S01.E13: The Nuclear Man

[ribboninthesky1]

That's why I called Linda a hypocrite - she took a call from work during their first date, so I'm not sure why she expected Barry to make her a priority on date two.  And to be fair, Barry didn't say it was work when he abruptly ended their 2nd date (I initially thought he did), but they hardly know each other.  It's not that weird for someone to get a call or text and have to cut a date short.  I think the writers tried too hard to make Linda the tough, mature, assertive woman who knows what she wants, but couldn't follow that through to the logical conclusions because...plot device.  And in my eyes, it made her come off unnecessarily petty. 

 

I didn't have an issue with Barry going to Iris about what she told Linda.  It was the accusatory tone he took with the "you went out of your way" line, especially since he's conveniently forgetting the role his actions played in Linda's doubts.  Both of them came at Iris with only partial details and information, yet Iris made the faux pas? Whatever, show.     

Edited February 13, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[Xander]

Barry accused her of trying to sabotage his relationship because Linda told him that she was ending it specifically due to what Iris told her. She didn't say that it was because he kept running off even though she mentioned his lie. 

[phoenics]

Barry accused her of trying to sabotage his relationship because Linda told him that she was ending it specifically due to what Iris told her. She didn't say that it was because he kept running off even though she mentioned his lie.

I see what you mean - but even still, I cannot imagine asking some guy I've been out with 1.5 times "what's up with him?" to his BFF. I mean - not ever.

I could understand if Linda had been dating Barry a while - but 1.5 dates? Come to think of it, that makes Barry's pepper challenge even more ridiculous and desperate. I think it's proof that Linda is a rebound - he'd do anything NOT to go back to pining over Iris - even though he's clearly not over her.

It's a typical soapy trope.

[ribboninthesky1]

Barry accused her of trying to sabotage his relationship because Linda told him that she was ending it specifically due to what Iris told her. She didn't say that it was because he kept running off even though she mentioned his lie. 

 

I get that.  My point was that Barry lacks any self-awareness of his actions - it was HIS BEHAVIOR that prompted Linda to go to Iris in the first place. Iris did not approach Linda.  To me, that's "going out of your way" to keep someone from dating someone else.

[marketdoctor]

One thing that makes this show better than it could be:  the Linda/Barry/Iris triangle and the Barry/Iris/Eddie triangles could be a train wreck, but the acting improves things to where it's better than stereotypical CW "pretty young people with problems."  Some of that might be because Barry has to run out to save the city a few times a week, so he has *interesting* problems, but some of that is how it's played.  

 

I wonder how much of that's planned, and how much of that is using DC's character set to write to what the actors can do, or where the chemistry is taking them/not taking them.  I hope it's the latter.

[cynic]

I hate what the writers did with the Linda/Iris scene. I get that they wanted to reason for Barry to confront Iris with the "I don't like you like that anymore" speech, but they could have easily done it without making it look like Iris was blocking. (FWIW, I don't think she was. I think she was just being indiscrete, but it seems like some saw it as selfish and/or manipulative.) They could have written it with Iris just being uncomfortable or even talking up Barry in a way that showed there might be something up there and Linda is smart enough to twig on to it. It would have led to the same outcome without making Iris look bad. But then, the show also makes Barry look bad frequently with the nice guy tropes and the interfering with Iris' relationship so I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different.

[Shanna]

I don't think she intended to block him but she should have bit her tongue. So I wasn't mad at her so much as annoyed.

[phoenics]

Yeah I think we can all agree that she could have handled things better - but eh... it adds some layers to her. I'd rather see layered characters... as long as they're played with some depth.

It would be nice if we got her PoV more - that probably would help tremendously.

[ferretrick]

Another stupid thing about the pepper scene-some of the pepper juice would be on Barry's lips and in his mouth, and Linda would have tasted it when she kissed him. Fan of spicy food or not, NO ONE would taste raw ghost pepper and not have some reaction to it.

