Iris West

[phoenics]

If she's that passive about her own life, I hope there's character growth because that's not a good look.

I don't think that's fair. A lot of people do this when they aren't sure about something. Sometimes it's best to do nothing, when doing something could cause so much harm. SevenStars and cynic already mentioned this - but Iris has a lot to think about - it's understandable if she's not sure which way to go, and keeping the status quo might feel like the easiest path to take... If she chooses to try with Barry, she'd hurt Eddie. And then if it didn't work out, family dinners would be a mess. Given that, I can see how she might just keep to the status quo.

Especially if she's unsure of herself, her feelings and possibly Barry's feelings at this point.

It really was only about a few weeks for Iris in terms of time - if that. That's not a lot of time to make a decision like that.

I don't understand the judgements on Iris as a person from this.

[Shanna]

There is not judgement of iris, just the point that she is not a passive participant in her own life. And that barry is not required to wait around forever if she has made no decision, or has rejected him, or has not made up her mind and asked for no time.

They're both free to do as they like, but it's silly to act as if everything Barry is doing is potentially going to hurt iris. She's a grown woman. If she wants Barry she has to speak up.

[Xander]

I like to watch characters who do something and not those who do nothing. I don't find that interesting at all. I honestly would prefer to think that the writers are flopping on Iris's character than to think of her being so passive. 

[wayne67]

I don't think that's fair. A lot of people do this when they aren't sure about something. Sometimes it's best to do nothing, when doing something could cause so much harm. SevenStars and cynic already mentioned this - but Iris has a lot to think about - it's understandable if she's not sure which way to go, and keeping the status quo might feel like the easiest path to take... If she chooses to try with Barry, she'd hurt Eddie. And then if it didn't work out, family dinners would be a mess. Given that, I can see how she might just keep to the status quo.

Especially if she's unsure of herself, her feelings and possibly Barry's feelings at this point.

It really was only about a few weeks for Iris in terms of time - if that. That's not a lot of time to make a decision like that.

I don't understand the judgements on Iris as a person from this.

 

The problem becomes that Iris by choosing to keep the status quo has made a choice. She has decided to continue her relationship with Eddie, moving in with him meeting with his parents while contemplating her feelings for another man (maybe). That's considered unfair on Eddie and on Barry because Eddie thinks their relationship is moving on smoothly and Barry considers Iris to have effectively dismissed his feelings to continue on with her current relationship which is her right but it doesn't mean Barry should continue to be stuck in some kind of holding pattern indefinitely until she makes her choice.

 

Undermining Barry's relationship consciously or subconsciously while she herself is in a relationship comes across as fickled and unfair to the audience who has spent more time with Barry than Iris. People want to take his side because he's the main character and she is a character that makes little sense for a whole bunch of reasons.

 

It's unfair to expect that Iris is free to continue on her relationship with Eddie while Barry is supposed to wait on the sidelines to prove how deep his feelings for her were.

 

He moved on to someone who is actually interested in him which apparently is a first for him. It's a step in the right direction for him despite his emotional baggage and his secret alter ego nonsense.

 

Iris is in a relationship that she chose to pursue and since the female choosing between two men has always irritated me as a tv trope because I'm left yelling at the tv various refrains of "pick one", "pick both", "have a threesome and keep the best one" usually I end up settling for "MAKE A DECISION ALREADY I'M BORED". I admit to some personal bias, I've seen this trope play out so many times it's just tiresome.

 

At least in this case she's not picking between brothers or best friends just her former foster brother and her father's cop partner. I hate love triangles.

 

That said I don't dislike the character as much as I dislike Barry but that's an entirely different issue. I just want her to have some agency and her silently weighing up her options over which man to choose does not endear me to the character.

Edited February 17, 2015 by wayne67

[phoenics]

I like to watch characters who do something and not those who do nothing. I don't find that interesting at all. I honestly would prefer to think that the writers are flopping on Iris's character than to think of her being so passive.

Well until we actually get a real PoV (and no, the "it wasn't reciprocated" isn't enough of a Pov) from the character, then we'll keep going round in these speculation circles.

Iris deserves better.

[Xander]

I actually root for Barry/Iris but this passive Iris thing is just not working for me. If this is how she really is then Barry should find someone who actually has gumption and not one who just says she does. 

 

Because if she had hidden feelings, they should have sprung up when Barry was in a coma. And if they did and that drove her into Eddie's arms, then we should have seen something in her demeanor when Barry woke up. But it didn't. It's fine. I can roll with it. 

