Cisco and Camilla. Photo via direct screenshot of the episode.
Please Keep In Mind That This Article Contains Potential Spoilers For “Kiss Kiss Breach Breach” and Events That Occurred Prior
You know, it’s always awkward when a show sends off a character—or attempts an emotional moment/arc in general—without actually having access to the actor playing said character. The Flash delivered that for us this week as Cisco had to cope with and investigate the death of Gypsy, his ex. It’s never fun to watch a show awkwardly fumble through a storyline because they weren’t able to get an actor. A lot was lost by not having Jessica Camacho on screen, or at all. The proceedings lacked the emotional weight that should have been felt.
That’s not to say the episode was a bust though. We got plenty of time with Cisco and his side of things. Even though the lack of Gypsy definitely hurt things, seeing Cisco sort through his emotions was the highlight of the episode. He had a very bad day. On top of having to sort through his newly announced leadership, his ex died in a brutal and mysterious way—just as he was getting to an important place in his relationship with Camilla. The two of them always just kind of happened, and I still haven’t quite connected to them. Though this was the closest I’ve gotten. Which is great. Just because a show can haphazardly introduce characters and/or ideas, simply throwing them away isn’t always a good solution. Doubling down and trying to improve things can work, and I can see that being the case here.
Nash just needs a little faith. Photo via direct screenshot of the episode.
While Cisco was dealing with his no good very bad day, we got to spend more time with our new Wells/Nash. This time it was Joe’s turn to meet our new team member. Needless to say, they had plenty of time to chat thanks to the cave in. While we didn’t get any immigrate answer about Nash and why he was there (or his connection to the Monitor), it’s always a treat to get more sincere Joe West moments. This time is was all about faith. Joe’s faith that his team would notice his absence and find them. Faith that Nash didn’t share, and didn’t seem too open to accepting. Thanks to their time together, Nash seems to be in their court more than ever—officially declaring that he knows how to save Barry Allen.
With all of this going on, you’d think Russo would be lost in the mix. While he certainly wasn’t a heavy focus, he continued to evolve in the background. He also really conventionally, and easily, popped back on the team’s radar. Which really makes Barry’s vacation seem like a bad idea. With Barry not there though, it fell onto Ralph and Frost. While Ralph didn’t end up having much to do, we did finally get to see Caitlin back. I wish that we had a little more time with her. I know there must be some mental effects or struggles with being shoved in a mental box. What we did see of her was an attempt to talk Ramsey out of his mission. It failed…rather drastically. But who didn’t see that coming? I do question Russo deciding to spare her, but it’s a mental stretch I can make due to their prior relationship.
Russo being Russo. Photo via direct screenshot of the episode.
“Kiss Kiss Breach Breach” was an episode that tried a lot of interesting things. While not being an outright dud, it lacked plenty of heft due to the avoidance of actually seeing Gypsy and her experiences. Though I guess not seeing her at all, or a body, easily leaves the door open for a return down the line. However if that is the eventual plan, I question why they felt a need to do this storyline at all.
Bonus Notes:
⁃That Breach psychosis tease hopefully becomes more than just a tease. We saw Cisco all suited up in Barry’s vision, so theoretically Vibe’s powers may be on track to reappear.
⁃Cisco’s mental panic about leading the team was great. What wasn’t so great was the Barry AI. It was honestly just overly silly, and not something I’d see anyone actually doing. Thankfully the actual AI didn’t play much of a role, so it was rather forgettable.
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.
You can catch The Flash as it airs on The CW on Tuesdays at 9pm EST!
