Sunday, May 29, 2022

THE FLASH 8.16


 


RECAP - THE FLASH  8.16:  "The Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen" 


This latest episode of our Scarlet Speedster saw the hero face a new villain.  Not a super villain, per se, but a man who managed to use some super technology to cause physical harm to our hero in the form of aging him.  It's an episode that takes a look at aging, and how to learn to appreciate the life ahead, instead of dwelling on the past, and having regrets.  Because not only did Barry have to face the fear of not stopping this new villain before he died because of his powers---but we also see how time and age has effected our patriarch of Team Flash:  Joe West.  



For Barry, the episode begins fairly simple:  saving lives and then racing home to toss some dice onto the West kitchen table, as the team has gathered for a game of Dungeouns & Dragons.  He said he tried it with Iris, just to try something different.  But he gets interrupted by a call from CCPD, as he races out to meet Police Chief David Singh, who asks him to look into a special case involving a machine that's emitting gamma radiation.  When Flash arrives to check it out, it zaps him.  The perpetrator - a man named Dr. Peter Orloff, tells the Monarch of Motion he's on borrowed time.  Back at STAR Labs, they look Barry over, and he's feeling a little worse for wear---and it turns out the gamma radiation he got nailed with is aging him within.  They urge him to take it easy, of course, but he's insistent on finding this guy before he does something worse.  They get a hit on him again, and Flash races off to face him, only he's slowed, and his powers don't work as well.  Orloff informs him that he's going to die, and there's nothing he can do about it.  

Barry is now not just again internally but EXTERNALLY as well.  Cecile urges him to slow down, otherwise he's going to die.  This Orloff, they find out, is collecting other pieces for this machine in order to help him turn back the clock---as all the people he's absorbed energy from, has rapidly de-aged him.  His work was questioned because of his ethics, and thus fired from his job.  But once he completes the machine fully, he'll kill everyone in Central City so he can achieve immortality.  Barry and Cecile try to gather more info, but his memory is starting to slip, and they wind up on the Great Wall of China.  She sits him down, and he is scared that he's going to forget everyone...including Iris. She tells him the story of her grandmother...who continued to live her life, despite her age and her body slowing down, for as long as she could.  It's what made Cecile aspire to live her own life to the fullest, and Barry should embrace the life he HAS.  He can't outrun time...but he can embrace it.



With that in mind, they the team figures out that the only way to stop Orloff is to contain the gamma radiation energy...by speeding it up.  Flash says he's the only one that can stop it....and if it means he dies...so be it.  So, he meets Orloff yet again, and the machine goes off.  And despite his body breaking down....Flash speeds up just enough to cause the energy to implode into itself.  With the threat over, Flash is back to normal, if not better than before.  As for Orloff---he's now aged again, and wonders what to do with the little time he has left.  Flash tells him he can ponder than in prison.  

Now, while Team Flash is dealing with the Orloff threat, Joe has been feeling old and useless in his retirement---unfulfilled.  This brings David Singh into the fold, as he sits Joe down for a real heart-to-heart.  The reminisce about work in the past, and embrace the future himself.  Joe has been so set in his ways, that he hasn't adapted to retirement well.  But, apparently, the talk does him well, as he and the team play a little D&D at the end of the episode.  However, Barry gets a call from Carla Tannhausen, as she's been worried about Caitlin...who hasn't returned her calls or texts.  Barry races over to her apartment, and notices the lab that Caitlin has set up there.  He sees that she is trying to resurrect Frost, and she asks him what it would be like for him if he could bring back his parents, and that she has the ability to do so.  Barry tells her that no matter how hard it is for her to let go, she has to move on, and this isn't the way.  He apologizes to her, as he unleashes his lightning power to destroy her recent work.  He then takes off...leaving her to her own devices, and wondering what to do next. 




This episode, directed by Caity Lotz, hit on the emotional nerve, as we had the two main men of Team Flash dealing with having to face the next step....and their resident medical scientist.  For Joe...he's been so set in his ways, and it's worked for him.  But now in retirement, he's having trouble adapting to a world that's moving by him at a high speed, and it's alarming to him.  He feels useless when he's not, and he's not sure how to handle the future.  But thanks to David Singh...being the great friend he is, manages to show Joe that change is not a bad thing, and that it's just the next evolutionary step in life.  He tells Joe to embrace the next step, and we see that Joe takes his advice to heart, and it will allow Joe to move on gracefully (and allow for Jesse L. Martin's exit smoothly).  

