How The Flash wrote off Ralph Dibny

Last night, The Flash aired the third episode of Season 7: "Mother," which was supposed to be the finale of Season 6, but was delayed into the new season by production delays thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Sue Dearbon (Natalie Dreyfuss) was introduced and had a storyline in Season 6's second half, she reappeared in the "faux-nale." The question for Elongated Man fans was, would Ralph? We'd heard they'd have another actor play him to write the character off. Was this going to be in this episode or later? Turns out, it was this episode.

The episode saw the culmination of Eva's (Efrat Dor) plans to take over the world with her "mirror minions," as well as the return of the original Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) who'd been killed by the Reverse Flash back in Season 1, years before Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) became the Flash. After the death of the other incarnations of himself from the multiverse in creating the Artificial Speed Force (just don't ask if you're not watching the show), he was resurrected as a "balancing act" of the universe, and returns to help Team Flash revive the actual Speed Force, with a little help from Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton), who was finally extracted from the "Mirrorverse" last episode. Team Flash's combined efforts see Eva defeated and the restoration of everyone who was pulled into the Mirroverse.

Sue arrived fairly early into the episode, revealing to Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) that her parents had been replaced with Eva's minions, and mentions that Ralph is "tracking a lead." (In the first Season 6 episode, it was said Ralph and Sue were staying off the grid.) Later in the episode, Sue arrives with a severely disfigured Ralph, who managed to extract evidence proving Sue's innocence as she'd been framed with killing Carver, Eva's now late husband. He was caught in an explosion, and apparently the CW's Elongated Man can contain a bomb going off in himself, but can't stand over 500 degree heat. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) sees Ralph to a chamber to help him recover.

In the final moments of the episode, Ralph reappeared, now wearing a mask that also distorts his voice (pictured above) as his face still hadn't fully healed. Sue rejects an offer to join Team Flash and says she and Ralph intend to go take down more organizations like Black Hole. Ralph promises he'll be back "when you least expect," and Barry offers to help him and Sue whenever need be.

This is almost where I wanted to see the show leave Ralph and Sue: they're on the road together, working as a team, but seeing Ralph depicted without even a face or an actual voice felt disappointing.

Frankly, I feel this would've been a lot better that if instead of firing Hartley Sawyer, they had demoted him back to guest star and wrote his character off with this episode. The show, even in this episode, often had plots about second chances and forgiveness.

I agree with the cast and crew of The Flash that Hartley Sawyer's old tweets were unacceptable. However, they were in his past. He hadn't physically hurt anyone, and his owning up to what he'd done and acknowledging the need to be held accountable speaks that he'd grown as a person. While it seems his firing greatly crippled his career (he's completely shut down his social media since his tweets were dug up, deleting Twitter and locking his Instagram account, and there has been absolutely no news about him since his firing), in the end, not allowing him to play Ralph one last time hurts the fans more than anything.

I intend to continue watching The Flash as I watch all the other CW shows based on DC Comics, but I do not expect to be writing about the show here unless Ralph comes back.

You probably know the drill about how to get this episode: it'll be on the CW website and app for US viewers for a limited time, or you can buy the digital copy, or wait for Netflix or home video releases.

The Flash fires Hartley Sawyer

It has been announced that Hartley Sawyer will not be returning to The Flash in Season 7.

It was revealed that as late as 2014, Hartley had made horrible jokes on Twitter aimed at women and people of color as well as other derogatory jokes.

Hartley had addressed the tweets a week ago when they were first brought to the public on Instagram.

I'm not here to make excuses—regardless of the intention, my words matter and they carry profound consequences. And mine can have caused pain and embarrassment, along with feelings I can only imagine to supports and fans, my cast mates, the crew, my colleagues and friends. I owe them all an apology. And I owe each of you an apology. Thank you for holding me accountable.

My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply.

This was not acceptable behavior. These were words I threw out at the time with no thought or recognition of the harm my words could do, and now have done today.

I am incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then. I want to be very clear: this is not reflective of what I think or who I am now.

Years ago, thanks to friends and experiences who helped me to open my eyes, I began my journey into becoming a more responsible adult - in terms of what I say, what I do, and beyond. I've largely kept that journey private, and this is another way that I have let so many down. I still have more work to do.

But how I define myself now does not take away the impact of my words, or my responsibility for them. I am very sorry.

Personally, I hope Hartley is sincere here. However, especially during this current cultural climate, the showrunner of the Flash and the executive producers had to take action. Showrunner Eric Wallace had this to say:

This morning, many of you learned that Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season Seven of The Flash. Concerning his social media tweets, they broke my heart and made me mad as hell. And they're indicative of the larger problem in our country. Because at present, our country still accepts and protects the continual harassment—unconscious or otherwise— terrorizing and brutalizing of Black and Brown people, which is far too often fatal. That's why our country is standing up once again and shouting, "ENOUGH!" and taking to the streets to bring about active change.

I, too, am committed to bringing permanent change to the work environment here on The Flash. Yes, this is a family show. But it's for all families. That includes Black and Brown ones. In order to facilitate this, I will continue to find Black and Brown writers, directors, actors and producers of all genders to help tell Flash stories. Their stories are part of the American narrative, too, and must be heard. And the more you hear and see us, the more you will begin to recognize one simple fact: We're human beings, too.

To those who still aren't sure why so many Americans have taken to the streets to make their voices known, I ask you to consider this: Every time a Black or Brown life is harassed, harmed or murdered, as in the case of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and too many others, our entire country fractures and moves further and further away from any moral authority we often claim to have in the world. Murder is not democracy. Systemic and institutional white privilege is not equality. Suppressing the free press with violence is not liberty. The only way for you to be free is for all of us to be free.

