When it comes to a show like The Flash, you’re only as strong as your supporting cast and tonight, The Flash showed…that they’re seriously lacking in that department when they focus on the “new hires”. By that I mean Allega, Chester and Sue. Because while “Rayo De Luz” did have some potential, it not only didn’t do any favors to the new cast, but it honestly retreads on a storyline that we JUST got done with.
In short, with Barry and Iris on a private island for some…uh…”reconnecting”…the rest of Team Flash were left to do…whatever they wanted. Which included Allegra wanting to find her cousin Ultraviolet and bring her to the right side of things. And naturally, things didn’t go as planned on many levels.
Now, if you’re wondering what I meant by the “retreads on a storyline” bit, I’m referring to the Forces storyline. Because in that story, Barry wanted to get rid of his “children” at first, as did the Speed Force, but Iris wanted to try and help them, and then it became trying to “save the family from the darkness” that they were in and “not giving up on them.”
Want to guess what happened here? Allegra wanted to save her cousin but Sue was gung-ho about her giving up on Ultraviolent because “she was too far gone”. Not only was this repetitive, but it ended in a retcon of sorts where APPARENTLY Sue’s parents were a part of Black Hole and refused to get out once it was taken down…or something…which of course only strengthened Allegra’s desire to go and save her sister…because that’s what Barry would do! Yay…
Don’t get me wrong, I preferred THIS “saving the family” storyline to the last one because…well…it was her ACTUAL family, not a “perceived” one. But because it was basically the same story with different characters and a very predictable ending, it totally diminished things.
And it didn’t help that Chester was…less than useless. I’m seriously so over him, the only character worse than him is Gary Green from LOT. They keep playing the “Chester is useless” card and then they prove…that they’re right! For example, his EMP bomb was great…and yet somehow he didn’t notice the OTHER guards that were in the room? Really? And that D&D thing? REALLY? And the elf ears thing…REALLY!?!?!? Seriously, just…stop with him, full-on.
Then there was the Joe West storyline which continues to get weirder and more convoluted by the minute. Because Joe finds out that Kramer had a connection to the attack that killed her squad, and it has to deal with her “brother” that betrayed her and them. And she’s been trying to find him for 6 years and now wants Joe to help her. Which is great!
But…wasn’t this supposed to be about her hunting metas and trying to get them to take the cure without their consent? Because that’s why Joe left the CCPD (stupidly…and even he admits it now…) and now it’s about Kramer trying to find her brother? How did that pivot happen?
Oh, and now Frost and her “future boyfriend” are on the same side? Which you save for the stinger because…why? Yeah…
Finally, why did Ultraviolet think that the man who ruined her would save her…? And why is Sue so up for sticking around long-term when she’s supposed to be traveling the world with Ralph…?
In the end, “Rayo De Luz” stumbled to make anything stick meaningfully. and proved that without the true “core cast” supporting things…the “new hires” just don’t hold up.
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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