Close Menu
  • Gaming
    • Game Guides
    • Codes
    • Game News
    • Game Previews
    • Game Reviews
    • Game Features
    • Game Lists
    • Platforms
      • Nintendo
      • PC
      • PlayStation
      • Xbox
      • Mobile
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Movie Features
    • Movie Reviews
    • TV
    • Reality TV
    • Royals
  • Celebrity
  • Human Interest
    • Astrology
  • Videos
  • More
    • Anime
    • Lists
    • Podcasts
    • Reviews
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
  • About Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Sitemap
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Advertising Policy
The Nerd Stash
  • Gaming
  • Celebrity
  • Human Interest
  • Videos
The Nerd Stash

The Flash: “Blocked” Review

Title: The Flash: “Blocked” Review Release Date: October 16th, 2018 Network: The CW Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action The Flash opened with a very strong season premiere last week.…

Taylor ColeBy Taylor ColeOctober 17, 20185 Mins Read
The Flash
This article is over 6 years old and may contain outdated information.

Title: The Flash: “Blocked” Review

Release Date: October 16th, 2018

Network: The CW

Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action


The Flash opened with a very strong season premiere last week. I knew that it would be difficult for the show to consistently continue that momentum throughout their 22-23 episode season. However, I didn’t think that the second episode would stall as much as it did.

Now, let’s be clear, this is not a bad episode. There are a ton of good moments littered throughout and the dynamic between Barry, Iris, and Nora is still the focal point for the series.

However, “Blocked” heavily suffered due to having too much happening all at once. Monday night’s Arrow proved that we don’t need to see every character in the spotlight each week and I hope that The Flash learns this soon. We had four storylines to follow here with Joe/Cecile, Cisco/Caitlin/Ralph, Iris/Cicada, and Barry/Nora. Why? You have 20+ episodes to flesh out these characters, take your time.

Another lackluster villain of the week didn’t help either. I didn’t care at all about Block, her abilities, or the other side antagonists. It wasn’t until Cicada officially introduced himself to Team Flash that I actually became invested in the action.

The Flash

I was worried about having yet another non-speedster villain for the main antagonist of a season. Although I still have some reservations, Cicada had a memorable scene with our heroes. His power to disable other meta-humans’ abilities is indeed worthy enough to combat the scarlet speedster as he took down most of Team Flash with ease in this first encounter.

Barry has now learned how Harrison Wells (the Eobard Thawne version) must have felt while training him in season one. What’s interesting here is that the show continues to make callbacks to his time on the team and his impact on Barry. It all makes me wonder if we will somehow see the 2024 article come to fruition this season, with Reverse-Flash and Cicada perhaps leading the charge against The Flash.

The Flash

Anyway, we also learned that Nora is still an inexperienced hero with a lot to learn. Barry’s reaction to his daughter accidentally hitting him with a lightning bolt was absolutely hilarious, “I’m okay, I’ve been hit with lightning before”. Some will probably look at her over-eagerness to “catch the bad guy” as a negative here but I saw it as Joe did. She just wants to impress her dad and prove herself.

I really enjoyed this talk between Barry and Joe where the latter gives his adopted-son some much-needed parental advice. I’m not sure how you feel but I’ve greatly missed these two sharing these kinds of scenes. Hopefully, this is another dynamic that will continue to drive season five.

The Flash

On the other end of the main story, we saw Ralph and Caitlin attempt to guide Cisco past his harsh breakup with Gypsy so he can use his powers to help find Caitlin’s father. This was pretty hit-or-miss comedy wise and it ultimately was set up to show Caitlin’s reluctance to seek out her father. It would have been a fine B-story if not for the other two minor arcs that plagued the episode down.

Look, I’m ecstatic that the writers have listened to the fans and Iris is back doing her thing as a journalist. Did she really have to discover all of this Cicada information now? Same goes with the mini-story with Joe and Cecile. We could’ve kept these two on the sidelines for a bit and fleshed out the loss of Cecile’s powers better down the road.

As it stands right now, The Flash feels bloated. There’s too much to focus on every week and nothing really progresses due to this. With Elongated Man, Vibe, and XS all on the team, The Flash himself sometimes feels like a third-wheel (or in this case, the fourth-wheel) in his own show.

What remains to be seen is how The Flash will juggle all of these storylines and if they will connect later in the season. We currently have Team Flash vs. Cicada, the Killer Frost story-arc, and Nora Allen’s attempt to save her father from his seemingly inevitable “death”. By the looks of next week’s episode, it seems that we will get our first look at the next version of Harrison Wells who will be joining the team, Sherloque Wells. This may add another wrench into things or it could act as a catalyst to drive one of these major plot points forward.


Verdict: Overall, “Blocked” wasn’t a bad episode, it just had too much going on for it to be great. Another below-average villain didn’t do this episode any favors either. However, the season still thrives due to the dynamic between Barry, Nora, and Iris. Hopefully this, along with a terrifying big bad in Cicada, will continue to make The Flash season five click.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Where do you think the series will go next with Cicada? Let us know in the comments below!

[review]

Related Topics
CW TheFlash
Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Email
Taylor Cole
  • Website

Avid gamer and placeholder of what is now the worst selfie of all time. Mostly an Xbox/PS4 player but I have been known to destroy friendships in Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

SUGGESTED READS

Florida Man shoots himself in Walmart
Human Interest

Florida Man Shoots Himself While Shopping at Walmart, Accidentally: ‘Honestly Kind of Expected’

Arizona Dad Christopher Scholtes Accused in Hot Car Death Gets Court’s OK for Hawaii Vacation: ‘He Clearly Didn’t Care About His Children'
Human Interest

Arizona Dad Accused in Hot Car Death Gets Court’s OK for Hawaii Vacation: ‘He Clearly Didn’t Care About His Children’

Meghan Trainor
Celebrity

Meghan Trainor’s ‘All About That Bass’ Lyric Change Has Fans Fuming: ‘She Used to Stand For the Complete Opposite’

Justin Bieber
Entertainment

Justin Bieber Slammed For Nasty Mother’s Day Meltdown: ‘In Dire Need Of Therapy’

Iowa Town’s Water Supply Turns Unsettlingly Pink, Leaving Residents Concerned: ‘Expect More of This'
Human Interest

Iowa Town’s Water Supply Turns Unsettlingly Pink, Leaving Residents Concerned: ‘Expect More of This’

Sean Diddy Combs
Entertainment

Diddy Trial Begins With A Twist, Rapper Reads Bible During Opening Statements: ‘It’s A Mockery’

Trending
New Jersey Firefighter Exposes Wife's Infidelity at a Surprise Birthday Party in Shocking Viral Clip

New Jersey Firefighter Exposes Wife’s Infidelity at His Surprise Birthday Party in Shocking Viral Clip: ‘The Ultimate Betrayal!’

‘Insane’ California Mother Warned To Turn Off Car While Pumping Gas Tells Daughter It Is ‘God’s Will’ if They Die

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at the Closing Ceremony in Rogers Arena during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 in Canada.

Prince Harry Plans To Unleash ‘Explosive’ New Bombshells About Kate Middleton: ‘He Has No Allegiance There Anymore’

ICE Aggression Is Supported By a Father As His Son Gets Snatched in Massachusetts ‘I’m not against what the government is doing’

The Nerd Stash
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
  • About Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Sitemap
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Advertising Policy
© 2025 The Nerd Stash. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.