This latest installment of The Flash is an episode that ticks a whole lot of boxes. There isn’t one overarching main focus of the outing, but plenty of elements and arcs are introduced and/or fleshed out.
Firstly, with Hartley Rathaway (Andy Mientus), aka Pied Piper, continuing to tease Cisco (Carlos Valdes) with the fact that he knows about Ronnie Raymond (Robbie Amell), the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. programme is further looked into, including the tease of Ronnie’s combining with Martin Stein. With Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) now seeking to move on from Ronnie, she similarly tries to encourage Barry (Grant Gustin) to stop moping over Iris (Candice Patton) and get some form of social live. And whilst all of this is going on, this week’s villain of the week is a take on DC’s Peek-a-Boo (Britne Oldford), who is a meta-human with the ability to teleport.
Crazy for You is an episode that flows wonderfully and gives expansion to several characters. The titular Flash himself is now somebody who is known on the street, both by the general public and by would-be villains, and despite fighting the good fight we still find Barry Allen wanting to push himself even further in order to become faster and a better hero. Then there’s Cisco and Caitlin, who both get ample character development during this episode; Cisco actually gets the chance to get physical with Hartley Rathaway, and the seeds were certainly sown for a progression to the comic book Vibe moniker at some point down the line, plus we also see how Cisco has been wracked by guilt at Ronnie’s situation; whereas Caitlin was allowed to show a lighter side to her usual all-business approach. In fact, Caitlin Snow is likely the character who was best served by Crazy for You, and there’s even a slight tease of a romantic relationship between Caitlin and Barry. Either way, she’s certainly an interesting drunk and most definitely just a tad suggestive. Still, if we’re to believe Arrow, Caitlin must have some sort of serious drink problem considering how Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) was played up as an alcoholic after having one glass of wine. It was also fun to see Grant Gustin pulling on his Glee days when doing a karaoke duet with Caitlin during their night out.
In terms of other new developments, Linda Park (Malese Jow) finally made her Flash debut. In the comic book world, Linda ends up as the wife of a different Flash, Wally West. She’s set to act as a love interest for Barry here, and it’ll be interesting to see how her arrival changes the dynamic between Barry and Iris. As for young Miss Iris West, we get to see Barry throw her a Scarlet Speedster-shaped bone in her journalism career, although is it only us who thought it was a bit of a dick move of her to take a quick photo of the Sultan of Speed? Nice way to repay the favour.
Peek-a-Boo is involved in a wafer-thin plot involving her partner and serves as nothing more than purely appearing here to further test The Flash’s powers. Whilst this facet of Crazy for You is nothing particular noteworthy, some of the greatest moments of the episode involved Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp). The scenes between Henry and Barry are always well executed and portrayed, but there were some exceptional moments here, not least the ‘I’m not saying you’re The Flash but…’ talk that Henry gives to his son. That exchange is one that suddenly makes the room become a little dusty…
Line of the week goes to Cisco, quipping to Hartley, “How can you speak six different languages and sound like a dick in every one of them”. Great work, sir. But then Crazy for You is great work on a number of levels. Despite having a so-so and non-eventful villain, the episode expands various different characters magnificently.
And if that wasn’t enough, get ready: Grodd is coming!
SHARE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW OR ON TWITTER @STARBURST_MAG
Find your local STARBURST stockist HERE, or buy direct from us HERE. For our digital edition (available to read on your iOS, Android, Amazon, Windows 8, Samsung and/or Huawei device – all for just £1.99), visit MAGZTER DIGITAL NEWSSTAND.
CLICK TO BUY!
MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB:
