The Flash S9 Ep. 5 Personal Highlights

 "Mask of the Red Death, Part Two"

So there’s no secret here that I’ve had some, shall we say, difficulties facing this show’s iteration of the Red Death villain. Not only that but, coupled with the fact that this is the 9th and final season of the The Flash series, my expectations were understandably high for what the production team would deliver in both cinematic presentation and storytelling quality. Well, now that we’ve seemingly come to a close with this particularly challenging pocket season villain arc, the question to ask is whether or not the show managed to win me over in its conclusion. To answer that, let's break down with my personal highlights to get a really good look what they were able to accomplish and where they may have slipped up in the process. So, without further ado, let's discuss Part Two of "Mask of the Red Death" (great title by the way). 

The Concept & Scope of The Red Death's Threat

Looking back on the series, we've had at least 10 speedster villain threat scenarios being thrown on Team Flash (that's including the multiple times that Thawne returned). I think it's easy as viewers over the course of the show's 8-9 year period to underestimate the obstacle that the writers face in making each confrontation as unique as possible. If there's one positive thing that I could say in regards to their approach the Red Death is how much she individually stands out from her predecessors. Not only is Ryan refreshingly not another speed junkie maniac just simply wanting to be the fastest or out specifically ruin Barry's life for questionable reasons, she's actually a morally bankrupt superhero out to remove villainy from the world. We actually have a speedster villain who wants the same thing every hero wants...no more villains. 

I think if one were to make a transcript of who this Ryan Wilder is, what she's trying to create, and how she's going about doing it, you'd be reading off a much more compelling speedster villain than what we've previously seen. Though the show does an utterly terrible job in its overall storytelling execution, I did  see the potential within the general idea of having a Batwoman who seeks to forcefully bring justice to the world through authoritarian fear (à la Superman in the Injustice series). In having a villain who is essentially trying to be a more efficient hero than our own, you have an interesting connection that can be made with the potential for rich dialogue exchanges and character study observations. Think the Punisher's rooftop argument with Daredevil in the Netflix series or Professor X and Magneto's chess game revolving around humanity.

When taking a step back and brushing aside the laughably awful costume design for Red Death or Javicia Leslie's questionably directed performance, you have a mentally unhinged anti-hero worth diving into. One who is even willing to work with her very own team of villains to get the job done making possible empty promises to them like a master manipulator would. Unfortunately, the writing staff on the show has rarely shown that it has the capability to truly deliver layered and complex characters in interesting ways. Or, perhaps the network thinks that the show's target audience doesn't have the mental capacity to process nuance and multi-dimensional storytelling without calling it convoluted or boring. Who knows? Either way, I will say that the foundation for something amazing was certainly there in bits and pieces surrounding this version of Batwoman.

Getting into more of the specifics, there's actually a pretty awesome reveal that happens here with Red Death's methods for justice. In Season 7, we saw Godspeed using clones to cause chaos around Central City which initially looked as though Season 9 was gonna pull a rinse and repeat with Red Death. Instead, what appears as Red Death clones popping up out of nowhere and scaring people into security is actually a global psychic projection. This is a far more interesting idea than just showing a bunch of copycats fighting for reasons that the audience can't necessarily emotionally connect to. And with the revelation that Grodd is the one behind her psychic army with Ryan's promise of finding his tribe, you have another example of her using previous villains for her own "heroic" mission.

Having Grodd be a crucial part of this story was a great twist considering how much I've always personally loved when comic books tied in old plot points to enrich new ones in a fan rewarding fashion. In a story that's rooted back in Season 6, we see the return of Grodd who never got to find and reunite his tribe which is where we last saw him with Barry. This episode doesn't emphasize it enough, but this is actually a pretty sad conclusion to that Season 6 arc being that it ended with optimism for a reformed villain back then only to have evidently lead to disappointment and loneliness. This is where Red Death somehow came into the picture and offer him what Barry couldn't paving the way for her takeover. Like I said, there's some really interesting ideas being presented with this graphic novel style season villain segment.

