The Flash: The Runaway Dinosaur
May 11, 2016 10:25 AM - Season 2, Episode 21 - Subscribe

With Barry gone, the team must figure out a way to handle the return of an old enemy – Girder. Realizing Girder is retracing his steps from his last attack, Iris volunteers to act as bait to trap him in S.T.A.R. Labs.

Barry dies and goes to Heaven The Speed force and meets God The Speed force. Then returns to heal the sick.

This episode contained no dinosaurs, runaway or otherwise.
posted by FallowKing (29 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
This episode marks Greg Finley's second time this year playing a zombie in a CW live-action adaptation of a DC Comics property. Guy's got a type.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:33 AM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]


Other than that one thing I hated, I was astounded at how much better this episode was than the few which preceded it.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 10:49 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


I thought this was pretty bad. The camerawork was very...spinny, and the actors were at once more banter-y and more stilted than usual, which I guess is the Smith magic at work. The idea of Barry in the White Lodge was a cool one for the last act of an episode, but felt painfully drawn out over the course of an entire hour. Barry taking his sister-girlfriend on a date to his mother's grave is just too fucking weird for me. On the plus side, I thought it was nice that Zoom showed his dozens of friends how they could all make their own supervillain costumes for just a few dollars at the thrift shop. That was sweet of him.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 11:12 AM on May 11, 2016 [5 favorites]


I completely forgot where else Greg Finley has been in other shows and now it hit me and it's hilarious.

I was disappointed that Barry basically was able to come back in one episode. I kinda wanted them to survive without him for a little bit.
posted by numaner at 12:13 PM on May 11, 2016


I did appreciate that "hey, iZombie" reference when Greg Finley appeared, yeah.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:27 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


I loved the first season, but I think this one marks where I get off. I'll probably ride out the Zoom arc just to see the resolution, but this show simply has no rules or internal logic and just plays the Speed Force card to resolve story after story. It's a shame because the DC TV U seemed to have so much promise last year, and now all three of the shows have completely cratered in quality simultaneously.
posted by gerryblog at 12:55 PM on May 11, 2016


When are the wormhole aliens Speed Force avatars going to learn that scientists freak out when you appear as their fathers? Also that said scientists don't do very well with subtle prodding. Just hit them with the facts if you want to get something through their thick heads, especially without having to go round and round the mulberry bush in the first place.

Seriously, I'm with Barry on this one, gravity shouldn't talk to you, and neither should the Speed Force. I can understand the Speed Force is supposed to be seductive, but I'm not sure representing it as having a conversation is the best way to illustrate that. Mind you, I'm not sure what most effective way would be on a live-action show.

I'm assuming Jesse's (and Wally's) powers will be different from Barry's as they didn't have the fingerprint chemicals injected into their systems. According to Harry, that was a necessary part of the process, so how exactly could it be skipped for them?

Maybe we'll get lucky and Iris and Barry will come to the realization they're better as family than they are as lovers, although somehow I'm not willing to bet on that outcome.

I'm really getting tired of the Zoom plot. They need to resolve it and move on. I know the season is finally wrapping up, and that should relieve of us this mess, but I just hope they don't drag it into the next season.
posted by sardonyx at 4:20 PM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]


Oh, and just how out-of-date are Henry's medical skills? I can't imagine he got to play with all the latest medical gizmos and monitors in Iron Heights or was allowed to keep up his subscriptions to JAMA or The Lancet.
posted by sardonyx at 4:28 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


So the Speed Force is a consciousness that really wants Barry to have closure over his mom's death?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggghhhhhhhtttt.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:40 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


Mildly surprised the entire Speed Force pocket dimension wasn't enclosed within C.C. Jitters.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:43 PM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]


Mildly surprised the entire Speed Force pocket dimension wasn't enclosed within C.C. Jitters

I'm sure they considered it. The whole speed force world was just outdoor Vancouver and the set they used for Barry's childhood. Since they decided to use Jitters as a fortress last episode I'm paying close attention to the sets now, and how few there are.
posted by FallowKing at 5:16 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


I actually suspect the interior of Barry's family home is Joe's house shown from different angles.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:46 PM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]


I seriously thought that's where he woke up, in his childhood bedroom at Joe's, which look really similar to the room that was offered to Wally.

I bet Star Labs probably take up a lot of the set design budgets. Not to mention all of the special effects for metahumans.

Maybe Captain Hunter created an intelligence black hole when he crashed into this time period and now everyone just seems... dumber. It even ripples across dimensions because Zoom must be the most short-sighted villain with unstoppable power ever.
posted by numaner at 7:02 PM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]


The Flash is of Bajor.
posted by yonega at 9:58 PM on May 11, 2016 [3 favorites]


Was this the Kevin Smith directed episode?
Because... meh.
posted by Mezentian at 4:36 AM on May 12, 2016


Is the Speed Force a vector or a scalar?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:09 AM on May 12, 2016


Look, they have to keep the bad guys shitty or the CW will steal them away and give them their own spin-off.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:11 AM on May 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


Is the Speed Force a vector or a scalar?