 

Barry confesses his feelings to her and it's just like any other Tuesday. She moves on with her boyfriend and nothing really changes for her till she sees Barry with a new girl. Terrible arc but I can get past it because these writers are terrible. 

 

But the Iris who continues on with her relationship because the guy who confessed he'd been madly in love with her for 14 years didn't remind her every other day that he was still interested even when he saw her happy with her boyfriend, moving in with him, meeting his family etc.. and didn't give her time she never asked for etc etc... yeah, I don't think so. 

Edited February 17, 2015 by Xander

[phoenics]

That said I don't dislike the character as much as I dislike Barry but that's an entirely different issue. I just want her to have some agency

We can agree at least on this.

 

and her silently weighing up her options over which man to choose does not endear me to the character.

Well, but the opposite idea of this didn't seem to endear you to her either... so?

I just don't agree with the way you, Xander, and Shanna have characterized Iris. AT all. Like - pretty much NONE of it. And it feels like we are going around in circles. Iris fans try to present explanations for why Iris might be behaving one way, you guys don't like it. Then we discuss other aspects - you guys don't like that either...

I don't think Iris can win with some.

Perhaps we should go back to the idea of what we'd LIKE to see from Iris... I think her PoV is first on the list.

Edited February 17, 2015 by phoenics

[wayne67]

 

and her silently weighing up her options over which man to choose does not endear me to the character.

 

Well, but the opposite idea of this didn't seem to endear you to her either... so?

 

I'm confused. What's the opposite idea? Loudly not weighing up her options ? Did I miss something.

 

On that other topic you mentioned

 

• I'd like to get some reasoning for why Iris wanted to be a police officer
• What happened to Iris's mother
• Some moments with Iris and Eddie as a couple
• Iris actually doing some reporting with or without Mason, stuff like going out in the field, trying to track down metahumans or metacriminals. I'd even settle for some indication that she's looking for Peekaboo's bf.
• A 'family meal' between Iris, Eddie, Barry and Joe so we can see them all interact as a 'family'.
• A flashback to when and why Barry and Iris originally became friends.

Edited February 18, 2015 by wayne67

[Shanna]

Well until we actually get a real PoV (and no, the "it wasn't reciprocated" isn't enough of a Pov) from the character, then we'll keep going round in these speculation circles.

Iris deserves better.

I take it that was directed at me (sigh).

Iris is the one who told us (via Linda) that Barry's feelings were 'not reciprocated'. That is her pov. Period.

That's not to say we don't need to get more of that.

Undermining Barry's relationship consciously or subconsciously while she herself is in a relationship comes across as fickled and unfair to the audience who has spent more time with Barry than Iris.

I'm going to have to disagree partially and say I don't think it matters who we are invested in, I think sabotaging a relationship consciously when you are in one yourself would always look bad. What saves it for iris is that I don't think she did it consciously.

Eta, at Phoenics. I'm not an iris 'fan' or a Barry fan or a Caitlin fan, I just take the show as I see it without strong feelings for any of the characters. So if i critize or hell even comment on what I think iris is thinking, don't take it as dramatically as she 'can't win' because that's not at all where I am coming from. We just disagree. It happens.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Shanna

[phoenics]

Iris is the one who told us (via Linda) that Barry's feelings were 'not reciprocated'. That is her pov. Period.

I think the "period" part is what troubles me - that's all? Shouldn't we get more than that?

And I don't think it's "period" - clearly something is going on with Iris and her feelings - her verbal diarrhea with Linda is evidence of that...

I'm also starting to wonder - for the rest of you - do you consider a character's PoV to only be connected to what they "say" rather than what they "do?" I mean, I guess hearing what they say is the only way to try to confirm what we think we are seeing - but it isn't just that, right?

Otherwise that would be a lot of telling and not showing.

[wayne67]

I'm going to have to disagree partially and say I don't think it matters who we are invested in, I think sabotaging a relationship consciously when you are in one yourself would always look bad. What saves it for iris is that I don't think she did it consciously.

 

Fair enough. I'm just saying that we give more leeway to characters we like and understand than people we don't (typically). I mean I don't like Barry at the moment but I can still sort of understand where he's coming from. I don't even know what Iris is thinking half the time about her life so it's hard to relate.

 

I'm also starting to wonder - for the rest of you - do you consider a character's PoV to only be connected to what they "say" rather than what they "do?" I mean, I guess hearing what they say is the only way to try to confirm what we think we are seeing - but it isn't just that, right?