For Barry....his life is in constant motion.  So, when he realizes that his biggest power is now his greatest enemy, he's worried that his rapid deterioration....along with Iris being gone somewhere in the Still Force...that he'll eventually forget those he loves---mostly her.  Cecile, recalling her grandmother, tells Barry that he needs to embrace the life he has NOW---live in the moment, and embrace what future may come.  Cecile, as always, being the fantastic mother hen that she is, helps provide Barry the ability to face down Orloff and stop him.  And speaking of the villain---he too was facing this issue.  Orloff wanted immortality---he didn't want to face old age or death---but was willing to kill others in order to obtain it.  His reasons selfish, and those selfish reasons backfired on him at the end---because he wanted to play God.




Finally, there's Caitlin.  For all that pomp and circumstance when she gave that eulogy at Frost's funeral, it was nothing more than simple lip service.  Caitlin cannot HANDLE life without her sister, and she's doing the same thing she did when Ronnie died---she shut down emotionally, and pushed everyone away.  Before Ronnie had been found the first time, being a part of Team Flash helped Caitlin realize that there was life to live.  When Ronnie died again, she was willing to shut herself off, but the team didn't let her.  Caitlin has been stuck in neutral for the last few years, and she's never really moved forward. With Frost, she had a companion of sorts to fill that void where Ronnie wasn't.  But losing her, Caitlin feels more alone than ever.  Despite having a whole family that loves her, she's once again pushing them away, so that she can have what she wants....Frost back.  And she's willing to violate her own moral codes and hypocratic oath in order to fulfill HER selfish means.  Barry....who has lost more than ANYONE on that show NOT named Caitlin...tried to bring back his mother, and that caused Flashpoint.  Her death is a fixed point, and he cannot bring her back, nor can he bring back his dad.  Henry Allen always told his son to move FORWARD.  Barry has leaned on Joe, Iris, and the rest of Team Flash to get him through the hard times....and he's always found a way to pull through.  But Caitlin would rather push everyone out, and do it her way.  This is going to end BADLY, and I feel we'll see her cross into the dark side.  Especially since Barry destroyed all her work.  She'll now do what she can to not only get her sister back, but make Flash pay for destroying her chance to get her sister back.  

Will this send Caitlin over the edge?  Will she come to her senses?  And, in the aftermath, will Caitlin leave Team Flash for good?  Only time will tell, as we only a handful of episodes to see how it all plays out. 

How did all of YOU like this episode?  Subscribe to the blog, and toss your thoughts and theories down below.



Until next time.....keep on running!

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

THE FLASH 8.15




RECAP - THE FLASH  8.15:  "Into the Still Force"  


Iris has disappeared...and it's now a race against (still) time itself for the Flash and his team to help her before time completely fractures, and she'll be gone forever.  So the Fastest Man Alive this episode had to take a journey with Dion--the essence of the Still Force itself---into his realm to find his wife.  And we find out a few things on this journey that makes his job a tad more difficult.  But this is how it is when it comes to The Flash, and we expect some twists and turns along the way.  



With Iris having disappeared after talking to Taylor about her wanting to find out more about those who help Flash in his war on crime, and bring them to light---Iris tries to push it off, not wanting the team to be exposed, went about working on another story before she fizzled out of her office last episode as she was working on another story.  As Barry arrives at her office, we see she was working on a story about Fast Track Labs and their sudden emergence.  He tries to call her, but her phone is there in the office.  He races back to STAR Labs to meet up with Cecile and the rest of the team to inform them what happens.  Cecile's been avoiding a current client of hers for some reason, so she's eager to help in the search for Iris---but as she, Chester, and the team realize---they can't locate Iris anywhere on the planet.  Cecile also mentions that Dion hasn't been able to be located, and Tinya Wazzo's mother had disappeared due to Iris' illness.  Barry races out to try and find Tinya to see if she can help him find Iris, but because of her missing mother, she can give a damn less if Iris dies, and she does her Phantom Girl thing and is gone.  Dion then suddenly appears, and says to Barry that Iris is trapped in the Still Force, and she's getting sicker.  He needs the isotopic sensor Iris used to find Tinya, and that would help them find Iris, but they have to hurry, the clock is ticking.

Back at STAR Labs, Barry runs through the plan to go into the Still Force with Dion, but Joe wonders if this is a solid plan or not.  He's very wary about Dion, as his cop gut instincts tell him something is off---but Barry is convinced that this is the only way to get Iris back...so he's doing it. Meanwhile, Chester is called into Captain Kramer's office as a special consult on a case involving some weird technology that appeared at an apartment complex.  They retrieved the device that was used, and Chester recognizes the specs of the device is something HE would've built.  Knowing that he's shared his technology to the world through is blog...he's instantly guilty that people could've died because his designs were used for evil purposes.  He shuts down his blog in remorse.  





