S05.E01: Nora

[Trini]

Quote

GETTING RID OF EXCESS - After an unexpected guest from the future, Nora West-Allen, appears at their home, Barry and Iris, must figure out how to get her back to the future without disrupting the timeline... even more than she already has. Team Flash must work together to send Nora back, while simultaneously fighting off another villainous meta.

David McWhirter directed the episode written by Todd Helbing & Sam Chalsen

[Trini]

*Tonight!*

[Primal Slayer]

I'm glad that Cisco didn't name her. Let these metas name themselves and other people name em!

Barry you are GREAT at screwing up timelines and winning in the end so I think Nora will be fine.

I need a family Flash run! Nora/Wally/Barry all together running.

I hope that we see some of Iris' qualities in Nora and not all Barrys.

You mean Cisco didn't have time to repair his sick ass suit that had all those special features? I like how he says "its a little tighter" while having all that space as he pulls it lol.

I like how casually they are speaking about this in public, just imagine walking by and hearing them talk. That'd be fine.

Iris is probably dead in the future since she cant be living the happy life. Ok well she isnt dead so I am going to go with her being against Nora being a speedster out of feat of her disappearing like Barry which causes friction between the two.

Not the greatest way to hide a stunt double if you have htem falling in slow mo and she is white.

I wish we could explore Barry vanishing for 25 years (fun fact: in the comics Barry was gone for 23 years)

Why does the Daniel Cudmore always gotta get the bit pieces? Loved him as Colossus and he was wasted and now he gets to do almost nothing with this role.

THANK YOU BARRY! I was about to be PISSED if Wally just sits there as if he has no powers and isnt a fellow speedster.....

God that suit looks so awkward. It fits his body to well and needs more yellow.and he needs a chin strap.

Now HOW THE HELL did Cisco/Caitlin not know about a lounge in the place that they have worked FOREVER?

Overall it was a good premiere! Very refreshing but needed more Wally.

[Lady Calypso]

Nora is a good character. I actually really enjoyed her. I think they went a little heavy handed on Nora being so much like Barry (same tastes in food, same job, etc). I thought her most interesting scenes were with Iris. She's so closed off with Iris and while Iris is trying so hard to get to know her, Nora has no interest in her and all the interest in Barry. It's nice to get confirmation about what happens to Barry in the future right off the bat. I thought we would have several episodes before it was revealed that Barry goes missing in 2024 and never returns. 

However...nobody else but Barry knows this and look at that, he's going to keep it a secret from Iris for probably about nine episodes or so. So she's going to wonder why Nora is ignoring her and why she can't get to know her daughter like Barry is. So....I guess it's not quite a win, after all. 

I guess they came up with a decent excuse for Nora to stick around this season. At least they tried, so there's that. 

Yeah on Barry, Nora, and Wally going to save the day, with Cisco as backup. 

Damn! Flashback to Eobard-as-Harrison-Wells! 

Hartley Sawyer, I like you, but I really don't like your character. Ralph got stupider, or I'm misremembering how stupid he was. I didn't laugh at his inept attitude toward multiverses and stuff. 

So, Caitlin's dad isn't dead. Oh joy. He faked his death for some reason. Let me guess; he experimented on Caitlin when she was a kid and gave her meta powers. I can't say I'm terribly excited for her family drama, mostly because I still couldn't care less about Killer Frost. 

[Primal Slayer]

You know if we didnt have Ralph, Iris totally could've put her investigative reporting to use and helped Caitlin find out more information about her father.  

[RandomWatcher]

Flash ring

Lightning Lad

Flash museum

Coffee is $43? Sucks to be them in the future

Ryan Choi

I want to see King Shark vs Grodd

[cambridgeguy]

7 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

You know if we didnt have Ralph, Iris totally could've put her investigative reporting to use and helped Caitlin find out more information about her father.  

Sure, but that would require the two actresses to have a screen time together and they're supposed to hate each other.  The media thread is full of posts about this.

Anyway, as for the episode itself it's good to see the Allen trait of using time travel for understandable but selfish reasons was passed on to the next generation. 