Otherwise that would be a lot of telling and not showing.

 

A lot of us are going by Iris's actions and inactions. For instance her moving in with Eddie and meeting his parents imply a certain level of relationship growth. We don't necessarily need to see it to assume that it has some meaning for Iris.

 

After all we get a lot of actions and dialogue with Barry but his inner thoughts are mostly referenced at the beginning and end of the episodes. Iris got a moment during that blog where presumably her inner thoughts were revealed about metahumans.

Edited February 18, 2015 by wayne67

[phoenics]

This is why the writers need to give us more story centered around Iris so we can understand her PoV better.

When I say that Iris deserves better - THIS is what I mean. She deserves more exposition, more PoV scenes and more development.

[Dandesun]

Ideally, I think Mason will be a great way for Iris to stop being passive. EW has a clip of tonight's show where she's asking him why he has so much about Star Labs and, in turn, he starts explaining his thinking about what Wells is actually hiding. Iris insists that he's a good person and that Wells helped a friend of hers after the particle accelerator blew and Mason pointed out that it never would have been necessary in the first place if Wells had shut it down when he was warned.

 

Iris seems to me to be a young woman who has lived a good life, protected and taken care of and, perhaps, not digging too deeply into things. Mason might very well be the means for her to start asking harder questions about the things that surround her. He certainly doesn't strike me as being a confidant for her personal life but, even there, he could be the acerbic tongue that is not interested in coddling her... the bucket of ice water, if you will, to make her question her OWN feelings, her own direction.

 

Most young people do have that person in their life that inspires them to scratch below the surface. If Iris has pretty much had things her own way for the bulk of her life, then he might be exactly what she needs. Not a father figure, she's got a father already... but a mentor in journalism isn't the worst thing she could have in her life.

[Shanna]

I think the "period" part is what troubles me - that's all? Shouldn't we get more than that?

if you had proceeded to the next sentence I wrote you would see that I said we Should also get more of that.

As far as her pov being what she 'did' not just what she says? She moved in with her boyfriend. She sent some clear signals to Barry IMO. If she is second guessing them now, well she needs to speak up.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Shanna

[Xander]

I actually like Iris and just want her to be better written. 

 

Phoenics, I'm cool with her but not really your characterization. You say that Barry doing the mature thing signaled to her that he wasn't really serious and assigned risk to him. Since he was the risky one, she stayed the course with Eddie because a bird in hand and all of that. If this were really the case, how come the only thing to elicit a real reaction from her is seeing him with another woman? How come it's only when she sees that she's at risk of losing his affections that we get a reaction from her? If she'd already figured that he wasn't really that serious about being with her because he was cool with being just friends, it should have validated her choice. 

Edited February 18, 2015 by Xander

[phoenics]

I actually like Iris and just want her to be better written. 

 

Phoenics, I'm cool with her but not really your characterization. You say that Barry doing the mature thing signaled to her that he wasn't really serious and assigned risk to him. Since he was the risky one, she stayed the course with Eddie because a bird in hand and all of that. If this were really the case, how come the only thing to elicit a real reaction from her is seeing him with another woman? How come it's only when she sees that she's at risk of losing his affections that we get a reaction from her? If she'd already figured that he wasn't really that serious about being with her because he was cool with being just friends, it should have validated her choice.

Gosh - I keep saying that I think Iris may have stayed the course in terms of deciding to do nothing, but that it didn't actually reflect her inner feelings. So those came up when she saw Barry with someone else.

Also - I do think Barry half-@ssed his confession in a way that made it much easier for Iris to stick to the status quo (especially with his actions afterward, as cynic and SevenStars have also pointed out), than to forge a newer scarier path with him. I don't really blame Barry - I actually understand it.

I'm mostly just trying to say that Barry's words and followup actions had an effect on Iris just as I believe Iris' words (or non words) and actions (or non-actions) had an effect on Barry as well. They aren't acting independently of each other. When you're dealing with something as fragile as a life-long friendship, those little decisions and non-decisions can sway both Barry and Iris to say/do things they may not fully mean.

I just went through almost this exact scenario and even though I consider myself really mature - I know there are things I could have done better (him too actually - okay mostly him, lol!). My point is that during the "confusing" time, there were definitely things that both of us did that made the other skittish, etc.. and impacted how things played out (at the time). I only know this now due to hindsight conversations we've had since the fallout.