Barry and Dion enter the still force, which is in a severe state of flux, as past, present, and future keep smashing together in fragments.  Iris can be detected, but when they try to locate her signature.  Barry sees everything from newspaper articles about Godspeed and Zoom destroying Central City, to seeing an argument between Allegra and Taylor argue about Taylor wanting to expose Allegra for her involvement with Team Flash, to finding Tinya's mother.  But Barry can't save them.  When they do reach the energy signature, Dion absorbs it, and then bails on Flash, and sends him crashing into another part of the Still Force...trapping him there indefinitely.  

In 2049, we see Nora trying to write an article for her paper, when she hears Dion's voice saying that Flash is in trouble.  Nora is then sucked into the Still Force as well.  She and her father reunite, and she tells him that she ended up taking her mother's path in becoming a reporter, and hopes that her dad isn't disappointed in her---he couldn't be prouder.  But they end up trying to put their minds to work in figuring out a way to get OUT of the Still Force.  They both realize that Barry could hear Nora before she appeared, and remembered Iris' hairbrush that disappeared after they left for dinner that one night.  By using that and focusing on the Still Force energy he still has inside him, Barry reaches out from it to connect with Joe.  He tells him they're trapped, but Barry can't stay connected long.  The connection disappears, but Barry and Nora head to the park, determined to escape the Still Force.  As they reach the park where Barry and Dion first popped in at, they try to run to escape, but are blown back by a wall of Still Force energy.  But knowing that the past, present, and future are fracturing here all at once, they have Nora focus on their escape from in the future, and they managed to break through and get back to Earth.  They fill Joe and Cecile in on the events that transpired in the Still Force, and conclude that the other forces are probably infected as well, but since Barry and still FEEL Iris, he knows she'll be okay.  Nora races off back to 2049, and they work on another way to get Iris home.  




As for Chester, he finds out that the tech that was used was only being used to help the people of the apartment complex get better and cleaner running water.  So, Allegra tells him that not everyone is there to steal his designs for evil purposes, and to cut himself some slack.  He agrees, and they take off from his lab to go out.  But....as he kills the lights...someone is downloading everything off his computer.  

We end things with Caitlin still hiding out in her apartment, looking to find a way to bring her sister back.  Mark returns, and agrees to help her, because he misses her too.  


Okay....few things to unpack here.  First and foremost----the fact that Dion's illness seems to have corrupted him to the point he was willing to stab Barry in the back in order to absorb this energy to help revive him.  It's interesting to note that they did mention the other forces, and their lack of communication could mean they're infected as well...and being around Dion means they too could also be corrupted.  So, we are not completely sure if Dion's just been toying with everyone from the outset, or whatever Iris' illness is, it's caused him to be corrupted and betray the very people who created him.  Either way, the Forces sill play a factor in the Scarlet Speedster's life.  

Two:  some of the tiny little (possible) easter eggs we get here, is a newspaper article that says that Godspeed and Zoom destroy Central City---possibly a future that might happen, and that means the return of August Hart, and Hunter Zolomon, whom we haven't seen since Season 2.  Then there's the argument between Taylor and Allegra....where Allegra is defending herself against Taylor.  We KNOW Taylor has had it out for Allegra, and this could be the thing she uses to destroy her life in her petty revenge.  Taylor is ambitious, and just wants the big sensationalist headline---and she wants to expose Team Flash...a story Iris said she'd "think about", but knows that means that her friends, her family, and herself would be exposed, and that would mean BAD things for them.  So, this is a possible future that we may have to see the team deal with, as Taylor's ambitions overtake her better judgement. Three:  we see that in this Post-Crisis reality, THIS version of Nora West-Allen is a reporter---having followed in Iris' footsteps instead of her father Barry's as a CSI.  Some people complain about this, but I can't see why.  It doesn't deter in ANY SINGLE WAY from her ever NOT being like her father.  If anything, this makes Nora a more well-rounded version of her parents.  She's more mature.  The recklessness and Impulse behavior all belong to Bart.  Four:  whomever it is that Cecile is supposed to be defending, apparently it's a meta who has done some VERY bad things to the point she's avoiding them altogether.  Five:  the article Iris was writing about Fast Track Labs.  where Avery Ho works.  It could be a predecessor to her becoming the new heroic speedster down the road.







