Nora’s trip to get food doesn’t go as she plans. Photo courtesy of FanPop.com.
Please Keep In Mind That This Article Contains Potential Spoilers For “News Flash” and Events That Occurred Prior
Huh. So now we have meta-technology? I’m not sure if I’m okay with that, or if it’s just a tad too silly—not to mention it’ll now be a constant reminder of The Thinker’s presence on the show. Could also be an easy way for the writers to come up with some new filler episodes, something we don’t need. But we’re starting out too negative here. “News Flash” may have introduced up to another forgettable villain (and her tech), but it still able to keep the main plot moving.
Nora was the main focus this week, as we finally learned (at least part of) why her relationship with Iris is so strained. I’m happy to see the writer’s not holding this information close to their chest any longer than needed—and instead opting for better plot momentum. Nora’s feelings towards Iris make perfect sense. I mean Iris kept Nora’s powers a secret from her for her entire life. That’s not something you take lightly. So not only is Nora new to being a superhero but the knowledge of her powers, in general, is fresh as well. All of this information led to some great additional depth to Nora as a character, making all of her actions up to this point extremely relatable to the audience.
Barry and Iris discuss the choice Iris has to make in the future. Photo courtesy of FanPop.com.
Now I’m not sure how I feel about Barry and Iris’ stance on the whole thing. I know that Barry trusts Iris and all—but you could consider that it was a bad decision that they now know not to make. On the opposite side of that, they’ve dealt with this future stuff before. They can either change it, or they will come to the realization that Iris’ future decision was potentially a life or death one—a choice out of necessity. I wish I had seen more of Barry and Iris discussing this. While it was good that we got some from the two of them, Barry still settled on the “you’re a great mother” line a little too easily.
Barry agreeing with Iris didn’t go over that well with Nora, as she walked out on her father for the first time. Now while that moment was at the end of the episode, the show foreshadowed their first confrontation quite literally—by having the two duke it out thanks to Spencer. Was the scene cool? Yes. Should it have been longer and maybe a bit more intricate? Yes. Should Nora have bested Barry that easily? Absolutely not. Remember she just started to use her power. I understand they needed to give Iris a reason to dampen Nora’s speed, but I’m sure there was another way to do so without making Barry seem like it was his first speedster fight.
Nora meets the greatest blogger ever: Spencer. Photo courtesy of FanPop.com.
Outside of Nora’s spotlight, it was up to Ralph and Sherloque to keep the Cicada plot moving along. The biggest discovery of the episode loops right back to what I mentioned earlier—Meta technology. That’s why Cicada’s blade is so special. Why is lightning bolt shaped, and what is with Cicada’s wound? We still have to wait for answers to those questions, but we’re getting answers relatively fast, and that’s the great thing. I mean Ralph even successfully found the origin of Cicada’s mask (and unknowingly his place of employment). So far the Ralph of this season has been relatively strong. Not being reduced to ridiculous one-liners, but instead standing his ground as a detective against Sherloque. On top of that, his journey to become a hero in the public eye is still fun to watch, as now people recognize him—and he’s a pear meme!
“News Flash” was a fun Flash episode that helped us understand Nora’s actions and frustrations, while also not forgetting to continue keeping a light on Cicada and his story. Yes, there were some issues here and there—but nothing that is enough to provide a bump in the road for the season. With Nora now pitted against her parents, it will interesting to see the dynamics play out as we go forward.
Bonus notes:
- Wonder what Cisco was up to.
- Under no circumstances would they still continue that softball game if a bomb had just gone off.
You can catch new episodes of The Flash when they air on The CW network every Tuesday at 8pm EST