Plus it looks like we have a big bad who wants to murder every meta he can get his hands on.  Let's hope he doesn't leave a trail of bodies in his wake until the finale.

Edited October 10, 2018 by cambridgeguy

[Primal Slayer]

2 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

Sure, but that would require the two actresses to have a lot of screen time together and they're supposed to hate each other.  The media thread is full of posts about this.

Anyway, as for the episode itself it's good to see the Allen trait of using time travel for understandable but selfish reasons was passed on to the next generation. 

Thats the great about acting. You put it aside, get the job done...plus they had episodes together last year so I think they could manage this year.

Edited October 10, 2018 by Primal Slayer

[mxc90]

So the police didn’t replace Barry and there’s a boatload crime scene evidence left untouched. Captain Singh should be fired. No wonder there isn’t a shortage of criminals in Central City.

Joe has been hiding in the lounge since day one. Also, good to know why there isn’t a shortage of criminals in Central City.

Why is this show having a hard time finding a place/role for Wally?

Is Nora happy to be in the past to get away from future Iris?

Did Nora have to reverse time to save Barry from the satellite? Wasn’t he  going to survive it order to be missing in the future.

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, mxc90 said:

Did Nora have to reverse time to save Barry from the satellite? Wasn’t he  going to survive it order to be missing in the future.

He was. I believe it was just Nora making an excuse to make herself known to her family. I think she was tired of hiding and watching from a distance so she used this whole "I screwed up the timeline" as an excuse, rather than it being true. At least, that's how I interpreted it.

[bettername2come]

I liked this a lot. Nora's good, although I don't like her narration. It sounds completely unnatural. I also kind of wish they'd kept her as just Nora Allen instead of Nora West-Allen. Seems like they'd have skipped the hyphenate when Iris has already done it. But eh. 

I do like that Nora's a total daddy's girl. I want to know more about Cecille's continued mindreading. Barry crying is beautiful and makes me want to cry. Let the man raise his kids, dammit! One Allen who gets to raise his children. Break the cycle!

Don't love the new costume. Looks cheap. The ring is cool though. 

So Caitlin has a fake dead, probably evil father who may or may not have experimented on her leading to the existence of Killer Frost? Cause that feels like where we're going. 

I kind of felt bad for Gridlock in the end, so kudos to the actor and writers for making me feel sympathy for the villain dying helplessly. He'd been pretty forgettable up to that point. 

I did love the season one Easter eggs of Ralph saying "he could've created a timeline where I died in that particle explosion" and "why didn't Eddie just get a vasectomy?" And the flashback to Wells!Thawne saying the speed force speech as Barry coached Nora. 

3 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

Anyway, as for the episode itself it's good to see the Allen trait of using time travel for understandable but selfish reasons was passed on to the next generation. 

And constantly lying to family about everything. A clear trait of the West family, Learned behavior obviously, since Barry does it too. 

[srpturtle80]

I miss Wells. 

Cisco: “don’t drink and vibe” lol

Edited October 10, 2018 by srpturtle80

[Primal Slayer]

I think Nora is to much of a daddys girl. The only thing she has from Iris at this point is her jacket. 

[phoenics]

This was an an enjoyable episode - the Easter Eggs were fun and it was historic to see Barry, Wally and Nora all onscreen together.. Legacy!

I'm dreading where this storyline is going re:  Iris.  My guess is that Iris falls apart similarly to the way Barry fell apart when Iris was dead in the future in S3.  And that in response to what happened to Barry, she probably became overly protective of Nora too and probably didn't want to lose both her husband and her daughter to the flash life.  

I'm getting this from how Nora talks about her like she's "around" - as though she's just "there"... 

My trepidation is going to come from Nora basically being upset with her mom for being emotionally vulnerable.  As if Iris isn't allowed to be devastated at the loss and afraid of losing her daughter too.  I'm nervous about the message it's gonna send - that Iris is supposed to be "strong" (superwoman/SBW) and unflappable.  Of course this may not be it, but based on the pilot it felt like that.

But CP's Iris was heartbreakingly awkward with JKP's Nora... so NOT schway, lol.