[Oscirus]

The way I see it is that Iris was trying to mark her territory and got caught. However, if Barry didn't screw up in the first place then Iris wouldn't have had a chance to  do that. I can't imagine that lying is a good way to start a relationship. He should have also told team flash not to interrupt his date night with stupid bullshit. On the lists of problems in his relationship with Linda, Iris's confession is pretty low.

 

Eddie's lack of screen time is due to the fact  Joe doesn't like doing his job . Joe spends most of his time working on a secret case that for all intents and purposes is closed. How is the captain not questioning this?

[CooperTV]

I don't know who was more creepy in the Barry/Linda duo. Barry, who decided to blackmail woman he was on 1.5 dates with eating this stupid pepper (and did it publicly, so she couldn't say no), or Linda who had 1.5 dates with a cute guy and when he was called at work/whatever, decided it was great idea to check him up on his job. Those two deserve each other. Disgusting.

 

Poor Iris, Barry went off on her like a jerk. And yet again, we only got her reactions shots while her "BFF" was all over some new girl and her dad spent time with Cisco. Good job, show. Real good job. *sarcasm*

 

I like everything else regarding the plot, Firestorm and the Ronnie/Stein thing. Ronnie and Caitlin should be happy, show! Wells was shady, conflicted, caring and everything in between, and awesome, as usual.

 

Fan of spicy food or not, NO ONE would taste raw ghost pepper and not have some reaction to it.

 

Since as far as we know, Linda is a normal person, she would probably have a chemical burn because of it.

Edited February 14, 2015 by CooperTV

[Shanna]

Another stupid thing about the pepper scene-some of the pepper juice would be on Barry's lips and in his mouth, and Linda would have tasted it when she kissed him. Fan of spicy food or not, NO ONE would taste raw ghost pepper and not have some reaction to it.

Ha. I kept worrying about the juice on his hands. Don't touch your eye with that stuff! Painful.

[cynic]

I don't know who was more creepy in the Barry/Linda duo. Barry, who decided to blackmail woman he was on 1.5 dates with eating this stupid pepper (and did it publicly, so she couldn't say no), or Linda who had 1.5 dates with a cute guy and when he was called at work/whatever, decided it was great idea to check him up on his job. Those two deserve each other. Disgusting.

...

That's what I was thinking. I'd be pissed if some guy I rejected showed up at my workplace and broadcast my business to my colleagues. Ever heard of flowers and a nice note? And yeah, checking up on him is kinda weird.

...Poor Iris, Barry went off on her like a jerk. And yet again, we only got her reactions shots while her "BFF" was all over some new girl and her dad spent time with Cisco. Good job, show. Real good job. *sarcasm*

I don't really have an issue with Barry calling her out on oversharing. That was a big faux pas. I do think he was unnecessarily harsh about it, especially with the "I don't have feelings for you" bit. I also think the ghost pepper stunt was partially for Iris', passive aggressively driving the point home. They're really not making anyone in this triangle look good. They've turned Barry into a "Nice Guy" tm instead of actually making him a nice guy and good friend.

I was originally excited about Malese Jow, because I like her and I thought a relationship with Linda was going to be interesting and a way for Barry to mature towards eventually being able to have an adult relationship with Iris, but I hate the way the writers have handled it. Now, I just wish that Linda had been developed as a friend/mentor of Iris as a reporter since that would have given her badly needed development and a way to show her PoV.

Edited February 14, 2015 by cynic

[Xander]

He should have also told team flash not to interrupt his date night with stupid bullshit. 

For real. He has a full time day job so they shouldn't be bugging him with random everyday human crime. And does Cisco spend all day and all night watching for crime in the city? 

[CooperTV]

I don't really have an issue with Barry calling her out on oversharing. That was a big faux pas. I do think he was unnecessarily harsh about it, especially with the "I don't have feelings for you" bit. I also think the ghost pepper stunt was partially for Iris', passive aggressively driving the point home. They're really not making anyone in this triangle look good. They've turned Barry into a "Nice Guy" tm instead of actually making him a nice guy and good friend.

