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The Flash 4.17 Review – ‘Null and Annoyed’
Image Credit: The CW
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It was when Ralph was pretending to be Joe West in the “good cop bad cop” sequence in today’s episode of The Flash when I realized something: this was going to be a pretty mediocre episode. It’s a shame, because after a break, a show should come back strong, not be more of the same but with added mediocrity. The Flash’s fourth season has been inconsistent when it comes to quality. Some episodes have been fantastic, while others not quite. A major problem is that the writing seems to think that the rather darker tone of the previous season was a negative thing. So, the fourth season has been considerably lighter. Much of the comedy is forced and just not that funny. You will find that in today’s episode, “Null and Annoyed,” such as the incredibly unrealistic banter between the security guards. Still, there are some things to like.
“Null and Annoyed” begins with a training session between Barry and Ralph. The viewer will already notice Ralph’s constant joking around. This isn’t fun or witty dialogue either. Spider-Man does this kind of thing right, but not Ralph. Let’s skip ahead a little to Barry and Ralph’s mission to apprehend the new meta of the week, Null. After the painfully unfunny Joe impersonation from Ralph, Null gets the upper-hand on Barry. Null’s ability is to negate gravity, sending the unfortunate person into the sky. Barry is hit by this, and taken back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Meanwhile, Ralph is still joking around. Once Null’s ability wears off, Barry has a steamed conversation with Ralph. This was a compelling sequence. The outcome is that Barry benches Ralph. Ralph then goes off to sulk somewhere. Barry benching Ralph at this point makes sense. But the writing would have you believe otherwise…
Interestingly, the writing treats Barry’s benching of Ralph as wrong. Iris is the one to tell Barry this. She says how Barry is upset with Ralph for not following his plan. Well Iris, perhaps you don’t comprehend the fact that Barry has been doing this for years while Ralph has been a super hero (does he deserve that title?) for what, a few weeks? Ralph goes overboard on the comedy, which would infuriate anyone. So, as you can guess, Barry eventually apologizes to Ralph in yet another “heart-to-heart” sequence. This reminds me of when Cisco apologized for yelling at Ralph. The thing is that Ralph was wrong then, and he was wrong here, and yet the writing wants us to feel sympathetic in both cases.
I will give the writing credit for one aspect of Ralph’s development. His backstory detailing the reason why he’s comedic is compelling. His father left him at age 10, so Ralph started joking for his mom. That’s good, and at least gives some reason for Ralph’s annoying antics. It doesn’t make up for what came before, but it’s something interesting at least when it comes to his character. One subplot is Breacher, Gypsy’s father, coming back to S.T.A.R. Labs. He asks Cisco for help because his powers are not working. I’ll say this: Danny Trejo is getting paid for pretty much just saying things in a macho manner, i.e. not very compelling. This subplot is really only a means to an end. So, it turns out that Breacher has lost his powers due to age. He then tasks Cisco with taking his place as an inter-dimensional bounty hunter. Now this is interesting. Will Cisco do it? If so, it would be hard for him to be part of the main cast regularly. We shall see where this goes.
Regarding Null, well, what is there to say? She is yet another one-dimensional villain that is just there for the show to have another episode. Her power is unique at least. (The sequence with the falling car was admittedly funny.) In the climatic battle, one has to wonder why Barry just didn’t run in and punch her out. Instead of running in and saying the generic “it’s over” dialogue while just standing there, all Barry had to do was run in and knock her out, pretty simple. Back to DeVoe, I’m really hoping he gets a new host soon, because Izzy Bowin is the least compelling. Marlize on the other hand is a highlight. The sequence where she realizes that she’s being drugged by DeVoe, and having her mind repeatedly erased every time she realizes the truth, is haunting. Maybe Marlize will be the one to defeat DeVoe, which would be a fine way to end the conflict.
On one last note, Harry spends the entire episode complaining about his “Thinking Cap” not working. Suffice to say, Harry was almost as annoying as Ralph here. The cliffhanger involves him entering the secret room where Thawne used to reside. Harry activates Gideon in a very interesting scene. This brings back memories of the mysterious atmosphere of the show’s first season. What is Harry up to…and what if that actually is Thawne, whom somehow ran in and replaced Harry? Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but this sure was an interesting way to end the episode.
Overall, “Null and Annoyed” is a pretty run of the mill, mediocre episode. This defines what happens when The Flash utilizes a generic formula for doing an episode: generic villain, annoying comedy, etc. Ralph is a major contributor to the low score. At this point, I wish Julian was still here instead. At the very least, the CGI does a marvelous job making Ralph’s stretching ability believable. The Marlize scenes are interesting, and the cliffhanger with Harry is intriguing. Plus, the idea of Cisco being an inter-dimensional bounty hunter is the perfect thing to make viewers consider the implications of such a move. So, there are some things to like. But they are not enough to save this episode from a lackluster score.
