TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Flash Season 8 Episode 15: Into The Still Force

I would like to note that before I did this review, I read an interview with the showrunner of The Flash and director of this episode. Who noted that while this episode was an “interlude”, it was going to connect heavily into the season finale (which he promised would be a “happy ending”). I seriously hope he’s not overexaggerating that, as “Into The Still Force” was one of great promise…and only slightly good on the payout.

Let’s start with the good. One thing I definitely appreciated was the look of the Still Force itself. Not just the green hues (a reference to Dion and his abilities), but how “past, present and future all coexist” in the space, hence why Dion was able to find both Barry and Iris at times. It was cool seeing the “blips” on the time scale, and the glimpses of what’s to come (such as Allegra getting exposed as Barry’s crimefighting partner…which I called last week if you remember). And that scene near the end where the ability to “focus on the future” to get out of the past was a clever use of Still Force logic.

Furthermore, there were a LOT of interesting tidbits and teases of what may come WAY down the line, or even this season, such as knowing the potential futures of Nora and Bart, and maybe even the arrival of Max Mercury, a key member of the Flash family. I was happy to see Nora back, as her interactions with her parents are ALWAYS a boost to the show.

Sadly…just about everything else…was questionable at best.

Such as how Barry went after Tenya for help…even though he nor Cecil (who referenced her) ever met her…and…how did they find her exactly? Also, why did Barry think she would help when she TRIED TO KILL IRIS!!! Even Tenya admitted that’s what she tried to do, and very much shoved it in Barry’s face and it was…odd to say the least. Yes, it’s clear that they’re going to make it up to her by freeing her mom but…yeah.

Further the exposition about Dion and the other Forces and how they’re somehow “radio silent” made no sense. So this time sickness, whatever it is, is somehow affecting not one god, but four? How? How does that make sense? Dion getting infected could make sense given how he was helping Iris with his powers, but the rest? They didn’t even talk to Iris since going into their respective dimensions. So how would they be affected?

Just as bad was the twist that Dion is evil…? Or is that really Dion? We don’t know, and that’s frustrating. Because also don’t know why he/it needed that particle from Iris…that Iris somehow lost…?

Oh, and how convenient that Barry “had a piece of the Still Force in him” because he and Iris created them…but it’s gone now. …darn. But naturally, he felt Iris in the Still Force and felt she was ok…?

Just as frustrating was the Chester storyline which went from “super intense” in the over-the-top way to being handled off-screen…kind of. Seriously, Chester has two modes of emotion, he has over-the-top, and overreacting. And we saw both of them in the course of a few minutes and it was maddening. I literally said out loud, “Shut up!” because of it and it’s maddening because this man gets no growth, and repeats the same story arcs over and over again. He thinks he does something wrong, blames himself (and others, and the world) for it, and then at the end his lesson is to “have faith in himself” or “trust in his skills”. Every. Single. Time.

Speaking of repetitive storylines, this episode repeated past storylines from THIS SEASON!!!! Barry doing a risky plan without thinking things through because of faith in another? That was Frost/Caitlin with Deathstorm. Nora telling Barry about believing in himself and his instincts even when “the whole world is against you”? That was the same beat as the criminal Barry defended when all of Team Flash was telling him he was wrong. Even Mark called out that Caitlin was doing the same resurrection bit, just with a different person!

Speaking of which, that’s still a dumb storyline, and the fact that Mark agreed to it despite being the voice of reason earlier is just sad. Oh, and to be really nitpicky, the episode started with Cecil saying she didn’t want to meet “a new meta client”…even though that’s her job to protect them…oh and apparently she can scan emotions across a 5-state area now because…reasons?

In the end, “Into The Still Force” did potentially set things up…but it came at a frustrating and repetitive cost.

2/5