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The Flash 4.16 Review – “Run, Iris, Run”

March 14, 2018 | Posted by Daniel Alvarez
The Flash - Run Iris Run Image Credit: The CW
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The Flash 4.16 Review – “Run, Iris, Run”  

Have you ever wanted to see Iris as a speedster? It’s a good thing it has happened now, as opposed to before. Iris early on in the show was one of the most annoying characters. With the marriage between her and Barry, she has emerged a much more compelling, likable character. So, if she was going to be a speedster, now would be the time. I am genuinely surprised the writing did not go for a full on comedy; the writing actually plays the whole thing pretty straight, which is good. This plot point is over by the end though, making it filler unless you count Iris’ internal development. Despite the filler element, “Run, Iris, Run” is a solid enough episode. Aside from Ralph, there is not much to dislike.

But boy, is Ralph bad in this episode. Let’s dedicate this paragraph to him. This guy has had whole episodes to be developed. He was actually becoming a likable hero; he got the pep talk from Barry and everything. Was that development just thrown out the window? He constantly says in this episode how he wants to stay in his room, away from DeVoe. At one point, he is told to go into the field but says he won’t, while eating chips. Instead, Iris with her newfound powers, goes into the field. Ralph soon has the audacity to say that she should not have gone into action. Well Ralph, what were you doing to help? This is Ralph’s subplot for the entire episode. If it wasn’t for his impersonation of DeVoe, Ralph would serve no purpose. Sure, in the end, Iris has a pep talk with Ralph (how many pep talks has Ralph had now?) and now he’s ready to be a hero. Well, I suppose we’ll see.

Mostly everything else about “Run, Iris, Run” was solid. Obviously, the primary plot point is Iris acquiring super speed. How does that come about? The team realizes who another meta-human on the bus is. Joe and Iris go to a hospital to confront him, an ET named Matthew Kim. There’s a solid tension as Joe builds up to the reason why they’re there. Then, when Matthew grabs Iris, things get really interesting. Barry arrives, and naturally tries to stop Matthew. Matthew however transfers Barry’s speed to Iris. Yes, Matthew’s ability is transferring powers.

Before continuing with Iris, it should be noted that Matthew is one of the better characters in awhile. Unlike almost all the other one-dimensional meta-humans on the bus, Matthew wants to use his ability to help people. Leonardo Nam delivers a genuineness to Matthew’s character. It is a shame that after he accidentally transfers Barry’s power to Iris, he stops appearing until near the end. Sure, watching Iris be the speedster hero has a novelty, but I was more interested in Matthew’s character arc. Thankfully, it appears he will be appearing in coming episodes. He joins up with the team at S.T.A.R. Labs in the fight against DeVoe. (This guy in just one episode proves to be 100% more compelling than Ralph.)

It would be easy to think that Iris acquiring super speed is just there for the novelty, but that isn’t the case. Iris getting super powers for the day is used to give her personal development. According to her, she wants to prove to herself that she isn’t afraid of being in the field. Was this mini character arc really necessary? Probably not. But it was handled well enough. The dialogue between Iris and Barry after the fact was fantastic. Iris says how it’s not the power that makes the hero. It’s about being a light in the dark, being the kind of person whom is always willing to help. Good stuff. Iris’ pep talk with Ralph was also good. Iris says how she chose to keep living, despite the oncoming threat of Savitar. Regarding Iris’ action scenes, they are fun enough, though the villain with the “KISS” t-shirt was so comically bad that I wonder if the CW just tells some of these actors to not even try to be competent.

On some last notes, there is another major subplot which I have not mentioned yet. Harry decides that the only way to beat DeVoe is to become like him – meaning, Harry wants to duplicate the process that gave DeVoe his super intellect. Cisco understandably is against this…but not so much the other members. Yes, the situation is turning desperate, but Harry’s plan is still nonetheless extreme. Cisco points out that after the process, DeVoe turned into villain; couldn’t the same thing happen to Harry? Despite that, the writing seems to treat Harry’s idea as in the right and Cisco’s reluctance as being more in the wrong. I don’t know, I think Cisco had some legitimate points. (Also, Cisco was generally pretty great in this episode, one of his highlights making an ingenious reference to Spider-Man 2.) The cliffhanger is Harry seemingly succeeding, so we’ll see where this plot point goes.

Overall, “Run, Iris, Run” is a generally strong episode. Iris acquiring Barry’s power is surprisingly handled seriously. The story moves at a solid pace, and there’s some great character interactions. (Cisco and Joe investigating the bank was a highlight.) Matthew Kim is an excellent character. Hopefully he’ll be appearing in the remaining episodes. Unfortunately, the writing seems to have forgotten Ralph’s character development, because here he digresses to the point of being the most unlikable character again.

8.0
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
Aside from Ralph (man he was awful), "Run, Iris, Run" is a surprisingly serious episode. Iris fans should especially enjoy it. The new character, Matthew Kim, is by far the most interesting meta-human yet from the infamous bus. It's more on the filler side at times, but still solid.
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