to alert the entire population, have people other than just S.T.A.R. labs examine the problem, and contain the hostiles with something other than an illegal private prison run by three people?
The Scores:
Originality: 3/6
Effects: 5/6
Acting: 5/6
Story: 4/6 I like the story and the way the show introduces probable time-travel. The disparate tones, however, in this grim pursuit / ongoing angst / superhero debut / Christmas special episode do not always blend well.
Emotional Response: 5/6
Production: 6/6
Overall: 5/6
In total, “The Man in the Yellow Suit” receives 33/42
Notes
The 90s Flash plays Barry’s father, while Amanda Pays appears this week in a new incarnation of her 90s character, Tina McGee. More significantly, we’ve learned this week that Mark Hamill will appear soon, in a version of the role he played on that show: the Trickster.
There’s still no word on when Gorilla Grodd will (re)appear, or if the curious metasimian will be accompanied by the Man with the Yellow Hat.
Where are they going with Firestorm?
I suspect he’ll travel a slowish and gritty arc that will end with him as something akin to his comic-book counterpart. It seems to be the way DC is handling their TV characters.
I’m still a bit confused by the ending. Obviously it wasn’t this Wells in the Yellow suit, or this Eddie, but it could be a future-Wells or a future-Eddie, or someone else. Either way they had to be working with this Wells or else he wouldn’t have had that gadget to add to his copy the suit at the end. Add that to Cisco’s realization and, well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how all that plays out.
It’s great seeing the old Flash cast reprising roles. Part of me thinks it would be downright hilarious if his dad really is a Speedster and they include the old show in this show’s canon somehow.
So here’s my wild and definitely wrong theory.
The Reverse Flash killed Barry’s mother for some undisclosed reason. The Flash tried to protect her, and Barry (by carrying him away, though I’m not sure how he’d have the time with Reverse Flash trhere).
Well’s was the previous Flash (the ring and suit both have the symbol) though back then the Flash was yellow and Reverse Flash red. For undisclosed reason Well’s retired, possibly because Reverse Flash also killed Well’s wife. But Well’s knows who the Reverse Flash is, and after the battle tracks him down and steals back the Tachyon device for his old suit.
I’m not certain, but I’m still holding out for Well’s to be some kind of Nietzsche superman who’s doing terrible things to achieve some higher purpose.
When i heard the Reverse Flash’s voice, I immediately thought of Wells. I think it was Wells as the Reverse Flash and he attacked himself. The Reverse Flash from the future needed to procure the tachyon machine for the past Wells so that he could time travel to the past from the future. Convoluted? Sure. But this is a comic book show and on the CW.
Hah! His dad is The ’90s Flash??? How did I not pick that up? I’m one of the five people who watched that!
This show is getting interesting. I want to know what the hell Wells is up to. My crazy theory is he’s trying to help The Flash, but he’s doing it in an… extreme way. Might’ve killed his mom to make sure he ends up existing the correct way…