#BlackLivesMatter 

It is not yet announced how Hartley's firing will affect the show. Ralph (and likely Sue) could be written off the show or Ralph could be recast. Natalie Dreyfuss wasn't upgraded to series regular when other new recurring characters were, so an early exit from the show for her is entirely possible.

Hartley Sawyer has not commented on social media after his apology, but before he issued his apology, he had determined to use his platform to support Black Lives Matter. I think he's likely taking a long break from social media entirely. If you want to support him, support Black Lives Matter and other socially progressive causes in your area. 

So, we'll see how things go. We'll still be doing comic reviews when time allows.

TV Review: "Liberation," "Pay the Piper," and "Success is Assured"

While Ralph has been appearing in these episodes of The Flash, his roles were smaller in comparison to the main plots.

In "Liberation," Barry (Grant Gustin) realizes that Iris (Candice Patton) isn't really herself as Eva (Efrat Dor) sets her plans in motion using the mirror images of Iris, Kamilla (Victoria Park) and Captain Singh (Patrick Sabongui) to reach a certain metahuman for help.

Meanwhile, Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Ralph visit Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) only to find her suffering from a strange case of hypothermia. They do what they can to help, but it's clear that they need to reach out to Caitlin's mother.

Ralph and Cisco were also seen trying to help Barry with the artificial Speed Force generator.

The Caitlin plotline stretched into "Pay the Piper," in which Killer Frost is awarded a "Dib-ploma" in a very sweet scene with Ralph as she feels nervous about meeting Caitlin's mother.

It felt like this should've been in the previous episode, and maybe it was originally planned, but with some reshuffling of the season's filmed episodes due to COVID-19, perhaps they had to split that plot over two episodes to fit it in at all. (It was, of course, a way to write out Caitlin/Killer Frost as Danielle Panabaker was taking maternity leave.)

The main plot of "Pay the Piper" saw Godspeed (voiced by BD Wong) return to Central City to take Barry's speed. To help take him out, Barry enlists the help of Hartley Rathaway (Andy Mientus), the Piper, who hates The Flash due to how a past run-in left one of his accomplices. With little of his own speed remaining, Barry has to take down Godspeed and help Hartley.

This brings us to the defacto season finale, "Success is Assured."

As Eva prepares to kill her husband, Joseph Carver (Eric Nenninger), Barry and his team prepare to defend him, convincing him to go into ARGUS custody. However, Eva manages to get Joseph's metahuman assassins on her side, so it's going to be quite the task.

Meanwhile, Ralph meets with Sue's parents (Mark Brandon and Nancy Hillis as Richard and Penelope, respectively), confronting them that he knows Joseph Carver was blackmailing them. Sue arrives and tells them that Carver had a change of heart, but Ralph is suspicious and later discovers that Sue is actually working for him, the true cause of his "change of heart," with her own intent to kill Carver. And yet the finale holds one more twist for Sue...

It is certainly unfortunate that The Flash wasn't able to wrap up the season, yet keeping the cast and crew safe and healthy was more important, and should everything work out, we will eventually get the end of the story.

As it is, the wrap up of the season suffered from having to rework everything into the episodes they were allowed. They told a coherent story, but some plots were cut too short while others felt bloated. It'll be interesting to see if several deleted scenes pop up on the eventual Blu-Ray release.

As it is, follow your local COVID-19 guidelines and hopefully, we can get The Flash Season 7 sooner rather than later.

Viewers in the US may view "Liberation," "Pay the Piper," and "Success is Assured" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV Review: "So Long and Goodnight"

It's taken awhile for The Flash to get back to Ralph and Sue. In fact, it took awhile to get back. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production halted on the show and is unlikely to resume for some time. This season will be cut short by three episodes. Only three more will air after this episode.

The mysterious Black Hole organization is targeting Joe West (Jesse L. Martin), sending Rag Doll (Troy James) as an assassin. Barry (Grant Gustin) is trying to keep Joe safe, but due to the Speed Force dying (in a Ralph-less episode), his speed is dwindling, and there's only so much he can do. Not helping matters is Iris' mirror doppleganger (Candie Patton) working to force Barry to use up his speed.

Ralph enlists Cisco (Carlos Valdes) into helping him hack into a security system at a socialite breakfast when they run into Sue again. Using clues Cisco found, Ralph begins to deduce why Sue treated him the way she did in her last episode.

I was disappointed that Ralph and Sue got only two sequences, but they were really good, and hopefully, Sue gets to meet more of Team Flash. The non-Elongated Man portion was really gripping, building up a lot of tension. Hopefully the editing crew can use the remaining three episodes of Season 6 to do a great conclusion.

Viewers in the US may view "So Long and Goodnight" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV Review: "A Girl Named Sue"

Well, Ralph didn't pop up in "Marathon," the first episode of The Flash to air post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. Would've been nice to see him with Cisco (Carlos Valdes) puzzling over the timeline and geography of the new Earth Prime. Nor did he pop up in "Love Is A Battlefield," although Frost (Danielle Panabaker) did name drop him and his efforts to help her become a better person.

So, that brings us to "A Girl Named Sue." Guess who we meet here? Luckily, the CW released a bumper crop of photos marking the debut of Natalie Dreyfuss as Sue Dearbon, and I'm trying to use them all.

