The Flash (TV Series) Don't Run (2017) User Reviews

Loved it!

[glafournie · 9/10 · 7 December 2017]

OH MY GOSH! Let me just say that I absolutely LOVED this episode. I figured that something big would happen, since usually the episode before Christmas break there does. For example, last season we found out that Iris West would be murdered by Savitar, the "Speed God." Of course that did not really happen, but it was still a huge discovery.

Anyway, I was shocked when Iris said that they should try to save Caitlyn first, since Barry is her husband. But, in my opinion, she made a good call. But also, why the heck does everyone treat her like the leader of the team?! It is called Team Flash, not Team Iris!

Then, Barry escaped from The Thinker, a.k.a. Clifford DeVoe, even though I'm sure that was his plan all along. He does have a super brain, and could have probably thought of every possible outcome.

I have to admit, even though I thought something big was going to happen, I did NOT expect this. DeVoe pretty much transferred his brain into our new character, Dominic's body. So, now, the body of DeVoe was dead. Then, what he did was he took his own dead body and stabbed it in the heart with one of the knives that Barry received for his wedding, then he left the body and knife on Barry's floor in his apartment. The police broke in, and there was a moment where Barry was about run away with his super speed, but then he stopped and said, "Don't run." So the police came in and saw the body and knife and arrested Barry. Now, what I don't understand is why he didn't run. So now, Barry is in jail, and DeVoe is disguised as the team's friend.

I rate this episode 9/10, because I thought it was AMAZING. The one thing I did not enjoy was Iris being the boss, but that's all. Overall, it was incredible.

Framed

[ThomasDrufke · 7/10 · 5 December 2017]

Naturally, the mid-season finale is a holiday episode with the big bad of the particular season enacting the first part of their plans. It's happened every year in pretty much every mid-season finale for each Arrowverse show. The Thinker certainly enacted a plan, I'm just not sure how on board I am with it. After an episode and a half getting to know the real DeVoe and becoming a different type of threat that Barry has never faced, the show decided to remove Neil Sandilands from the role entirely, and have DeVoe's body be transported to a new character, Dominic Lanse's body instead. Why? I know it was revealed that his body is deteriorating or just on the verge of dying, but is this really the route to go? I just started to like Sandilands' take on the character and now that's removed from the equation altogether. Granted, Kendrick Sampson was perfectly fine as Lanse/Brainstorm, but I don't think this is the route I would prefer the show take.

With that out of the way, the rest of the episode felt a bit anticlimactic to me. With the exception of the final few shots, which were obviously compelling, it didn't feel like there was a whole lot of mid-season finale type moments tonight. Amunet returned and kidnapped Caitlin to work on Lanse's dying body, but that felt like a complete waste of time. As much as I love Katee Sackhoff, her performance is just too over-the-top for my liking.

Iris was given an unnecessary ultimatum, having to choose between looking for Caitlin and Barry. Why was this a plot point? I don't ever recall having the team struggle with finding a missing person and the whole "Iris as a leader" thing still feels forced. What did she do to ever get the go-ahead to make the final decisions for Team Flash? I know Barry was gone but doesn't it seem like something Joe would do? I appreciate the writers attempting to give Iris more to do than be Barry's love interest but I think there are better ways to go about doing that.

So in all, the only great thing this mid-season finale brought us is Barry being arrested for the "murder" of DeVoe. That is an undeniably intriguing development, and could even echo what Arrow is doing with Oliver Queen's identity, I just hope that it's handle with consequences. You can't have something like this go on without something of consequence happening to Barry. That's the only way I can begin to go along with this DeVoe switcharoo that is apparently going to happen.

7.0/10

Leadership

[caravindan1994 · 7/10 · 6 December 2017]

+ Finally the show is back on bringing out the story in consecutive episodes.

+ And now we know the Thinker won't die soon enough as hinted in the initial episodes.

+ The fact that the Flash can't fight this battle to victory is what is making me looking forward to seeing more of Thinker vs Flash.

• Amunet and Iris both are purely annoying beyond extent.

• Amunet's on-screen acting really made me think twice to whether or not shut the laptop down.