Barry, currently without powers, has to convince Grodd to help him save the world by cutting off Ryan's projections and imbuing him with the remaining speed force energy that he gave him years ago to fight her off. This brings in Joe's possibly final position on the show as the motivational voice of reasoning that helps Barry out with the bad guys. Only this time, instead of giving him the typical pep talk, what I liked about this scene is that it's really more Joe telling him that he's already given him all that he needs. He reminds him that he can inspire people to make the better choice which is what Barry eventually does believing that Grodd still has a spark of "good" in him. Hats off to the writers for tying back what could've been a forgotten past character subplot. Hopefully, before the show ends, we actually get a fulfilling conclusion to Grodd's search.

A Speedster Battle Somewhat Worthy of Praise

During my review for Episode 3 this season, I mentioned that despite my disappointment of a certain Warren Christie (the Arrowverse's Bruce Wayne) not being this Red Death's identity as well as the terrible costume execution, there was still room for optimism. That optimism was primarily linked towards the inevitable speedster battle that we'd get with our new big bad that could potentially outdo everything that came before. Much like what Arrow did in its final season, The Flash could've stepped in and deliver its most visually spectacular action scene to date ending things off on a notably high note even if the story wasn't quite there. Well, that moment has finally arrived with Barry being supercharged by Grodd and ready to take down Red Death once and for all. So, was it all worth the wait?

Well, I'd say...kind of. We do get a pretty solid fight scene between Red Death and the Flash running around the city (typical imagery on the show) with a couple of cool new unique elements thrown in. With this being a Batman doppelgänger, Red Death is shown throwing lightning batarangs while Flash forges a speed force shield to deflect them. I couldn't help but internally grin a little from what I was seeing forgetting what speedsters are gradually capable of doing with the show's progression. There's also a great visual of the Flash and Red Death firing bolts at each other during speed running giving the whole battle this sort of high speed chase shootout presentation that I dug.

Ending things with this awesome detail of Red Death creating a lightning rope to swing from a building and kick Barry down was a welcomed icing on the cake to solidify that final Batman connection. My only issue there is that, despite Barry likely not getting fully charged to his normal power level by Grodd, just having him being knocked down by one kick feels a bit underwhelming. I get that it sets up the need for his rogues team to heroically show up as well as our Ryan Wilder to make her big entrance, but something about it just felt a little forced to me. But, putting that aside, it was kinda cool seeing Ryan show up nullifying Red Death's speed to level the playing field. The fight choreography was a bit weak (should've gotten the Arrow team for this), but the general idea of both Ryans being somewhat equals due to prior combat training was successfully conveyed.

Overall, it's a pretty enjoyable fight scene despite a few issues like the poorly written dialogue and narrative foundation setting the grounds for the battle. Knowing that this isn't the final nail on the coffin for villain appearances on the show gives me hope that the production team still has something legitimately celebration worthy up their sleeve. If I were to look at this as merely an action-packed appetizer for what's to come, then I'd say it's pretty solid. However, that "It's a Wednesday" line by the rogues joking about Central City's weekly craziness just didn't work for me. 

Maybe I just don't buy that these three would act in such a goofy fashion together without given more time to collectively build their relationship with Team Flash's heroics. It feels completely unnatural and downright cheesy, but maybe that was the point? Maybe the fact that everyone just laughs at the end was supposed to be a fun nod to classic campy Hana-Barbara cartoons like the Super Friends which would have tonally smilier endings? Despite myself being a huge fan of those retro cartoons growing up, I honestly have no idea what this scene was supposed to be, but it certainly doesn't match the tone that was surrounding the rest of the episode. 

A Wave of Cringe & Disappointment Felt Across The Multiverse

Guys, there's just no getting around it. We've had some terrible performances in the Arrowverse before (Flash villains included), but season villains have always had larger expectations to live up to. Considering the character background involved and the type of threat that she's supposed to bring to our heroes, Javicia Leslie's acting is simply laughable here. And not laughable in a "so campy it's fun" type of way like Mark Hamil's Trickster or Wentworth's Captain Cold. This leans a little bit more towards "so cringe inducing that I can't watch" territory. This is a villain that we're supposed to take seriously with a dramatic origin and a high stakes agenda of fear mongering global justice. How exactly is one supposed to feel that threat when Ryan comes across as a school play villain? 

Unfortunately, in the grand of scheme of things, Red Death will be piled in with other over the top and poorly executed Arrowverse villain disappointments. So much potential wasted in what could've been a rogues war starting speedster villain exhausting Team Flash to their tipping point before delivering one epic, jaw dropping, citywide or global assault. It's a shame to think that Season 9 would start off on such a low bar setting antagonist, but there's still time to turn things around completely. Only...how optimistic can one really feel after seeing Red Death presented in this fashion? 