Well, currently Iris (Candice Patton) has been trapped in a Mirror Dimension, witnessing a Mirror version of herself interacting with Barry (Grant Gustin). However, she meets Eva McCulloch (Efrat Dor), the wife of the head of McCulloch Industries who was sent into the mirror six years ago during the Particle Accelerator explosion that created the Flash. Remembering their run in with a different version of Mirror Master in Season 3, Iris tries to help Eva escape.

Ralph, meanwhile, finally finds Sue after searching for her for nine months, which about lines up with the date of the Season 5 finale to now. He finds her in an apartment and manages to be there when there's an explosion. She manages to jump away from the blast.

Questioning her, she reveals she's being targeted by her ex, John Loring, a rich man running a criminal empire in the area. She is trying to get him exposed and captured so she can finally go home to her family without worrying about him targeting them.

Meanwhile, the Mirror Iris is up to some strange plot to reveal McCulloch Industries, but also runs into Nash Wells (Tom Cavanagh), who's been holding down STAR Labs while Cisco's away, but is also seeing visions of Harry Wells, his counterpart from the former Earth-2. Barry is also working with Joe (Jesse L. Martin) on some leads from Iris, which reveals moles inside Central City's police department.

So, "A Girl Named Sue" delivers a very different Sue from the one we knew in the comics. No longer is she just the woman with a rich background who wants to sit out cases. She wants to be in the thick of it, and as she and Ralph discover, they have points that complement each other.

Natalie Dreyfuss is deliciously energetic and clicks with Hartley Sawyer right away, which works very well for the storytelling. I look forward to seeing more of them and their relationship develop!

Sue's plot looks as if it will tie into the big bad story arc this season, and I look forward to seeing her hopefully work more with Ralph and Team Flash.

Well, given how large Team Flash has become, the show is having to have some cast members not appear in each episode (Danielle Panabaker wasn't present in this episode as either Caitlin Snow or Frost, and Tom Cavanagh only appeared in one scene), I might have to retract my determination to do biweekly reviews and just blog when we have an episode that uses Ralph. I will hold off if an episode just has him there and doesn't notably use him.

Viewers in the US may view "A Girl Named Sue" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV Review: "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Parts 4-5/Looking Ahead To The Flash Season 6B

If you missed my review of parts 1-3 or just want to read it again, here it is, because we're jumping back into the coverage.

However, to honestly talk about these, I need to drop a spoiler for the end of Part 3 of the crossover, in fact, this will be very spoilery: at the end, the Anti-Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) wipes out Earth-1, the final remaining Earth. The Paragons are sent to the Vanishing Point, a point outside of Time. Suddenly, Superman (Brandon Routh) is replaced with Lex Luthor (John Cryer), who made himself a Paragon by altering the Book of Destiny. This makes the other Paragons Supergirl/Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), the Flash/Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), Batwoman/Kate Kane (Ruby Rose), Ryan Choi (Osric Chau), White Canary/Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) and the Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onzz (David Harewood).

The episode of Arrow finds the Paragons at the Vanishing Point, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), having become the Specter, helps Barry use the Speed Force to send the Paragons on missions throughout time as they head to the Dawn of Time in a final effort to save the universe.

The crossover concluded on Legends of Tomorrow as the Paragons awaken on Earth to find everything back to normal. Kind of. Supergirl, Superman (Tyler Hoechlin), J'onn and Black Lightning (Cress Williams) discover that they now share the same Earth as the Flash and the Legends. However, Sara can't seem to find Oliver. Luckily, the Anti-Monitor is gone for good. ... Right?

Overall, as a fan of the Arrowverse franchise, it was exciting to see this event. It could've used more Ralph (as I say about everything DC), and it was hard not to smile. This isn't quite as epic as the historic comic book event, but that was very much a hard reboot of the DC Universe, while the TV version was in many ways a farewell to Stephen Amell's Oliver Queen. The cameos oddly didn't distract too much from the story, though I expect that people not quite as well-versed in all incarnations of DC in film and TV might not get them.

So, while Ralph didn't appear, he did appear in Part 3, so here's the end of that story, which sets up a new world for him to inhabit, and where he will soon meet Sue Dearbon. Read on after the availability notes for exactly how soon.

For viewers in the US, all episodes of Crisis on Infinite Earths will be available on the CW website and app for free viewing for a limited time, along with bonus materials. The respective episodes of Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow will be on Netflix along with the rest of their seasons after they complete their seasons. Batwoman will be streaming on HBO Max, the yet to debut WarnerMedia-owned subscription streaming service. The individual episodes will be available for purchase on digital vendors. Physical editions of each season are expected to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. There is no word as to if there will be a special release of the event.

Viewers outside of the US will likely have a harder time following the event as the shows have many different licensing agreements.

Looking forward to the rest of The Flash Season 6, it becomes clear when we can expect to meet Sue as episode 12 of the season is titled "A Girl Named Sue," airing February 18. However, I believe Sue may turn up earlier. We'll just have to keep our eyes peeled. There will be a brand new "big bad" for the rest of the season and new plots.

The kicker is that we'll have to wait some time for this one as not only is this the third episode of "Season 6B," but The Flash won't be back for a couple more weeks as Arrow wraps up and Legends of Tomorrow returns to its Tuesday night post-The Flash slot.

So, TV reviews will be back on February 11 with reviews of "Marathon" and "Love is a Battlefield" (unless Ralph doesn't appear), and then February 18 for "A Girl Named Sue."

EDIT: Turns out, the just released trailer for the next episode actually showed us our first look at Sue! I took the liberty of making a screenshot. Again, all rights belong to Warner Brothers/DC Comics/The CW, etc.

