The Flash: Don't Run
December 5, 2017 7:58 PM - Season 4, Episode 9 - Subscribe

 
I've had a theory for the past few episodes that Barry was going to end up in a physical fight with DeVoe and accidentally kill him, leading to The Trial of the Flash. Part of my thought on that is that DeVoe is the first of Barry's nemeses who is an actual recorded citizen in Central City. Thawne and Savitar are from the future and basically don't exist according to present day records (Thawne was using Harrison Wells's stolen identity so it gets murky, but since he was erased from existence, I don't know how recorded history reconciles that). Zoom was from another universe. DeVoe though? He's a respected citizen. That guy goes missing and there'd be questions.

Instead the show keeps Barry's hands clean and has DeVoe frame him for his own murder (didn't the Joker do that to Batman once in the comics?) and we get to The Trial of the Flash that way. The writers have been teasing this arc since season 1. I hope it pays off in the end.

I'm also interested in DeVoe's long-term plan for the Enlightenment because, right now, I don't understand why he needed to attract Barry's attention at all. He and his wife could have worked in anonymity all of this time, right? Why do they need Barry involved with them at all? We don't have the answer to that yet. I hope there is an answer to that!
posted by Servo5678 at 9:53 AM on December 6, 2017 [2 favorites]


Actually, that's a really smart hypothesis, Servo and one that hadn't occurred to me but that makes perfect sense. Mind you, I don't know if even that storyline would help rebuild my interest in the show this year. It's just not clicking for me, even though it's obvious the writers and producers are trying to get away from all of the troubling aspects of last year's plot.
posted by sardonyx at 6:03 PM on December 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


I understand they wanted to do this arc to go along with the comics, but... seriously? One of the most common complaints about this show is that Barry is just an idiot at using his powers. If he figured out how to vibrate out of that energy prison, he could've figured out, especially because he works with cops, that he could easily vibrate out of the wall of the apartment, go back to Joe's, and have a whole host of witnesses that can (and willing!) say he was there the entire time. The alarm coming on and being turned off could've easily explained to anyone that someone else was in there, "killed" DeVoe, and managed to turn the alarm off and leave.

Also, the flying chair thing. So there's just no explanation for how DeVoe's magic chair just warps him everywhere? It works like Cisco's breaches? That hasn't been clearly shown. And why the hell are you afraid of falling, Barry, when you can generate air turbines from your arms to break your fall, like you've done before? And when he went low enough to knock you into cars, you can easily jump off and run then!

Gah!
posted by numaner at 10:12 PM on December 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


Why does The Thinker hate Barry again? Seriously, I have no idea. Am I supposed to know?
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:17 PM on December 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


I had originally suspected that DeVoe needed Barry's body because it, and only it, was fast enough (well his brain was fast enough thanks to the speed force) to keep up with enhanced genius thoughts, hence his attack on Barry. But now that it has been revealed he needed the new meta as his host, the whole plotline about antagonizing Barry just doesn't make sense, so your guess is as good as mine is, jenfullmoon.
posted by sardonyx at 7:32 AM on December 8, 2017 [1 favorite]


"My name is Clifford DeVoe and I am the Fastest Mind Alive. I stole the body of a metahuman and, working with my wife, am trying to bring about the Enlightenment. I framed Barry Allen for my own murder for some reason; don't try to figure it out, you can't, I'm too brilliant. I am... The Thinker."
posted by Servo5678 at 8:46 AM on December 8, 2017 [3 favorites]


I'm usually plot agnostic on these shows, I'm just along for the ride and I don't get a lot out of nit-picking, but in this case I can't help but be disappointed by how lackluster the Thinker plot is becoming. When he first appeared I thought it was Metron and I was stoked for some Kirby shit to go down, so maybe I'm just lamenting what might have been.

Also fuck Ralph Dibny. And why does he has such a shitty suit? Its so bad I would hesitate to introduce someone to the show this season, even though reorienting the show to have a lighter tone is mostly working.
posted by kittensofthenight at 10:45 AM on December 8, 2017


Also fuck Ralph Dibny. And why does he has such a shitty suit?

The gray puppy poncho? Cisco said it's a prototype and so it's not meant to be fancy, but I like to think it's because they don't like Ralph very much and don't care if he looks silly. Hell, they probably get a laugh out of forcing the bad suit on him.
posted by Servo5678 at 10:48 AM on December 8, 2017


I think Cisco did allude to the fact that he's not making Dibny a better suit until he's earned it, but I'm sure we'll see that before the finale.
posted by numaner at 12:43 PM on December 8, 2017


why does he has such a shitty suit?

Cisco's Revenge.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:36 PM on December 8, 2017 [2 favorites]


If he figured out how to vibrate out of that energy prison...

Barry didn't vibrate out of the energy prison, he tricked DeVoe by vibrating in place so he was invisible. DeVoe powered down the energy prison and Barry escaped.
posted by Pendragon at 2:35 PM on January 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


That was my initial thought. Like I was expecting that to be the case. But he didn't actually explain that's what he did, and when he became visible he was outside of the area where the prison was. That could be explained as he just simply moved outside when DeVoe lowered the lasers, but for a show that beats you over the head with everything, that seemed too... subtle?
posted by numaner at 5:22 AM on January 8, 2018


Well, it wasn't subtle, Barry even explained what he did.
posted by Pendragon at 2:31 PM on January 9, 2018


you're right, i just looked at the transcript.

but that really doesn't excuse why he couldn't figure out how to not let himself be framed.
posted by numaner at 4:12 PM on January 9, 2018


I thought he let himself be caught deliberately, why else say "Don't run" ?
posted by Pendragon at 12:05 PM on January 10, 2018


he did, but it's still dumb.
posted by numaner at 3:23 PM on January 10, 2018


It's not just dumb of the character, it's dumb and lazy of the writers. They only just set this up at the beginning of the episode and it's because... why? Oh let's live life at normal speed? Okay, fine, but why would that mean you need to sit still and let the baddie frame you? It's not like you're adverse to using your powers otherwise; we just saw you use them a bunch for other purposes. Why wouldn't you do a quick clean & vibrate through the wall?

Hell, they could have established DeVos as being actually smart pretty easily here. Barry shows up, the phone rings, DeVos drops the reveal and tells him now he's going to off his family and off Barry runs... to find DeVos has long since left the party. Run back to apartment and find the cops are inside, get pinched because whoops there's a body. Or DeVos claims there's a trap and if he uses his speed his family goes boom. Or any number of less dumb things than deliberately choosing to get set up for a crime.

I don't mind dopey and fun but just plain lazy is offensive.
posted by phearlez at 1:29 PM on February 2, 2018


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