We are now a couple of episodes back into the season, and the story arch of The Flash is starting to take more concrete shape. No more jumping from villain to villain, but rather a focus on Barry, Iris and the team and how they can change their fate. The Flash chose to do a Mid-Season premiere that was a little bit calmer and more normal than most. No huge immediate crisis, no new villains, just a team of friends figuring out how they are going to deal with the future that Barry saw in the mid-season finale.
I, for one, actually liked this approach. Yes it was different and less dynamic and intense than most mid-season premieres, but it was also more real and relatable. We got to see more of the team’s feelings for one another and their human side as opposed to always focusing on the most current mission and nemesis. It was also a solid foundation for laying the framework, for what I am fairly sure will be total heartbreak when Barry is not able to defeat Savitar and save Iris. I am still hopeful, for their sake, but I have seen enough Super Hero shows to know that heroes do not get to be happy in love, and that time travel and trying to change the future rarely, if ever, works out. Plus the over the top house-warming party and speeches on the perfect couple will be that much more devastating when it is no more.
The second episode dealt more with H.R. Wells. I did love the H.R. Wells from Earth 2, so it has taken me a while to get on board with this new character and his contributions to the team, because really he has none. But little by little he is becoming more interesting, and the second episode helps us explore Cisco and his powers as Vibe a little more as well. Little by little all of the members of the team (with the exception of Iris and Joe) are beginning to have powers that can help our Barry. Now we have Vibe, Kid-Flash, and Killer Frost although Caitlyn is not her she does still have her powers. And Barry will need all of them as he strives to race against time to figure out how to change Iris’s fate.
Either way, the rest of this season will be a very pivotal time for Barry and the entire team as they both become stronger and get ready to deal again with one of the deadliest speedsters they have ever faced–the god of time himself, Savitar.