 And here's a shot of Ralph from the same trailer. Looking forward to seeing this episode!

TV Review: "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Parts 1-3

Crisis on Infinite Earths is quite the most ambitious crossover yet attempted for the CW's Arrowverse series. As a reminder, Arrow began as a grounded take on the superhero Green Arrow. But the second season of the series saw police detective Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) go to Starling City and meet the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell). The next season would see The Flash debut, becoming a hit with audiences. The two shows would cross over frequently despite differing tones. During the following season, the TV series Supergirl would debut and cross over with The Flash, which was exploring the concept of the multiverse. (Supergirl's earth would be an alternate world from the one where Oliver and Barry served as heroes.) Then, Legends of Tomorrow debuted, seeing characters from the first two shows become time travelers. The four shows would cross over for a major story each year. The CW would add Black Lightning to its lineup, but Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) would have adventures in a world seemingly separate from the rest of the "Arrowverse" as it had become called. Last year's crossover "Elseworlds" introduced Batwoman (Ruby Rose) who would begin her own show the next season.

Crisis had been teased since the first season of The Flash, as the comic event it was based on saw the end of the multiverse, beginning DC Comics continuity anew. It would also see the deaths of Barry Allen and Supergirl. Barry's disappearance during the Crisis was hinted at from the start, with the Crisis originally dated for 2024, the show seemingly hoping to run for ten seasons. However, the events of the fifth season of The Flash saw the Crisis move back to 2019.

Arrow has been leading to Crisis by having Oliver do tasks for the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) and his adult children are sent back in time to help him. The Flash has seen Barry learn that in order to save the world, he will have to die and his team begins preparing for a world without him, including Ralph, of course. So, Crisis will seemingly pick up where last week's Arrow and The Flash left off, with red skies dawning on Earth-1.

The first three episodes of Crisis aired this week, with over a month break until the last two air next month back to back on January 14.

In the Supergirl episode, the multiverse faces red skies. Argo City is destroyed, with Harbinger (Audrey Marie Anderson) rescuing Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) at the last moment. Heroes band together on Supergirl's Earth-38 as a mass evacuation is staged before its destruction. As the heroes strive to buy enough time, one of them makes the ultimate sacrifice.

The story continued on Batwoman as the Monitor tasked the heroes to find the Paragons of Courage and Truth, sending them to different earths to meet alternate incarnations of Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Superman (Tom Welling and Brandon Routh). Meanwhile, Oliver's daughter Mia (Katherine McNamara) and Sara (Caity Lotz) enlist the aid of John Constantine (Matt Ryan) in finding a Lazarus Pit.

Finally, The Flash saw many of the supporting casts of the shows, including Team Flash (including Ralph), join the heroes as they find the final paragon, Ryan Choi (Osric Chau). Cisco (Carlos Valdes) has his Vibe powers restored by the Monitor as he helps Barry and Pariah (Tom Cavanagh) find the Anti-Monitor's weapon, running into the Flash of Earth-90 (John Wesley Shipp) and Black Lightning.

Things end on a grim cliffhanger, which fans will be speculating on for over a month as Parts 4 and 5 won't be airing until January 14, 2020.

So, I think I'm a bit overdue to get another comic blog out.

For viewers in the US, all episodes of Crisis on Infinite Earths will be available on the CW website and app for free viewing for a limited time, along with bonus materials. The respective episodes of Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow will be on Netflix along with the rest of their seasons after they complete their seasons. Batwoman will be streaming on HBO Max, the yet to debut WarnerMedia-owned subscription streaming service. The individual episodes will be available for purchase on digital vendors. Physical editions of each season are expected to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. There is no word as to if there will be a special release of the event.

Viewers outside of the US will likely have a harder time following the event as the shows have many different licensing agreements.

TV Review: "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen" Parts 1 and 2

"License to Elongate" ended with Ralph being attacked by Dr. Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy). The first part of "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen" kicks in with a spectacular fight pitting Ralph against Ramsey that almost looked like an Infantino fight scene come to life. Sadly, Ramsey infects Ralph, which means Barry (Grant Gustin) has to do a blood transfusion to save him. This cures Ralph, though sending him off to a "secure medical facility" for the rest of the story.

However, the transfusion exposed Barry to Rosso's infection, which he has to fight as he enters feverish hallucinations. (Ralph is back for some of these.) Grant Gustin proves himself to be an acting powerhouse as hallucinations of Ramsey tempt Barry of the possibilities of if he accepts the infection, while the Speed Force takes the form of his mother Nora (Michelle Harrison), encouraging him to fight it.

Meanwhile, Allegra (Kayla Compton) confronts Iris (Candice Patton) with the fact that she knows Barry is the Flash as they track down a series of crimes seemingly committed by Allegra's cousin Esperanza (Alexa Barajas).

Part Two opened with Central City facing a disaster as Bloodwork infects more people, aided by the turned Barry. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) scrambles to get together a cure while Iris attempts to help Barry fight the infection. Meanwhile, Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) and Allegra take on the hordes of people Bloodwork has infected.

Ralph sadly did not appear in Part 2, which was focusing on how Team Flash would be able to make the tough calls without Barry. This is likely why we got a Ralph-centric episode just before this one. I was hoping that Ralph would return near the end as it's confirmed that he will be in the crossover beginning next week.

Overall, the midseason finale was a good ending for the Bloodwork storyline, with Team Flash showing they can step up to the challenge when it presents itself. Just wish Ralph had played a bigger part. I typically don't review episodes in which Ralph doesn't appear, but reviewing Part 1 without Part 2 would be a little weird.

