What I’m Watching: The Flash

The Flash: Season 1, Episode 7 “Power Outage” (B+)

I suppose it had to happen eventually that Barry would lose his powers just as he needed them most to save Iris and Joe. That inevitable plotline didn’t pan out poorly, however, and Barry’s humanity and energy made it work pretty well. What we got as a result was a vision of Dr. Wells and just how obsessed he is with keeping the Flash alive and functioning that he’s willing to do anything in the pursuit of that, no matter who it affects. Freeing Tony so that he could serve as a distraction was particularly callous, and he exposed the darker side of himself to Barry, which could prove problematic for the near future. Fortunately, Barry’s humanity and kindness allowed him to regain his powers at just the right moment to save the day, taking out the latest criminal who wasn’t necessarily a bad guy but couldn’t deal with his new state of being. The hostage situation at the precinct felt a bit more dated and unsophisticated than other parts of this show usually do, but what made it work was the fact that the time-centric criminal wasn’t insane but instead just intensely focused on the mission at hand. Joe being able to identify his every literary reference was cool since it adds prestige to a character defined most of the time merely by his nobility, and Iris even got the chance to think on her feet and prove more than capable of saving herself without the assistance of a familiar but unavailable red blur.