Title: The Flash: “So Long and Goodnight” Review
Release Date: April 21st, 2020
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
After a long hiatus, The Flash is back for a few more episodes before ending the season early due to the coronavirus pandemic. This means “So Long and Goodnight” has kicked off the final stretch of the season. Unfortunately, this episode brought up some concerns I have going into the end of season 6. Let’s start with the good parts and work our way from there.
The concept of Barry losing his speed and having to ration out his abilities is really compelling. It feels like every action scene Barry is in could be the moment where he loses the rest of his speed. It also adds a little weight to the villain of the week action scenes that can sometimes grow tedious. On top of that, this storyline has managed to successfully nerf Barry for a couple of episodes without creating a ton of plot holes. Hilariously enough, they’ve been trying to do that for years.
Rag Doll was another huge positive of the episode for me. This character is creepy in all the right ways from the mask to those uncomfortable bone-breaking sound effects. Troy James, who is the man under the mask and a contortionist himself, is exceptional at making those movements as inhuman as possible. Right now, the villain is perfect in this one or two appearance per season role. Always leave the viewer wanting a little more.
Joe West getting to be a badass and the clear MVP of an episode will always be a win.
It sucks to see Joe sidelined but this was a fantastic way to write him off for a while. I’m not sure why Cecile and Jenna didn’t go with him though seeing as Rag Doll purposefully went after Joe’s family. I guess Cecile probably plays a bigger role later this season?
Finally, I’m enjoying where we’re going with Mirror Master and most of her story. It seems that she wants to be the one to take down her husband instead of joining up with him. Although a lot of people theorized that Singh was a Mirror clone, it was still a fun reveal. I’m very curious to see where this is going. What are her exact motives going forward? How long has Singh been a Mirror clone? Hopefully, we at least get some answers before the season ends.
Where “So Long and Goodnight” began to lose me was with Mirror Iris and Barry. Look, I get it. Barry has a lot going on and he’s distracted. But it’s way too obvious that something is off about Iris. To be honest, this story has probably been stretched out an episode or two too long. As a result, instead of it coming across as an interesting storyline to follow, I’m just getting frustrated by Team Flash being oblivious.
I get that Mirror Iris is trying to drain Barry of his speed. That part makes sense. But that final scene where Mirror Iris kicks Barry out, in particular, was a real head-scratcher. Was I supposed to feel bad about their relationship or Barry himself? If it’s the former, I don’t care about their relationship because it’s not really Iris. And if it’s the latter, you can apply the same reasoning.
On the flip side, Ralph and Sue’s storyline felt rushed. It’s like we went from that cool reveal that Sue is a criminal and in the span of 5 minutes of screen-time, Sue is back as a good-hearted person who can also steal things now. It didn’t help that the comedy scenes with Cisco were really hit-or-miss. That being said, this won’t hurt this specific storyline or the characters in the long-run. It simply didn’t work in this episode.
The same can be said for Nash and Allegra’s minor storyline. Despite “The Exorcism of Nash Wells” doing wonders for the Nash Wells character, I’m still struggling to care about this arc. Furthermore, it’s difficult to care about Allegra as a character. Ever since her introduction, she’s treaded water with no intriguing storyline of her own.
Verdict: “So Long and Goodnight” had the unlucky pleasure of being the first episode back after a long hiatus. While Rag Doll, Joe, and Mirror Master were highlights of the episode, there were too many frustrating moments to give this anything more than a two out of five. Let’s hope that those annoying storylines can move forward quickly and we can wrap-up season 6 on a high note.
The Flash: “So Long and Goodnight” Review
Joe West being awesome for 40+ minutes
Mirror Master’s story
Barry gradually losing his speed is really interesting
Rag Doll is perfect in this one or two appearance per season role
It’s way too obvious that something is off with Iris
That final scene was a head-scratcher
The Nash/Allegra storyline
Sue’s storyline felt rushed
