TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Flash Season 04 Episode 09: Don’t Run

I noted at the end of “Crisis On Earth-X” that all the midseason finales would have to really rock to keep up the momentum of that epic crossover. And while the ending certainly was epic, “Don’t Run” didn’t always hit.

Let’s talk about that ending, shall we? This is significant for many reasons. Mainly because at the end of Season 01 of Flash, we saw Barry’s future, and in it was a shot of him in a prison uniform. This itself was a callback to a comics arc where he was framed for the murder of Abra Kadabra (who appeared last season). So now, they’re doing that arc, but with The Thinker as the “murder victim”.

Now, the way they pulled this off was brilliant, no pun intended, as it really tied the two stories of the episode together, not to mention making The Thinker all the more dangerous in a brand new body. And I hate to think what this “enlightenment” is.

On the other hand, we know Barry’s going to be cleared, so that does take the punch out of things. The real question will be how long they play out this arc. If it only goes one episode, then it’s going to be like Flashpoint, a LOT of wasted potential. But, if they drag it out over a month? It has potential.

Speaking of which, the Caitlin-focused story was both fun and a bit weird. On one hand, I love that Caitlin got to show off her smarts to save the day, and I also still like Katie Sackhoff’s Amunet, cause she really pulls off that character well. But…I have trouble believing that Killer Frost would hang out with Vibe, Harry AND Dinby in any personal fashion. Especially one that apparently prompted an inside joke…that just doesn’t sound like Killer Frost…at all.

Also, while I liked Amunet’s speech to Caitlin about why she was special…it just didn’t feel right. Also, that “surgery” seemed WAY too easy. She literally pulled the metal out of his head, that’s it! Why couldn’t another doctor do that? I don’t know.

The other characters has some story too. I liked how Barry is fine with “not running while” Iris is around, that was very sweet. And him not leaving at the end shows his faith in his friends. And Iris having to make the tough call about who to save was pretty good too. Barry was right, she is going to have to make tough calls soon.

But…then there’s Dinby. I’m sorry, I just can’t like this character. He’s continually annoying, and that ending scene was nice, but he still got in those annoying lines that makes me wish he wasn’t there.

In the end though, “Don’t Run”, really did serve up a memorable cliffhanger, one of the best in Flash history in fact, which is saying something in some cases. I do look forward to its return.