Time travel stories are a bit of a mixed bag on the Flash, which I noted in the midseason finale when the setup was good, but the result was reversed in a…Flash… And then there was the Flashpoint debacle where it only lasted one episode. But here, with “Cause and XS”, we got another fun take on the time travel storyline with XS trying to save everyone while failing horribly every time.
We’ve all seen this kind of story in shows like Heroes and others with time travel, but with this one, it was imposing as well as hilarious how bad things got. Cicada continually going after them, and each of them dying in one form or another, each time shattering the mind of Nora because she couldn’t figure out how to “fix” it was very compelling. Especially since Barry wasn’t there to help bail her out. It was a real “coming of age” story as it were.
The notion of using the time reverting to their own devices and having Cicada getting stabbed by his own dagger was a nice twist, although his no-sell was a bit eye-rolling. And Barry reciting Jay Garrick’s “time continuum cup” speech was a fun nod to Season 3.
The only other storyline here was Cisco’s date with Camille. While I appreciated them having Cisco be worried about how to impress her, the “never-ending bad dates” was a cliche I honestly could’ve done without.
Still, everyone surviving, and the Cure for Cicada being made could make for the back half of the season to be very fun…if it doesn’t divert again. Plus, Thawne is still in the mix.
And next time? King Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd!
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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