Killer Frost fighting zombies. Photo taken via direct screenshot of the episode.
Please Keep In Mind That This Article Contains Potential Spoilers For “Dead Man Running” and Events That Occurred Prior
While last week had its sights set directly on Crisis, this week turned nearly all of the attention to Ramsey and his creation. We got to see his first meeting with the team, where very quickly Barry was introduced to his more devious desires. Surprisingly this encounter didn’t change matters—Ramsey still helped out. What this shows me is that despite the questionable goals, he does have some inherent good in him. I assume this will come into play when Ramsey’s new powers—or this new force—start turning him into a full fledged villain. I do wish that the character was played as less of a villain right out of the gate. Not that it’s bad, but I think the character could have used a more nuanced approach before hitting full fledged villain material. Though his determination is clearly not something to be questioned. It’s already a quality that he and Barry share strongly.
Don’t let the focus on Ramsey fool you though. The upcoming Crisis certainly wasn’t forgotten, and it’s presence was well balanced in the story. Barry finally told the team, and Frost immediately made it clear that she wasn’t ready for the news. I bet you weren’t expecting her to punt a zombie out of skyscraper were you? Yet she did, showing Barry she still has some issues to work out. This was the strongest piece of development for Frost yet, and it showed that they are capable of some solid revelations that don’t end with art hung against TV screens. Her admission of what was really bothering her was a little hammy, but I mean you can’t be too picky. However, that admission played a part in helping Barry finally tell the team his fate. I think it’s a good sign that Barry telling the team about his sacrifice happened now, and not right before the crossover—something I could have easily seen the show do.
Meet Nash, the new Wells. Photo taken via direct screenshot of the episode.
While everyone was dealing with the not-so-dead, Cisco and Iris had their own mission: meeting our new Wells. We don’t get too much in the way of getting to know him, but so far so good! I’m liking that he’s got a vibe similar to Earth-2 Wells (who I hope is okay). All we’ve learned is that he goes by Nash, isn’t a fan of the council, and is looking for a mysterious artifact. I’m excited to see more, and I’m hoping we won’t have to wait long for it—especially since we will see yet another Wells as Pariah in the upcoming Crisis event. One more thing of note when it comes to this chunk of the episode: I guess they are attempting to make Allegra a full fledged character? Makes sense given where she left off, but it still seems odd. But, good on the show for tackling her development so quickly. I guess journalism quickly become very meaningful to her.
Let’s not forget about Ralph and Cecil! They got their own little corner of the episode—well it was more Ralph’s honestly. We got to see him deal with some deep seeded daddy issues with his kind of nuts mother. It’s always nice to see Ralph get attention, and it’s great to see how far he’s come from when he was first introduced to us. I did find it odd that follow Cecil working another case just a week after she concluded that she wants to help Metas in the same capacity. Like I know it’s Ralph’s mother, but still.
Meet Nash, the new Wells. Photo taken via direct screenshot of the episode.
“Dead Man Running” juggled a lot, and did a pretty competent job at that. We had Ramsey and his zombies, Nash’s arrival, Frost’s training, and Ralph’s family drama. This juggling is a good sign, especially with things to come. The team has more to deal with at once than they’ve possibly ever had. Now with Ramsey fusing with the meta blood, they are going to have Bloodwork’s full form to contend with—not just the one zombie.
Bonus Note:
- You know, Caitlin sure did give up her life really easily for Frost to just do her thing. I know we are supposed to feel for Frost never getting to do that in the first place, but come on. No one would just go, “sure, that’s fine, I wasn’t doing anything anyway.” I feel at the very least there would have been more personal struggle that would have led to a more even splitting of their time.
Special Note: We’ve had to resort to taking direct screenshots of the episode ourselves and/or repeated and unrelated Flash images due to the CW Network failing to provide adequate photos for proper coverage.