• And please, the show-makers need to understand that Iris is not worthy of being the leader of this team and lacks its qualities too. So please don't officially cement the same by making the other characters actually tell her that she's the team leader. If you really need a female leader to this team, make someone like Sara Lance who rocks it rather than Iris West.

7/10

The New Thinker

[hawkins_saints_rock · 10/10 · 6 December 2017]

Wow what a great episode of The Flash with some huge season defining moments. With the two big things that happened in this episode, I'm gonna try and keep my review of the whole episode brief, and focus more on the impact of the final few minutes.

So the episode surrounds two members of Team Flash being captured. Caitlin by Amunet Black, and Barry by DeVoe. Black takes Caitlin in order for her to perform surgery on one of her new metas (Dominic) as she has a respective buyer, which continues her plot from earlier in the season. Dominic, who at first seems like a small character, turns out to be one of the biggest characters of this season. His meta powers involve telepathy so he can hear what people are thinking when they are at a close distance. In the end both Caitlin and Dominic manage escape Black thanks to a tricky plan and Dominic's powers.

Barry on the other hand was taken off the streets by DeVoe and brought to his lair. Where is his lair by the way? Obviously it's somewhere at his house, is it underground? Anyway this capture leads to some great dialogue between Barry and DeVoe, and more importantly, between Barry and DeVoe's wife (the Mechanic). From the conversation these two had I'm starting to believe that she will be one of the reasons Team Flash defeat DeVoe, as I'm not 100% convinced that she's on-board with his plan. In the end, Barry escapes as he fools DeVoe by vibrating so fast that he was invisible (so awesome).

The final 5 minutes involve Team Flash and the new meta Dominic, celebrating Xmas. But this is where it gets intense. Barry gets paged back to his apartment for some expected wedding gifts, where he receives a call from Dominic who is actually DeVoe! DeVoe explains that as it turns out he was the buyer Black mentioned earlier in the episode, and thanks to Dominic's powers, it allowed DeVoe to transfer his mind and consciousness into Dominic's body therefore solving the problem of his body dying before his mind could execute his plan. I don't think anyone saw this coming. What do I think of this surprise? Right now, I'm not sure, but it was executed to near perfection. I was getting used to Neil Sandilands performance as The Thinker and really started to appreciate how good his acting was. So for him to potentially be done for the season is a little disappointing. However, Kendrick Sampson put together one hell of a performance as Dominic and DeVoe. That phone call to Barry was absolutely chilling. Will this body swap be permanent? Well that leads me to the mid season finale cliffhanger...

When Barry arrives back at his apartment and is on the phone to "Dominic", we find out that he has planted Clifford DeVoe's dead body in the apartment with a bloody knife next to him that had Barry's fingerprints on it. The knife itself was a wedding gift from DeVoe to Barry that we saw earlier in the episode. So the execution of that plan was absolutely Brilliant. Police show up at Barry's house in which is one of the most powerful scenes the Flash has ever had. As the police breach the front door we see Barry standing there thinking in superspeed as to whether to remove DeVoe's body (which he easily could have done). However, Barry stays put and utters two simple words..."Don't run". A very powerful scene which results in Barry's arrest for the "murder" of Clifford DeVoe.

So a massive ending to this mid season finale that will obviously have massive consequences for the rest of the season. Will we see the actual Clifford DeVoe back? How long will Barry be in prison if at all? Will we have a courthouse episode? Will the mid season premier pick up directly after the finale or will it be real time and it's been a month since Barry's arrest? There are so many questions and that to me is indicative of a great mid season finale.

9.5/10

The Teacher Changes His Mind

[d.rust · 6 December 2017]

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a perfect episode.

First, to answer a question posed by another reviewer: Why is Ralph Dibney in this outing? Because he's a hero. He may be flawed, but his heart is true, he put himself in harm's way to save Caitlin and Brainstorm. And he's a dick. But we really do love dick, don't we?

Opening scene, opening gifts: come on, BARRY! WAKE UP! You got a knife set without a tag saying who it's from, you open it up and take it out? You put your prints all over it? LET'S ALL SCREAM AT THE TV! BARRY, NOOOO! But, he's far too innocent, he's still in the glow of "Just Married" and all that super speed sex has the both of them spinning. So, despite all the psychic warnings from the audience, the Thinker sets up the final scene.

