WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
This season of ‘THE FLASH’ has been very focused on multiple storylines and characters, such as the search for the bus metas created by Barry’s escape from the Speed Force, and Iris’s progression as a character this season. All these plots are expanded on in this episode. After the phenomenal ‘Enter Flashtime’ premiered last week, let’s see if CW can keep the great episodes coming with ‘Run, Iris, Run’.
After the usual opening monologue and recap, the episode begins with Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Harry (Tom Cavanagh) discussing the bus metas and ways to keep them from getting hurt by DeVoe. The scene does a good job as a start to the episode, while also showing the great chemistry between the two characters Cisco and Harry, who have had some of the funniest scenes of all this season. It also helps set up Harry’s role in trying to one-up DeVoe this episode. This is expanded on in the next scene, as Harry begins to tell the rest of Team Flash about his idea to stop DeVoe using his very own version of the thinking cap used by DeVoe earlier this season during the flashback in “Therefore I Am”. This causes a bit of disagreements between Team Flash, due to the risk involved as Ralph (Hartley Sawyer) storms out in anger. He is stopped by Iris (Candice Patton). Here, we see good acting from both Hartley and Candice, as Iris tries to give Ralph a pep talk as Ralph is worried for his own life as DeVoe’s plan continues.
Tom Cavanagh as Harry
In the next scene, we see Barry (Grant Gustin) and Joe (Jesse L. Martin) at the coffee shop. Here, they talk about Cecile’s pregnancy and getting Barry’s job back, while also wanting to stop DeVoe. The relatively short scene is followed by a bank robbery scene. Here, a meta with fire powers robs a bank. We are introduced to the newest bus meta Matthew Kim (Leonardo Nam) and the main villain of the episode Jaco Birch (Max Adler). Matthew uses his powers to take away one’s abilities and give them to the one he touches, taking the fire meta’s powers and accidentally transferring them to Jaco. The scene does a good job of introducing the two new characters focused on in this episode, as well as showing off Matthew’s powers.
The next scene features Cisco and Joe studying the scene of the bank robbery, where the fire meta Eric Frye (Oliver Rice) is interrogated by the two of them. After this, the rest of Team Flash discusses Eric, as Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) discusses how Eric lost his powers. They begin to suspect Matthew, so Joe and Iris head out to interview him. Next, we see Ralph working with Harry on the thinking cap. Harry tries the thinking cap on, using it to predict multiple things about what happens next, showing a comedic scene between the two characters with some actual funny moments. We get back to the main storyline of the episode, as Joe and Iris find Matthew as his workplace in a hospital. Here, Matthew attacks Iris, as Barry runs in to help. Here, when Barry attempts to stop Matthew, he accidentally gets his powers transferred to Iris, setting up the remainder of the episode.
Candice Patton as Iris West
We next get a scene at Star Labs, where Iris shows off her new speedster abilities. They discuss what their plan is to get Matthew. Here, Matthew receives his name: Melting Point. Next, we get another scene between Harry and Cisco, as they argue over the thinking cap. Caitlin tries to get Cisco to help Harry with his thinking cap as it is their only plan. Meanwhile, Barry trains with Iris to help her get used to her current speedster powers. We see more great acting from Grant and Candice, as Barry begins to lose hope, believing that DeVoe is taking everything from him. However, when a fire starts nearby, Iris heads out to save the day as the temporary team speedster. She saves the witnesses and heads inside to stop the fire. However, when she is injured due to her inexperience, she is breached out of the fire by Cisco. This does a great job to show Iris as a hero, and give her a good beginning point to improve on as the episode progresses.
After a discussion about Iris and her powers, Cisco begins talking with Harry about the thinking cap. Cisco finally decides to work with Harry after bickering the first half of the episode. We get another good scene between Barry and Iris. They discuss Iris being a hero, as she wants to prove herself as a hero. The scene is interrupted by the return of Jaco Birch, as Matthew attempts to take his powers again. Cisco gives Iris a suit as she races off to stop Jaco, setting up the big battle of the episode.
As Jaco attacks the city, Matthew attempts to stop Jaco, who tries to kill Matthew. However, Iris saves Matthew, and begins her fight against Jaco. He creates a large cyclone of fire around himself. Harry uses the thinking cap to figure out how to stop Jaco. In order to stop him, Iris runs as fast as she can on water to create a tidal wave. The wave crashes down onto Jaco, putting out his cyclone and ending his rampage. Iris returns to Star Labs with Matthew. Here, Matthew transfers Barry’s powers back to him, and begins training with the team. This sets up Matthew joining Team Flash, which could make for a very interesting plotline. Let’s just hope they don’t make it pointless with DeVoe just killing Matthew an episode of two from now. After this, we get another discussion between Iris and Ralph. This does a good job of developing Ralph and his storyline of being a reluctant hero, which has made for a very interesting storyline this season. The scene is followed with another scene between Barry and Iris. It is a very heartfelt and well acted scene, showing the great chemistry and connection between Barry and Iris. The episode ends with Harry and Cisco working on the thinking cap. As Barry wears it, he discovers the last two bus metas, setting up the next episodes of the season.
Candice Patton as Iris West
Overall, “Run, Iris, Run”, while a step down from the amazing episode last week, is a great episode. It does a good job of continuing all the storylines established, as well as developing all the characters. The acting in the episode is stellar, with the highlights of course being the two main focuses Grant Gustin and Candice Patton, who show off very real and emotional chemistry with their characters. The episode also does a good job of introducing a potential new hero who could make an interesting addition of Team Flash. Overall, I would rate the episode an 8/10. As we reach the final two bus metas, and the last seven episodes of the season, we are left wondering how Team Flash will get these last two metas.
‘THE FLASH’ returns Tuesday April 10 at 8/7c on The CW
Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) lived a normal life as a perpetually tardy C.S.I. in the Central City Police Department. Barry’s life changed forever when the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator exploded, creating a dark-matter lightning storm that struck Barry, bestowing him with super-speed and making him the fastest man alive — The Flash. But when Barry used his extraordinary abilities to travel back in time and save his mother’s life, he inadvertently created an alternate timeline known as Flashpoint; a phenomenon that gave birth to the villainous speed god known as Savitar, and changed the lives of Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Wally West (Keiyan Lonsdale) forever. With the help of his adoptive father, Joe West (Jesse L. Martin), his lifelong best friend and love interest Iris West (Candice Patton), and his friends at S.T.A.R. Labs — Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), C.S.I Julian Albert (Tom Felton), and an Earth-19 novelist named H.R. Wells (Tom Cavanaugh) — Barry continues to protect the people of Central City from the meta-humans that threaten it.
