The Flash 4.15 Review – ‘Enter Flashtime’

The Flash returned this week with a particularly interesting episode. On the surface, it appeared to be filler. In some ways it was; the conflict with DeVoe barely moves. (In fact, the antagonist doesn’t even appear.) But when you dig deeper, you’ll find that “Enter Flashtime” is perhaps the strongest episode of the season. It can be hard for this show (and other CW shows for that matter), to deliver quality emotion. Often it comes off as melodramatic, with the “feeling sorry for myself” character. That is not the case here, as Barry has to deal with the threat of a nuclear bomb.

It begins with a tense scene of Barry, clearly worn out, holding Iris and telling her that he can’t save her. The next scene rewinds time so the viewer can see how it got to that point. First on the subject of the Barry/Iris dynamic: it’s very good. The early scene with Iris telling Barry that it’s good to take a breather was excellent. Barry is dead set on stopping DeVoe, to the point of not getting any sleep. As a hero, one must be dedicated to the work. But, a hero must know when to take a breather to clear his/her mind. In some cases, working 24/7 is needed. But in other cases, it’s good to take a breather and get some rest. Barry and Iris have another pivotal scene, the intro one. Once we get the full context and see the full scene, it hits home. Grant Gustin and Candice Patton do amazing work here, showcasing a married couple on the verge of losing one another. At this point, Barry had tried to stop the nuclear bomb, but failed. Gustin portrays this emotional failing marvelously.

So, how did the nuclear bomb come about? Before we can discuss that, it would be good to talk about the major players. Jesse Quick makes her return, having not been seen in the flesh since the previous season. Her main character arc is with Harry. Harry has been reluctant to talk about the death of his wife, much to the dismay of Jesse. At first, this subplot seemed to be going the melodramatic route, but in the end, it was engaging thanks to a sequence near the ending. The father and daughter link minds together via Harry’s device. What follows is genuinely emotional. Prior to this, Tom Cavanagh did a stellar job showing Harry’s reluctance when it came to the subject of his wife/Jesse’s mother. (The scene where he slams an object multiple times was well done.) The other major player is Jay Garrick, having not been seen since the last season as well. Jay’s first scene is well done; John Wesley Shipp portrays the older Flash as a man with authority. Jay technically doesn’t contribute much, but his scenes with Barry are interesting.

The conflict is with the oncoming explosion of a nuclear bomb. After a well choreographed shoot out with the CCPD, the terrorist leader, Veronica Dale, opens a crate with the bomb inside. Barry and Jesse arrive to stop the terrorist. Veronica however unveils a detonator, and it’s already gone off. Barry then enters “Flashtime,” where everything is pretty much at a standstill so he con contemplate on how to stop the explosion. Barry soon decides that throwing the bomb into the Speed Force is a solution. Jay says that could not only take away all the speedsters’ power, but it would mess with something that is part of the multiverse. Barry’s idea sounds extreme to Jay, but it could be the only way to save the people of Central City. It’s an interesting debate, and it would have been engaging to see Barry and Jay come to blows over it. While the episode did not go that route, where it did go was still fantastic.

Barry’s predicament is dire, and it shows as things become grim. At some point, the viewer thinks, “Wow, this is actually pretty serious.” This is one of Gustin’s finest portrayals of the speedster yet. Despite losing hope, he still manages to comfort Jesse, saying that her father loves her. Thanks to some dialogue from Iris, Barry manages to stop the explosion by grabbing the sphere from the Speed Force. It’s an effective solution without feeling like a deus ex machina. What could be a deus ex machina going forward is Flashtime. It’s a fascinating concept, but the writing has to be careful going forward because this ability runs the risk of being too overpowered.

On some last notes, one of the plot developments is that Jay is retiring. However, he announces that he’s currently training a new Flash, a she. It will be interesting to see who this character ends up being. While the bomb was the conflict, I suppose Veronica Dale was the antagonist. Aside from some exposition from Cisco in the end, she came off as one-dimensional. Meanwhile, the cliffhanger features the mysterious girl who appeared at Barry’s crashed wedding and then four episodes ago. She “accidentally” spills coffee on Caitlin and Harry. The whole scene would come off as silly, but we learn that she’s perhaps planning something. Hopefully we’ll learn exactly what her character arc is soon.

Overall, “Enter Flashtime” is a fantastic episode. The emotion is real, and the story is expertly paced with quality tension. Barry is at his finest, trying to be a hero in a unique, dire situation. The presence of Jay and and Jesse adds to the atmosphere. This is the type of writing that needs to be in The Flash more often.

9.5

The final score: review Amazing

The 411

While not advancing the conflict with DeVoe all that much, "Enter Flashtime" is a fantastic and emotional episode. There's a very serious tension as Barry sinks into the realization that he might not win. This is what quality looks like on The Flash.