I think that if Iris is just trying to stick to the status quo because she's just not ready to face it all yet - or because she desperately needs the status quo to feel stable - well, it's understandable to me. /shrugs

[peachmangosteen]

Not a father figure, she's got a father already...

 

Does she though? I mean honestly, does Joe even remember Iris is his daughter? He has lots of time to spend doting on Barry or working with Cisco, but it seriously feels like he hasn't said one word to his daughter in like 5 episodes. I find that infinitely annoying and it has lessened my Joe love, which is unacceptable!

 

I actually like Iris and just want her to be better written. 

 

This! I mean Iris is my favorite character, I'm definitely an Iris fan, but that isn't gonna stop me from criticizing what she does. Or, more specifically, criticizing how she is written, because it's awful at this point and there is really no denying that, even if you love her.

Edited February 20, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[wayne67]

This! I mean Iris is my favorite character, I'm definitely an Iris fan, but that isn't gonna stop me from criticizing what she does. Or, more specifically, criticizing how she is written, because it's awful at this point and there is really no denying that, even if you love her.

 

I'm curious why is Iris your favorite character ?

 

Personally none of the characters have clicked for me. I liked Captain Cold for a few seconds before he degenerated into a stock standard "genius super villain" with stupid convoluted plans.

[peachmangosteen]

I'm curious why is Iris your favorite character ?

 

I'd say mostly because I like CP, but also because I liked how Iris was being portrayed pre mid-season finale and because I like what she could be. 

 

I actually love all the characters though honestly. Even if the writing for all of them is kinda shit!

[cynic]

I lay the problems I have with Iris at the writers' feet, not the character's. I think she gets shortchanged not only on PoV, but on screen time that would add depth to her actions. It's inexcusable that we don't know what her reaction was to such a big development that has ramifications to both plot and character. All we're able to do is make clumsy interpretations with crumbs of information, because the writers have shafted this character in their attempt to recreate Team Arrow. Should we spend time showing how Iris feels about this potentially life altering confession or even just showing her followup actions? Nyah, let's show Caitlin in her bra instead! We don't even get to see Iris just being good at something and being useful to the Flash which would make her more rootable to the audience, because Team Flash has taken that role. All they've allowed Iris to be so far is love interest and they've created BS drama just to give her something to do, but then they won't give her the screen time to even make it work. Ugh. At this point, I wish the secret Barry divulged to her was his Flash one instead of his love for many reasons, but most of all because it would have allowed Iris to be involved with the main plot, get some screen time with the rest of the cast, and allow the audience to start caring about her outside of her potential as a love interest. Anyway, without further information, I'm going to assume that Iris doesn't have ulterior motives and is trying to act with sensitivity to Barry's feelings, because the one thread of consistency we have gotten from the writers is that Iris cares deeply for him. Anything else, I will chalk up to being human for now, because goodness knows people don't always make the right choice in the right time.

I've totally been wondering what happened to Iris' mom too. Is Joe widowed or divorced? It'd be nice if Iris had a mom to talk to.

[wayne67]

I'd say mostly because I like CP, but also because I liked how Iris was being portrayed pre mid-season finale and because I like what she could be. 

 

I actually love all the characters though honestly. Even if the writing for all of them is kinda shit!

 

I did like her before Barry's confession derailed her characterisation even further. I liked her best when she was engaged in some lighthearted matchmaking for Barry and Felicity because she wanted to make him happy.

 

The writing hasn't been great for many of the characters. Cisco creating a super weapon to neutralise/kill Barry/The Flash and losing it without telling anyone at Star Labs ruined that character for me. Caitlin's confusing reactions to Ronnie ruined her for me. Joe hiding the death threat targeting Iris ruined Joe for me. Barry blithely gloating over the imprisonment of Peekaboo ruined him for me. I'm really running out of characters to like. I'm just biding my time until Grood now.

 

I keep hoping that the writing will improve and smooth out some of the missteps like give Iris's reporting job some weight and show her doing some actual reporting.

Edited February 18, 2015 by wayne67

[Xander]

They backed off the love triangle and I thought it was a good episode for Iris. They are putting in more effort into her journalism storyline now. I'm guessing she will find out what happens and back off or something? She won't let Barry be exposed if she learns the truth. 

[Enero]

I'm wondering if she'll ask the Flash to help her with her investigation into STAR Labs. She looks to have made the connection between Caitlyn's "cousin" and the burning man. So why not ask the Flash for his help? Or it won't take no time for her to put the pieces together and figure out that the Flash himself is actually connected with STAR Labs which will lead her to Barry. Maybe she'll take another look at the picture she took the other week?