We also seem to have ANOTHER threat looming on the horizon, as someone has downloaded all of Chester's designs...with, no doubt, some nefarious intentions.  This could be the kind of thing that comes back to bite him back, and not sure if Allegra can pick him up if he feels the guilt trip again.  Finally...there's Caitlin---whose isolated herself from her loved ones in order to desperately try to regain her sister back....even if it means violating a few laws in the process.  Mark has been against this initially because it goes against nature itself...but since he's lost her too, and he's kind of liked the guy he's become because of Frost....he agrees to help Caitlin get her back.  This is NOT going to end well...and I wonder how much fracturing this is going to do between Caitlin and her loved ones to the point she leaves Team Flash.  I keep sensing her departure is coming, and I am wondering if this will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.  The ONLY thing that has STILL disappointed me is the lack of Cisco here.  Even for a few episode guest spot, it would help this story MORE, because of ALL the people Caitlin would REALLY listen too---it's not Carla, it's not even Barry---the one person who can truly understand what losing a loved one is like---having lost BOTH parents to murder---but Cisco...her best friend.  If ANYONE can talk her off this ledge...it's her.  This is where I feel a Carlos Valdes appearance would REALLY help this story.  

What did YOU all think of this episode?  As usual, subscribe if you haven't...and leave your opinions, thoughts, and theories below.  



Until next time....keep on running! 

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

COMIC BOOK PROFILE: FIGHTIN' 5 #40




COMIC BOOK PROFILE:  FIGHTIN' 5  #40



It's been QUITE a long while since I've peeped into the comic bins of history to find a book to profile, but I DO believe I have found one inspired by a TV show that began airing in early 2022:  Peacemaker.  So, digging through, I managed to find THIS gem....Peacemaker's first appearance.  Of course, it wasn't published by DC, since they didn't get the ownership rights to him (or the OTHER characters that were a part of his previous publishing company), until the 1980's.  But in honor of John Cena's performance as the titular character, we're going to take glance at Peacemaker's first appearance in a comic...and this book comes with some unusual parameters, as there are only TWO of the stories we can cover...the rest are not owned by DC, and thus have no history...but that will not deter us from talking about Peacemaker anyway, and give you a little insight as to where HE came from.  



FIGHTIN' 5  #40 


COVER ART:  Bill Montes, Rocke Mastroserio
WRITER: Joe Gill
ARTIST:  Bill Montes
INKER:  Ernie Bache
LETTERS: N/A
COLORS:  N/A
EDITOR:  Dick Giordano 
COVER DATE:  November 1966
PUBLISHER:  Charlton Comics  


TAGLINES:  What's THIS?!  Hank has turned on his comrades and joined...The Agents of D.E.A.T.H. (Dedicated Enemies And Traitors to Humanity)


STORY TITLES:  "The Agents of D.E.A.T.H", "Introducing: The Peacemaker"



Fightin' 5  #40 hit the shelves in November of 1966, as it provided yet another adventure of the title team in action yet again, but it was the backup story that is what we're focusing on, as it brought to the comics world yet another superhero:  Peacemaker.  Christopher Smith hit the pages of this issue, and cemented his legacy as one of the major heroes of Charlton's comics line...along with the likes of Captain Atom, the Blue Beetle, the Question, Judomaster, and Nightshade.  All of these characters were new and fascinating, and brought to life by the likes of Steve Ditko in his post Spider-Man work, Bill Montes and Joe Gill, and edited by future DC stalwart writer/artist/editor Dick Giordano once Charlton stopped printing altogether.  And while it took awhile, DC managed to acquire the characters in the 1980's, just in time to introduce the lot of them into Marv Wolfman and the late George Perez's 12 issue maxi-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths.  It allowed Wolfman to integrate the Charlton Characters (much like DC had done earlier with Fawcett's SHAZAM characters), into the proper DC universe.  Peacemaker...along with the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, the Question, Judomaster, and Captain Atom, to have a brand new lease on life in modern day comics (at the time).  Peacemaker's had quite journey coming from THIS comic (and I DO believe that DC owns the Fightn' 5 as well), and into his own series, and now...with the help of James Gunn and John Cena, bringing the character to live action with last year's hit movie The Suicide Squad, and his recently finished 8 episode arc on HBO Max, entitled Peacemaker.  



THE STORY:  "The Agents of D.E.A.T.H." - Our team of heroes encounters a new group called The Agents of D.E.A.T.H.:  a group extremely disillusioned wealthy people hell-bent on taking revenge on society.  One of the 5 - Hank Hennessey - infiltrates the group, and pretends to be one of them in order to stop them from the inside.  