Hungover Cisco is hilarious.  Ralph was kinda tolerable.  Kinda.

Barry literally never looked beyond the by-line on that future article, did he?  Seeing Iris was gonna be his wife blanked out EVERYTHING else, lol.  The look on his face when he realized he was going to die and he and Iris wouldn't get a happy ending was heartbreaking.

I feel like I need to watch this again, lol.

[mxc90]

18 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

He was. I believe it was just Nora making an excuse to make herself known to her family. I think she was tired of hiding and watching from a distance so she used this whole "I screwed up the timeline" as an excuse, rather than it being true. At least, that's how I interpreted it.

I see. She has a way of not thinking matters out and messing up. She should have been sent back home. 

And what's up with the strange writing in the book she was doing last season. There maybe more to the reason she wants to stay in this timeline.

Edited October 10, 2018 by mxc90

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, mxc90 said:

And what's up with the strange writing in the book she was doing last season. There maybe more to the reason she wants to stay in this timeline.

I assume Nora's real reason, besides getting to know Barry, is to also try to find a way to save him. If she can't save him in the future timeline, maybe she thinks she can save him in the past. It's reckless and the Allen way of doing things!

[ursula]

7 minutes ago, phoenics said:

Barry literally never looked beyond the by-line on that future article, did he?

Maybe it's just me but it seemed obvious that him "vanishing" wasn't a big deal because they already knew 2024!Flash would chase Eobard Thawne into the past to save his 10-yr-old self, with Nora's (mom Nora) death as a casualty. So Barry and friends just assumed that after "winning" Flash ran back to the Future. There was never any need to worry about the newspaper article until Nora (daughter's) news that he never comes back.

 

19 minutes ago, bettername2come said:

I also kind of wish they'd kept her as just Nora Allen instead of Nora West-Allen.

Well for one thing it distinguishes her from her grandmother.

[phoenics]

2 minutes ago, ursula said:

Maybe it's just me but it seemed obvious that him "vanishing" wasn't a big deal because they already knew 2024!Flash would chase Eobard Thawne into the past to save his 10-yr-old self, with Nora's (mom Nora) death as a casualty. So Barry and friends just assumed that after "winning" Flash ran back to the Future. There was never any need to worry about the newspaper article until Nora (daughter's) news that he never comes back.

That could be...  Though I still think it's hilarious to consider that maybe his brain stopped working at "Iris West-Allen"... but I think your scenario makes sense from a serious standpoint... my comment was more of a joke about how all-about-Iris Barry has always been.

[phoenics]

Also - has Barry not learned anything from S1 and keeping huge secrets from Iris?  He needs to tell her what happens... this is not going to go well keeping it from her... plus it would end this awkwardness between her and Nora because pretty sure she's weird with Iris because of Barry dying in the future...

[TV Anonymous]

"The fastest woman alive"? They already forget about Jesse?

[ursula]

13 minutes ago, phoenics said:

That could be...  Though I still think it's hilarious to consider that maybe his brain stopped working at "Iris West-Allen"... but I think your scenario makes sense from a serious standpoint... my comment was more of a joke about how all-about-Iris Barry has always been.

Oh I definitely agree that Barry won't care beyond the byline, lol. That headline could have been an earthquake and he'd have gone, "yeah, it's incredible. did you see the byline?" ?

But I imagine that Cisco, Joe, Iris herself and other Flash family and friends had a more concrete reason for not freaking out over the headline.

Edited October 10, 2018 by ursula

[tennisgurl]

I like Nora already, and I thought this was a pretty good season opener. Hopefully it will stick the landing, and not fall apart towards the end, the way previous seasons have done. Some of the stuff with her was a bit heavy handed, but I think she has good chemistry with her younger parents, and the stuff with her trying to save Barry the way he tried to save his mom is a nice way to connect the generations. Messing with the timeline, using their amazing powers to deal with their own family angst, while keeping huge secrets from their loved ones? She really IS her fathers daughter! I think her plan is getting to know Barry, and somehow using that to save him in the past. Really, I consistently question why the gods of the multiverse seem to so often give these amazing powers and destiny's to people who have so many issues and make such poor life choices that I question them being allowed to operate a decently sized four wheeler, let alone hold powers to reshape the universe, but I guess screw ups have more fun :)

