What I’m Watching: The Flash

The Flash: Season 3, Episode 20 “I Know Who You Are” (B-)

Listen, I’m a fan of a lot of the twists that this show has produced up until now, namely the reveal that Zoom was actually Jay Garrick, who it turns out wasn’t Jay Garrick at all. I’m not nearly as impressed by the news that the man emerging from the Savitar suit is actually Barry in the future. The notion that all of the good guys are so immensely corruptible because it’s their destiny or their fate or whatever is not convincing to me, and the idea of Barry fighting a fragmented future version of himself just isn’t appealing. We’ll see if that one explains itself in a convincing way, because I doubt it will. I was bothered the entire episode trying to figure out where I knew Dr. Brand from, and all I had to see now was her name, Anne Dudek, to remind me that she was a crucial part of both “House” and “Mad Men” in recurring roles (she was also in “Covert Affairs,” which I didn’t remember). I think she’s a fun addition to the ever-expanding cast, and I like the fact that she and HR have a connection even though their initial flirtation was based on Cisco feeding him scientific lines. Cecile seems like she’s here to stay too, after blurting out that she loved Joe and getting kidnapped as a representative initiation into the club. On a more humorous note, I love that there’s a drink at Jitters called the Zoom which packs quite a punch.

What I’m Watching: The Event

The Event: Season 1, Episode 7 “I Know Who You Are” (D)

When some shows take a week off for whatever reason, you miss them and long for them to come back. This is not one of those shows, though I certainly had hoped that skipping a week might help to improve its quality, or at least my perception of its quality. Instead we get the revelation that another of the President’s highest-ranking advisors is covering up a huge secret. Blake’s wife, as it turns out, was a Russian spy. The way that entire plotline played out was just stupid, and I think there are too many complications distracting from the current events at hand. I find it impossible to believe that Thomas could so speedily be framing someone else as the mole in the president’s entourage, and it also seems to me that someone would be able to discover Simon’s true identity while he was unconscious. The fact that Thomas is Sophia’s daughter is a surprise, sure, but not a relevant one since it doesn’t enhance the surrounding storyline one bit. On the other end of things, I was shocked to see Hal Holbrook, credited previously but unseen, at least by me, until this point, on this show. The 85-year-old actor stopped by “Sons of Anarchy,” and his talents are way above the pedigree of this show. At least he’s in charge of everything, since anything less would be humiliating. Madeline’s continued insistence that she’s not crazy isn’t helping matters, and the fact that Jason and Sarah have lost their only allies is just so frustrating (DA, if you’re reading, what do you think of their plotline?). On top of it all, the end crosses a major line that’s just not okay. Aliens and assassinations I can live with. Creepy children? Nope.