What I’m Watching: The Flash

The Flash: Season 3, Episode 11 “Dead or Alive” (B+)

There’s no better way than to put off the fear of someone’s impending death than by focusing the even nearer likely demise of another character. HR has always been a bit of a nuisance since he arrived, certainly to Cisco, and there’s a non-seriousness to the character that felt affable but also somewhat out of place in this universe. Who would have thought that he crossed over to another world under penalty of death, something that he was prepared to readily accept as soon as she tracked him down and demanded that he return with her? It was even more surprising to see Cisco rise to his defense before Barry did, and for him to excitedly figure out a way to defeat her, with the help of Julian and the team. Sparing her life was an obvious decision for the do-gooder, and it’s a shame that she opened up a breach to go back to her Earth before they could make something real of their flirting. He always falls for the troublemakers, though maybe Chiara, the exception, will return someday. It was cool to see Iris interpret the death she knew was coming as a present invincibility, walking right into danger and declaring that she wasn’t going to die that day. It’s foolish, of course, but it is relatively invigorating, and she and her brother Kid Flash do make a great time. I like that Barry thinks that Wally can be the one to save Iris, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see all that play out with her surviving just fine soon.