The Flash: Dead or Alive
February 1, 2017 4:37 AM - Season 3, Episode 11 - Subscribe
H.R.'s past catches up with him when a bounty hunter with vibe powers named Gypsy arrives in Central City to bring him back to Earth-19 to stand trial for his crime...
...It turns out inter-dimensional travel is illegal on their Earth. H.R. surrenders but when Barry and Cisco find out that H.R.'s only hope would be to challenge Gypsy to a fight to the death, they intercede and Cisco offers to fight Gypsy instead.
AV Club recap - The Flash brings a light touch to matters of life and death
Den of Geek - Gypsy makes her debut on the latest episode of The Flash
CBR recap - Sparks fly between Vibe and Gypsy
...It turns out inter-dimensional travel is illegal on their Earth. H.R. surrenders but when Barry and Cisco find out that H.R.'s only hope would be to challenge Gypsy to a fight to the death, they intercede and Cisco offers to fight Gypsy instead.
AV Club recap - The Flash brings a light touch to matters of life and death
Den of Geek - Gypsy makes her debut on the latest episode of The Flash
CBR recap - Sparks fly between Vibe and Gypsy
And I guess this means that H.R. will have to be killed off before we can get a new flavor of Wells, instead of just going home at the end of the season.
Or HR does something so wonderful that he's welcomed home a hero, finally earning the self-respect and adoration he craved at last.
posted by Servo5678 at 7:45 AM on February 1, 2017
Or HR does something so wonderful that he's welcomed home a hero, finally earning the self-respect and adoration he craved at last.
posted by Servo5678 at 7:45 AM on February 1, 2017
So, do we think that fire-planet-alternate-Earth is foreshadowing something, or just a throwaway cool visual?
I took that for a reference to Apokolips - maybe an Earth that was conquered by Darkseid. (They're going to go to that well sooner or later.)
This was some further improvement over last week. Barry's still being a controlling asshat, but he *is* beginning to recognize and back down from that behavior. I also liked Iris' reaction to finding out about her death - I felt like her subplot was pretty realistic and easy to empathize with, given givens.
I like Julian well enough, but I do feel like them adding more and more characters is pushing Caitlin further back, and I'd like to see more with her. (I have a similar objection to Kid Flash - Wally's come a long way, but I miss the S1 group dynamics.)
Cisco was fun here. I want him to go ahead and take on the whole Vibe thing, so it's always good to see episodes where he cuts loose. I was also particularly amused by the bit with Miss Tessmacher. (I love non-crossovers like that.)
I'd be surprised if we don't get a different Harrison Wells next season, even with Cisco's victory here. If I were Cavanaugh, I'd insist on a new, crazier role every season of the show just as part of the contract. (I bet he agrees: see where he was going to walk until they told him that Harrison Wells was Reverse Flash when they were trying to hire him in the first place.)
posted by mordax at 10:43 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
I took that for a reference to Apokolips - maybe an Earth that was conquered by Darkseid. (They're going to go to that well sooner or later.)
This was some further improvement over last week. Barry's still being a controlling asshat, but he *is* beginning to recognize and back down from that behavior. I also liked Iris' reaction to finding out about her death - I felt like her subplot was pretty realistic and easy to empathize with, given givens.
I like Julian well enough, but I do feel like them adding more and more characters is pushing Caitlin further back, and I'd like to see more with her. (I have a similar objection to Kid Flash - Wally's come a long way, but I miss the S1 group dynamics.)
Cisco was fun here. I want him to go ahead and take on the whole Vibe thing, so it's always good to see episodes where he cuts loose. I was also particularly amused by the bit with Miss Tessmacher. (I love non-crossovers like that.)
