Almost immediately, there is a welcome shift back to a more serious tone. Barry and Ralph once again disagree on tactics for defeating DeVoe, however Ralph finally gets serious and reveals why he's willing to cross the line.
Joe is rightly suspicious of Wells, and we see him have an episode while in the secret room trying to use the "thinking cap", which somehow goes unnoticed by the team even though he seems to be knocked unconscious and was presumably still so when Cisco is sent to find him.
The encounter with DeVoe left something to be desired, lacking the emotional weight Ralph's absorption should've carried, primarily because of his character's inability to take anything seriously, and his lack of relatability. Furthermore, the team's ability to defeat DeVoe is becoming less plausible with every passing episode, as he not only has taken the last of the bus metas, but now presumably killed Ralph and removed Killer Frost from existence. The predictability at this point is getting tiresome. The only feasible way I can think of for him to be defeated is by something Cisco concocts to do with Flashpoint or the Speedforce, or by some of the metas DeVoe absorbed to still be alive and fight back...
I was actually very impressed with the first half of this season, but it has become increasingly hard to stay invested when it seems there are no real ramifications. The show has struggled with balancing believability, character growth and development, and emotional weight, and this episode was no exception. That's the reason why I feel it's DC counterpart "Arrow" is the better show-they all have unique real world challenges and struggles, and there is always imminent danger and consequences that they can take almost an entire season to explore and resolve.
Alas, this episode tried to make a comeback. 7.0 of 10.0
Joe is rightly suspicious of Wells, and we see him have an episode while in the secret room trying to use the "thinking cap", which somehow goes unnoticed by the team even though he seems to be knocked unconscious and was presumably still so when Cisco is sent to find him.
The encounter with DeVoe left something to be desired, lacking the emotional weight Ralph's absorption should've carried, primarily because of his character's inability to take anything seriously, and his lack of relatability. Furthermore, the team's ability to defeat DeVoe is becoming less plausible with every passing episode, as he not only has taken the last of the bus metas, but now presumably killed Ralph and removed Killer Frost from existence. The predictability at this point is getting tiresome. The only feasible way I can think of for him to be defeated is by something Cisco concocts to do with Flashpoint or the Speedforce, or by some of the metas DeVoe absorbed to still be alive and fight back...
I was actually very impressed with the first half of this season, but it has become increasingly hard to stay invested when it seems there are no real ramifications. The show has struggled with balancing believability, character growth and development, and emotional weight, and this episode was no exception. That's the reason why I feel it's DC counterpart "Arrow" is the better show-they all have unique real world challenges and struggles, and there is always imminent danger and consequences that they can take almost an entire season to explore and resolve.
Alas, this episode tried to make a comeback. 7.0 of 10.0