And the set for the Thinker's lair: What a great use of space and lighting. No BLINKEN LIGHTS, no stupid screens all over the place, no goofy apparati with no apparent function, just minimalist menacing space.

The conversations are innocent enough. DeVoe talks about being a teacher, offering the lesson of the day. Barry, still immature compared to DeVoe's apparent plodding methods, believes that he is in a trap. He doesn't realize it's all part of a bigger plan. It's a plan for DeVoe to ultimately escape the confines of his deteriorating body and change his mind. Literally.

As for Team Flash, Wells shows that when the chips are down, he can be as menacing as the rest of them: "this gun has no safety and my finger is on the trigger", in his best hoarse voice. There's no HR in this Wells. Iris makes the hard decisions. Cisco is hard pressed to over extend the resources at Star Lab. Caitlin shows herself to be resourceful in the face of danger, icy cool in the execution of her plan.

But, it all comes down to a wedding gift in the end. Barry knows now that *this* is DeVoe's trap, and he says to himself "Don't RUN". And even all those witnesses at the house who moments ago were sharing Christmas cheer with him? Uhh, how can they explain his presence? Or his absence?

Finally the dice has been rolled in bringing back the story!

[asb_deutsch · 9/10 · 19 December 2017]

S04E09 is Lesson of the Day: Don't Run! It now makes you really care about all the characters (except Amunet, who was so annoying from "Girl's Night Out" episode) especially The Thinker. He does seem to have a super brain! I like it when Barry Allen says to Iris "I don't have to run when I'm with you."

My ratings (based on what I marked on IMDb): Season 1: 200/23 = 8.69 Season 2: 193/23= 8.23; Season 3: 188/23= 8.17; and Season 4: 62/9= 6.89 (The first episode of this season which has been rated 9/10!) I will be missing one of the the best TV series for a month. See you flash fans on 16th January!

"The Flash" is Back, Baby!

[lassegalsgaard-45284 · 9/10 · 10 February 2018]

One of the things that I have always complimented these shows for doing is coming up with a strong mid-season finale. It always seems like they manage to come up with something that is interesting and sets a great path for the remaining episodes to go down. "The Flash," in particular, has always managed to come up with something very enjoyable, and even in its weaker seasons, have managed to make me excited for what is to come. This season has been a bit of a disappointment to say the least. It has offered a slate of forgetable and cringeworthy villains that has not really been able to do anything to take down Barry. However, with the introduction of Clifford DeVoe in the previous episode, we have finally been introduced to a villain that is not a speedster, yet still has so many advantages over Barry. DeVoe has been one of the more intriguing villains in a long time, and after tonight, I cannot wait to see what his masterplan is and how it will affect the show.

The first thing I want to compliment is the chemistry between the team members. That aspect of the show has always been great; as well as in this season. I think there is something great to be taken away from these scenes, and it's that this show doesn't need to be goofy and over-the-top. With the right amount of humor, combined with the right amount of grit and realism, it is able to find its balance perfectly. The scenes between the teammembers are not always fun, which gives it some realism to it. The interactions were great, and the Christmas setting actually gave the characters a little bit more to go from, so I actually enjoyed the Christmas setting, as well.

The relationship that is being set up between Barry and DeVoe is probably the best since his relationship with Thawne in the first season. DeVoe is always two steps ahead of Barry, and he manages to never show Barry the things that make him weak. There is a great scene between them in DeVoe's lair where their chemistry is off-the-chain. And then, they have a great fight sequence where they are flying through Central City, in a sequence that actually looked quite good, even with the limited budget these shows have.

Their relationship also leads into one of the most satisfying twists that this show has ever provided. The fact that DeVoe has Barry framed for the "murder" of himself, after he transported his mind into another body, was such a cool thing to do, and it just made DeVoe an even better villain than I ever thought he would be. The only downside to this is that we won't get to see any more of Neil Sandilands, whose performance I have really enjoyed, and I think it's worth mentioning how great he has been throughout the entire season. I hope that he will come back in some capacity, but if this was truly the last time we'll see him, then I am alright with that.

The only thing that I didn't like with this episode was Amunet Black. Even though her subplot ended up being really important to the story, I just think that her character is another goofy addition to the crowd. Katee Sackhoff is a great actress, so I don't get why they would give her this very cringeworthy dialogue and a very unecessary English accent. I think Sackhoff deserves better than a character taken right out of a cartoon.