 

Considering it was Barry who screwed up with his and Linda's date in the first place, and Iris had no idea about his behavior and responded to Linda's inquiry truthfully, if a bit foolishly, it's kind of weird for me to even consider Barry was in the right, He wasn't. He indeed went full blown Nice Guy with that "You're just bitter I have someone better than you now, so there! Don't you're jealous?!".

 

Linda was creepy with suspicions, inappropriate calls on his job to check up on him, Barry was otherwise engaged at his superhero gig and blown up the date, and then Barry... yelled at Iris for ruining his perfect relationship. I don't know how to even spin it in the way to make it completely Iris's fault, to be honest. The writers should just stop and think what in the hell they are doing with their show.

[Xander]

I honestly can't understand the viewpoint of blaming Barry for his reaction when the girl he's dating tells him that she's breaking things off because the girl he was in love with told her that he's not over his unrequited feelings for her. I find his reaction to make sense. It's embarrassing and worst of all, the girl who rejected you tells your new girl how she rejected you. That's what he knows. I doubt Linda broke down the full sequence of events. And when he confronted Iris, she kind of admitted to it. So he needed to tell her that he no longer has those feelings so that she doesn't go around telling other people. 

 

And Iris is not a child. She should have talked Barry up as a BFF and told Linda that Barry is just goofy but he's awesome or something like that. Not that she should give him time to get over the rejection. Why in the world would Linda stick around for that? 

 

Barry screwed up and set everything in motion but Iris was the reason Linda decided to call it quits. 

[phoenics]

I hadn't even thought about Linda calling Barry's job. That is... nuts. Followed by her asking Iris about it after 1.5 dates? IN.SANE. Iris would have been better off just saying, "Just ask him." Instead I think she tried to help and it kinda went south on her. Plus - Barry is completely in rebound mode - SOMEONE should warn Linda - but whatever. She'll only have herself to blame when this all blows up in her (and Eddie's) face.

The writers are forcing a plot right now though, which is part of why this is coming out so convoluted and making folks look dumb. Although, Barry is acting like a "nice guy" trope - through and through. I still believe he was showing up at Iris' workplace to shove Linda in her face and he'll probably keep on doing it now.

Again - like I mentioned in Barry's thread - Iris never treated Barry poorly when she was with Eddie. Contrast that with how poorly Barry is treating Iris after 1.5 dates with a girl he just met and Barry clearly wins the douche of the year award. And don't even get me started on how he called Caitlin to whine about Iris not dropping her plans when he just showed up - classic NiceGuy nonsense.

[phoenics]

I honestly can't understand the viewpoint of blaming Barry for his reaction when the girl he's dating tells him that she's breaking things off because the girl he was in love with told her that he's not over his unrequited feelings for her. I find his reaction to make sense. It's embarrassing and worst of all, the girl who rejected you tells your new girl how she rejected you. That's what he knows. I doubt Linda broke down the full sequence of events. And when he confronted Iris, she kind of admitted to it. So he needed to tell her that he no longer has those feelings so that she doesn't go around telling other people. 

 

And Iris is not a child. She should have talked Barry up as a BFF and told Linda that Barry is just goofy but he's awesome or something like that. Not that she should give him time to get over the rejection. Why in the world would Linda stick around for that? 

 

Barry screwed up and set everything in motion but Iris was the reason Linda decided to call it quits.

I don't agree with this. Barry was acting strangely from Linda's perspective. And honestly - Barry has been in love with Iris for how long? And we're all supposed to believe - and Iris is supposed to believe - that he's over her just like that?

Really?

Where they do that at?

I don't think Linda broke it off "because of" Iris. I think she broke it off because Iris' explanation made Barry's weird behavior make more sense. And honestly - his initial resistance to Linda was ALL because of being hung up on Iris. He couldn't even see her because "feelings". She has had to pursue him this ENTIRE time - and that has nothing to do with him being The Flash - that has everything to do with the fact that he's emotionally unavailable because he IS still in love with Iris or trying to get over her.

Barry's pepper plot aside - Linda - if she had any sense, would RUN.