Tune in next week for a review of the first three parts of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Viewers in the US may view both parts of "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV Review: "License to Elongate"

Danielle Panabaker returns to the director's chair for this episode, which features Ralph finally heading to Midway City to follow a lead on Sue Dearbon. Barry (Grant Gustin) goes with him, crashing a party for supervillains. Barry is there to help Ralph so he can get back to Central City for a deposition, which is actually going to be the Flash officially introducing the Elongated Man as Central City's new protector. However, host Remington Meister (Carlo Rota) decides to take matters into his own hands with the party crashers.

Meanwhile, Cecile (Daniele Nicolet) and Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) help Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight) reclaim his identity and romance his crush. "Nash" Wells (Tom Cavanagh) teams up with Allegra (Kayla Compton) to find the secret of the Monitor, believing him to be a fraud.

Barry and Ralph's scenes are delightful, riffing on James Bond movies but also playing some good character beats for both characters. Even though they're not even using their powers. No, no last minute added glimpses of Sue, but Ralph does factor into a cliffhanger. Also, the setting reminded me of the story of how Ralph met Sue in the comics by crashing a party she was attending.

Next week, part one of the two-part midseason finale before Crisis on Infinite Earths begins. Which means I'll be covering both parts of the finale two weeks from now. See you then. Or come back for the next comic break down. It's a good one.

Viewers in the US may view "License to Elongate" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV Review: "There Will Be Blood" and "Kiss, Kiss, Breach, Breach"

When we last left Team Flash, Barry (Grant Gustin) had just dropped the bombshell that in order to see the universe survive the upcoming Crisis, he must die. So "There Will Be Blood" finds the team struggling to figure out how they'll live with themselves knowing that their time with Barry is coming to an end.

Cisco (Carlos Valdes) teams up with Barry and "Nash" Wells (Tom Cavanagh) as Barry seeks to create a way to keep Dr. Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy) alive as he seeks a cure for the HRH virus. However, Cisco is hesitant to willingly help, deciding to put his efforts to saving Barry instead.

In a B-plot, Iris (Candie Patton) has a lead on Sue Dearbon for Ralph, but the detective seems uninterested. If he can't save Barry, what's the point of finding someone who's eluded him for months?

The main plot finally reveals the villainous side of Rosso to the team with some creepy scenes included. It's very nice to see The Flash handle a much shorter "big bad" arc. Ralph's plot, hinting strongly to his future, felt a bit like several of his Season 4 episodes. But the despair Team Flash feels at finding out Barry's fate is a surprisingly natural feeling turn rather than the forced repeating we got in Season 4.

"Kiss, Kiss, Breach, Breach" sees Barry and Iris go on vacation, leaving Cisco in charge. Ralph goes to patrol Central City with Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker), who's intent on finding Dr. Ramsey Rosso. Meanwhile, Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) finds "Nash" in the underground tunnels of Central City and they find themselves trapped.

The main plot sees the return of Breacher (Danny Trejo) as he seeks Cisco's help in finding the murderer of Gypsy, Cisco's former girlfriend. When Cisco manages to use a mechanical replica of his Vibe powers to see the past, he sees Gypsy's killer... himself.

Given Ralph's absence in promo photos and advertisements, I was afraid he wouldn't be appearing, and yeah, he mainly played a supporting role. But the main plot was fairly strong in building Cisco as a hero on his own, even without his powers.

The Flash is taking a break next week, but will be back on the 19th with a Ralph-centric episode. Which means it'll be getting a review all to itself!

Viewers in the US may view "There Will Be Blood" and "Kiss, Kiss, Breach, Breach" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV Review: "A Flash of the Lightning" and "Dead Man Running"

All right. Unless we get major episodes of The Flash to discuss (like the season premiere two weeks ago) or they feature Ralph heavily, I'm gonna just do biweekly reviews.

"A Flash of the Lightning" saw Barry (Grant Gustin) trying to determine the truth of the Monitor's (LaMonica Garrett) prediction that he will die in the upcoming Crisis. Unable to travel in time, he heads to Earth-3 where Jay Garrick (John Wesley Shipp) and his wife Joan Williams (Michelle Harrison, who also played Barry's deceased mother Nora Allen) help Barry look forward in time.

Meanwhile, Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) is unimpressed at an art gallery Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Ralph have brought her to. Our two friends on Team Flash try to figure out why Killer Frost is so icy towards art.

Cecile (Daniele Nicolet) has apprehended a young metahuman woman named Allegra (Kayla Campton) who was identified as a murderer. However, Cecile's powers are indicating that the suspect is not guilty. But as the victim was killed with blasts of ultraviolet radiation—a possibility of Allegra's power—who else could it have been?

"A Flash of the Lightning" keeps up good, character-building stories that stay contained to one episode while doing justice to the characters we know and love, often even better as Barry becomes more self-reliant in figuring out how to handle the tasks he faces as a superhero.

"Dead Man Running" saw a nice Ralph plot as we met his mother, Debbie (Amy Pietz). She has been identified as a perpetrator of an armed robbery. However, Ralph discovers that his mother has been lying to him about her ex-boyfriends by saying they died. The two need to be honest with each other.

Meanwhile, Barry helps Killer Frost deal with the news that the Crisis will be happening sooner than they thought as they help Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy) deal with an undead metahuman.

Finally, Allegra gets a lead on a surprisingly alive Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh)—the Earth-1 version actually died many years ago, being replaced by a disguised Eobard Thawne, who "died" during the first season's finale—but Iris (Candice Patton) knows that this is a version of Wells from a different world in the Multiverse and takes it upon herself to find him, but doesn't tell Allegra the truth.