Ranking/Reviewing every Flash episode: Don't Run

[lbramson · 9/10 · 12 June 2023]

Barry is held hostage by the Thinker. The 4th Christmas episode is better than the 2nd but not as good as the 3rd or the 1st. Like most Christmas episodes, it's very eventful with a ton of twists and turns! This was the start of the DeVoe body swap arc that lasted for about 10 episodes, this time taking the body of Brainstorm. The biggest thing that happened here was Barry was framed! You heard that right! Barry gets framed when DeVie kills his real body after taking someone else's! As the icing on top, this had the first fight between Barry and DeVos. This episode is still awesome, but easily could've been better without Amunet Black. She's only in it for s few seconds, but she still brings this episode down with herself. Going under Therefore I Am.

9/10-Great!👍👍

One more week. One more beating.

[aopek · 6/10 · 8 February 2021]

Oh look.

Flash got his ass kicked again for the 100th week on a row.

This time by a guy in a wheelchair. We are back in season 1?

Flash is the worst hero in all the Arrowverse.

Episodes are all like this one.

Flash meets a bad guy. Flash got his ass kicked. Team flash finds a plan to win. Flash use the plan. Bad guy is beaten. Yay for the big hero!

Honesty this superhero wouldn't be able to beat a kitten if he was alone.

Four seasons and he still fights like a rookie.

Don't run, just knock them out!

[g3ch3r · 1/10 · 13 June 2018]

SPIOLERS...

They should really think this kind of things through a little bit more, add a trap or something to damper the abilities! Not 3 episodes before he just stopped time while being shot caught the bullets and made the two guys hit themselves, and on this one he just wills it away that easy? I like the show but stuff like this just feels poorly written just to add urgency!

An Unwanted Gift

[cobi-80620 · 6 December 2017]

That cliffhanger sure was something. Was it good? Was it bad? Was it maybe both? I can't quite decide yet, however, it does spark my interest for the second half of the season.

DeVoe decides to abduct Barry and he does so without issue. I just don't see why Barry would rush right into him. Obviously a bolt of lightning from a safe distance would've worked just fine. Also, if he can't use phasing here but then at the end of the episode he can it makes the situation seem even more implausible. Anyway, it's interesting to see what DeVoe's plan on taking Barry is and ultimately it doesn't seem to have been very significant. I guess it was just to keep him from interfering with Caitlin's situation. At least it was cool to "see" Barry vibrate so fast that he became invisible.

Caitlin is also abducted, by Amunet Black aka Blacksmith from a few episodes back. I am not overly fond of Blacksmith because she's not being serious in a situation where I'd rather see her be serious. She claims it's about a big amount of money and yet she's willing to take the risk of killing the newest bus-meta who her buyer is interested in. Also, of all the doctors in Central City, why abduct one who has meta-powers and has defeated you before? Could've abducted any other surgeon at Central City hospital.

Wally is in Cambodia. Why...? No? We get no explanation as to why? Okay. I understand the team is getting too big but it's weird having Wally appear and disappear from episode to episode. It's illogical to think he wouldn't be there or they wouldn't call him if they needed help like they did in this very episode. They need a better reason for why Wally goes away or can't be in the episodes where team members' lives are at risk.

The best part of the episode was the cliffhanger ending. That sure sparks my interest for the second half and I recall the image of Barry in a prison overall from the season 1 finale. It's nice to see that the show can deliver on things that were set up seasons ahead. The ultimate set up the show has is the 2024 news article and I'm still hoping the show can deliver on that too, one day, years from now. Back to the cliffhanger, the deceased body of Clifford DeVoe shows up at Barry and Iris's apartment and Barry gets arrested by the CCPD moments after discovering the body which has a knife in it. This is a story we've seen once before on this show; man frames an Allen for a murder and then assumes the body of a different person. Well, they did say they wanted season 4 to resemble season 1. Perhaps they are going a little too literal with that statement but I hope they can throw in more twists to make the season stand out as its own thing.

All in all I think this episode was good but I think I'm going to miss Sandilands as DeVoe if this was indeed his last appearance. A cold month's wait for the trial of the Flash!