![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lordyellowtailMagnificent episode. This is the most fun I've had watching tv in years. I watched it on Hulu last night. Without further ado, my thoughts as I watched, brought to you by the pause function and my overworked thumbs.
Also: all the spoilers, all the time.
EDIT 1 (Fri., Jan. 30, 2015): Added tags and corrected spelling/grammar.
The Sound and the Fury
Evil or not, Dr. Wells makes an excellent mission control. Also note that Barry needs directions. Realistically, his field of vision is drastically reduced at super speed.
…And it's a huge tip-off that Wells is superhuman that he can plot a route on the fly.
The opening scene vs the Royal Flush Gang really demonstrates how far Barry's skills have progressed.
I love Team Flash's interactions with each other. They're adorable dorks. Team Arrow is great, too, but they're so much angsty-er. For now. When Wells' cover is blown that will change. Enjoy it.
I LOVE Barry and Joe's relationship. They are absolutely perfectly in the dynamic most adult children want with their parents. And they have an understated Bash Brothers thing happening.
If Joe was the only one who knew in the original timeline (not confirmed), it would be no surprise Barry was the world's greatest hero by 2024.
1) Wells' underground super villain lair would give Lex Luthor envy.
2) Piper knows where you live.
3) wells is faster then a bullet, so only using a gun as cover—but screw that, Piper is too awesome for cover!
4) Wells is more awesome.
…Hartley is a tremendous jackalope. The first flashback is in Smarm-o-Vision, right? Amazing technology. It's like he's right here in the room making me want to punch him in the face.
Barry is a CSI, so it makes sense he figures out Wells' cover is bogus. That Joe and Eddie figure it out just as quickly shows they're awesome detectives, who actually have skills to keep up with metahumans.
Love Cisco. "He was mostly a jerk…" ::LOL::
So we're paralleling Cisco's origin story with Iris' new career? Neat.
I love how sexual identity isn't a plot point. Characters are people. Sometimes they're gay. This isn't their reason for existing in the story. Excellent.
Hartley's obsession with Wells IS a plot point, amplified by Hartley's being gay. That is a completely different writing device, and very interesting.
Iris' boss looks like Keith Olbermann. Her mentor reporter is a self-righteous, sexist jerk. Seeing her triumph over him by being competent should be great, but she's unrealistically unprepared for the job for which she has been hired. Makes these scenes hard to watch. Weakest part of ep.
I love that Barry is a real actual genius. He saw the damage done and reverse engineered a weapon that could do that in his lab. With a box of scraps.
Also, he and Joe laughing at this—they are huge dorks. Have I mentioned that?
Hartley's ego is massive. Horrible costume and no mask. He also doesn't seem to think its a bad idea to threaten someone with a monologue of death who can break the sound barrier, either.
Barry is always improving his glower of justice.
"No, they're gonna hear you get your ass kicked."
So, is Hartley's actual superpower the ability to be more of an insufferable jerk than any normal human?
Okay, since when is Italian the language of nerd fights? It's like Doc Holiday and Johnny Ringo, and oddly compelling. (EDIT: so this was actually Spanish, and Latin, and French. I am bad at languages, apparently.)
I am becoming very uncomfortable with the heroes' secret prison. Moral problem in the extreme.
Wells is a master manipulator. Watching him play Xanatos Speed Chess against Hartley's attempts to expose his secret is so much fun. His position with Caitlin and Cisco is weakened considerably. Barry isn't really part of their trio so it's less ow when he shows distrust.
I love that Barry and Iris are still functional good friends even after his declaration of love that she didn't return.
Cisco is genre savvy, but not quite fast enough.
Wells! I had not considered that he was somehow both paralyzed and not. Based on his use of the Speed Force? Also this scene is a great metaphor for him slowly losing control of the situation, as all time travelers must. Still doesn't explain being in two places at once. It does explain why he went for a gun earlier. He can only run so much before he's paralyzed again.
Cisco, no! And completely by accident on Hartley's part. Hartley's reaction really cements his sociopathy
And he doesn't kill Wells? What.
Turns out pre-accelerator Hartley actually had a STRONG conscience. Shame it was buried so deep. But now I'm sympathetic. Good job, show.
And good job, Iris, for not letting Wells use you.
Even when falling on his sword Wells engages in emotional warfare against his enemies. Nice.
… And it doesn't work. I'm starting to like Hartley.