I wonder if the reason Nora is such a daddy's girl, and seems to have issues with Iris, is that Barry was more of the classic idealized dead parent who she just heard stories about from his friends and family about how awesome he was, while Iris was the parent who she actually knew, warts and all, who she had a relationship with. Maybe Iris was overprotective, especially when Nora got powers? Maybe being around Nora, who was so much like Barry, was painful for her, and Nora picked up on it? I hope they get into it and can repair their relationship, because that actually sounds like a decent Iris story. Now, if they could just remember her journalism a bit more...

Ralph is alright when he is a supporting character, actually making himself useful. More of that, and less of The Ralph Show, with a side of sexual harassment hijinks. Him commenting on how the time line screwing up could have meant he died when the particle accelerator exploded was a funny little inside joke.

Ryan Choi! Shout out! And it was cool seeing Thawn/Wells back in flashback. And watching Nora/Barry/Wally all team up was super awesome. Multi-generation flash adventures! Wally describing his adventures with the Legends was fun as well. And he didnt even mention Beebo, or the time he saved Obama from a super intelligent gorilla, or the time he got drunk with a British time traveler, or...

Caitlins dad is probably alive and evil. Cant say that I care very much, but at least its not a new love interest to turn on her!

[UNOSEZ]

16 minutes ago, ursula said:

Oh I definitely agree that Barry won't care beyond the byline, lol.

Oh he most def stopped paying attn.. He barely has gone back to Gideon since he saw it.. Like he needed nothing else in life from the supercomputer but the affirmation that he married Iris... Its bittersweet seeing the flash family save the plane.. As I know we won't be seeing wally.. Who was always so underutilized.. But it was still fun.. I hope going fwd we get to know more abt Nora's relationships with the rest of the team... 

Ugh Rarlf is still with us.. Well at least he wasn't around much.. But his constant presence is a reminder that wally isn't running with barry and iris isn't sleuthing and reporting... I want more Cecile as well... 

Happy my show is back stoked for the season 

[phoenics]

I still can't get over how JPK's Nora was such perfect casting as a believable child of CP's Iris and GG's Barry.

[ketchuplover]

I thought Gridlock was going to join the speed force

[catrice2]

Wow this is the first episode where I actually liked Wally and now he's gone haha. For me the jury is still out on Nora. I found her to be super annoying and I just can't tell where the show is going. I've resigned myself to the fact that they are never going to regain the season 1 Magic

So over the mother and daughter having issues narrative not to mention the optics of two black women not being able to get along.

It's also funny how they lean into the iris knows Barry so well when it is convenient but now she doesn't realize that he is lying or hiding something.

I too think they went overboard on the Barry and Nora are so alike

[blugirlami21]

Hmmm. I liked the episode. Far better than a lot of what we had last season. 

I actually like the new suit. Not sure what all the fuss was about. I wish Wallys actor wanted to stick around but I'm glad we got a little more time with Wally before he leaves.

This Nora storyline reminds me of when Chris came to the past on Charmed. A lot of the same dynamics. I agree with tennisgurl about the reasons behind both Nora's hero worship of Barry and her cold shoulder to Iris.  Some kids resent the parent that stays.  Maybe Iris wasn't as present as she could have been or maybe she tried to keep Nora from being a speedster because she couldn't bear to lose her too. Maybe her being so much like Barry was painful instead of a comfort.  

I honestly wish that it was opposite. I often feel that Iris gets the short end of the stick in general. Seeing Nora crush her enthusiasm to be close to her was hard to watch tbh. Especially when she gives it away to Barry so freely.

Of course Barry doesn't tell Iris that he's still missing in the future. God forbid she be informed about something that affects her life. It would probably bring her some comfort to know the reason why Nora resents her so much but alas.

Also how good can Nora be at being a speedster if she doesn't know how to do anything but run fast? Like there wasn't a single other speedster around to teach her stuff? Wally couldn't teach her? Jesse? At one point there was a new speedster in every episode.

