The Flash Episode 3 Season 4 review: Luck Be a Lady.

“Luck Be a Lady” might have my favorite intro that The Flash has done in its entire four-season run. It’s essentially a short story about the origin of this week’s villain, as narrated by the Thinker. (Yes, he looks weirdly like Metron and we don’t really know he’s the Thinker yet, but whatever.) The Thinker is a very grave, laconic speaker, which gives his droll narration a dry underline that just tickles me endlessly. The story is Pushing Daisies–esque in its matter-of-fact delivery of absurdity: Rebecca Sharpe, the unluckiest woman in the world, is dealing with a bout of lactose intolerance when she discovers her live-in boyfriend is cheating on her. Then she loses her job as a blackjack dealer. Becky’s luck is just cosmically bad — until it isn’t.

When we next see Becky Sharpe (a.k.a. Hazard, in DC Comics), she’s gained the power to give everyone else her terrible luck, while coasting along on her own incredibly lucky streak. We see this in great effect as she strolls into a bank robbery, where everything goes wrong for everyone around her: a repairman falls from a ladder and yanks the security camera away, while other people trip, choke, and fail to notice her entirely, as she strolls into an open vault and purloins stacks of cash.

As Becky makes her getaway — in a Prius, no less — the Flash arrives to stop her. But a massive shipment of marbles is being delivered next door and they spill out into the street, causing Barry to completely lose his footing, like a Looney Tunes character.

This is, far and away, the funniest episode of The Flash that I can remember. Becky Sharpe is a genius villain who allows for endless comedic scenarios: The show’s writers get to brainstorm ridiculous Rube Goldberg machines of ill fortune and have the characters race through them all. What’s not to love about that? This is an episode in which Becky’s growing power to cause bad luck means Iris and Barry attempt a shotgun wedding after losing their planned venue to a fire caused by a creme brûlée competition that got out of hand. Then their impromptu ceremony — which completely interrupts an unattended funeral, by the way — also falls apart, because the priest breaks out in hives from the cinnamon in the incense.

“Luck Be a Lady” is almost entirely devoted to straight-up hijinks, and I love it. There’s a tightness to the episode, and little character moments that really make it sing. For example: the return of Harry Wells, the Earth Two version of Harrison Wells, who was a gruff and secretive man of angst and now is mostly just gruff and awkward.

Harry is my favorite version of the Wells character. No disrespect to H.R., but I found him deeply corny in a pretty groundless way that didn’t add a whole lot to Team Flash, except for some great moments in Cisco exasperation. Harry, on the other hand, shares the original Harrison Wells’s duplicitous vibes, but they stemmed from trust issues caused by living in a darker timeline. His journey with Team Flash was one of mutual growth for both him and Barry; it redeemed the man whose face was stolen by Eobard Thawne.

Harry is back, we learn, because he hasn’t had a great time being a team player on Earth Two. He’s too out of sorts and is unable to shed his gruffness, so he got kicked out of the hero biz on his native world. But he’s not just orphaned; he’s here with a holographic projector from Jesse Quick that’s meant for Wally West. Poor Wally is waiting for Jesse in S.T.A.R. Labs’ portal room with flowers and a giant teddy bear, when Wells shows up alone.

The projector is a “breakup cube,” something that’s a huge deal on Earth Two. You send it to someone when you want to break up with them. A message plays, and tissues even pop out if you need them. Breakup cube!

I’ll be honest: I love the breakup cube. It’s an obvious bit of necessary plot triage — The Flash has too many speedsters in its family circle, so it needs to come up with excuses to keep them away — and it’s nestled in a ridiculous joke that itself is in an episode full of ridiculous jokes. It also helps that Harry’s delivery of the cube is an all-timer performance in mumbly comedy by Tom Cavanagh that I want to watch over and over again.

The breakup cube’s punchline, however, is a sad one: Wally West is leaving Central City. This is a bit of a drag, obviously. Mentorship would’ve been a good thing for Happy Barry, but so far this season, The Flash has struggled a bit to incorporate Wally in a meaningful way. The fact that he doesn’t appear in most of the episode, and that everyone fails to notice his absence, is a point he brings up in his farewell speech. Like Jesse Quick, he decides that he needs to take time to focus on himself. Let’s hope he figures out his own story and returns down the line.