"Introducing:  The Peacemaker" - We meet Christopher Smith, who is informed by his secretary Miss Blair, about a man named Emil Bork, who'd had agents within two countries who were at war with each other.  While in Geneva, Smith runs afoul of Bork and his men, and is almost killed.  He then later on gets into his secret armory, and puts on a new outfit, and confronts Bork as The Peacemaker, as Bork is looking to escape, for which Peacemaker would not allow.  



________________________________________________________


I hope you enjoyed this look at the first appearance of Peacemaker, and hope you will once again check back in with me, as I peruse the comic bins of history for yet another title to profile in our next installment.  But, until then, check out this book if you can, and everything else starring Peacemaker, to gain a better understanding of our hero.  

NEXT TIME:  Another classic book from our collection!

THE FLASH 8.14


 


RECAP - THE FLASH  8.14:  "Funeral For a Friend"  


Well...it was a somber installment of our Scarlet Speedster and the rest of Team Flash, as they all find a way to mourn the loss of Frost, who died fighting and stopping Deathstorm last episode.  We get to see different perspectives of some of the team as they try to find ways to honor their friend and colleague, who sacrificed her life to save her sister's...and the city's.  So, this episode spent it's time hitting the emotional beats of the various members of the team, and how THEY handle the loss.  But this episode also shows us that there is ONE member NOT taking the loss well:  Caitlin.  And amidst the backdrop of this upcoming funeral for Frost----is a new villain named Blockbuster, who shows up to create trouble for the team as well.  



When Mark Desmond---the villain known as Blockbuster---shows up in town to steal stuff and make trouble, Team Flash heads out to stop him before he becomes a bigger threat, but Flash, Cecile, and even Allegra are unable to stop him, as their emotional grief over losing Frost has created enough of a distraction for him to get the best of them, and beat a hasty retreat.  This is also the only REAL time we see him in the entire episode, as his going underground is a way to keep him off canvas, while still mentioning him a couple times throughout the episode in order to let you know there's still a villain on the loose they'll need to stop.  But they all realize they're NOT in the right headspace to deal with him right now, and Joe reminds them that maybe they need to take a breath, allow themselves to process the loss of Frost, and manage to find a way to honor her memory...but do SOMETHING to take stock and remind them of what Frost meant to them.  Joe himself started taking art classes, and Cecile decides to donate part of her salary to pro-bono cases for metahumans needed a defense attorney.  

As for Allegra and Chuck...they argue back and forth about how to find a way to honor Frost.  Chuck comes up with an idea of taking her costume and putting it in a case like Green Arrow's, and instead of a flame, something akin to something Frost-like.  Allegra thinks the idea is lame, because she can't figure out a way to honor her, And, with some bickering about other personal stuff, they realize that they're time being with each other is what makes their lives better.  So, they take her old coat, and put it in the museum to honor their fallen.  They also get a call about a disturbance at O'Shaughnessy's, where they find a VERY drunk Mark Blaine, messing with the DJ equipment, and NOT handling the loss of his lady love well. They drag him back to STAR Labs where he's passed out, to sleep it off.  



Iris...who spent VERY little time with Frost, has one of her staff write the obituary of Frost, because she can't quite put pen to paper and write about someone she know little about.  And while the obit is good, she runs it by Frost's mom, and while Carla feels it's not bad---it lacks an emotional touch.  This leads Iris to interview those who were effected by Frost's presence in their lives...having saved them, or just by being at her trial.  So, the podcast she puts out helps paint the picture of who Frost was as a person.  Meanwhile, Carla encourages one of the young men working at Jitters to ensure the name of the Killer Frost beverage is changed.  

Barry's way to cope is to complete Frost's bucket list...by white water rafting to building a snowman atop Mt. Everest.  But somehow....it's just not enough.  He's also tormented a bit by the fact the Caitlin refuses to go to Frost's funeral, and knows Caitlin will regret it if she doesn't.  When he tried to mention the funeral service to her, she gave it to her mom to handle, and she wasn't going.  Caitlin instead went home and packed Frost's stuff away....and just sat there and moped.  When Mark awakes from his hangover, he and Barry talk about the bucket list, and talk about how Barry still feels empty.  Mark talks about all the times they went out and did stuff....and was not so much about DOING or FINISHING the tasks on a list...it was just the experience in itself.  And Mark hits the key note in everything---it was Frost's destiny...her mission...to protect and save Caitlin.  She cared about saving the city, about standing up for those who couldn't.  It was then during the day of the funeral that Barry pays one last visit to Caitlin.  He tries to convince her that she'll regret not going.  Speaking from his own experiences (because if there is ANYONE who can relate to the loss of a loved one---especially family---it's Barry).  He tells her that as long as they remember the people they were...what they meant to them...they're never truly gone.  It's enough to convince Caitlin to show up at the funeral...in a blue dress (which just seemed appropriate, knowing her sister), and delivers a very touching eulogy to her twin.  They all gather at the casket to pay their final respects to their fallen comrade...and sister.  




