Flash Review: “The Trap”

The first season’s major story leads to conflict, as Team Flash faces the Big Bad, and we learn that Barry Allen will become a founding member of the–

Title: “The Trap”

Directed by Steve Shill
Written by Alison Shapker and Brooke Eikmeier

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash
Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells / Eobard Thawne/ Reverse Flash
Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow
Candice Patton as Iris West
Rick Cosnet as Eddie Thawne
Patrick Sabongui as Captain David Singh
Jeremy Schuetze as Rob
Martin Novotny as Hannibal Bates

Premise

Team Flash set a trap for Wells, only to learn he has been steps ahead from the start.

High Points

Cisco and Harrison/Eobard revisit their confrontation, with different results.

I also liked the fact that Eobard Thawne, potentially, could die, and still encounter the Flash. It appears that Barry’s future encounters with the Reverse Flash happen in Eobard’s past. Of course, time travel allows a number of possibilities here.

Low Point

The flashbacks served an important purpose, but they felt awkward.

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6

Effects: 5/6

Acting: 5/6 This isn’t Orphan Black, but Cavanagh does distinguish his performances, so that Thawne-as-Wells differs from Thawne-as-Thawne.

Story: 4/6 I’ll rate with the assumption the next episodes will pay off, and that Wells’s byzantine plot will actually make sense.

I wasn’t a huge fan (in this case) of lucid dreaming as a plot device.

Emotional Response: 5/6

Production: 5/6

Overall: 5/6 In the forthcoming final episodes, we’ll be seeing a hero/villain team-up with Captain Cold, some special-guest superheroes from Starling City, and Gorilla Grodd. For now, we have the start of a multi-episode story, and the heroes have been outplayed.

In total, “The Trap” receives 32/42

Lingering Questions

Will we, in fact, see a TV Justice League to parallel the proposed cinematic one? And if we do, will Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman appear? Honestly, DC’s been showing greater promise on the small screen.

2 replies on “Flash Review: “The Trap””

  1. Good god, these people are idiots.

    I mean I’m still enjoying the show but for goodness sake people! Ugh.

    Also is it me or does Joe laugh at the most inappropriate things? He’s like a Real Life Dr. Hibbert.

    • Yep… you’d think they would have caught on by now. But Wells/Thawne is much smarter than most of them (currently), and more experienced as well, so while it may be obvious to us, to the overconfident kids, perhaps not.

      I never really quite got on board with the “induce a confession” angle either, that seemed a little implausible.

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