S04.E12: Honey, I Shrunk Team Flash

[CletusMusashi]

I did appreciate their use of "embiggen." Wonder if the writers pushed to try to get away with "cromulant" as well.

[TwistedandBored]

It was an okay episode but honestly Flash and Arrow have been testing my patience lately. Both want knew people to be accepted and I could careless about either. I want them to get to this whole Devoe situation and show us Team Flash at least getting something on this guy. I don't want everything to be solved in 1-2 season finally episode. I wanted to be solved over the next few episodes. 

[phoenics]

24 minutes ago, TwistedandBored said:

It was an okay episode but honestly Flash and Arrow have been testing my patience lately. Both want knew people to be accepted and I could careless about either. I want them to get to this whole Devoe situation and show us Team Flash at least getting something on this guy. I don't want everything to be solved in 1-2 season finally episode. I wanted to be solved over the next few episodes. 

I agree.  I am irritated that Team Flash looks inept - like the opposite of the Scooby Doo Gang - they're just not operating at a high level right now - and it's because the writers don't have anything for them to do.  

About the streak/red blur/flash stuff - I know it's just because the writers don't care about consistency - but I'm handwaving it as Barry has gotten so fast that his streaks are invisible to the naked eye, but cameras can pick his streaks up.  It kinda sucks though - because Barry generates more electric energy the faster he goes, right?  So if he's going super fast then you'd be sure to see the streaks... but I guess that's not as much fun as watching him cheat at cards or as romantic as watching him do that amazing thing with Iris... that scene is still one of my faves...

I just want to see the story MOVE.  I know in previous years they've had episodes in the middle of the season mean less - 11 and 12 typically are complete filler before the final season arc starts in episode 13, but they still had the big bads show up.  The only one that didn't was Savitar, but since the other villains were connected to the Savitar plot in the sense that Barry was trying to use them to figure out how to stop Savitar and how to change the future, it still felt connected.  This season they have the DeVoes literally disappear for episodes at a time and only lip service connects current events to the main plot.  And there aren't enough compelling other villains to make up for it.  Amunet isn't enough.

I want to see Team Flash begin to get ahead of The Thinker - not playing catch up or not even trying to figure him out... At least have a board like Barry used to when he was trying to find Reverse Flash.

Right now they're sitting ducks - that would be fine if there was some tension - but there isn't.

The only good thing is Barry got captured.  At least that's something.  

[Trini]

The thing is, this season (and the Big Bad arc?) is supposedly all planned out, but did they really plan on the Team being stalled for months? They had to know how that would look right?

I think they did a good job of setting up the DeVoes as compelling and dangerous threats in the first half, but now it's getting old when we're not getting any new info on their plans. And the Team dealing with setbacks is one thing, but it's been ALL setbacks with DeVoe. I mean, I thought the 'change the news events' arc last season was a waste of time, but at least they were trying different things!

I guess the body swap twist was interesting -but highly problematic- but even that hasn't really paid off yet.

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 2/2/2018 at 3:04 PM, CletusMusashi said:

I did appreciate their use of "embiggen." Wonder if the writers pushed to try to get away with "cromulant" as well.

Jebediah Springfield would agree with you.

Loved Iris' plunging top this episode -- it kept me distracted from the other plot elements (you get a pep talk, and you get a pep talk, everyone gets a pep talk).

[rogueprinzess]

I feel like this is the new writers first go at giving the supporting characters of the show an actual arc/exposure for the first time. While the show has always given an episode here and there to members of team Flash, they've never had the bandwidth to do so without having Barry front and centre. I'm glad that this Barry-in-jail story arc gives Grant a needed break (being No. 1 on a show that films for this long is very tiring) and I think if the show had always given the supporting members more love these episodes wouldn't seem so jarring to us as an audience. But I personally liked seeing more of what makes Cecile so lovable to Joe, seeing what's been on Harry's mind since arriving, and an inkling as to how Team Flash operated when Barry was still in the Speed Force. Some feel like Team Flash seems inept, but I think that this is very realistic in the sense of this the first foe they've come against where physical meta powers aren't going to fix it. Seasons 1-3 were almost all about how fast Barry could run, but this isn't a problem that super speed is going to fix for him. What I liked most about this episode was Harry pointing out that every *calculated* move that Team Flash is making and every *occurrence* that they're having are not random to DeVoe. Team Flash still haven't figured out that they need to stop operating "as usual" in order to defeat a man that's been studying them for a long time. While they're still in the dark about that, I expect them to fumble and get stuck like they are now.

As for Cecile's power, I'm almost certain it's going to be key in taking down DeVoe. One thing I've noticed (and loved) about these new writers is that everything they show eventually means something to the team and the overall plot. I have confidence we'll see more of that in the upcoming episodes. 

I also miss Wally :(

[Trini]

1 hour ago, rogueprinzess said:

As for Cecile's power, I'm almost certain it's going to be key in taking down DeVoe. ...

I'm not convinced that her powers will last past this episode; but we'll see.

[UNOSEZ]

6 hours ago, Trini said:

I'm not convinced that her powers will last past this episode; but we'll see.

In the previews she's with Iris at the jail.. So I gotta believe when the Warden is str8 up bullspitting Iris abt Barry...Cecile will step up.. If not it would be a huge waste

[johntfs]

7 hours ago, Trini said:

I'm not convinced that her powers will last past this episode; but we'll see.

She'll probably keep some version of them up to the end of the season/her pregnancy.  After that it depends on how useful they are to the show.  A mind-reading hero is tough to challenge, especially in context with a super-speedster.  On the other hand it opens up other story.  "Cecile just called.  Somebody's planning to blow up an airliner arriving today in Central City."

[KirkB]

On 2/2/2018 at 2:02 PM, CletusMusashi said:

I like the happy ending for Big Sir, but if his story had just ended with him on a boat to Monkville it would have been far more plausible. Stuff like this just makes every fight that Barry ever gets in with anybody look increasingly ridiculous, because he should be able to just race into Devoe's house and tie him up in, like, one twelfth of a second. Telepathy does not grant super-speed.

To be fair, virtually every story SHOULD be wrapped up in like 2.5 seconds. Unless the threat is another speedster once Barry becomes aware of the problem it should basically be over. But that wouldn't make for particularly good television.

In the particular case of Devoe he's been studying Barry and company for quite some time and is able to think, predict and plan a bunch of steps ahead. So even if Barry did race into Devoe's house there would probably be fourteen layers of traps followed by a call to the metahuman task force.

[CletusMusashi]

Blah! He just needs to follow George Costanza's "The Opposite of the First Thought I Have!" system. Except very slightly faster.