What I’m Watching: The Flash

The Flash: Season 4, Episode 16 “Run, Iris, Run” (B+)

If there’s one thing that this show has done well, it’s giving each of its characters the opportunity to shine with powers of their own. Joe is now the only member of the team who hasn’t been either temporarily or permanently gifted with abilities, since Harry is technically amplifying his brainwaves to give him amplified power of thought. It was Ralph’s own grappling with his mortality and how the odds are looking for his future that made him spur Iris into action because she felt judged for never going into the field, and it just so happened that she got taken hostage and ended up being given Barry’s powers. Though the first few outings didn’t go so smoothly, it was nice to see Iris energized by her speed and accompanied by a purple light of her own, with Jesse’s costume serving as a perfect fit for her brief use. Creating the tidal wave and vanquishing the firestarter after a rough beginning was an impressive final feat, and it’s good to know that she’s now more than satisfied with staying on the sidelines and running point for the team. After seeing so many metas destined for evil just because they were endowed with powers, it was refreshing to see hero paramedic Matthew Kim actually want to help. I’m nervous that he won’t actually be able to take DeVoe’s powers since everything so far has worked out so poorly, and there are still six episodes left until the end of the season. At least the team has two legs up right now with Harry’s successful acquisition of the last two names of the bus metas.