So... Cold as always brings the heat on this show (dodges rotten tomatoes and trash). So Ironside plays a dude that explodes heads? I see what you did there show. Kudos.
Lots of good stuff, and I can see people are all over it. I agree with most sentiments BUT... Yeah, this show is always two steps forward and one back for me and I was hoping by season two that would not be the case. To wit:
1. Yes, great opening. Over the top but still cool, and it shows that Iris still matters A LOT to Barry. However, THIS is exactly the stuff they should have been doing with Iris from the start to make her compelling and interesting and seem like someone that Barry would be interested in BEYOND young forbidden almost siblings puppy love. She should have ALWAYS been a woman interested in journalism as a way to help the wider world. Imagine starting her out that way instead of working her into that role. However... We still have the issue of the actress. Nothing can be better to illustrate this than the scene she shares with Jessie in regards to her mother. Jessie BRINGS it big time. He leaves it all on the field, no holding back. Cut to Patton and... She's just NOT in his league, which of course not, she doesn't have the experience of a Martin, but there's no indication it's there either. The saving grace is the writing of Iris in that moment. They made her shocked, sad, but reasonable. Her reaction was the mature reaction of someone that's been through what we have seen and given the track record of the handling of this character, that's a bit of a miracle... Still though, that's just as it's written. As it was acted...Meh. She's got no spark. Sorry, she's minor league and should at best be on some cable teen soap.
2. Call me too much of a purist but this show has a great lead in Gustin and we should be getting amazing Flash feats, both mental and physical... But they can't decide if THAT'S the Flash they want to give us or not. The inconsistency is killing me each week. Barry has amazing powers... Some of the time it seems. He can outrun or catch bullets but Cold standing 4 feet in front of him catches him flat footed. Again... In the same episode he catches a bullet seemingly on a whim, he get's frozen in place by Snart? He's supposed to be this brilliant CSI, a job that depends on smarts, outside the box thinking and thoroughness in thinking... But Barry's plan is, "hey... I think I'll infiltrate the gang... Eh it's something I thought up getting donuts." No "plan" really, just figured he'd wing it. Next... Barry should be able to get himself out of jams like getting frozen on the spot. There's no need to justify the STAR Labs pit crew's existence, which may be the problem in a nut shell. All these cast members, well we GOT to use them, seems to be the mantra. But that's just it. Using them as science explainers or have THEM get Barry out of jams so consistently weakens Barry's character, especially since the show keeps stating how smart Barry is supposed to be. He should have figured his own way out of being frozen, not even need a suit. Sure, let Stein handle the big calculations and "wormhole" theorizing, let Cisco built the gear for specific things, but c'mon, LET BARRY BE SMART AND US HIS POWER IN SMART WAYS. It's kind of a trademark of the Flash.
3. Do super heroes in modern media ALWAYS have to have personal reasons to do what they do? Is that the only motivator? Do we really need Jay to have to look at Caitlyn and decide to stay and stop Zoom for some ill defined emotional reason? Shouldn't he just be (he is the vet hero here)"I will stay because you need me to help you take on Zoom"? There's no need for some BS romantic subplot here at all.
Again, I liked the episode overall (that laser grid thing was all sorts of DUMB though) but as always they seem to not able to make me give this unconditional love. I can't give it a pass on these elements that undermine my weekly viewing. Again... Like, hell, love the show more or less, but they always have these LARGE imperfections I can't let go because they do distract from the overall quality.
