There is no doubt in my mind that this is a perfect episode.
First, to answer a question posed by another reviewer: Why is Ralph Dibney in this outing? Because he's a hero. He may be flawed, but his heart is true, he put himself in harm's way to save Caitlin and Brainstorm. And he's a dick. But we really do love dick, don't we?
Opening scene, opening gifts: come on, BARRY! WAKE UP! You got a knife set without a tag saying who it's from, you open it up and take it out? You put your prints all over it? LET'S ALL SCREAM AT THE TV! BARRY, NOOOO! But, he's far too innocent, he's still in the glow of "Just Married" and all that super speed sex has the both of them spinning. So, despite all the psychic warnings from the audience, the Thinker sets up the final scene.
And the set for the Thinker's lair: What a great use of space and lighting. No BLINKEN LIGHTS, no stupid screens all over the place, no goofy apparati with no apparent function, just minimalist menacing space.
The conversations are innocent enough. DeVoe talks about being a teacher, offering the lesson of the day. Barry, still immature compared to DeVoe's apparent plodding methods, believes that he is in a trap. He doesn't realize it's all part of a bigger plan. It's a plan for DeVoe to ultimately escape the confines of his deteriorating body and change his mind. Literally.
As for Team Flash, Wells shows that when the chips are down, he can be as menacing as the rest of them: "this gun has no safety and my finger is on the trigger", in his best hoarse voice. There's no HR in this Wells. Iris makes the hard decisions. Cisco is hard pressed to over extend the resources at Star Lab. Caitlin shows herself to be resourceful in the face of danger, icy cool in the execution of her plan.
But, it all comes down to a wedding gift in the end. Barry knows now that *this* is DeVoe's trap, and he says to himself "Don't RUN". And even all those witnesses at the house who moments ago were sharing Christmas cheer with him? Uhh, how can they explain his presence? Or his absence?
First, to answer a question posed by another reviewer: Why is Ralph Dibney in this outing? Because he's a hero. He may be flawed, but his heart is true, he put himself in harm's way to save Caitlin and Brainstorm. And he's a dick. But we really do love dick, don't we?
Opening scene, opening gifts: come on, BARRY! WAKE UP! You got a knife set without a tag saying who it's from, you open it up and take it out? You put your prints all over it? LET'S ALL SCREAM AT THE TV! BARRY, NOOOO! But, he's far too innocent, he's still in the glow of "Just Married" and all that super speed sex has the both of them spinning. So, despite all the psychic warnings from the audience, the Thinker sets up the final scene.
And the set for the Thinker's lair: What a great use of space and lighting. No BLINKEN LIGHTS, no stupid screens all over the place, no goofy apparati with no apparent function, just minimalist menacing space.
The conversations are innocent enough. DeVoe talks about being a teacher, offering the lesson of the day. Barry, still immature compared to DeVoe's apparent plodding methods, believes that he is in a trap. He doesn't realize it's all part of a bigger plan. It's a plan for DeVoe to ultimately escape the confines of his deteriorating body and change his mind. Literally.
As for Team Flash, Wells shows that when the chips are down, he can be as menacing as the rest of them: "this gun has no safety and my finger is on the trigger", in his best hoarse voice. There's no HR in this Wells. Iris makes the hard decisions. Cisco is hard pressed to over extend the resources at Star Lab. Caitlin shows herself to be resourceful in the face of danger, icy cool in the execution of her plan.
But, it all comes down to a wedding gift in the end. Barry knows now that *this* is DeVoe's trap, and he says to himself "Don't RUN". And even all those witnesses at the house who moments ago were sharing Christmas cheer with him? Uhh, how can they explain his presence? Or his absence?