TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Flash Season 9 Episode 8: Partners In Time

In case you didn’t read the full header, we’re now eight episodes into the final season, and tonight’s episode was the third episode after the Red Death arc…and…it was the third filler episode. Seriously. We’re in the final season, and it’s comprised of filler episodes for almost half of its run so far. How is this happening? And “Partners In Time” further added to the madness by making a filler with no real point, and trying to “be meta” in the process.

Long story short, a time thief from 2123 stole a device that can unmoor a place from time and space and cause people and a building to be stuck. Barry, Iris, and a group of inspectors are trapped in the Speed Lab because of it. As Iris notes in a very meta way, this is the THIRD “we’re stuck” storyline of this season. And so you knew there wasn’t going to be any real stakes because of it…and there wasn’t. The only “deaths’ in the episode were undone because…reasons…they never explained it. Surprise.

Just as unsurprising was how Barry acted in part of the episode, including trying to jump into the future to “see what happens” because he felt it’ll save the day, and it didn’t. Then he called himself out on it in yet another “meta moment.” Look, there’s being cheeky, and then there’s being stupid. And Barry has been stupid for much of this season and it’s really annoying. Oh, and this is now the third episode in a row where he didn’t suit up…despite it being the final season!

Oh, and “Lady Chronos”? We’re doing throwaway villains in the final season? Really? It was so lame, and it was SO OBVIOUS that it was her who was the bad guy after the breaker box incident. In fact, it was so obvious that I slightly suspected another person because I had faith that they wouldn’t be that obvious…and my faith was misplaced.

As for the Allegra/Chuck storyline…I’m so over this relationship. Yes, Allegra’s fears about being abandoned again were fine, and arguably one of the best parts of the episode because of how understandable it was. But they played it out in the most over-the-top way possible (thanks a lot, Cecil, and Chuck…and Allegra.) And, of course, they got together in the end like it was “meant to be.” Gag.

The dumb part was that they could’ve used this episode to give Snow an actual meaningful storyline with “her mother.” But instead, that happened all off-screen, and they instead decided to just give her more powers “just because” and blame Mark for “walking out on her”…even though that’s literally not what happened.

So help me if they screw up the return of Oliver Queen in the next episode.

2/5