Let's say that we do have another speedster villain like Cobalt Blue show up for one final speedster battle. How different can the production values really be? How much better executed can the story actually turn out? As open minded as I'd like to be, this doesn't quite inspire any faith in the team possibly "going all out" with the final season. Arrow's final season was one of its best, and before anyone says that it's because of the crossover event, the greatest strengths actually lied within the more series connecting elements. The production values were noticeably raised and consistently strong while the series finalizing storytelling was engaging to watch mostly from beginning to end. This is the challenge that the Flash is currently facing.

Being the Arrowverse's other flagship property, there's a lot of pressure being put on the show to not only close out the show on a high note but an entire shared TV franchise. When the Flash ends, the Arrowverse ends. That's a lot to juggle around when it comes to expectations. Well, looking back at Arrow's final season one more time as a good reference point, the lesson to learn there is to take all of the previously established strengths and elevate them to their greatest heights. They knew what the fans loved and geeked out over for years and didn't hesitate to offer plenty of it (great action, badass hero moments, and fun guest spots). So, what are The Flash's strengths? Are we seeing them elevated here in a satisfying enough manner for the fans? This is what will make or break the success of Season 9 for me, and right now, I'm just not really seeing it. 

Bonus Content

1. Savitar and Sage Force Reference

Interestingly enough, Ryan states that her projections can still physically harm people much like Bashir did to Barry via the Savitar illusion. But, how did Ryan know about this? Did Grodd tell her about that through their psychic link reading Barry's mind? I'm just gonna assume that he did as it's never really brought up. Either way, with this being the final season, it was a nice reference to one of the show's most dramatically impactful (albeit poorly written) villains. As for Bashir being name dropped, I do wonder if we'll see the cosmic forces before the series ends. Is Barry able to tap into their powers much like he did fighting Thawne in Season 8 or was that clearly a one-off thing?

2. Supergirl Reference

Towards the end of the episode, our Ryan tells Iris that she's a big fan of her work and would like to hang out at some point in the future. Namedropping Kara, Alex, and Nia as friends that she has a monthly brunch date with was a fun little nod to Supergirl fans. This would be the second time that they've referenced the show with the premiere using CATCO as the company that wanted to buy out the Central City Citizen. One has to wonder if this is the writers' way of paving the way for Supergirl and friends to actually make a guest appearance before the Arrowverse's send off or if this is the best that they can do in tying that show in somehow.

3. Family Expansion & Khione's Superpower

Ending things off is our big farewell send off to Joe while also paving the way for a surprise new member of the Flash family. It's always fun getting to see our heroes just hang back and enjoy some time away from the weekly drama and destruction from time to time. Here we have what can be assumed as our final scene with Jesse L. Martin (a talented performer who always seemed to be standing on a higher acting pedestal than everyone else around him) which is slightly bittersweet considering how great he's been on the show. I say bittersweet because most of the later seasons felt like we were seconds away from a farewell episode much like Cisco's character. 

As for the big reveal of Iris's pregnancy, I'm very curious to see how the show wraps things up with either doing a flash forward future scene of Barry's family or having the finale just tease us with the baby. Oh...and I guess Caitlin (Khione) can now bring life into someone while also sensing it somehow. I...I guess that's a thing now. She revitalizes Mark with a icy kiss and then senses Iris having life growing inside of her. How this tracks with Frost or Caitlin is beyond me, but I'll just write it off as the show's way of giving Danielle Panabaker something interesting to do. 

4. Sickada Reference

That's not a typo. You read that right. This isn't a name drop for the Season 5 villain (one of the worst on the show), but it does tie back to him to some degree. "Sickada" was the name of a metal band that Cisco vibed when trying to track down the serial killer villain at a bar. During the Rogues' and Ryan Wilder's fight with Red Death, you can see the band's insignia on a van that's used in the battle. It's a fun little detail, and although not a lot of people will take notice of it, fans of the show might appreciate a little deep cut Easter egg. Like the Savitar illusion reference and Supergirl connections, Season 9 of The Flash is likely doing everything that it can to bring in every element of the Arrowverse as it naturally can now that the franchise is coming to a close. With that in mind, I'll be keeping my eye out on more fun nods like these. 

Episode Rating: 8/10