And Iris - after the way Barry has treated her (when she never treated him that way) should RUN.

[Xander]

Barry can only act on what he knows. And as far as he knows, Linda broke it off because of what Iris did. That's the information he has.

 

We all know Barry is trying to get over his feelings but Iris was not being a good friend by telling Linda that he was still in love with someone else. No matter how you slice or dice it, that is simply not okay. As the best of BFFs, she should not have done that especially as she was the one who rejected him. 

 

We can't vilify Barry for acting on the information he has while glossing over what Iris did. As I wrote in the Speed Dating thread, I think both of them are being messy but one isn't a demon while the other is an innocent angel. 

 

And as for the pepper thing, that was just the show's version of a grand gesture. Barry is not a psycho.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Xander

[cynic]

I honestly can't understand the viewpoint of blaming Barry for his reaction when the girl he's dating tells him that she's breaking things off because the girl he was in love with told her that he's not over his unrequited feelings for her. I find his reaction to make sense. It's embarrassing and worst of all, the girl who rejected you tells your new girl how she rejected you. That's what he knows. I doubt Linda broke down the full sequence of events. And when he confronted Iris, she kind of admitted to it. So he needed to tell her that he no longer has those feelings so that she doesn't go around telling other people.

And Iris is not a child. She should have talked Barry up as a BFF and told Linda that Barry is just goofy but he's awesome or something like that. Not that she should give him time to get over the rejection. Why in the world would Linda stick around for that?

Barry screwed up and set everything in motion but Iris was the reason Linda decided to call it quits.

I think he overreacted. First, I don't really think having one lunch and half a dinner date makes Linda someone Barry is "dating". Iris didn't cause Linda to break up with him, because you don't break up after 1.5 dates. Barry acting like Iris sabotaged some great relationship is just overblown in my opinion. And really, it's mainly Barry's fault anyway that Linda decided not to pursue anything with him. His weirdness already was causing Linda to have doubts, hence asking Iris about it and calling his work and catching him in the lie. And ultimately, Barry is hung up on Iris and that's unfair to Linda.

[Xander]

 And ultimately, Barry is hung up on Iris and that's unfair to Linda.

I agree with this. I don't see anything wrong with Linda choosing to take a leap of faith with Barry after he insists that he's only into her. Yes, they've only been on a few dates but there are movies where people fall hopelessly in love in the span of two days. It's tv.

 

The biggest problem with Barry/Linda is not Linda but Barry and that he's lying as he always does. And he will eventually hurt Linda because this relationship is obviously going nowhere. As said in the other thread, I wish there would be consequences to this, but I'm sure there won't. My only hope is that Linda is also using him as a rebound so she won't be very hurt. 

[CabotCove]

Robbie Amell and Liam Hemsworth should start a support group for the lesser talented family members of super-talented, super-good looking actors. I bet some of the Baldwin brothers would show up. Maybe Haley Duff?

 

I for one prefer the younger members of the family, though the older ones might be the more conventionally prettier. Chris Hemsworth's seems to have his body and face doing  jobs for him that any actual acting skill. I definitely think Thor could have had a better actor, after all the fan favorite and hero of is movie became his villainous brother, Loki (Tom Hiddlestone) . I liked his brother better in the Hunger Games movies. As for Robbie and Stephen, I think they are both alright actors but Robbie seems more charismatic and more "at home" onscreen to me.

 

Considering it was Barry who screwed up with his and Linda's date in the first place, and Iris had no idea about his behavior and responded to Linda's inquiry truthfully, if a bit foolishly, it's kind of weird for me to even consider Barry was in the right, He wasn't.

It wasnt truthfully, she was speculating, its not like she was there during Barry/Linda dates. There is a lot going on in Barry's life and mind than Iris knows, even without adding The Flash business.

