Title: The Flash: “The Icicle Cometh” Review
Release Date: November 20th, 2018
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
The Flash may be having a resurgent year but they have not improved when it comes to finding new ways to give pep talks.
Yes, this episode brought not only the return of Killer Frost but it was also the return of the extremely overused hallway pep talks. It’s been a while since we’ve heard a character say that “I got this” only to proceed to the corridors of Star Labs in an attempt to cool down another character. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this may have been the first hallway talk of season five. I gotta say…I didn’t miss it.
Despite my intense hatred for non-action related hallway scenes, I enjoyed the main arc of “The Icicle Cometh”. Was it a little too obvious that Caitlin’s father was evil? Yeah, but I would argue that the writers were aiming for that. We were supposed to be on Cisco’s side and screaming at Barry for being optimistically stupid. By the way, how is The Flash the dumbest person on his own show?
“The Icicle Cometh” mostly thrived when Caitlin’s story was on-screen. Which is surprising considering how her arc has been one of the most hit or miss parts of the season. The original Team Flash returned for this main story and it brought me back to the show’s first two seasons. Before Kid Flash, XS, Elongated Man, and even Jesse Quick, the focus was just on this group (plus a very evil Harrison Wells). With Cisco becoming Vibe and Caitlin discovering her own alter-ego with Killer Frost, these three haven’t spent all that much time together the past few seasons. It was also interesting to see the photo taken in season one pop back up again. Is this foreshadowing into The Reverse-Flash’s return?
As for Icicle himself, he was…alright. I really don’t know how to put it. It just felt like this should have been a two-part arc. The first being the introduction to Icicle and the second being the attempted takedown of the new Flash Rogue. At least we got another Batman reference with the confirmation that Mr. Freeze exists in the Arrowverse.
Caitlin is getting Killer Frost back as Cisco is losing his ability to Vibe. As I’ve stated numerous times, The Flash suffers from too many heroes on screen at a time. Cisco returning to his old role seemed to be a step in the right direction in fixing this. Caitlin getting her powers back may hurt the show in the long run. We already have Ralph, Nora, and Barry. Adding Killer Frost back into the mix just seems like a step backward (Although I really dug her origin story and her new look).
I’m loving the relationship between Iris and Nora. In previous seasons of The Flash, the move would have been to squeeze out as much drama between the two for about 9-11 episodes before they become best friends. That didn’t really happen here. The issues between the two have already been resolved and you just see flashes (sorry for the pun) of their new relationship this week.
Seeing Sherloque help Nora out was great and it reminded me of something H.R. Wells would do. I’m still banking on the theory that Sherloque is a fraud of some sort because I don’t believe that Tom Cavanagh will keep that ridiculous accent up for the entirety of the season.
The Flash sometimes excels at their comedy. This was not one of those times. Ralph and Cecile “Your Fate” Horton’s subplot fell completely flat. Which really upsets me because those two characters have become two of my favorites. There’s some comedy in here that just made me want to turn off my TV in frustration due to the unneeded cheesy dialogue.
Wrapping up the events of “The Icicle Cometh” is Cicada. I didn’t really see the point in putting him in this episode other than the cool intro and confirming that the little girl in the hospital is his daughter. It appears that the dagger is killing him (or making him stronger?). I’m sorry, I don’t get his powers at all outside of the Mjolnir-like dagger. Hopefully, next week sheds some light on his backstory and his abilities.
Verdict: If a friend’s over and I’m recommending The Flash to them, I can guarantee you that this is not an episode I would show. There are far too many awkward scenes and flat comedic moments for “The Icicle Cometh” to succeed. Even though I was disappointed with this week’s episode, Caitlin’s story and the relationship between the West-Allen family kept me interested to the end.
The Flash: “The Icicle Cometh” Review
Killer Frost’s origins and Icicle
Getting to see the OG Team Flash working together
The relationship between Iris and Nora
Sherloque Wells is growing on me
Most of the main story worked…
…but it felt like it should’ve been a two-parter
Adding Killer Frost back into the mix could be a costly mistake for the season if not handled correctly
Waste of Ralph and Cecile
The terrible comedy filled with cheesy dialogue
Cicada’s story was mostly pointless