One more thing.  Shut up about Killer Frost, Caitlin.  Who cares? I don't know how this show managed to ruin such an interesting villainous character. Like they mangled it beyond recognition. None of makes any sense and I just don't care anymore. Move on show.

Edited October 10, 2018 by blugirlami21

[shantown]

I guess I’m the only one who really enjoyed and appreciated Nora mimicking  Barry? She didn’t get a chance to build any actual memories of him so she learned as much about him from the Flash Museum as possible. That made sense to me - trying to build a relationship with someone who wasn’t there by learning about them, and then following in his footsteps trying to fill the void. I thought it was well-played and made me invested in the Barry/Nora relationship.

 

I think it kind of makes sense that Iris wasn’t supermom with Barry gone but I  would like to know more of what she’s like in the future to explain the rift between Iris and Nora. I think the story is ripe with possible emotions and the chance to build a strong West-Allen family. I thought this was a good set up for a season that hopefully focuses more on developing characters and their relationships. 

[Lantern7]

Good start, even as the series goes back to the tried-and-true trope of a speedster fucking out the timeline. Only this time, it's Iris and Barry's unbelievably cute daughter. She can run, she's a geek, and she can blurt out future slang culled from Batman Beyond and Legion of Super-Heroes stories.

I'm still not hating Ralph. "Wells from Earth-2" could sound like "Wells from Earth, too." I also get not knowing about the multiverse. "Ralph, buddy, what did you think was up with those Nazis invading our wedding?" "Well, if I hadn't declined the invite after wrecking your bachelor party [fanon on my part], I would've known. And I thought those were garden-variety Nazis." "Hundred of troops and some with super powers?" "I thought DeVoe converted them. I don't know. I'm an idiot."

Nice bit with Gridlock, a guy taken from a fill-in Impulse story. And I'm hoping this season's Big Bad pans out. As much as I was cool with not bringing in an evil speedster, DeVoe was insufferable on many levels.

Hey, we got the costume-in-the-ring! And it was developed by Ryan Choi! I'm so happy and so geeked.

ETA: Wait, the actress playing Nora is Jessica Parker Kennedy? I'm guessing at least one parent was heavy into SATC.

Edited October 10, 2018 by Lantern7

[Miss Dee]

I really loved it. Great start to the season. I'm already in love with Nora and wish she could stay forever.

My dad and I are incredibly close because I'm so much like him, so all the angst JPK so beautifully portrayed really socked me in the gut. I don't blame her for idealizing her father, but I really hope part of her being here is learning more about her mother and how awesome she is, so that relationship can be healed as well.

[adora721]

Overall, I liked the episode. GG and CP have great acting chops and chemistry along with JPK. 

Still hate Barry's new suit from the ring with a passion; GG's jaw cannot handle a cowl like that.

Was it my imagination or did Iris and Caitlin not have one direct line spoken to each other? They stood next to each other, but never said one line to each other the entire episode...how schway! What a deep friendship. LOL

Edited October 10, 2018 by adora721

[Trini]

I like Nora, she's cute and fun, and I can't wait to see her developing relationships with her parents. It'll be good to have another superheroine around full-time. One quibble I have is that I think they have her acting very 'young' and immature, when she's apparently old enough to be a college graduate and CSI(?). Because even if Barry wasn't there to teach her, she should know not to blab about the future in the past!

Joe's reaction to Cecile keeping her powers was my reaction. ::sigh:: Not everyone needs powers, and I thought that was one of the dumber plot points last season. Let Joe/Cecile have a (relatively) normal life.

Speaking of Joe, sucks that he lost his hangout spot! But now I'm wondering which set we lost for the Lounge set.

I've joked about Central City only having one(1) CSI, so I'm not sure how I feel about Capt. Singh actually acknowledging that CCPD literally only has one CSI. Barry was on leave indefinitely, so he was going to let ALL the cases back up??