 

This episode was certainly an improvement for her character, but more work still needs to be done. Now, that the Firestorm/Caityln/Ronnie reunion has been put to bed, perhaps there will be more time to focus on Iris at least investigating the strange happenings involving meta humans in CC while also looking into STAR Labs.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Enero

[phoenics]

They backed off the love triangle and I thought it was a good episode for Iris. They are putting in more effort into her journalism storyline now. I'm guessing she will find out what happens and back off or something? She won't let Barry be exposed if she learns the truth.

I was wondering the exact same thing - what will Iris find out and what will she do with that information? I'd much prefer it if Iris finds out that Barry is The Flash on her own... the epic blowup that would happen would be awesome to watch.

Of course if Iris finds out that Barry is The Flash she will keep that story to herself - but she'd have to come up with SOME story to tell... it's just - what is that story? Before tonight's episode, I thought she was going to find out about the metahumans locked underneath the lab, but now I'm not so sure - she might find out about Wells?

Between this and the time travel stuff on Sleepy Hollow I have a headache.

[Enero]

I don't think she'll be able to get that deep with Wells because he's covered his tracks quite well. Joe is doing an investigation from the inside and still he's been unable to confirm any of his suspicions about Wells. That said, I think the closest she'll get is figuring out that STAR Labs knows about the meta-humans and/or is helping or housing them. Doesn't the CC police already know a great deal about this? Don't they know that STAR Labs is working with the Flash? Episode 1x10 kind of implied this. If so, there's several anonymous sources right there. Then there's Eddie. It would no doubt destroy their relationship, but if she found out that the police have somewhat of an understanding with the Flash and to a lesser degree STAR Labs, she might start poking around Eddie's case files, that you know he'll have at their apartment, to see what she can learn about both.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Enero

[Lord Kira]

Tonight's episode wasn't bad for Iris. Now that she is investigating STAR Labs she'll actually be doing something useful with her screentime instead of being "the love interest". 

 

I do hope to see a bit more passion from her though about investigating and reporting in general. In her first scene of the episode when her boss was saying how there may be more to Star Labs she looked like she couldn't care less. I just need more passion from her, because if she looks like she doesn't care about what she's doing, why should I? 

 

Luckily that indifference disappeared a little when she realized "Sam" was Firestorm. I think that caught her interest. I really hope they handle this right.

 

Also, they are massively neglecting her relationship with Eddie. You can't expect me to care about that relationship if it is never shown.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Lord Kira

[Superhero6]

So apparently there are some people on twitter saying that she was being too "nosy"........like are you serious, that's her job, she is a REPORTER! hahaha, I gave them a pass on  the sabotage  accusation last week  but this! nah, this is getting ridiculous, she just can't win with some of these people. None of this would have happen if her so call "Dad" told her the truth from the beginning.....smdh!

Edited February 18, 2015 by Superhero6

[Skyline]

So apparently there are some people on twitter saying that she was being too "nosy"........like are you serious, that's her job, she is a REPORTER! hahaha, I gave them a pass on sabotage accusation last week but this! nah, this is getting ridiculous, she just can't win with some of these people. None of this would have happen if her so call "Dad" told her the truth from the beginning

I was smh at those tweets.

[bluebonnet]

I'm pretty shocked.  I feel like we returned to the Iris they had been developing.  The twitter people seem like they are complaining just to complain.  jfc.  These people would complain worse if the show spread it's finances too thin and had a bigger cast forcing them to ignore even more characters.  I mean, that's the only way Iris wouldn't be investigating someone she's acquainted with, right?  

Edited February 18, 2015 by bluebonnet

[driedfruit]

I don't think she'll be able to get that deep with Wells because he's covered his tracks quite well. Joe is doing an investigation from the inside and still he's been unable to confirm any of his suspicions about Wells. 

 

That's a good point, but she's coming in with a completely fresh perspective unlike Joe, so maybe something seemingly innocuous that Joe would overlook regarding Wells' metahuman activities catches Iris' attention. Also, Joe's focus seems to be on Wells regarding Mrs. Allen's murder as opposed to his more recent activities. 

[Actionmage]

It'd be nice if Iris had a mom to talk to.

 

Or some friends or a boyfrie- oh, wait.

 

Also, Joe's focus seems to be on Wells regarding Mrs. Allen's murder as opposed to his more recent activities.