"Dead Man Running" offered a good look at Ralph's past as we look forward to his future. In addition, we're building nicely towards Bloodwork's ultimate goal and leading up to Crisis. In addition, we're delving into Killer Frost's character as she is given control of Caitlin's body for the time being. So far, so good this season.

Viewers in the US may view "A Flash of the Lightning" and "Dead Man Running" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV review: "Into The Void"

The Flash is back for Season 6, and returning as a regular is Hartley Sawyer as Ralph Dibny.

Last season's finale teased that Sue Dearbon would be showing up this season, however the new show runner Eric Wallace has confirmed that she'll debut in the latter portion of the season, after the crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths. No casting has yet been announced. He did also mention that there is potential for Ralph and Sue to be spun off into their own show, which is exciting to think that a beloved more obscure DC hero has enough goodwill to possibly lead a TV series.

However, clips and set photographs of Ralph reveal him in action as Elongated Man and even seemingly in front of the Central City Police Department with new chief Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) behind him. So we'll have to see where Ralph's plotlines go this season.

So, the debut episode of Season 6 begins to set up the season. The show runner has mentioned that they will be doing two main plotlines, one before Crisis and one afterward.

 
The cast and crew teased that the episode would pick up right where the previous finale left off, and that's true, but there's shortly a time jump to the future. Barry (Grant Gustin) apprehends a Godspeed lookalike, with Cisco (Carlos Valdes) mentioning that several of these doppelgangers have been appearing lately. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) finds her trying to bring out her metahuman alter ego Killer Frost troublesome as she tries to help console her fellow scientist Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy) who will become the Season 6, Part 1 Big Bad Bloodwork, who has lost his mother.

Looking for a tub that her father threw out, Iris (Candice Patton) is nearly sucked into a black hole that mysteriously opened. These begin to appear around Central City with Team Flash having to find out what's causing them and how to stop them.

Ralph is back this season with dialogue confirming he went to Opal City for a missing persons case, "a summer spent rubbing Rolexes with the wealthy elite..." He was looking for leads on the disappearance of Sue Dearbon, mentioning that her parents seemed desperate to find their daughter. From what it sounds like, Sue's case is ongoing, but we know we're still in for a wait before we actually see her. But it is confirmed that the Arrowverse Sue will still come from a wealthy background, just as her original comics counterpart.

Later, Ralph tricks Killer Frost into a talk, trying to get her to admit to why she hasn't been helping Caitlin, and later he and Killer Frost go out to help evacuate part of Central City when a black hole appears.

The episode plays so neatly with threads left from the last season that it feels more like a continuation rather than a new start, even with a new show runner. Of course, it should, but there's typically been some major event going on with The Flash to shake up the status quo, but really it's just Team Flash continuing on. Which, really, is probably good as the end of the episodes sees the return of the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) who reveals that the Crisis that the Flash disappears in will now be happening much sooner than they thought.

Also, there's a long-overdue use of a particular song by Queen.

Viewers in the US may view "Into the Void" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2020.

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

TV Review: "Gone Rogue," "The Girl With The Red Lightning" and "Legacy"

Here we go with the last three episodes of the fifth season of The Flash. I'm going to guess that perhaps the writers and producers heard some of the fan cry for Season 4 and decided to cut Ralph back to a more supporting character this season. As Ralph has evolved past his sleazy self, it seems many fans have found that Ralph in smaller doses has worked better for them. To yours truly, I know, showing Ralph using his powers means they have to spend money on visual effects. But we had several episodes at a time without him using them at all, so I'd expect several viewers might even forget that he's the Elongated Man.

To me, a far bigger slight to Ralph was the introduction of Sherloque Wells, a detective character. Ralph is a detective character, and a lot of the deductions Sherloque made could've been given to Ralph or other characters. I get that the show loves having Tom Cavanagh around, but in this case, they brought him back to create a new character to take a role in the plot that could've gone to Ralph. I don't know how else they could've utilized Tom, but there certainly could've been a way that didn't undercut another character's development.

In any case, looks like Ralph will still be around for Season 6 and possibly onward in the Arrowverse. Let's hope they do our boy better next season.

 In "Gone Rogue," a Negative Speed Force-influenced Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) having become a villain and teams up with Joss Jackam/Weather Witch (Reina Hardesty), Brie Larvan/Bug-Eyed Bandit (Emily Kinney) and Peter Merkel/Rag Doll (Troy James, voiced by Phil LaMarr) to steal a "mirror gun" from McCulloch Technologies. However, once Nora's powers get dampened, her new crew turns on her. It's up to Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris (Candice Patton) to try to save her.

Meanwhile, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) and Ralph discover that the new Cicada has stolen prototypes of the metahuman cure. During their investigation, they have a conversation in which Ralph says he feels he's not destined to have a true romantic relationship of his own and he's all right with that. Caitlin then assures Ralph of his good qualities and that he's worthy of a relationship. (Ralph then comically tells Caitlin that he's not interested in her romantically, and she quickly rebuffs that idea.)

While this episode had some good moments, the overall Rogues team up—a concept many fans have wanted to see—was a bit underwhelming.

 Next in "The Girl With The Red Lightning," Nora uses the Negative Speed Force to tap into Cicada 2's (Sarah Carter) mind and try to find where she is as she prepares to unleash a device that'll kill every metahuman in the country. In addition, Cisco (Carlos Valdes) has found a way to use the mirror gun to destroy Cicada's dagger.

Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Cecile (Daniele Nicolet) begin letting metahumans who want to take the cure come to Central City Police Department for it. Sherloque (Tom Cavanagh) tries to get his new girlfriend Renee Adler (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) to take the cure.

Ralph, meanwhile, does his own deductions of what they know about the future, Eobard Thawne, Cicada's plans and realizes that something doesn't add up.

This episode proved an exciting and surprisingly well-balanced way to begin to pull the season's plotlines together for the finale. And seeing Ralph's detective skills finally get used was great.

That brings us to "Legacy." With Ralph having revealed to Team Flash that Cicada and Eobard Thawne's plans are linked in a big way, the question is how to stop both Cicada and the Reverse Flash?

The finale brought twists and surprises as well as a number of fan theories panning out. The stage is set for an interesting Season 6, and also some teases for the next CW Arrowverse crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths. Ralph got a few chances to shine. Some spoilers after the availability notes.

Viewers in the US may view "Gone Rogue," "The Girl With The Red Lightning," and "Legacy" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire fifth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix in June, 2019. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2019.

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

SPOILER TALK!

Sherloque hailed Ralph's detective skills and assured Team Flash that they have a great detective on their team. Hopefully we get to see even more of that next season. In addition, Team Flash has seemingly lost a member as Cisco revealed his superhero identity to his girlfriend and then opted to take the metahuman cure. While Cisco's brand of humor will be missed, this leaves a space for Ralph to have more time as a secondary character next season. Speaking of next season, we got a major tease for Ralph as he looks over a new file in his office, with the focus lingering on the name on the file...

We're getting Sue next season!

TV Review: "Godspeed" and "Snow Pack"

There were a few reasons to lump these two reviews together. One is that they very much are two very linked parts of the season's story on The Flash. The other is that in the former episode, Ralph is present, but does little more than stand around with the rest of Team Flash.

Not to diss "Godspeed," which marked the directorial debut of Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost). It was a fairly solid episode. But the focus in it was on Nora's (Jessica Parker Kennedy) origins in the future as she discovers she's a speedster when she runs across the villainous Godspeed (BD Wong) and why she turned to Eobard Thawne (Tom Cavanagh) for advice. For me, a fan of Ralph, it was a little disappointing to see him present but nearly unused.

As it leads into the next episode's main story, "Godspeed" ended with Barry (Grant Gustin) returning Nora to the future, forbidding her to return, claiming he'll sense it in the Speed Force if she does. But this is The Flash and there's still a few more episodes before the finale. So that takes us into the plot of "Snow Pack"

Iris (Candice Patton) is upset with Barry on how he treated Nora without consulting her and winds up teaming up with Ralph to use a time sphere to find Nora in the future, while Nora seeks a way to return to the past without her father sensing it.

Meanwhile, Caitlin's mother Carla Tannhauser (Susan Walters) is attacked by Icicle, the metahuman alterego of Thomas Snow, Caitlin's father (Kyle Secor). Soon, it becomes clear that Icicle is trying to activate icy methuman abilities in his ex-wife and daughter. It's up to Barry with the help of Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Sherloque (Tom Cavanagh) to prevent Icicle's plot.

This episode set up some good material for further episodes and both episodes had great acting by the entire cast, with Grant and Candice particularly having some meaty moments. But Hartley's Ralph was delightful and got a couple good moments to use his powers this week.

Viewers in the US may view "Godspeed" and "Snow Pack" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire fifth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix in June, 2019. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2019.

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

TV Review: "Time Bomb"

Well, last week's The Flash saw Ralph return! With no explanation of where he'd been.

Well, the important thing is, he's there.

The previous episode saw a surprise as Cicada/Orlin Dwyer (Chris Klein) was convinced by Barry (Grant Gustin) to take the metahuman cure. Just after it was administered and took effect, however, S.T.A.R. Labs was attacked by another Cicada who abducted Orlin. In the closing moments this second Cicada revealed herself to be an adult Grace Gibbons (Sarah Carter).

In this episode, Team Flash is able to discover that this second Cicada is from the future, having used a stolen time sphere to travel back in time. They even deduce who she is and discover that she's specifically targeting the metahuman who accidentally killed her parents, even though that particular one is a wife and mother.

Meanwhile, Eobard Thawne (Tom Cavanagh) has advised Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) to tell Barry about their working together. However, Sherloque (Tom Cavanagh) is getting ready to tell Team Flash his own deductions.

As for Ralph? He's a little too catty around Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and his new girlfriend Kamilla (Victoria Park), openly talking about working with the team, and gets Kamilla in touch with Iris (Candice Patton) for some photography work. Cisco doesn't appreciate Ralph being this open and bringing his girlfriend into his superhero life. However, Ralph points out that if Cisco is keeping part of his life hidden from Kamilla, he's not sharing everything about him with her.

I thought that moment begins to nicely set Ralph up as the character we know from the comics. With this outlook, it would make sense for him to openly share his superhero life with his wife and maybe even stop having a secret identity.

The Flash will be on break until April 16. This episode left us on an exciting note, leaving us eagerly awaiting its return.

Viewers in the US may view "Time Bomb" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire fifth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix in June, 2019. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2019.

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

TV Review: "Goldfaced" and "Cause and XS"

So, I'm a couple episodes behind on reviewing The Flash... Luckily, it's just a couple. There's been three episodes since, but as we're an Elongated Man blog and Hartley Sawyer didn't appear in the exciting but uneven "King Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd," we'll skip that one.