Back at Joe's, they all toast Frost, and talk about their favorite Frost stories.  It helps Caitlin feel a little better.  Then, as everyone takes their leave to go stop Blockbuster, who's popped up again, Caitlin makes a phone call, asking for someone's help.  Turns out that she called Mark over to her apartment, and it looks like she's borrowed some equipment from STAR Labs, and set it up at home.  What we DID NOT see at first was her clipping some of Frost's hair from the casket.  She's asking for Mark's help in bringing Frost back.  

At CCMedia, Taylor has written up the story of the Flash stopping Blockbuster, and she wonders about whether or not he's had help.  She asks Iris about maybe investigating that story, and find out the team of players behind the Flash's heroic efforts.  Iris says she'll think about it, and tells Taylor to celebrate her front page story.  She brings up how things seemed okay in her absence when she was in Coast City, and Taylor ensures that not everything was great...in reference to her continued hatred of Allegra.  But she goes to leave, then forgets to ask Iris something, only to discover Iris is gone.  Iris' illness has finally caught up with her, and now she's lost in time.  






We knew they'd devote an episode to honoring Frost, and they did a pretty decent job with how the members of the team handled her death...but you KNEW Caitlin would have the hardest time letting go....because she didn't want to.  And she pushed everyone away in the process.  She refused going to the funeral because that meant saying goodbye, and having to let Frost go, and Caitlin isn't ready to do that...not by a long shot.  Even though Barry...who--above ANYONE else---having lost both his father AND his mother...was the ONLY one to be able to reach her and convince her to show up.  Mark helped him get through to her, because it was Frost herself that told Caitlin that no matter what happens, to NOT push her friends away, or those she loves, because she can't cope.  And while that looked like that speech worked, it's also set Caitlin on a dangerous path, as now she's roped Mark into helping her seemingly CLONE a new body and resurrect Frost in some manner.  This is not a good sign for Caitlin, and we can only imagine how BAD this is going to turn out.  And it's hard to say if THIS will put Caitlin down that dark path towards being a villain, but it will be interesting to see what happens.  Now...in regards to Frost's funeral service, I was pissed off about ONE thing:  WHERE WAS CISCO?!!  Couldn't we get Carlos Valdes at least ONE little guest spot this season if only for THAT?  Or will they save him for the end of the season, when he's needed to help talk Caitlin from that ledge of evil?  Again, the possibility is there.  

As for Iris, her illness has now reached critical mass, and she's Casper-ed out.  What this does for CCMedia will be interesting, as Taylor has made it known she still hates Allegra, and STILL probably wants to get rid of her once and for all and destroy her.  With Iris missing, Taylor will see this as her chance to take the reins of the paper, and find a way to exile Allegra out.  Meanwhile, I'm sure Allegra will be busy trying to help Barry find Iris.  But I have a feeling that Barry will have to do this alone.  But we do have a couple plots hanging now before the end of the season, which will wrap up in 6 more episodes.  Can Barry save Iris?  Or is Iris lost to the time fracture forever, and will time start falling apart around them?  And is this something the Flash can stop?  

What did YOU all think of this episode?  Subscribe and drop me some comments and theories below.


And until next time....keep on running!

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

THE FLASH 8.13


 


RECAP - THE FLASH  8.13:  "Death Falls"  


It's been awhile since we've experienced some SERIOUS tragedy to befall Team Flash...but this episode did just that.  As Deathstorm is about to reign down terror upon Central City, and absorb all the grief and pain and suffering of anyone who's experiencing any, he plans to marry Caitlin and make her his new bride.  Having imbued her with some of his powers, she's slowly changing from the inside out, and the team is against the clock to stop her from becoming another version of our villain.  Meanwhile, Iris' illness continues to get worse, time is fracturing, and now she's seeing ghosts---in the form of Eddie Thawne.  




Eddie shows up at Barry & Iris' loft, saying he isn't going anywhere until Iris is all better.  Iris isn't buying it, and neither is Sue.  But there isn't anything they can do at the moment.  They're trapped.  But they try to work on a plan to get some help, as Sue managed to activate the Flash signal on Iris' phone, and Joe shows up to try and help out by blasting Eddie...but we find out it's just an extension of Deathstorm.  He was trying to convince Iris that she'd never be the same, and that she'll never get what she deserves.  He says she's going to die, and have nothing. 