Really great WestAllen scenes. Barry/Grant broke my heart talking about wanting to be there for all his child's 'firsts', and then of course we learn he wasn't.  ?  Whatever's going on between Nora and Iris better be resolved quick, because we're not going to do a half season of Sad!Iris.

Aw, Loved seeing all three speedsters working together! That is exactly what this show should be. I'll miss Wally. Again.

I feel like the writers are going to have to come up with a better reason for Nora to stick around later on (I know she has her own reason), because training her in technique shouldn't last a whole season. (and JPK is a regular this year.)

Having two speedsters should make (some?) things easier, but now there's no all-powerful satellite, so that kind of even things out.

So Ralph was funny at times, with those callbacks. However, I'm not looking forward to whatever is up with Caitlin father. But I already don't like the "parent back from the dead" trope.

[Trini]

Also I loved the yellow and purple lightning in the show logo! Will that stay for the whole season? And Nora doing the narration was cool.

---

3 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

... Not the greatest way to hide a stunt double if you have htem falling in slow mo and she is white.

I wish we could explore Barry vanishing for 25 years (fun fact: in the comics Barry was gone for 23 years)...

What scene was that?? I haven't re-watched yet.

I think they will explore it, if only for an episode. Not a spoiler, I'm being optimistic.

Quote

Now HOW THE HELL did Cisco/Caitlin not know about a lounge in the place that they have worked FOREVER?

I figure it was a room that they just didn't use/pay attention to, and it was mostly forgotten.
 

2 hours ago, phoenics said:

I'm dreading where this storyline is going re:  Iris.  My guess is that Iris falls apart similarly to the way Barry fell apart when Iris was dead in the future in S3.  And that in response to what happened to Barry, she probably became overly protective of Nora too and probably didn't want to lose both her husband and her daughter to the flash life.  

I'm getting this from how Nora talks about her like she's "around" - as though she's just "there"... 

My trepidation is going to come from Nora basically being upset with her mom for being emotionally vulnerable.  As if Iris isn't allowed to be devastated at the loss and afraid of losing her daughter too.  I'm nervous about the message it's gonna send - that Iris is supposed to be "strong" (superwoman/SBW) and unflappable.  Of course this may not be it, but based on the pilot it felt like that.

She would obviously be in mourning, but I think that the Season 4 premiere showed that Iris would be able to keep it together. However, I agree that Iris would probably end up being overprotective of her speedster daughter, and that would affect their relationship.
 

2 hours ago, TV Anonymous said:

"The fastest woman alive"? They already forget about Jesse?

Fastest on Earth-1, then?
 

1 hour ago, catrice2 said:

So over the mother and daughter having issues narrative not to mention the optics of two black women not being able to get along.

It's also funny how they lean into the iris knows Barry so well when it is convenient but now she doesn't realize that he is lying or hiding something.

Well Iris and Cecile get along fine. But I honestly don't think Nora and Iris not getting along will last very long. And I expect that Iris will find out about Barry's disappearance within the next 2 episodes. (Spec not spoiler.)

[thuganomics85]

The Flash is back and the timeline hasn't been fucked up.... yet.

Nora could definitely be (purposely) overbearing at times, but damn, they really nailed the casting because Jessica Parker Kennedy not only looks like she could be their child, but she continues to have mannerisms that reminded me of both Barry and Iris.  Very well done.  That said, she does seem to have more affection towards Barry; probably because she only really knows the idolized version she's seen at the museum and whatnot; while it looks like she isn't as comfortable with Iris.  I wonder what that is all about?  Hope we see more of her life growing up with Iris as the solo parent, and why she seems to feel that way.

Dammit, Barry!  You're totally going to keep what Nora told you hidden from Iris, right?  What is it with these characters and all of their lying?!

Love you, Captain Singh, but you really just let all the cases pile up and not get a replacement for Barry?  Dude, that's not cool.

Drunk Cisco is great.  Not sure if I really care about Caitlin's dad suddenly being alive.  Joe doesn't seem thrilled that Cecile still has her powers.  Hartley Sawyer continues to be charming, but I'm still unsure if I can handle Ralph as a regular.  He wasn't too bad here, at least.

