Season two of The Flash hasn't been the same great show that it was during its first season. The main story arc of the season is basically a weak carbon copy of last season's main plot, the villain is one of the least interesting characters on the show, and the tone for the second half of the season has been too dark and brooding for a show that thrives off of letting its characters have fun with all of the surreal elements of their world. That's why last night's "The Runaway Dinosaur," directed by acclaimed independent film director and frequent comic book writer Kevin Smith, was such a pleasant surprise.
When The Flash is performing at its best, it does three things very well: creates awe-inspiring visuals, tells fun and inventive stories that balance the dark and light elements inherent to the show, and allows the characters to grow emotionally. Last night's episode was the first time the show has pulled off that hat trick this season. It did so by balancing an often comical storyline about the Star Labs gang fighting an old enemy who has been zombified, with an emotional gut-punch of a story about Barry learning to get over his choice not to save his mom, so that he could continue to be The Flash.
The elements of the episode worked together in a way that the show desperately needed this season. The scene where Iris is reaching out to Barry in The Speed Force, for example, took full advantage of the sow's best visual effects work, pushed forward the Iris/Barry storyline better than any other episode in the show's history, and was the emotional punctuation point that both of the episodes main stories needed. It was one of the show's most iconic moments, and it was a simple way to tie together so many elements that make the show great.
On the Star Labs side of things, Iris was allowed to be a star, and that was a welcome change. The show has often struggled with figuring out how to use Iris and that is in large part due to how long she was kept out of the loop on The Flash's identity. In this episode, she not only got to be a witty "straight man" to Cisco's goofball, but she became the main hero, who constantly put herself in harms way to protect others. Iris a a good character when used like this, and I hope the show takes note of just how much she grounded the non-Barry part of the episode.
Barry's half of the episode too on the much darker themes of Barry having to overcome his mother's death, and his role in not preventing it. A few episodes back Barry gave up his speed to save his adoptive brother, and his need to gain his speed back became a nice visualization for Barry's struggle to accept that his mother is dead. Grant Gustin is one of the best actors on TV at expressing emotion. The season one finale where Barry held his dying mother in his arms, featured Gustin's acting skills on full display, and the moment in last night's episode where Barry read "The Runaway Dinosaur" book with his mother (or The Speed Force's representation of his mother), was almost as heartbreaking. Grand Gustin is at his best as an actor when the material he is given allows him to express his character's emotions, and the difference between last night's emotionally raw Barry compared to the closed off brooding Barry of recent episodes, is astounding. Here's hoping that with Barry's personal epiphany, comes a return to form for the show that was once great, and now often settles for being just okay.
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