I'd be surprised if we don't get a different Harrison Wells next season, even with Cisco's victory here. If I were Cavanaugh, I'd insist on a new, crazier role every season of the show just as part of the contract. (I bet he agrees: see where he was going to walk until they told him that Harrison Wells was Reverse Flash when they were trying to hire him in the first place.)
posted by mordax at 10:43 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well Barry is continuing is inability to relate to women as women and not objects in his own orbit. When he was consoling Iris about her mother's legacy, he mentioned that she created a brave and powerful (or some other adjective) hero in Wally and the woman that Barry loves, because Iris has no independent identity of her own--which was her primary fear that he was trying to alleviate. Essentially, Barry has reclaimed the idiot ball once again.
I'm really bothered by Wally's suit. It just doesn't fit him or the neoprene gaps too much because it wasn't cut correctly. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's annoying and jarring to look at.
So with Gypsy added to the multiverse, they could pretty much put together the Detroit League (I can see Zee being added to the universe, assuming she isn't being claimed by the movie world, but I suspect we'll never see Ralph.) As to whether or not a character called Gypsy is appropriate is this day and age, that's a discussion that I think most of know the answer to, so for now I'll just drop it.
I didn't think about Apokolips when they landed on that version of Earth. I hope you're wrong, mordax, not because I want to see you wrong, because I really hate Apokolips/Darkseid/New Gods and I feel like we've had more than enough of that story line lately in the movie universe (which, to be honest, I've pretty much skipped.)
It wouldn't surprise me to see the same set used again in the future (maybe it's Savatar's homeworld or something), because I can see this production team wanting to be as economical as possible when it comes to sets and special effects, hence the pop over to Catco.
I really don't like Julian as a character or as a plot device. I just don't buy him as being the metahuman authority. I don't care how much studying he has done. He's a pure "book learning" theoretical guy who really should be able to hold a candle to the STAR Labs team when it comes to expertise. They've been there since day one, they've seen and studied the metas up close, they're the experts and I don't think they should be bowing down to Julian's "superior knowledge."
Mordax, I do agree with your assessment of Julian's place on the team in relation to Caitlin. Of course the obvious option is to put the two of them together as a couple, because we know Caitlin needs to be loved and Julian would be a stark contrast to Ronnie. (Note, I'm not saying I want this to happen, far from it, I just don't have a lot of faith in the writers to handle the female characters on the show.)
Overall, I've not been enjoying this season, and this episode didn't do anything to help that situation. I think we really need a break from the same old, same old. (Even Barry admits that every time he needs to defeat somebody he just gets faster. It's becoming old hat for him too.) We need a major villain who isn't tied to the Speed Force. We need a plot that doesn't involve changing the future and/or the past. Yes, I know those are the biggest weapons in any Flash writer's arsenal, but I'd love to see the production team try something entirely new.
posted by sardonyx at 8:40 PM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm really bothered by Wally's suit. It just doesn't fit him or the neoprene gaps too much because it wasn't cut correctly. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's annoying and jarring to look at.
So with Gypsy added to the multiverse, they could pretty much put together the Detroit League (I can see Zee being added to the universe, assuming she isn't being claimed by the movie world, but I suspect we'll never see Ralph.) As to whether or not a character called Gypsy is appropriate is this day and age, that's a discussion that I think most of know the answer to, so for now I'll just drop it.
I didn't think about Apokolips when they landed on that version of Earth. I hope you're wrong, mordax, not because I want to see you wrong, because I really hate Apokolips/Darkseid/New Gods and I feel like we've had more than enough of that story line lately in the movie universe (which, to be honest, I've pretty much skipped.)
It wouldn't surprise me to see the same set used again in the future (maybe it's Savatar's homeworld or something), because I can see this production team wanting to be as economical as possible when it comes to sets and special effects, hence the pop over to Catco.
I really don't like Julian as a character or as a plot device. I just don't buy him as being the metahuman authority. I don't care how much studying he has done. He's a pure "book learning" theoretical guy who really should be able to hold a candle to the STAR Labs team when it comes to expertise. They've been there since day one, they've seen and studied the metas up close, they're the experts and I don't think they should be bowing down to Julian's "superior knowledge."
