While not exactly forwarding in the overall plot, “Enter Flashtime” was a very worthy standalone episode that helped emphasize the need for help, even when you’re the fastest man alive. It helped prove that the best connections can be strained, but never broken.
The crux of the episode was simple, a nuclear bomb was activated, so The Flash, Jesse Quick, and the returning Jay Garrick had to enter their own time-slowed state called “Flashtime” in order to figure out what to do.
Now, while I appreciate them addressing all the immediate “remedies” that could stop the explosion (a breach, using Frost’s abilities to cool the bomb down, lightning bolts) I’m always hesitant about “we’re all going to die!” situations and episodes. Mainly because…we know they’re not. We knew that bomb wasn’t going to destroy Central City or Team Flash (and allies), it was just a case of how it was going to happen.
That being said, they did make you wonder, and I bet no one in the fanbase thought of the Speed Force lightning being used to fuse the bomb back together. It was clever.
For me though, the best parts were the moments with Iris. Her noting that they honestly hadn’t had quality time together since their honeymoon was very apt. Also, her being the reason that Barry figured out what to do was great. Grant Gustin sold the desperation of the situation very well, and the relief he showed when Iris thought of the solution was very nice.
The other major plotpoint here was the return of Jesse Quick, and her interaction with her father. Now, I didn’t dig that this is the first time we’ve heard about how Harry “changed” after his wife died, as he’s been a jerk for a few seasons without so much of a whisper of the mother from either of them. However, it did work out in the end, and the “thought sharing session” was very touching at the end.
I’m REALLY hoping that Jay Garrick “retiring” isn’t the end of seeing John Wesley Shipp on the show. True, he can still come back any time he wants theoretically, but I just don’t want him to be shipped off the way Henry Allen was.
Finally, WHO IS THAT GIRL?!?!!?! WE NEED TO KNOW!
In the end, “Enter Flashtime” was a nice, and beautifully rendered, standalone episode. Will it be the last of its kind? Well, given next weeks preview, likely not, but we’ll see how it goes.
4 out of 5 nerds
Todd Black
Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!
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