Deathstorm continues to plague Team Flash as well, with trying to convince them all to give up on everything.  They use Esperanza to torture Allegra, as Chuck's dad torments him.  The ghosts do what they can to make Allegra and Chuck feel despair.  They end up getting trapped in Chester's lab, and they're losing oxygen fast.  Barry is facing a version of his mother Nora yet again, but everyone manages to shake off what turns out to be an attack by Deathstorm, whom does what he can to keep them occupied while he finished his plan.  He tried to get to Frost, by telling her she's not real, and just a copy of Caitlin.  She then wonders whether nor not she was just a creation of Thomas Snow, or was she just an actual person in Catilin's subconscious.  Mark reassures her that she is real.  And she just needs to find that one thing to help make the machine work and give her the powers she needs to battle Deathstorm.  He finally realizes it's grief...and that's grief if she loses Caitlin.  Frost wouldn't know what to do if she lost her sister.  That's enough to help power her up, and she's ready to take down Deathstorm.  Mark also finds out that Barry is the Flash when Frost asks Barry to be there should things go South.  So, As he's ready to reign terror upon the city, he begins to draw the energy from the grief of the team.  But she then meets up with him, and they face off.  It's a back and forth affair, as they battle through the streets and the air of the city.  After more back and forth, she rips off the device that kept Deathstorm alive, and she absorbs his power....thus destroying him.  With him gone, she ends up collapsing.



Flash races her back to STAR Labs, where Caitlin begins working on her to revive her.  She and Barry work on jumpstarting her heart, and they manage to succeed.....if only briefly.  With Caitlin cured, Frost takes one last look at her....and then closes her eyes.  Caitlin tries desperately to revive her, but it's too late....Frost is dead.  Caitlin and Barry come out and inform the rest of the team that she is dead.  Mark is in disbelief, and the team is wrought with grief....Caitlin especially.  Cecile moves over to comfort her, as the team mourns the loss of their friend.  





This episode was emotional...and heartbreaking....but also with a sense of predictability.  I have felt that---over the last few episodes---that either Caitlin or Frost might die.  Or that they might leave.  I wasn't sure it was Frost until the end of the first act.  So, the writing was on the wall with her.  It also frees up Danielle Panabaker from having to play two characters in an episode.  And considering her 2nd pregnancy...reduces the workload.  I am still convinced that this season is her swan song as well as Jessie L. Martin's.  So, we have a few episodes to see what transpires.  But loss was something on the minds of everyone, as Iris had to deal with Eddie's ghost.  Not that Deathstorm's ghost could effect Iris in any real honest way---Iris may have mourned his loss...but her true love has ALWAYS been Barry.  Allega obviously has worked through her grief about Esperanza, but Chester still gets bothered when it comes to his Dad.  But for Caitlin---it was bad enough to have to mourn losing Ronnie all over again, but now her sister is gone...and that will weigh heavily on her in the days to come.  And it might mean that she needs to step away from Team Flash to find herself.  Mark Blaine will also feel the effects of Frost's death, as he lost his girlfriend, and the one person in the world that believed in him.  Hopefully, he'll lean on Team Flash for support.  

Iris' issues STILL haven't been resolved, and not sure how THAT will be resolved, but SOMETHING will need to be moved on that story soon....it's been a lingering problem all season, and it needs to be addressed.  So...let's see some movement on that front.  

What did YOU all think of this episode?  Subscribe and leave me YOUR comments below.  How badly will YOU miss Frost?  


Until next time....keep on running!

Sunday, May 8, 2022

SUPERMAN & LOIS 2.11


 


RECAP - SUPERMAN & LOIS  2.11:  "Truth and Consequences"  


This installment of the Man of Steel and his family continues to put the pressure on our heroic family, as the Bizarro world looks to replace the actual Earth, with Alison's plan now being carried out by Bizarro Jonathan.  Superman is hot on his tail, and looking to protect his family, and stop Jon-El from merging with his own son and causing the destruction of their world as they know it.  Meanwhile, Jordan continues to struggle with his and Sarah's breakup, and Lana is trying to settle in as the new Mayor of Smallville.  And Natalie & John Henry Irons are also looking to find a way to stop any more Bizarros from entering this Earth. 