Meanwhile, as far as big climaxes go, this week’s episode is top-notch stuff: Becky Sharpe’s bad-luck field starts to expand as she experiences more and more good luck. So when she goes to her old casino to clean the place out, bad luck starts to befall everyone, including a commercial airline flight. Barry has to go to the casino and push his luck to try and make it to her, without something awful befalling him. But something does, consistently — and it turns out the only way to stop Becky is by letting the Particle Accelerator literally explode again, to negate her powers.

So yeah, this episode goes places.

And it especially goes places with Joe West, who has spent these early episodes of season four settling into life with Cecile Horton. Much of Joe’s time in “Luck Be a Lady” is spent debating — in a loving and understanding way, of course — whether or not he and Cecile should move somewhere else, rather than maintain this big, old family home. It’s a big question to consider, so there’s a considerable amount of back-and-forth involved. Just when they finally agree to find a new home, though, Cecile changes her mind. Something is suddenly different.

She’s pregnant. Is this opening a door for the Daniel West version of the reverse Flash?

Joe is speechless. He just stares at her. And then, the episode just … ends. Pretty strange reaction, no?

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The Flash season 4 episode 1 review: The Flash Reborn

Every year when the Flash returns, we all get excited and thrilled to get this fabulous cast back. I genuinely missed these people an their chemistry during this off-season. Although many of us will agree that the third season of the show was not a hit among fans due to the darkness it brought into the season specially during the second half of the season. But seeing this season's premier brought back the old vibes (pun intended) back to a highly optimistic character. 

Before I start the review, I want to quickly shuffle away some complaints that I had with the episode. First issue which I felt was the hand-wavey approach it takes to things like actually bringing Barry back, restoring his mind, and its approach to bringing Caitlin back into the fold. Well that's an awful amount of work to be fitted in one episode, especially when the showrunners had full 23 episodes, they could have easily done this all in a two-parter like the season three's first two episodes. But having said that I understand why they did this all, because to get all the things ready from the get-go and re-establishing the status quo. 

The second issue I felt was that Iris West being the leader of the team. Before anybody jumps the gun that she is the love interest of the lead and all that, I want to say that her character has really grown on me in the previous seasons. It's not a knock on the character but that she doesn't have powers or any computer skills or say any statistical skills to lead the team. That is what I felt was a bit odd.

Anyways before anyone thinks that this is a negative review, it is far from that. I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. The Flash Reborn is a really enjoyable hour of TV, handily reminding everyone why we love these characters so much in the first place. I particularly felt Joe and Cisco are particular standouts in this regard while maturing/evolving others in ways that are really satisfying, Iris and Wally are going to kick so much ass this season. 

And Barry freaking Allen felt so powerful reminding us all that he is indeed the Flash. I think it is in a long time when I was awe struck by the power he displayed making it like a true comic book show. 

I cannot forget Caitlin Snow. I think she had my favourite line in the episode when she said, "Don't make me frosty. You wouldn't like me when I'm frosty." When she said it I was so happy that they made a reference to the Incredible Hulk. A little crossover of DC and Marvel. I guess they are going for Bruce Banner and Hulk situation for Caitlin making one of the most complex characters in the show right now. 

The post credit scene of the episode was indeed refreshing. If you check my post about Flash' big bads you will know what I m talking about. Click here. Revealing the big bad in the first episode really makes him a big deal who is manipulating all the things and especially when I realised it was his Samuroid to pump up the speed of the extraction of Barry from speedforce. Looking forward to this battle.

All being said I feel, it was a great start for the show after a rather unflattering third season.

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The Flash : Who is Gypsy?

The Flash Episode 10 Season 3 was not an action packed episode but a character centric episode, making us proud upon our favorite speedster and it was good to see the whole team working together to save Iris and Killer Frost.

But at the end of the episode we saw someone coming through the portal to Earth 1. From the official synopsis and the promo of the next episode, the character who visits through the portal is Gypsy.

This leads to questions like
Who is Gypsy? Is she a character from comics? If yes, how is she different from her TV counter-part?

In COMICS:
Gypsy's real name is Cynthia Reynolds. In new 52 where most of the show takes inspiration from, Gypsy has the powers of inter-dimensional traveling much like the show's version of Cisco has and guess what she debuted in new 52 in Vibe comic book series.

Gypsy's power has changed a lot in the comics, when she debuted in pre-new 52 era, she had powers of astral projection, chameleon(i.e. camouflaging), energy absorption etc. but in new 52, they have taken her name literally, making her a gypsy, a nomad traveling between earths.

