The Flash Review by Henry Tran

The Flash 2.14: Escape from Earth-2

The Flash 2.14: Escape from Earth-2

Written By:
Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, and David Kob
Directed By:
JJ Makaro



I was frustrated after watching this episode. I was frustrated even after watching this episode and "Welcome to Earth-2" back-to-back. The whole enterprise feels like a missed opportunity. Or that the story about Earth-2 still feels incomplete. It's not that I'm asking for an immediate return to the storyline, but that there needs to be an expansion of the story itself. There just weren't enough glimpses into what could be interesting about Earth-2 that would justify both this (temporary, but seemingly fleeting) visit and future visits. It's much the same kind of dreadful feeling that came from the end of "Out of Time" last season. The sense that the writers have opened up this Pandora's box with the concept of time travel (and later the multiverses) and they can't really close it. They have to commit to it now.  





In the week between "Welcome to Earth-2" and the airing of this episode, it was remarked by some of those close to the show's production that Earth-2 Barry would play a key role in the proceedings. So I took special notice of what that Barry Allen did during the episode. But those comments did highlight the fact that the writers seemed to have taken Barry out of the game too quickly in the last episode. Yes, it was integral to the plot in having Earth-1 Barry be present for the death of Earth-2 Joe West along with taking on Zoom, but there seems to be an imbalance at play here. There was at least a sense of fun in "Welcome to Earth-2." Judging from this episode's title, the resolution of the story has already been predetermined. It's not quite as light or fun to watch. 


What doesn't help is that Grant Gustin plays uber-nerdy Barry Allen to over-the-top levels, so much so that he becomes a caricature that can't be taken seriously by the end. I wondered multiple times through the episode why a headstrong and confident Iris West would even be together with -- let alone marry -- a cowardly wimp like him. On the other hand, I could totally understand why Joe West would have disliked this Barry. I think it was his tendency to back away from any and all plans that his wife made with his doppelganger, then somehow mustering up the courage to go along with it at the last moment that drove me crazy. He just doesn't have consistent characterization, though that could be applied to many of the characters in this episode. Iris didn't appear too flustered by the fact that her husband was not really the person present for the death of her father. The unstable character dynamics added to the overall zaniness and uneven feel to the episode.






There was a noticeable lack of cohesion to the episode because the storylines all felt scattered. Iris and Earth-2 Barry team up with Cisco and Harry to covince Killer Frost to give up the location of Zoom's lair; Earth-1 Barry is stuck inside Zoom's glass prison (What is it with superhero shows and glass prisons?) with Jesse Quick and the Iron Mask, with our Flash trying to figure out how to escape along with what the mysterious message the Iron Mask keeps tapping on his glass is; On Earth-1, Jay and Caitlin experiment on her various Velocity formulas in order to get Jay's speed back and they try to stop Geomancer from wrecking all of Central City. All three storylines don't unite until the very end, when Barry escapes the prison by phasing through the glass (similar to what Zoom does with ease to the STAR Labs time vault at the beginning of the episode) and convincing Killer Frost to ultimately turn against Zoom. 


Jay takes Velocity-9, a formula that finally doesn't degrade his cells and allows him to sustain his speed enough to rescue some civilians from a crumbling building. I still think Geomancer was a rather weak villain, someone who was unnecessary to the proceedings and will be quickly forgotten with time. What's key about that storyline is Jay taking the Velocity-9, a key component to the overall story of The Flash, at least in the comic books. There, it's a drug that feeds off of a user's own body, leading eventually to death. It does look like that's what's beginning to happen to Jay, as he feels exhausted after using the drug. Will Zoom interrogate him about it now that he's back in his clutches on Earth-2? 






That ending shot of the episode, with Zoom's clawed hand reaching through the STAR Labs breach to pull Jay "home," leads to many questions about the future of the series. I don't think we're all that much closer to finding out who Zoom really is, so that seems to be something that the writers are saving that for closer to the end of the season. His true identity has to be tied to the mysterious true identity of the Iron Mask. Something else is going on with his insistent tapping of J-A-Y in the prison cell, and that something is likely not what Barry thinks it was in regard to Jay Garrick. Could Jay really be a bad guy once again hiding in plain sight? That reveal would be a little too similar to what happened last season with the Reverse-Flash and Eobard Thawne and Harrison Wells. Placing trust in the writers to know what they're doing is a big thing, and the past two episodes have been ample evidence to me. The Earth-2 "arc" has felt alternately rushed and disorganized, sometimes at the same time. It definitely could have been better.



Our Grade:
C
The Good:
  • There was at least a sense of fun
The Bad:
  • Why would Iris marry someone like Earth-2 Barry?
  • The story felt rushed and disorganized

Henry Tran is a regular contributor of review for Critical Myth; The Critical Myth Show is heard here on VOG Network's radio feed Monday, Wednesday & Friday. You can follow him on twitter at @HenYay

The Flash by - 2/18/2016 8:24 AM179 views

Your Responses

Registered Participants can leave their own Concurring/Dissenting Opinion and receive Points and Loot! Why not sign in and add your voice?

Comments

Log in to add your own voice and receive points by leaving good comments other users like!