With Jon-El arriving on this Earth, he sets his sights on Jon Kent, who is having headaches, and that is due to his being in the same space as his Bizarro self.  But before Jon-El can make his play for his other half, Superman arrives back home to save his son from being merged with.  Jon-El takes off and tells them they cannot stop what's coming.  And he goes off to make his plan work...and that means recruiting help.  Clark finds out he's been gone for a little over a month, while time didn't pass as quickly in Bizarro World.  This also means that he missed Lana being elected Mayor.  So, when Jon gets another attack, and he finds out where his counterpart is, Clark races off after him, and is about to confront him, but runs into Lana.  He kind of blows her off, and she takes offense.  But she's enough of a distraction that Jon-El bolts...knowing he's got Clark over a barrel.  Clark missed a lot, as Lois fills him in.  He also tells her about Anderson being killed trying to save him, and that his mother from the other Earth finds out about HER Kal-El dying, and that what's happening here is called a telekinectic transference.  Something that connects the Bizarro version to their Earth counterpart.  

Lana and Sarah talk about what's going on with the Kent men, and how it seems they're very secretive.  Lana has always felt that Clark has kept a part of himself from her, and Sarah feels that Jordan is the same way.  She then gives her they keys to the car they worked on, and Sarah goes to help her mother move into her new office as Mayor.  Lois goes to check on Lana, and try to smooth things over in regards to Clark, but runs into Sarah.  They talk about Jordan a little bit.  Meanwhile, John Henry and Natasha are trying to build a device to power up enough to fight the Bizarro intruders, and help Superman before things get bad.  They head into the quarry, and they see the portal open again, and Bizarro Lana has come through, and attacks John Henry, who tries to fight her off, but she knocks him out.  She's about to kill him, but Natasha blasts her, and sends her on her way...but she promises to be back.  They know they have work to do.  John Henry says they need to find a way to close the portal, and Natalie has an idea of her own. 




Lois and Sarah still talk, and Sarah tells her about how an emo-looking Jon was hanging around the house today.  Lois realizes that Lana is in danger, and she takes off.  She calls Clark, and tells him that Lana has been taken by Jon-El.  Jon manages to figure out where she's at, and Superman races off to save her.  Jon-El wants to have Bizarro Lana merge with the real one, and is also luring Superman into a trap.  Superman shows up, predictably, and then is nailed by Kryptonite.  Jon-El then takes off to go and get HIS counterpart to merge with him.  As he heads to the Kent Farm, he's met by Jordan, who's there to protect his brother.  They end up fighting on the farm, and then they take to the skies to duke it out.  Jordan is holding his own, despite his inexperience.  Meanwhile, Lana has been freed, and she is helping Superman, by removing the Kryptonite from his body.  As Jordan manages to get the upper hand, he lands one blow, and Jon is down for the count.  Jordan falls, and Superman catches him.  

Superman takes Lana home, and thanks her for her help.  He then heads home, and the subject of Jordan's letter to Sarah comes up, as he wrote out what he felt and what he wanted to say to her.  That meant revealing his secret to her.  Lois is against it, but the boys figure that's been part of the problem to begin with.  Clark realizes that the boys may be right.  A LOT of what's happened may NOT have had he not been too hard up on wanting to keep his secret ID.  So....he decides it's time to finally tell the truth to his best friend....and confronts Lana on the highway, and shows her that he's Superman.  




This was an emotionally charged episode, as we see that A LOT of the dysfunction with the Kent family still surrounds the whole Clark Kent/Superman secret.  The fact that the boys have suffered socially and from the fact that their dad has been gone from time to time is a strain on them.  Especially for Jordan, who has super powers, and has had to hide them from Sarah.  Clark's relationship with Lana is now going to be tested further, what with HIS big reveal to her.  How does she take it?  Will their friendship survive this?  This has been something MASSIVE that Clark has ALWAYS kept from Lana, and this is his best friend---so, how she handles this will be a big shift in how they proceed from here.  As for Jordan and Sarah....that's also going to be an issue.  As for Jon....he still feels like the red-headed step child, and still feeling punished for doing what he THOUGHT was right when he needed to.  And with his Bizarro version looking to merge with him, he COULD have it all....but at what cost?  It's a question that will have to be answered within the last few episodes of this season.  But, it's safe to say, the shift in the show's dynamic is huge, and what the fallout will be in the wake of all this is yet to be seen, but it WILL change the Kent's lives...it will change the lives of the Cushings....and anything else outside of that.  They've built this up very well, and have added little layers here and there, and it makes the finale of the season that much more impactful and interesting.  




What did all of YOU think of this episode?  Subscribe and gimme YOUR insights into this story as well.


Off for a few weeks, then back to Smallville for the last few episodes.  Until then......Up, up, and away! 

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