 

 

I love when two groups/ people are working on two very different ends of a mystery and the mystery has one source. It's fun in a Blind Men Describe An Elephant sort of way. Joe and Iris doing this gets us interested and invested. They are doing their investigations to protect Barry from a possibly sketchy Wells. One takes on his past. One takes on his present. Maybe, if we're lucky Iris gets read in at the end as well.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Actionmage

[Enero]

That's a good point, but she's coming in with a completely fresh perspective unlike Joe, so maybe something seemingly innocuous that Joe would overlook regarding Wells' metahuman activities catches Iris' attention. Also, Joe's focus seems to be on Wells regarding Mrs. Allen's murder as opposed to his more recent activities.

Interesting point! Iris' investigation into Ronnie could very well lead to the Colonel's disappearance and William Sadler's character's death (can't remember the character's name), both of whom are connected to Wells. Also Hartley is still running free, he could be a source of information, of course this would have to be for his own gain. There are tons of opportunities here for Iris to have an interesting story that's about her, but also ties back to the main premise of the show. Hopefully the writers will capitalize on this.

[wayne67]

This was definitely an improvement on the Iris reporting sub plot though I do wonder about her assertion that the burning man worked at Star Labs, I'd imagine it would be fairly easy to prove as there should be some staff inventory she could look up in 3 seconds since Star Labs was supposedly a high profile facility.

 

I don't think Iris was particularly nosy, her interrogation came across as fairly tepid to me.

Edited February 18, 2015 by wayne67

[Dandesun]

But this was the jumping off point for that... she poked a few tender spots and got obvious lies as a result. Repeatedly. Mason opened the door a crack for her to start questioning the 'goodness' of Wells and that's going to result in a much wider rift.

 

I keep going back to Barry's confession of love and his saying 'I couldn't lie to you any longer' when, in fact, he's keeping an even bigger secret from her. And so is her Dad. When Iris figures this all out... it should cause a serious rift between her, her father and her best friend. I really hope it does because I think that would be interesting.

 

Tropes being what they are, I can see Iris' anger at everyone driving her to push on her own where she winds up in major trouble (probably with Grodd? Or Reverse Flash?) and has to get rescued and then they all have a sit down and talk and they start coming together again and, hopefully, working together on stuff.

 

The thing is, Wells being Reverse Flash is going to wind up with Barry having to work against him and, at this point, I can see Iris and her burgeoning investigative reporters skills (and let's have her use Mason as a mentor there to build up her own support system! Why the hell not?) being the best way for Barry to start getting over on Wells.

[phoenics]

Yeah - I think she was trying to be a bit undercover with her questions for Caitlin so Caitlin wouldn't suspect that she was investigating...

I can't wait to see THAT Iris confront Barry and KNOW he's lying to her.

[quarks]

To vent, again:

 

At this point, 13 people know Barry's secret: Joe, Wells, Caitlin, Cisco, Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Roy, Lyla, Stein, Ronnie, Stein's wife, and Barry's dad, right?  That's not counting assorted ARGUS agents, Clancy Brown, and possibly Grodd (I'm assuming a telepathic gorilla can figure that sort of thing out.)

 

And yet Iris doesn't.

 

Sigh.

 

Hoping this journalism plot goes somewhere for her.

[phoenics]

To vent, again:

 

At this point, 13 people know Barry's secret: Joe, Wells, Caitlin, Cisco, Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Roy, Lyla, Stein, Ronnie, Stein's wife, and Barry's dad, right?  That's not counting assorted ARGUS agents, Clancy Brown, and possibly Grodd (I'm assuming a telepathic gorilla can figure that sort of thing out.)

 

And yet Iris doesn't.

 

Sigh.

 

Hoping this journalism plot goes somewhere for her.

Don't forget the dead villains who also know: Plastique (not exactly a villain), forgot the electrical vampire guy's name, and Girder.

Also - doesn't Hartley know?

It's really sad and a shame that Iris hasn't been told. I really hope that Iris figures this out all on her own - it would be a travesty for her not to given all of the people lying to her week after week.

Edited February 18, 2015 by phoenics

[quarks]

I wasn't counting dead guys, but I should have counted Hartley. So that's 14 people who know.  I feel like we need a petition: Tell Iris. 

[Lord Kira]

I get the complaints about last night's episode, but I don't entirely agree with them. A reporter character is really hard to pull off, doubly so for a character investigating her "friends". I put friends in quotations because I don't consider Iris friends with anyone on the show, except for Barry. Just because Iris has shared screentime with Cisco and Caitlyn doesn't mean they are friends. So logically, there shouldn't be any problem with Iris investigating, right?

