CW's Flash

Killer Frost in general is a victim of poor handling.

Ha, how's that for a page topper?

Edited by Eagal on Mar 22nd 2019 at 11:33:02 AM

We've talked before about how making it so that the alternate personality is an inevitable result of Caitlin's powers is a retcon; she was originally using them fine on her own, but she began associating more and more of her negative emotions with them. But I don't think we've talked much about how she's been criminally underutilized since.

It's probably a symptom of the show underutilizing everyone but Barry. I think one of the main reasons XS is going so well is simply because they're not shoving her into the background every five minutes.

Yeah, the problem with making The Flash an ensemble show was that, well, it needs to feel like an ensemble. The first season did this well by slowly introducing plot threads for Cisco and Caitlin that felt natural (Caitlin's grief about her fiance dying, Cisco's fear about his slowly emerging powers), but the second season started the issue of "Well, now that we've finished those storylines, what do we do now?" And the answer was...well, let's give Cisco some technobabble and let's have Caitlin be a damsel in distress.

By the time of Season 3 and "Flashpoint," they realized that they could get more mileage out of Caitlin with her becoming Killer Frost, but I don't think they knew what to do beyond that. In fact, Season 3's finale seemed like they didn't know what they were going to do at all — all they knew was that they wanted to end on a cliffhanger, so they just arbitrary came up with a Diabolus ex Machina about the Speed Force needing someone to be inside it when they had already solved that problem.

Which is why Season 4 seemed like, well, a reboot of sorts. It introduced a new wave of dark matter to empower more people, it introduced a new character to add to the group, and a villain who wasn't simply a speedster. Unfortunately, it didn't fix the fundamental problem of the show: that everyone except Barry seemed more like props than characters. Occasionally, there would be an episode dedicated to them, but overall, their roles were simply to spout exposition, open portals, or say technobabble.

I really like Danielle Panabaker as an actor and she imbues the character with so much more than the writing does, but she is also criminally underused. I kind of wish they would move her over to Legends of Tomorrow, which managed to simply get Wally West in a matter of episodes that The Flash didn't understand for seasons. (Boy am I sad that he is no longer part of the team, but hey, the actor didn't want to play him anymore, I understand.)

Edited by alliterator on Mar 23rd 2019 at 1:19:18 AM

I think it's more a simple fact that a show can only have so many characters before it loses focus.

So...there's no new episode today right?

The next episode airs on April 16th.

Edited by Classifiedzerogoki on Mar 26th 2019 at 8:14:41 AM

Yeah. I thought so.

Maybe now that the new Star Wars movie is coming we can finally get Trickster back.

so this is all just one big giant con on wellsobards part right?

The idea that he might have turned over a new leaf is - at best - unlikely.

The fuck, the Yankee game was on, Where did it air?

cw? the normal station it is always on

Wow. That went well huh?

Flash should get a vasectomy to Retgone here as a final spite.

Barry just threw his own daughter in the slammer. Supergirl is public enemy number 1. The Legends are getting it on.

So how's Oliver doing.

Edited by FOFD on Apr 17th 2019 at 7:38:21 AM

His just recently discovered sister (not Thea) wants him dead due to his father abandoning her and her mother for him.

Edited by Forenperser on Apr 17th 2019 at 5:32:26 PM

I really hope Wellsobard is tricking everyone.

I don't. Him pulling one over on everyone is the most boring fucking explanation possible. Him trying to pull over a new leaf albeit in the most fucked up way possible is way more interesting?

Nah, redemption arcs are so played out, and look insincere considering the shit he's pulled in the past.

It could be a rarely done rejected redemption arc.

He's genuinely trying, but it's impossible because he's just done so much.

It's a good lesson that you can only get so many chances at redemption, and if you do something awful enough it stops being an option no matter how much you want it.

Barry Allen is so fucking stupid. Yes, why don't you strand your daughter in the future without telling your goddamn wife because you are so angry that she went back to talk to Thawne, even though he had been the only one to help her and even you yourself also went back in time to get Thawne's help twice, you stupid, stupid man.

There are so many geniuses in the Arrowverse and every single one of them is so-so-so stupid.

Edited by Eagal on Apr 18th 2019 at 7:24:31 AM

Sherloque isn't.

He married five different versions of the same woman and skipped universes to avoid paying alimony. He's not exactly the posterboy for good decisions, even if his screw-ups aren't as monumental as Barry's.

Thawne's redemption could be interesting if he was trying - but the heroes had so much baggage with him that he rejects the redemption.

Billy Russo from Netflix's Punisher had a similar arc - loses his memory and genuinely tries to understand why the heroes left him in a damaged, amnesiac condition. The truth hurts him deeply but he still falls down the same path of greed.