Mordax, I do agree with your assessment of Julian's place on the team in relation to Caitlin. Of course the obvious option is to put the two of them together as a couple, because we know Caitlin needs to be loved and Julian would be a stark contrast to Ronnie. (Note, I'm not saying I want this to happen, far from it, I just don't have a lot of faith in the writers to handle the female characters on the show.)
Overall, I've not been enjoying this season, and this episode didn't do anything to help that situation. I think we really need a break from the same old, same old. (Even Barry admits that every time he needs to defeat somebody he just gets faster. It's becoming old hat for him too.) We need a major villain who isn't tied to the Speed Force. We need a plot that doesn't involve changing the future and/or the past. Yes, I know those are the biggest weapons in any Flash writer's arsenal, but I'd love to see the production team try something entirely new.
posted by sardonyx at 8:40 PM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
I feel like we've had more than enough of that story line lately in the movie universe (which, to be honest, I've pretty much skipped.)
That's understandable. I really liked the Fourth World crossovers in both the Diniverse and Young Justice continuities, but the stuff DC has been putting out lately is horrible. Justice League: War was so bad that I haven't kept up with the whole New 52 derived continuity at all.
(I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd be happy to be wrong about that, it just doesn't seem likely.)
Note, I'm not saying I want this to happen, far from it, I just don't have a lot of faith in the writers to handle the female characters on the show.
Yikes. I hope they don't do that, but you have a very good point. :(
(Not that I'm still bitter about what happened with Patty Spivot, or still completely offput by the weird quasi-incest thing going on with Barry and Iris or... yeah, ugh.)
I think we really need a break from the same old, same old.
Yeah. It's too late for that this season, but I really hope S4 has some of what you're talking about. (Also, my ideal S4 would definitely have the Council of Harrison Wellses.)
posted by mordax at 11:15 PM on February 1, 2017
That's understandable. I really liked the Fourth World crossovers in both the Diniverse and Young Justice continuities, but the stuff DC has been putting out lately is horrible. Justice League: War was so bad that I haven't kept up with the whole New 52 derived continuity at all.
(I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd be happy to be wrong about that, it just doesn't seem likely.)
Note, I'm not saying I want this to happen, far from it, I just don't have a lot of faith in the writers to handle the female characters on the show.
Yikes. I hope they don't do that, but you have a very good point. :(
(Not that I'm still bitter about what happened with Patty Spivot, or still completely offput by the weird quasi-incest thing going on with Barry and Iris or... yeah, ugh.)
I think we really need a break from the same old, same old.
Yeah. It's too late for that this season, but I really hope S4 has some of what you're talking about. (Also, my ideal S4 would definitely have the Council of Harrison Wellses.)
posted by mordax at 11:15 PM on February 1, 2017
I gotta say, I'm shipping Vibe and Gypsy. They were cute. They were taunting. I really enjoyed this.
It's a good week in the Berlantiverse, I gotta say, I've actually been pretty happy with all the episodes this week.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:26 PM on February 2, 2017
It's a good week in the Berlantiverse, I gotta say, I've actually been pretty happy with all the episodes this week.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:26 PM on February 2, 2017
I have to go back to Sardonyx's point about the Kid Flash suit, because holy hell. Wally looks like the Michelin Man in that thing. I don't know a whole lot about how such costuming works -- that is, I don't know why Wally's suit looks so bad and Barry's looks good -- but it just seems very large on him. It occurred to me maybe the dark red hides folds and wrinkles better, but Barry's suit also looks like it's made of something different...leather and...velvet? Felt? I don't know. But the Kid Flash suit looks like straight up rubber.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 5:21 AM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 5:21 AM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
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Fun episode - I especially liked Julian's awkwardness at fitting into Team Flash. And the Tessmacher bit.
And I guess this means that H.R. will have to be killed off before we can get a new flavor of Wells, instead of just going home at the end of the season.
posted by oh yeah! at 7:21 AM on February 1, 2017