 

However, the other side of this, and the reason I am not actively rooting for Iris, is that she has never had a POV. So of course I am more concerned about her investigation causing trouble for Barry, Caitlyn, and company. We've spent plenty of time building the relationships up on Team Flash. So of course I'm automatically on their side. Because so little time was spent on Iris, and what little we had was lackluster, I can't root for her because I still don't have a solid handle on her character.

 

That being said, her investigation doesn't annoy me. Just because I'm not rooting for her doesn't mean I can't enjoy her plot. Mostly, what I want from Iris is character development and interaction with the main cast. She barely interacts with anyone, and when she does its not anything special. Give her friends, a pet, etc. Or how about her relationship with her father? And does Iris even remember that she has a fiance? 

 

Iris has her own plot now, so that's a step up. Now its time to build up her character. CP is a good actor, let her have a chance to win over the fandom. She already garnered a lot of hate because of how she came across in the Barry/Linda episode last week, she needs to make up for that.

 

As for Iris being the only one that doesn't know that Barry is the Flash? I'm absolutely fine with it. I don't need her to find out and show up at STAR LABS all of the time. Laurel finding out about Oliver on Arrow not only ruined the Team Arrow dynamic (because Laurel kept showing up in their lair, which had been used solely for Team Arrow interaction and development), it eventually led to me quitting the show. Granted, Katie Cassidy sucks and CP doesn't, but I do not want The Flash to go the way of Arrow.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Lord Kira

[Xander]

People complain about Iris and dismiss her as simply being a love interest. Given how the show is written, Iris will continue to be sidelined if she's not roped into the main plot. How else can she be on the show and not only be a love interest if what she does is not related to the Flash? How can she interact with the main cast if it's unrelated to the Flash?  

 

And even as a love interest, she and Barry can't be completely honest if he's hiding such a huge part of his life from her. Everything he's dealing with now with finding out he was present at his mother's murder, wanting to save her etc are things he should be sharing with someone that's supposed to be so important to him. 

Edited February 19, 2015 by Xander

[Carrie Ann]

I don't want Iris to have a plot that's completely unrelated to the Flash, because that's what I'm here for. I'm interested in the story of the Flash, so for me, the reporter angle as handled in 114 was perfect. If Iris has an unrelated thing, it just marginalizes her further, in my view.

 

What would have been ideal is if the show had established that a friendship had developed between Iris and Caitlin and/or Cisco while Barry was in a coma, and she was visiting him. Because then, after he woke up and "met" C & C, Iris would already be set in those relationships as well. Plus it would have led to some conflict when Barry woke up and they had to decide to keep his powers a secret from her; they could have felt conflict over their loyalty to Iris vs. Barry.

 

But she really does need to be able to talk to someone about things. It can't be Barry or Eddie, for obvious reasons (and he's disconnected from the other characters too, so it doesn't solve the problem), and it kind of can't be her dad anymore either. So they've left Iris in a pretty isolated place, on a personal level, but at least they're rectifying the situation on a professional level. At this point, I would accept her developing a mentor/mentee type of relationship with Mason, and having one or two lines that indicate her emotional state. Once she learns the truth, I hope she will become more integrated with the STAR labs group, socially at least.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[Actionmage]

What would have been ideal is if the show had established a friendship that had developed between Iris and Caitlin and/or Cisco while Barry was in a coma, and she was visiting him. Because then, after he woke up and "met" C & C, Iris would already be established in those relationships as well. Plus it would have led to some conflict when Barry woke up and they had to decide to keep his powers a secret from her; they could have felt conflict over their loyalty to Iris vs. Barry.

 

Aww; Carrie Ann, I legitimately adore this scenario! If Felicity and C&C are supposedly so tight, then why wouldn't Iris?

 

If the show had gone your scenario, then I could understand why some folks are upset over Iris starting her investigation. As it is, they have had one real meet-up at a bar ( because Barry drank his 500% proof booze) and folks are upset at Iris not being 100% truthful with Caitlin and Cisco, despite them  ( and Barry and Joe and Eddie) actually keeping stuff secret from Iris.

[Oscirus]

It's not Iris's fault that Caitlin can't keep her lies straight.

 

At this point, 13 people know Barry's secret: Joe, Wells, Caitlin, Cisco, Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Roy, Lyla, Stein, Ronnie, Stein's wife, and Barry's dad, right?  That's not counting assorted ARGUS agents, Clancy Brown, and possibly Grodd (I'm assuming a telepathic gorilla can figure that sort of thing out.)

