The Runaway Dinosaur
- Episode aired May 10, 2016
- TV-PG
- 42m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
Iris volunteers to act as the bait in a plan to trap Girder in S.T.A.R. Labs; Barry struggles to go back to his old life.Iris volunteers to act as the bait in a plan to trap Girder in S.T.A.R. Labs; Barry struggles to go back to his old life.Iris volunteers to act as the bait in a plan to trap Girder in S.T.A.R. Labs; Barry struggles to go back to his old life.
Nicholas Gonzalez
- Rupture
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaKevin Smith talked about the experience of directing the episode on SModcast 350: Scan BC-ing Ya'! podcast. He described the experience as fantastic, giving a lot of credit to the whole crew saying he served more as an advisor/motivator for the team who, according to him, had it pretty much covered. He hopes to come back to direct more episodes.
- GoofsWhen Tony attacks the car outside the Big Belly Burger, a sign can be seen behind him for a check cashing business which uses the Canadian spelling "cheque" instead of the American spelling.
- Quotes
Joe West: How are you feeling?
Wally West: Tired, but fine, I guess.
Joe West: So you don't notice anything different?
Wally West: Uh, no.
Joe West: I mean, I want you to know you can come and talk to me if you're scared or... you have questions about how your body's changing.
Iris West: Oh...
Wally West: I think you're a little late for the puberty talk, Dad. I've seen the Internet.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Flash: Standing the Test of Time (2022)
Featured review
Four Ghosts
What a trippy episode directed by the king of all nerds, Kevin Smith. It wasn't the stunner that was last week's episode, but it did have some great emotional moments from Grant Gustin, and the beginnings of Jesse's journey as a speedster. As much as it felt weird to not have Zoom be the center focus, especially with only a few episodes left, there was more than enough material to hold us over till next week.
Last week's cliffhanger left us wondering how exactly Barry would get out of the speed force, but Jesse and Wally's fate were also up in the air. Of course, no one expected anyone to die, but I think we all wanted to know whether or not they would end up with speed like their comic book counterparts. While Wally was sidelined for most of the episode as usual, Jesse sure seems to have some form of speed.
While Team Flash was trying to figure out how to help Jesse and bring Barry back, Tony Woodward aka Girder was brought back as a zombie due to the particle accelerator explosion last week. Girder was the main villain of one of my least favorite Flash episodes last season, so I was less than excited to see him return. Luckily, his presence wasn't portrayed as cheesy as it was last season. Tony was after Iris and they were forced to set up a trap to lure him back into Star Labs. This was mostly just so that Barry could have someone to fight when he gets back, but it didn't logically make any sense. Tony saw Iris in the morgue when he initially woke up, so why did he leave in the first place?
Meanwhile, Barry spent the majority of the episode trapped in the speed force. It seemed like an undeniably difficult task to portray on screen, but I loved the way Kevin Smith and the crew portrayed the speed force. It very much resembled Oliver's journey in the Arrow episode, 'Three Ghosts'. Barry dealt with Joe, Iris, and his parents through the speed force and finally reconciled with his choices last season of letting his mother die to keep the events of the show in order, just as Oliver was forced to come to grips with the ghosts of his past in 'Three Ghosts'.
It was nice seeing Michelle Harrison return as Nora Allen as she shared a few touching moments with Grant Gustin. Much like Iris getting over Eddie in a random episode this season, Barry's moments with his family kind of felt out of the ordinary, but that didn't prevent those scenes from having an emotional impact.
It's worth mentioning that Iris and Cisco had some nice moments together in both dealing with Tony and attempting to bring back Barry. The former had her weekly romantic-tease with Barry for the online 'shippers', but I didn't mind the moment at Nora Allen's grave all that much either. I'm beginning to accept the direction they are taking Barry and Iris, even if it's not what I think is best for the show. Overall, it was a good follow up to last week's shocker, even if not everything added up the way I would have liked.
On a side note, I think Henry's "I'm not going anywhere" line all but confirms his death this season. With the man under the mask likely being John Wesley Shipp, his death would still open the door for Shipp's return down the line. Lastly, the ending shot of Zoom's villain line up was strange. Why does he think he needs all of their help? At this point, he doesn't even know Barry has his speed back.
+Trippy speed force
+Jesse gets her speed
+Cisco and Iris
-Tony's arc doesn't entirely make sense
8.4/10
Last week's cliffhanger left us wondering how exactly Barry would get out of the speed force, but Jesse and Wally's fate were also up in the air. Of course, no one expected anyone to die, but I think we all wanted to know whether or not they would end up with speed like their comic book counterparts. While Wally was sidelined for most of the episode as usual, Jesse sure seems to have some form of speed.
While Team Flash was trying to figure out how to help Jesse and bring Barry back, Tony Woodward aka Girder was brought back as a zombie due to the particle accelerator explosion last week. Girder was the main villain of one of my least favorite Flash episodes last season, so I was less than excited to see him return. Luckily, his presence wasn't portrayed as cheesy as it was last season. Tony was after Iris and they were forced to set up a trap to lure him back into Star Labs. This was mostly just so that Barry could have someone to fight when he gets back, but it didn't logically make any sense. Tony saw Iris in the morgue when he initially woke up, so why did he leave in the first place?
Meanwhile, Barry spent the majority of the episode trapped in the speed force. It seemed like an undeniably difficult task to portray on screen, but I loved the way Kevin Smith and the crew portrayed the speed force. It very much resembled Oliver's journey in the Arrow episode, 'Three Ghosts'. Barry dealt with Joe, Iris, and his parents through the speed force and finally reconciled with his choices last season of letting his mother die to keep the events of the show in order, just as Oliver was forced to come to grips with the ghosts of his past in 'Three Ghosts'.
It was nice seeing Michelle Harrison return as Nora Allen as she shared a few touching moments with Grant Gustin. Much like Iris getting over Eddie in a random episode this season, Barry's moments with his family kind of felt out of the ordinary, but that didn't prevent those scenes from having an emotional impact.
It's worth mentioning that Iris and Cisco had some nice moments together in both dealing with Tony and attempting to bring back Barry. The former had her weekly romantic-tease with Barry for the online 'shippers', but I didn't mind the moment at Nora Allen's grave all that much either. I'm beginning to accept the direction they are taking Barry and Iris, even if it's not what I think is best for the show. Overall, it was a good follow up to last week's shocker, even if not everything added up the way I would have liked.
On a side note, I think Henry's "I'm not going anywhere" line all but confirms his death this season. With the man under the mask likely being John Wesley Shipp, his death would still open the door for Shipp's return down the line. Lastly, the ending shot of Zoom's villain line up was strange. Why does he think he needs all of their help? At this point, he doesn't even know Barry has his speed back.
+Trippy speed force
+Jesse gets her speed
+Cisco and Iris
-Tony's arc doesn't entirely make sense
8.4/10
- ThomasDrufke
- May 9, 2016
- Permalink
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