The Flash, 3.05 - "Monster"

Warning: SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED.

Hi everyone! I finally got around to watching that Flash episode I missed. Supergirl will hopefully be up by tomorrow, as well as Pitch, so let's just get right into it.

The fact that I didn't watch the episode (over a week old) until now is probably a good indication of my interest level for this show. However, since I was feeling frustrated and upset with Arrow (the same way I felt about season 2 of Flash, ironically) I decided to finally watch it.



This episode, an actual monster thing terrorizes the city. Team Flash plus the new Harrison Wells from whatever Earth struggle to stop it until they discover it's a hologram controlled by a 15 year old boy. (The actor who played the boy looks nowhere near 15, but it's whatever.) Meanwhile, Barry has moved into Cisco's place while he looks for a home of his own, something that doesn't get acknowledged for the rest of the episode. He also tries to repair his relationship with Julian Albert, CCPD's metahuman expert that has known (and distrusted and disliked) Barry for months, only Barry just met him two weeks ago since, you know, he didn't even exist before that. Let's be real, I will always be bitter about Flashpoint, and the fact that he erased sweet little Sara Diggle, one of the few black girls in DCTV, from existence.

Now that I'm on the topic, the CW continues with their horrific treatment of characters of color. I know I mentioned this in my previous Flash review, but Cisco's PTSD/depression from losing his brother is acknowledged for a total of ONE episode, then completely glossed over and forgotten about ever again. Cisco realistically has every right to still hate Barry or at least not want to be around him as he's a constant reminder of what he lost, but the writers straight up have Barry moving into Cisco's apartment. The Flash fandom is so smug about having a black family and a smart Latino man increase their "diversity" quota compared to the rest of DCTV that they simply refuse to call out the writers' racism. Also, did I mention the fact that the writers made Iris and Wally's mom a drug addict while making Caitlin's mom a world-renowned scientist? I see right through their bullsh*t. Basically, the writers make everyone unnecessarily praise and forgive Barry, and Julian's bluntness and honesty is actually refreshing.

Caitlin goes to said estranged scientist mom Carla out of desperation to see if she can fix Caitlin's ice powers. After Caitlin's dad's death, Carla became cold and unloving, pushing away her daughter. Ironic, huh? It's kind of funny to me that Carla literally told Caitlin she couldn't relate to that kind of grief, as if Caitlin's dad was only a stranger to her. Carla's assistant tries to hold Caitlin hostage as payback for her mother taking credit for his work, but obviously that was a stupid idea, as Caitlin is a literal metahuman who can freeze things - a much more cooler and useful power than superspeed, by the way. The assistant also just so happens to be black. Classy, writers, classy. Caitlin discovers that her powers get stronger and more uncontrollable every time she uses them, and is clearly well on the way to her Killer Frost transformation. I'm pretty indifferent to Caitlin, and I don't think Danielle Panabaker is that good at acting, so I'm mildly interested to see the KF storyline.

The new Harrison Wells from the previous episode turns out to know nothing about science at all, and is just a novelist looking for inspiration for his next story. The Flash writers spent a good chunk of time creating a sense of suspicion among Wells, but of course he is given a second chance, since apparently Team Flash is so good at forgiving and forgetting. These multiple versions of Wells are getting annoying. I like Tom Cavanagh just fine, but after three seasons of three different personalities, enough is enough. Harrison Wells as the Reverse Flash will always be my favorite major villain, but that's just it - he's only supposed to last one season, and should be long gone. If anything, bring back Jesse.

In the end, Barry and Julian start the journey to repairing their rocky relationship. Julian admits his dislike of metahumans and Barry (oh, if he only knew) stems from his frustration and sense of powerlessness. Growing up in a rich English family, Julian explains, he longed to branch out, and felt working up the system was justified compared to just inheriting money. While Barry does need friends outside of Star Labs, I'm a little disappointed to see Barry-hating Julian go. Honestly, every single thing he's said about Barry is completely true. That white boy really needs someone to call him out on his sh*t.

Barry and Iris were super cute and fluffy this episode, and that made me happy. Watching their Big Belly Burger lunch date made me hungry for my own burger and fries. Honestly, why can't BBB be a real restaurant? I still want to know how Iris is allowed to travel back and forth between Star Labs, the city streets, the police department, and her actual job as a journalist. I WANT TO SEE MY FAVORITE CHARACTER ROCKING AT HER CAREER, PEOPLE!! Though I think the fact that Iris is "falling in love" a bit too fast, overall, I really like Westallen's journey. I didn't like how they were forcing the concept of soulmates and "destined to be" in season 1, but Candice and Grant have enough chemistry to make it work. If only DCTV allowed Olicity to flourish at the same time, but apparently they have a problem with letting more than one leading couple at a time be happy. Sigh.

Overall, this was a pretty decent episode. I didn't have any major qualms with the plot, but on the other hand, I wasn't genuinely interested either. Arrow makes me angry and sad and heartbroken these days (and ecstatic and joyful when the plot has a positive tone), but at least it can generate a strong emotional reaction out of me. The Flash still needs work on that front. I'm still pretty much only watching for the West siblings and Cisco, and if they don't get the screentime they deserve (especially Wally, what does he do outside of Team Flash anyway? When will we get to see it?), then I would just stop out of apathy. Welp, I don't want this review to end on such a depressing note, so here's to hoping for a more diverse writers' room!

Rating: 7.5
Extras that didn't make it in: How exactly do Caitlin and Cisco earn money when Star Labs is inactive? DCTV really has a problem explaining away their characters' unemployment.

*My next review will probably be of Pitch or Supergirl! Sorry I'm continuously behind!