Once again, the final tag ends with the villain of the season.  Seems to be some guy who hates metas and wants to kill them all.  We'll see how this goes.

Solid return, but lets see if they can follow through this time. 

[Jediknight]

7 hours ago, phoenics said:

I still can't get over how JPK's Nora was such perfect casting as a believable child of CP's Iris and GG's Barry.

Indeed.  She looks like the grown up daughter of Barry and Iris.  Casting deserves all the props for that.

[Primal Slayer]

5 hours ago, Trini said:

What scene was that?? I haven't re-watched yet.

 

When Barry/Norma are first attempting to send Nora home and get knocked back due to the negative what's it called .

[kirinan]

7 hours ago, adora721 said:

Still hate Barry's new suit from the ring with a passion; GG's jaw cannot handle a cowl like that.

Agree. From the neck down the suit is okay, but I told my husband that Barry's head/face looks about ten years old in that cowl.

This was a pretty good episode to start with. I cautiously like Nora; she teetered on the borderline between cute and annoying. Mostly cute this time, but her screwing things up could get tedious over too many episodes. 

Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I miss having some version of Wells around.

[benteen]

I found Nora to be annoying in the first half of the episode and the cast (and the writers) to be just going through the motions.  Seemed a very "business as usual" start to this new season on The Flash and that's not a good thing.

[srpturtle80]

1 hour ago, kirinan said:

 

Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I miss having some version of Wells around.

I said the same above. Maybe it’s just because I’ve loved TC since Ed. Is he really not coming back (or same variation of him)?

[Grace19]

Great first episode. I didn't really miss this show over the hiatus,  but this episode drew me back in.  I hope this season is good. 

Nora is so adorable  and has great chemistry with both her parents,  Barry especially. This episode has so much heart: Barry/Nora, barry/Iris.  I'm okay with Nora being a daddy's girl,  it makes sense that she idolizes him since she never knew him. 

Westallen's chemistry is still going strong. Their talk in the speed lab about having kids is one of their best on the show. I hope we get to see Iris being a journalist this season. 

I still love Ralph and I'm glad he's sticking around. No comment on Caitlin's story,  I hope it's good. 

I hate that Cecil can still read minds,  we don't need that on this show.  We have too much meta humans on the team. 

[Lady Calypso]

8 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Nora could definitely be (purposely) overbearing at times, but damn, they really nailed the casting because Jessica Parker Kennedy not only looks like she could be their child, but she continues to have mannerisms that reminded me of both Barry and Iris.  Very well done.  That said, she does seem to have more affection towards Barry; probably because she only really knows the idolized version she's seen at the museum and whatnot; while it looks like she isn't as comfortable with Iris.  I wonder what that is all about?  Hope we see more of her life growing up with Iris as the solo parent, and why she seems to feel that way.

I don't think the writers are very subtle with what they're planning to do with the Iris/Nora relationship, but maybe it's because I've seen a lot of television. I feel fairly certain that Iris will probably be a very overprotective parent toward Nora once Barry disappeared, especially when she gained powers. Perhaps Iris even becomes more closed off once Barry is gone, leading Nora to believe that her mother doesn't really care or has moved on from Barry's disappearance (when we know she hasn't). It's quite possible that Iris forbids Nora from traveling back in time. 

If they surprise me and throw in some twists, I'd be impressed. But, at the moment, I feel like it's a typical "mother is overprotective or distant from daughter; daughter doesn't like mother because of it and rebels". She seems chilly with Iris in her past but she's not totally blowing her off, so they do have some form of a relationship, which means it can be repaired.

[JapMo]

10 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

I honestly wish that it was opposite. I often feel that Iris gets the short end of the stick in general. Seeing Nora crush her enthusiasm to be close to her was hard to watch tbh. Especially when she gives it away to Barry so freely.

I actually think it's a very interesting scenario.  The writers can do so much with this.  And they didn't beat us over the head with it.  It was subtly awkward between mother/daughter...the curtain is pulled back just slightly and the audience sees at the same time as Iris that Nora for some reason is standoffish with her.  And once we find out Barry died when she was a baby, it's heartbreakingly obvious why she wants to be around her Daddy so much.  