 

I honestly can't understand the viewpoint of blaming Barry for his reaction when the girl he's dating tells him that she's breaking things off because the girl he was in love with told her that he's not over his unrequited feelings for her. I find his reaction to make sense. It's embarrassing and worst of all, the girl who rejected you tells your new girl how she rejected you. That's what he knows. I doubt Linda broke down the full sequence of events. And when he confronted Iris, she kind of admitted to it. So he needed to tell her that he no longer has those feelings so that she doesn't go around telling other people.

 

ITA.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Conell

[Jordan27]

Cisco and Caitlyn are starting to grate.  They remind me of the two scientists on Agents of Shield.  Just do clichéd things all the time.

 

And did Cisco actually say, "Dr. Wells is a great man."  He didn't think so recently when Wells admitted the error of his ways. And he comes across as stupid as he falls for everything.

 

While I like Barry better with Linda than Iris, that was some uneven storytelling.

 

Joe seems to be the only smart one and I enjoy seeing him more than any other character.

 

Wells just seems to say the same thing every week. 

 

The show is losing me.  It's about average or slightly above average right now and no signs of getting any better.

[CooperTV]

It wasnt truthfully, she was speculating, its not like she was there during Barry/Linda dates. There is a lot going on in Barry's life and mind than Iris knows, even without adding The Flash business.

It was the truth from her understanding of the situation. She only knows this much about Barry's inner life these days (and that very limited knowledge, indeed).

[KirkB]

My single favorite part of the episode was in the beginning. "You change one more time, I'm gonna shoot you."

 

With Firestorm, putting aside possibly the single clumsiest acronym ever I like the visuals. I know it's just fire and they've been doing CGI fire for a long time now but I still think it looks pretty cool.

 

As for Barry, Iris and Linda, I'm so over love triangles it's not even funny.

Edited February 15, 2015 by KirkB

[Trini]

For real. He has a full time day job so they shouldn't be bugging him with random everyday human crime. And does Cisco spend all day and all night watching for crime in the city? 

 

I wondered about that during my first viewing. Maybe Cisco needs a date night.

It kinda made sense for Joe to call, but unless it was meta-human related, he should have let Barry finish his date.

 

----

One thing I thought was interesting that I don't think has been mentioned is that now we know Wells has a timetable. (His plan culminating around season finale time, most likely...) Barry is still fairly new at being the Flash, I assume that it'll take a few years for him to reach his full potential. What could he have planned for so soon.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Trini

[phoenics]

Something with the speed force - maybe Barry has to get up to certain power level in order for him to steal it?

[In2You]

One thing I thought was interesting that I don't think has been mentioned is that now we know Wells has a timetable. (His plan culminating around season finale time, most likely...) Barry is still fairly new at being the Flash, I assume that it'll take a few years for him to reach his full potential. What could he have planned for so soon.

We knew Wells has a timetable. Because he has plans for certain events to happen leading up to the big crisis.

[phoenics]

I think the big crisis is when Barry disappears from the timeline.

[bettername2come]

It just occurred to me that Joe and Cisco had the "Wells might be a murderer" conversation in Barry's lab. Where we know Wells has cameras because he watched Barry get struck by lightning. If he didn't find out and mess with the blood sample, I'd be surprised.

[millennium]

Iris and Linda are both pretty awful.

 

Iris tries to sabotage Barry's happiness while getting off on the idea that he's hung up on her.

 

Linda's pushy and self-important; not only that, she stands there and dares Barry to eat a pepper which she acknowledges a minute later "could have killed" him.

 

Aren't there any nice girls in Central City?

[Trini]

 

Iris and Linda are both pretty awful.

Answering in the Relationships thread.

[Biosynth]

Linda's pushy and self-important; not only that, she stands there and dares Barry to eat a pepper which she acknowledges a minute later "could have killed" him.

 

Yes, I realize I'm disgustingly behind on the comments.  I'm disgustingly behind on my viewing and only just watched this.

 

I agree with the above quote.  Linda should be awesome, but she strikes me as a little too pushy and a little too snarky for my taste.  Bleh.

 

I enjoyed seeing Ronnie.  He can show his abs any time.  :)

 

Didn't Barry get a heard start on the Nuclear explosion though?  He split before Ronnie exploded.