‘The Flash’ Mourns And It’s … Weird

Normally, when shows have a plot moving so fast it is hard for the characters to take a breath, an episode might come along that slows things down and focuses on characterization rather than story. That’s what this week’s episode of The Flash attempted to do. The only problem: the plot has been at a slower setting for far too long. It seemed as if Deathstorm was barely a villain for an episode or two before he was not only defeated, but took one of the show’s main characters with him. As Killer Frost (which many of the show’s characters will obnoxiously remind you to just call her Frost instead) was killed last episode, this episode was 100% focused on mourning her loss and the characters dealing with that.

Besides the fact that Frost (Danielle Panabaker) had been a main character for some time now, it seemed very awkward that her death was held up as such a pivotal moment for the show when the actress that played her is still very much a part of it. Frost had the distinction of separating from her non-powered counterpart, essentially becoming her own character. But when she died, Caitlin Snow still remained. As much as science fiction is centered around creating awkward situations, it was very weird to see one character mourning the death of another character when they are both played by the same exact person.

Furthermore, this episode did practically nothing to move the season’s story forward by any real metric. Iris’s (Candice Patton) time sickness was barely a factor at all — only showing up in the episode’s closing moments. And there was barely a hint that there was more to come as Caitlin Snow revealed that she was attempting to bring Frost back. And without any sign of a replacement villain for the awesome Deathstorm, fans are left wondering where the rest of this season is headed and how long it will take to get there.

The Flash airs Wednesdays on The CW.