Vectrex, my friend.
posted by Mezentian at 6:24 AM on May 12, 2016 [3 favorites]


I can't remember which episode it was, but Arrow used the CC Jitters set as something that wasn't CC Jitters, they just lit it differently and shot it from the other end. I mean, Arrow & Co. have definitely been in CC Jitters, but this was supposed to be not-CC Jitters. That set is turning into the live-action equivalent of the solitary cactus repeatedly scrolling by in the background of a Road Runner cartoon.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 9:07 AM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


They did mention in this episode that Girder had trashed the place. Hopefully, that means they're retiring the set... and not that next season we'll be treated to CC Jitters 2.0.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:44 AM on May 12, 2016


They did mention in this episode that Girder had trashed the place. Hopefully, that means they're retiring the set... and not that next season we'll be treated to CC Jitters 2.0.

Jitters gets trashed often, Barry will just help them rebuild like he did before. But why would anyone go there now? 7 or so police died there the previous week... There are probably flowers and crosses leaning against the building, widows weeping at the doors.
posted by FallowKing at 10:59 AM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


"Yeah, we kill enough people that we have a morgue in the basement."

I guess it's nice that they're acknowledging it, but wtf. They didn't even pretend to try some sort of peaceful solution this week. We'll lure him here and kill him. Okay, good idea.
posted by ODiV at 6:08 PM on May 12, 2016


This whole "Wally's gonna be Kid Flash...but not yet!" business is getting as tedious and dumb as Smallville going year after year of telling Superman stories full of costumed superheroes and villains, "But he's not Superman...yet! He's just a red and blue The Blur!"
posted by straight at 12:08 AM on May 13, 2016 [2 favorites]


hey did mention in this episode that Girder

I keep reading that name as Grindr, and I barely even know what that is.
Just me?
posted by Mezentian at 12:34 AM on May 13, 2016


Yeah, TheSpeedforce was totally like The Matrix. Though another annoying oversight was when Barry saw Cisco then didn't even motiong like "one minute, gotta go!" to communicate AT ALL when Cisco was trying to find him. Like.... one little hand motion could have cleared that up. Thankfully it didn't do a ton in terms of Plot but, just annoyed me.

as they didn't have the fingerprint chemicals injected into their systems
Maybe, now just hear me out, the chemicals hitched a ride ON the blast of matter to be absorbed by Jesse and Wally and therefore there's no annoying plot hole... (Not to mention all the OTHER chemicals Barry was surrounded by...)

Plus, they keep talking about how Earth 2 was destroyed and now Zoom is going to ravage Earth 1 - but Earth 2 seemed TOTALLY fine when they went there. Beautiful forests, a nightclub with live singing, Wells' lab is intact. So what exactly has Zoom done over there that he now needs to ... do again? I literally have seen none of the destruction beyond his vendetta against Barry and kidnapping/killing those in his crew.

Oh, and of course I'm icked out again by Barry/Iris. He acknowledges that Joe is is step-dad but it's totally cool to want to have sex with your step-sister? Uhg. I mean, if he had moved in with them when they were like 16 - sure. But he was like 10 right? All sorts of ick.

I just personally think they write the romances and most of the women's storylines horribly in this show. This episode was less offensive, but I'm barely paying attention lately. I WANT to love it..
posted by Crystalinne at 2:25 AM on May 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


but it's totally cool to want to have sex with your step-sister?

Well, it's legal and a popular kink, according to Pornhub.

I just personally think they write the romances and most of the women's storylines horribly in this show.

I think the fact is they made Barry a West and wanted the traditional Iris romance... and didn't think about the impacts.

As a DCTVU fan, I suspect they start with ideas and comics, and don't really think how they might intersect.

I mean, a Kid Flash (any Kid Flash) in S2 or S3 is too soon... unless we get Teen Titans, the Nick Cardy era, I'd be okay with that jazz)/
posted by Mezentian at 3:13 AM on May 13, 2016


I'm assuming Jesse's (and Wally's) powers will be different from Barry's as they didn't have the fingerprint chemicals injected into their systems. According to Harry, that was a necessary part of the process, so how exactly could it be skipped for them?

I think Wells was just ensuring they duplicated as much of the original event as possible and doesn't actually know anything about whether the chemicals are essential.
posted by Zed at 8:55 AM on May 17, 2016


Um, hello Zed, did you even read the equations Wells was writing on the blackboard? They lay out pretty clearly the role each of those chemicals plays in beseeching the divine Speed Force to bestow Her swift blessings upon Barry.
posted by straight at 6:33 PM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


Other than the part where Iris pointed out why she didn't like "The Runaway Dinosaur," I can't say I was too into this. I had a lot of flashbacks to wormhole aliens and thoughts of "why is an inanimate force TALKING LIKE IT'S A GHOST OR WORMHOLE ALIEN."

But then again, I haven't been into this whole plot in general, so.

It also took me way too long to clue in that Runaway Dinosaur = Runaway Bunny with the serial numbers filed off.

Still not at all compelled for an Iris/Barry romance. Especially when now they both seem so tepid about it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:38 PM on June 6, 2016


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