Ralph featured heavily in "Goldfaced" as he and Barry (Grant Gustin) infiltrate the metahuman underground to get a device that'll stop Cicada. However, they are quickly fitted with power-dampening cuffs and made to help Goldface (Damion Poiter) and his men steal a device capable of 3D-printing organ replacements. Our boys are able to convince us that if The Flash were to get cancelled, they'd be quite capable of leading an action-oriented police drama.

Meanwhile, Iris (Candice Patton) sneaks into Cicada's home and he (Chris Klein) returns to find her there, leading to a confrontation. Also, Sherloque (Tom Cavanagh) begins dating Renee Adler (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) despite the criticism of his ex-wives. Barry and Ralph and Iris' plots were great, the Sherloque one, not so much.

In "Cause and XS," Barry goes into the Speed Force for an hour to complete the metahuman cure, leaving Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) as the resident speedster to protect the city. Also, Cisco (Carlos Valdes) has a date! However, that night, Cicada breaks into Iris' office. When Nora goes to rescue her mother, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) is killed, forcing Nora to run so fast she resets time to just after Barry left. However, despite what she does, one of the S.T.A.R. Labs crew is killed by Cicada, or Cecile (Danielle Nicolet).

This was particularly interesting for Elongated Man fans as there is a shot of Ralph stretching his arm across his office to reach a bottle of Gingold.

The Groundhog Day-like plot proved to be the basis of a good episode, just spoiled by a baffling moment right at the end.

And while it doesn't feature Ralph, "King Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd" is worth a watch for an impressive fight scene as teased by the title.

Viewers in the US may view these episodes at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire fifth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix in June, 2019. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2019.

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

TV Review: "Elseworlds," "Seeing Red" and "Memorabilia"

Okay, okay, so I haven't kept up with the blog. Again, this is a side project for me.

"Elseworlds" was the crossover event between The Flash and its sister shows Arrow and Supergirl. The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) gives the Book of Destiny to Arkham Asylum psychiatrist John Deegan (Jeremy Davies) who uses it to rewrite the reality of Earth-1. This results in Oliver Queen (Arrow star Stephen Amell) to awake in the home of Barry Allen, having Barry's life, powers and identity. The reverse has happened to the real Barry (Grant Gustin), who is now in Oliver's identity.

Team Flash thinks something is up with Oliver and Barry and locks them in the Pipeline, but they break out and manage to get to Earth-38, where Kara Zor-El (Supergirl star Melissa Benoist), Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch in her Arrowverse debut) join them in trying to discover what happened to Earth-1 and how to fix it.

Back on Earth-1, Ralph and Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) face the superpower-copying robot A.M.A.Z.O. and fail, giving the robot their powers and meaning that it's up to Barry and Oliver to make use of each other's abilities as they team up with Superman and Supergirl to destroy the robot.

The crossover continued to Gotham City (for the first time in the Arrowverse) where we meet Batwoman (Ruby Rose) for the first time, stirring interest in her new show. The Flash of Earth-90 (John Wesley Shipp, reprising his role from the 1990 The Flash television series) pops up and informs them that the Monitor used the Book of Destiny to destroy his world. After confronting the Monitor again, Deegan again rewrites reality to make himself into Superman and many of our heroes into dangerous criminals. The heroes again have to reunite to stop Deegan once and for all.

"Elseworlds" proved a really good adventure, not as amazing as "Crisis on Earth-X," but in the final moments of the crossover, it was revealed that the event was a set up for next year's crossover, which will be named after the landmark DC comics crossover, "Crisis on Infinite Earths." This year, they wanted to step back a little.

For our purposes, Ralph only appeared in the first part of the crossover, The Flash episode. And he wasn't seen using his powers. I was a little disappointed as I wanted to see Ralph meet Oliver proper. Instead, there's an identity switch going on.

Ralph did not appear in the next episode of The Flash, "The Flash and the Furious," with Iris (Candice Patton) mentioning that he was visiting his mother. However, in that episode, Cisco comes up with the idea of creating a "cure" for metahumans and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) comes around to the idea of helping him with it.

Ralph did return in "Seeing Red" as Team Flash faces Cicada (Chris Klein) again, but Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) is injured by him, putting her out of commission and leaving Barry enraged. Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) comes up with the idea to get a number of known metahumans out of Central City, which Ralph and Killer Frost assist Barry with. Matthew Norvock (Mark Sweatman), a meta who worked with Amunet Black in Season 4, decides to work with Team Flash after he has a brush with Cicada that leaves a friend of his dead.

When Cicada damages a helicopter intended to lift the metas away, Ralph uses his powers to lift them into it. It was good to see Ralph not only recognizing the situation but also coming up with a solution, even when he and the metas were in grave danger. Some more of this and all that character development in Season 4 would be worth it.

That brings us to "Memorabilia," where using a night off, Ralph tricks Cisco (Carlos Valdes) into going to a bar with him to hang out. Cisco, trying to perfect the metahuman cure, isn't so crazy about this turn of events. Also, Ralph tips Iris (Candice Patton) about an office opening in his building that she can use to grow her blog into a newspaper.

Meanwhile, Sherloque and Caitlin have devised a way for Team Flash to enter the memories of Grace (Islie Hirvonen), Cicada's comatose niece. Wanting to keep her own memories (which would be exposed) hidden from her parents, Nora enters alone, but finds that there's no easy way out.

Season five has begun to be a little uneven, but so far, no truly horrible episodes.

Viewers in the US may view these episodes at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire fifth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix in June, 2019. Digital versions of the episodes 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, 2019.

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