I've always felt The Flash and Arrow are the two best written shows of the Arrowverse.  Their tone is totally different, so it's hard to compare the two.  Arrow is very dark and brutal while Flash is noted for it's comedy.  What I like about the writing on Flash is how they've matured Barry.  He's come such a long way from the geeky love struck nerd in Season 1, and Grant also deserves a lot of credit for fine tuning Barry Allen.  A good example is when Nora threw her arms around him.  He reacted like most dads would...surprised, kind of backing away, not sure how to handle this emotional girl who says she's his child.  

Yeah...this was an excellent season opener.   

[Diapason Untuned]

A nice new episode. I like that the show is a little more willing to poke fun at itself, that helps it out a lot.

Nora was a little overwhelming, but considering she was meeting her father for basically the very first time ever, it makes sense.

[Proteus]

1 hour ago, srpturtle80 said:

I said the same above. Maybe it’s just because I’ve loved TC since Ed. Is he really not coming back (or same variation of him)?

Spoiler

He'll be back soon as a new version of Harrison Wells.

[Mellowyellow]

I don't find the Nora is frosty to Iris storyline engaging at all. It's another crap thing to throw at Iris and Barry once again gets to be the adored parent even though he's not actually around. I am hoping the show will surprise me with a compelling reason as to why Nora is such a turd to her mum but my expectations are low at this stage.

There are only a few ways they can write to explain the relationship between Iris and Nora and none of it bodes particularly well for the ladies. Either Nora is a turd and her mum did nothing wrong which makes her ungrateful or we will be subject to a storyline where Iris fails as a mum in some way. Since I think Iris could/should be a great mum I find this most annoying. Especially when Barry gets idolised. I have always liked Barry, Grant makes him very likeable but this storyline for Iris is shit! 

[ursula]

 ☹️I knew it was too good to be true. I literally did not miss him. 

The recurring versions of HW is a gag that should die but the show clings onto for some weird reason.

[adora721]

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Love you, Captain Singh, but you really just let all the cases pile up and not get a replacement for Barry?  Dude, that's not cool.

 

I suspect Singh did this because he knows Barry is The Flash. He told Barry to get them done "as fast as you can" (wink, wink). 

2 hours ago, JapMo said:

He reacted like most dads would...surprised, kind of backing away, not sure how to handle this emotional girl who says she's his child. 

I will say that Nora's enthusiasm and kinda obsession with Barry reminded me of what I've heard about the origins of Reverse Flash. RF was obsessed with learning all he could about the Flash and wanted to be just like the Flash until he learned that he would become a villain. I just hope Nora isn't some sick twist on that comic story.

[adora721]

49 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Either Nora is a turd and her mum did nothing wrong which makes her ungrateful or we will be subject to a storyline where Iris fails as a mum in some way.

My fear is that they'll somehow make Iris turn into an addict like her mom, Francine, in the future once Barry disappears. It would be cliche and stereotypical and would not represent who we know Iris to be if they did that. And they'd play the addiction can be inherited card. Iris has shown zero signs of an addictive personality; she's quite resilient under pressure.

[cambridgeguy]

55 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

It's another crap thing to throw at Iris and Barry once again gets to be the adored parent even though he's not actually around.

That makes it more likely for him to be the favorite parent.  He's a great hero who literally has a museum dedicated to him, his various friends and family no doubt had nothing but praise for him, and he's the only person in Central City who is capable of being a CSI.  No one could compare to that!  It's very easy for a kid to project nothing but positive feelings onto someone like that, and Nora comes across as very kid-like.

In any case Iris being overprotective is consistent with how she acted when Wally first got his powers.  She and Joe were both intent on keeping him locked down as much as possible at first.  If you're going to be that cautious with a college age kid then you'd be more so with your only daughter, especially if Barry has vanished into thin air and isn't coming back.

[adora721]

Also, wanted to mention that I don't think Nora was telling the truth that it was just her and her mom growing up. That screamed "lie" to me. I think Nora is hiding a sibling who doesn't agree with her time-travel high jinks.