Title: The Flash: “Mixed Signals”
Release Date: October 17th, 2017
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
Last episode of The Flash saw thing get back to normal, as Team Flash saved the day while continuing to crack jokes. “Mixed Signals” persists with a lighter tone, sprinkling in the necessary amount of drama without overdoing it.
Seeing happy Barry Allen again is certainly a treat, as his attitude toward things is infectiously positive. While it’s not to say Grant Gustin didn’t do a great job pulling off a wide range of emotions during a dark last season, he really embodies goofball Flash perfect, encaptured by the opening scenes making breakfast and catching up on TV he had missed.
His bromance with Cisco will never fail to be hysterical, while at the same time genuine. A much better relationship than, “you are the reason my brother died but I’ll still work with you.” The lighthearted natural really does benefit the show more than it hurts it. It’s what make the unrealistic scenes of The Flash taking apart an entire car and catching an entire grenade burst of shrapnel fit the shows subject matter.
The only real issue with this is that, aside from where the Thinker might take things, the show really doesn’t have entirely too much direction. Yes, Kilgore tells Barry and Joe they have about 15 metahuman friends outside of Central City that want to come cause havoc, but each season has kind of began to play out similar to the episodes. But instead of Villain of the week, it’s villain of the season. They don’t really do a good job at developing Kilgore either, as the character is hit or miss, really just seeming like someone who fights The Flash because he won’t let him kill those who have wronged him.
While I do think that The Thinker is going to be an excellent one-off Villain, I think The Flash could benefit from an overarching bad guy behind the scenes pulling the strings and building anticipation throughout the seasons, similar to Thanos in the Marvel movies. In reality, The Thinker plot line may even have the ability to do so, tieing things up stating he’s the cause of everything that’s been happening, somewhat similar to Adrian Chase in Arrow last season.
That all being said, The Flash is still a good television show because of the relationships between the central cast of characters. After four seasons, just about every single one of the main cast have fantastic chemistry together. Even when new characters are added to the mix it doesn’t really throw things for a loop, simply because the actors know the characters so well by this point. Carlos Valdes and Carlos Valdes did a fantastic job of conveying a believable relationship that I am already invested in, despite pretty much forgetting they were a thing at the end of last season.
Even the drama that occurred between Barry and Iris in “Mixed Signals” wasn’t as frustrating as it was in previous seasons, because they actually talked about things by the end of it, not dragging it on for the whole season. Yet, the episode still did contain forehead head slapping scenes in which even Joe questions if this really needs to be happening at this current time and place. The Flash didn’t make it dramatic the entire time though, even poking fun at the darker tone of the previous season(s) in couples counseling.
“Mixed Signals” is another fine installment in the fun-filled romp that is The Flash, but I hope to see an interaction or more acknowledgment between the Thinker and Team Flash sooner rather than later. Until then, I’m satisfied with Happy Barry and Sarcastic Cisco cracking jokes and simply enjoying themselves with as a result of a more light-hearted tone.
Verdict: “Mixed Signals” follows a pretty similar formula to most Flash plot lines, but sees a return to form for the relationships and the characters we’ve come to know and love in the series. The lighthearted and happier tone brings the best out in characters like Barry and Cisco, even if the “villains of the week” are a bit mundane. I have my fingers crossed that The Thinker and his chess-like mindset will help straighten things out direction wise, but only time will tell what his game will be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re4iaKQF8JA
What did you think of the second episode of season four of The Flash? What scene or scenes did you like the most? What are your predictions for the rest the season as the mysteries begin to pile up? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to check back next week for the second episode of the season,”Luck Be a Lady” immediately after it airs on The CW at 8 PM ET next week.
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