 

Don't forget the mugger he stripped.

 

As much as I complain about it, I actually like that Iris has to find this out for herself.  It'll feel more earned once she finds out. My only requirement is that Iris stays pissed at the men in her life for at least two episodes once finds out.

 

I think that her investigation will bear some fruit. Joe is investigating a murder, Iris is investigating the lab. Not only that, but she has a Pulitzer prize winning journalist helping her.

[Shanna]

Aww; Carrie Ann, I legitimately adore this scenario! If Felicity and C&C are supposedly so tight, then why wouldn't Iris?

If the show had gone your scenario, then I could understand why some folks are upset over Iris starting her investigation. As it is, they have had one real meet-up at a bar ( because Barry drank his 500% proof booze) and folks are upset at Iris not being 100% truthful with Caitlin and Cisco, despite them ( and Barry and Joe and Eddie) actually keeping stuff secret from Iris.

I can see iris having a friendship with Cisco which might have been cute. And Cisco being an extremely bad liar. Ah the plots that might have been!

As for the second, they have hung more than at the bar. They also came over for a holiday I think (Christmas?) and they've seen each other at jitters. I don't get the impression they are good friends, but they are at minimum friendly acquaintances?

The only thing Im liking about the journalism plot so far is mason.

[peachmangosteen]

As much as I complain about it, I actually like that Iris has to find this out for herself.  It'll feel more earned once she finds out. My only requirement is that Iris stays pissed at the men in her life for at least two episodes once finds out.

 

This. I'm looking forward to Iris finding out on her own. It'll make her seem smarter than, well, all the other characters lol. I too hope she's pissed at Barry and Joe, especially, once she finds out.

[driedfruit]

As for Iris being the only one that doesn't know that Barry is the Flash? I'm absolutely fine with it. I don't need her to find out and show up at STAR LABS all of the time. Laurel finding out about Oliver on Arrow not only ruined the Team Arrow dynamic (because Laurel kept showing up in their lair, which had been used solely for Team Arrow interaction and development), it eventually led to me quitting the show. Granted, Katie Cassidy sucks and CP doesn't, but I do not want The Flash to go the way of Arrow.

 

Iris showing up Star Labs would be awesome, since she won't blissfully ignore all the unexplained shady business. And Wells is way more interesting when he's not surrounded by his unquestioning groupies. 

 

But I have a lot of issues with Star Labs so I'm taking this over to the relationship thread. 

Edited February 20, 2015 by driedfruit

[cynic]

I finally got to watch the episode fully and I agree with those that don't have a problem with Iris investigating. She's not friends with Caitlin/Ronnie/Cisco and they are blatantly being shady with her. I'm glad she's finally getting something to do. (She could have been working with Joe all along investigating if her dad want so hell bent on keeping things from her.) Also, I enjoyed her interaction with Mason. I would like to see them actually working together more, maybe even out in the field together.

On a completely shallow note, Candice Patton looked absolutely stunning this episode, especially in the gray dress. I actually really like how they dress her in general too.

[peachmangosteen]

On a completely shallow note, Candice Patton looked absolutely stunning this episode, especially in the gray dress. I actually really like how they dress her in general too.

 

This. I've said it before but I'll say it again, at least the wardrobe department tries with Iris!

[cynic]

E! is doing a TV couples tournament. Barry and Iris are up against Toby and Spencer of Pretty Little Liars. For some reason, they've also included Barry and Caitlin as a couple, despite her love story with Firestorm and even though neither Barry nor Caitlin have expressed any interest in the other. I really hope the shipping of Barry/Caitlin doesn't end up displacing Iris as OTP endgame.

http://www.eonline.com/news/629545/2015-tv-s-top-couple-tournament-vote-in-round-1-now

[millennium]

I don't like Iris at all.

 

It isn't just that she's messing with Barry's head and heart ... it's that I find nothing about her to be engaging.    Joe is more a soulmate to Barry than Iris is ... Iris barely convinces me she's Joe's daughter.

 

And the reporter chasing after the superhero schtick is old, old, old, whether it's Lois Lane, that Knox character in the Burton Batman movie or that guy in the old Hulk TV series.    I don't care much for Eddie, either, so Iris's affection for him makes me like her even less.

 

Now I guess Iris is to become a thorn in the side of Star Labs.    Ugh.