Never mind. That didn't last long.
Wells is always most dangerous man in the room. Even when he's not in the room.
Also: all the spoilers, all the time.
EDIT 1 (Fri., Jan. 30, 2015): Added tags and corrected spelling/grammar.
The Sound and the Fury
Evil or not, Dr. Wells makes an excellent mission control. Also note that Barry needs directions. Realistically, his field of vision is drastically reduced at super speed.
…And it's a huge tip-off that Wells is superhuman that he can plot a route on the fly.
The opening scene vs the Royal Flush Gang really demonstrates how far Barry's skills have progressed.
I love Team Flash's interactions with each other. They're adorable dorks. Team Arrow is great, too, but they're so much angsty-er. For now. When Wells' cover is blown that will change. Enjoy it.
I LOVE Barry and Joe's relationship. They are absolutely perfectly in the dynamic most adult children want with their parents. And they have an understated Bash Brothers thing happening.
If Joe was the only one who knew in the original timeline (not confirmed), it would be no surprise Barry was the world's greatest hero by 2024.
1) Wells' underground super villain lair would give Lex Luthor envy.
2) Piper knows where you live.
3) wells is faster then a bullet, so only using a gun as cover—but screw that, Piper is too awesome for cover!
4) Wells is more awesome.
…Hartley is a tremendous jackalope. The first flashback is in Smarm-o-Vision, right? Amazing technology. It's like he's right here in the room making me want to punch him in the face.
Barry is a CSI, so it makes sense he figures out Wells' cover is bogus. That Joe and Eddie figure it out just as quickly shows they're awesome detectives, who actually have skills to keep up with metahumans.
Love Cisco. "He was mostly a jerk…" ::LOL::
So we're paralleling Cisco's origin story with Iris' new career? Neat.
I love how sexual identity isn't a plot point. Characters are people. Sometimes they're gay. This isn't their reason for existing in the story. Excellent.
Hartley's obsession with Wells IS a plot point, amplified by Hartley's being gay. That is a completely different writing device, and very interesting.
Iris' boss looks like Keith Olbermann. Her mentor reporter is a self-righteous, sexist jerk. Seeing her triumph over him by being competent should be great, but she's unrealistically unprepared for the job for which she has been hired. Makes these scenes hard to watch. Weakest part of ep.
I love that Barry is a real actual genius. He saw the damage done and reverse engineered a weapon that could do that in his lab. With a box of scraps.
Also, he and Joe laughing at this—they are huge dorks. Have I mentioned that?
Hartley's ego is massive. Horrible costume and no mask. He also doesn't seem to think its a bad idea to threaten someone with a monologue of death who can break the sound barrier, either.
Barry is always improving his glower of justice.
"No, they're gonna hear you get your ass kicked."
So, is Hartley's actual superpower the ability to be more of an insufferable jerk than any normal human?
Okay, since when is Italian the language of nerd fights? It's like Doc Holiday and Johnny Ringo, and oddly compelling. (EDIT: so this was actually Spanish, and Latin, and French. I am bad at languages, apparently.)
I am becoming very uncomfortable with the heroes' secret prison. Moral problem in the extreme.
Wells is a master manipulator. Watching him play Xanatos Speed Chess against Hartley's attempts to expose his secret is so much fun. His position with Caitlin and Cisco is weakened considerably. Barry isn't really part of their trio so it's less ow when he shows distrust.
I love that Barry and Iris are still functional good friends even after his declaration of love that she didn't return.
Cisco is genre savvy, but not quite fast enough.
Wells! I had not considered that he was somehow both paralyzed and not. Based on his use of the Speed Force? Also this scene is a great metaphor for him slowly losing control of the situation, as all time travelers must. Still doesn't explain being in two places at once. It does explain why he went for a gun earlier. He can only run so much before he's paralyzed again.
Cisco, no! And completely by accident on Hartley's part. Hartley's reaction really cements his sociopathy
And he doesn't kill Wells? What.
Turns out pre-accelerator Hartley actually had a STRONG conscience. Shame it was buried so deep. But now I'm sympathetic. Good job, show.
And good job, Iris, for not letting Wells use you.
Even when falling on his sword Wells engages in emotional warfare against his enemies. Nice.
… And it doesn't work. I'm starting to like Hartley.
Never mind. That didn't last long.
Wells is always most dangerous man in the room. Even when he's not in the room.
