TV Review: "Null and Annoyed"

Little things to note: "Null and Annoyed" was directed by Kevin Smith (director of Clerks and other cult classics), who suffered a heart attack shortly after filming the episode. While he is recovering, it made some big news there.

There were a number of behind the scenes photos released by members of the cast and crew in addition to the regular promo photos, so enjoy them along with this review.

Team Flash is practicing for how to have Ralph successfully evade DeVoe (portrayed by Miranda MacDougall in this episode), but Ralph seems to not be taking things seriously and goofs around, much to the chagrin of Barry (Grant Gustin).

Meanwhile, the hunt is on for the next bus meta, Janet Petty (Bethany Brown), who goes by her social media handle: Null. Her power is to control the density of whatever she can touch, making items or people lighter than air, and while her touch will wear off, she can take it back at any time.

Cisco (Carlos Valdes) is visited by Breacher (Danny Trejo), who has lost his "vibe blasts" and wants help recovering his powers. But Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) has bad news: his powers are gone due to aging. Now Cisco just has to break the bad news to the guy who's easily annoyed and ready to kill...

Finally, Marlize DeVoe (Kim Englebrecht) discovers tears from the Weeper around the Thinker's lair. Testing them, she realizes that her husband has been drugging her. However, it gets worse...

This episode is a mixed bag. Some developments happen, but the main plot with Barry feels like filler. Ralph's recurring plot of not being an ideal hero has been getting tiresome. This one does do a good thing by tying his plot to his character by revealing something from his past. The problem is that it's been too similar to what we've been seeing all season, so what could've been a standout is reduced to feeling like just another standard plot. Still, we do get some tantalizing set ups for what's going to be happening in the next several episodes, which will be running until the finale.

Viewers in the US may view "Null and Annoyed" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire fourth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix in June, 2018. Digital versions of the episode may be purchased on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Google Play and other retailers of digital video content. Blu-Ray and DVD copies of the season are expected to be available for sale in or by September, 2018.

Non-US viewers should check their local listings, the websites of the channels that air The Flash, and digital video retailers.