TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Flash Season 8 Episode 19: Negative, Part One

For the longest time since the “Time Sickness” storyline started, I wondered how they were going to pull this off in a way that was meaningful. Then in this episode they stated very clearly that we didn’t know how or why or truly when Iris got her time sickness and I knew the answers were coming. Sadly, “Negative, Part One” proved that the answers weren’t worth the journey to get here.

Because as it turns out…there are other Negative Forces! You know…because…reasons? Seriously, that was just a sad answer to everything because we weren’t even given a HINT that this was possible outside of “there’s a Negative Speed Force”…which if you recall…was created BY THAWNE to screw with The Flash. So…did he somehow create these other Negative Forces? Furthermore, how is it that they were able to “subdue” the other Forces so easily despite them stating they’re in a “weakened” state? They glossed over a lot of things and it was just one thing that made this episode a bit hard to watch in places.

Case in point, Cecil and Caitlin, what are they doing with these characters? Caitlin’s story in this episode was literally one scene and done and who knows how it’s going to end (likely, not well), and then with Cecil…wow. She gets these new powers and starts going full vigilante (without telling anyone apparently…) and now she’s suddenly a psychic-power vampire? …why exactly? Remember, she started out as an Empath and somehow got here and it’s…just sad. Why is Cecil of all people “one of the most powerful metas on the planet”? That doesn’t work in a variety of ways, and yet NOW she’s apparently able to go toe-to-toe with the Forces? Huh?

Same with Chester and Allegra. When one of the Forces made the line about the “B-Team”…they were giving them too much credit, they honestly should’ve been wiped out and they weren’t because of plot armor.

Then there was Meena, who went WAY over the top in this episode because…she was mad that she had speed and Eobard didn’t? Even though he was more than happy with giving it to her because he loved her… And yes, it was cool seeing the OG Eobard getting powers again (more on that in a bit), but the way we got there was…questionable.

Speaking of questionable, let’s talk Iris. Because remember, the reason that Barry and co did…nothing…about Iris in the last few episodes was because “she was in the future and thus she was fine”. Except, shock, that wasn’t true, and the present day Iris ended up in the future because…reasons? Only to be snapped back to the present by Negative Dion all so Flash could kill his own wife…and then the negative tachyons would go into OG Thawne…turning him back into Wells Thawne? That’s…overly complicated to say the least.

On that note, why is it that Barry’s team couldn’t realize that she had negative tachyons in her? They definitely tested her when everything was going wrong, and they had data on the Negative Speed Force through all their interactions with Thawne…and yet…only getting her to the future could reveal things? If that was the case, why didn’t Barry just race her to the future to get help from Nora/Bart in their time? Exactly.

Finally, and many fans have noted this, why did they go back to Wells Thawne instead of keeping the OG? Was it an interesting “body horror” bit? Sure. But we’ve dealt with this Thawne a lot, why not go back to the original? Also, last episode they said that the Time Wraiths brought Thawne back to this time as a ‘reward’…and yet now he’s dead…so…fail?

And based on next episode’s previews, we’re getting another ‘team Speedster’ battle…even though we had that last year. So hopefully they find a way to keep it fresh because the season finale needs to keep people interested enough for Season 9…and I’m not sure they’ll be able to do that.

2.5/5