She has been part of a lot of superhero factions like: Justice League, Conglomerate, and Birds of Prey.

In TV  Show:
The synopsis of the episode 11 reads as:
"Inter-dimensional travel is illegal on H.R.’s home Earth, so Gypsy (Jessica Camacho) — a bounty hunter with vibe powers — makes the journey to Earth-1 Central City to bring H.R. back to Earth-19 to stand trial for his crime.
H.R. surrenders, but when Barry (Grant Gustin) and Cisco (Carlos Valdes) learn that the novelist's only hope would be to challenge Gypsy to a duel to the death, Barry and Cisco intervene, with the latter offering to fight Gypsy in his place."

We have to wait and see what will be the outcome of the 'duel'. It seems that she has the powers of the Vibe (Cisco), but has more control over her abilities. One may also say that she can become an ally of the Team Flash. Possibly can become a love interest for Cisco. Personally I would love to see this dynamic play out just for the reason that I loved the scenes with Cisco and Golden Glider.

And yeah! we get see Cisco in full Vibe costume!!!!!

I feel that Cisco will also learn new aspects of his abilities which he never knew before. This might help them in future fighting Savitar. 
 

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Did The Flash Reveal The Season’s Next Big Twists?

Fans of The CW’s gallery of DC Comics superheroes know to come into a season premiere, finale, or midseason finale expecting some serious bombshells, and the fan following of The Flash means more eyes typically watch Barry Allen’s twists and turns than any other. Surprisingly, the Flash's midseason didn’t include any jaw-dropping changes to the status quo, or even the character deaths of the past. What it did include, however, has given fans some serious questions to ponder in the coming months beginning with the most obvious: how much can Savitar really know?

While previous episodes had limited Barry Allen’s interactions with his new nemesis to brief threats or super-speed beatings, the finale brought a full conversation. Blaming Barry for his imprisonment in a timeless nightmare, Savitar vowed to exercise his authority over the life and death of the entire show’s cast. Not only that, but the self-titled ‘god of speed’ used his knowledge of the future to state the team’s destiny as an unavoidable fact.

The question now is whether Savitar’s claims are exactly as they seem… and who may be the most likely candidates, if they are.

"One Shall Betray You"

With Julian strapped to a chair and rigged up to act as microphone and speaker for Savitar, the villain claims – somewhat nonchalantly – that the destinies of Barry’s friends is already known to him, having seen the future that awaits them. While he doesn’t name names, he begins by stating that “one shall betray you,” but his words (and the character shown as he utters the words) requires a closer dissection. For starters, it’s Wally West upon whom the camera focuses as the claim of an impending betrayal is made. Although the most immediate interpretation of the words and image is obvious, two things stand out: the “you” being betrayed isn’t explicitly stated… and if we’re keeping track, Wally West has kind of betrayed the team already.

Now assuming that Wally won’t actually betray Barry in a truly cowardly, cunning, or deceitful fashion, the term “betray” – and what it could mean to a villain who believes himself a god – is more vague than one might assume. If we’re defining it as characters sharing knowledge they shouldn’t, aiding an enemy through manipulation or succumbing to pressure, or believing they know better, then again, nearly every major cast member is guilty of the charge.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that Savitar (through Julian) refers to each of the present company by name, but calls the Wells doppelganger from Earth-19 as “the fake Wells.” Since the alternate universe Wells would still be a legitimate Wells, is Savitar hinting at a deceiver in the team’s ranks already? We would dock the writers points for making yet another Wells betray his friends for a secret purpose, but… well, we wouldn’t be shocked, either.

"One Shall fall"

Savitar is just as cryptic and ambiguous with his second bit of prophecy, as the claim that someone present will “fall” actually reveals a lot less than what it first implies. Taken at its most direct, it would seem to suggest that a main cast member will be killed by something in the future – and with the camera trained squarely on Cisco, it looks like the youngest Ramon will once again cement his place in the timeline with a memorable death (the last one having been reversed). The idea that someone among the S.T.A.R. Labs team will give their life before this chapter of Barry’s career is over isn’t staggering – only troubling – since his parents have already both been killed by villainous speedsters. And while fans can place bets on the most likely to be offed, we would remind everyone to consider that a “fall” doesn’t necessarily mean a death.

Could Savitar instead be hinting that a currently-heroic character will descend into darkness, duplicity, or even villainy – thus constituting their “fall”? And before fans argue that such a symbolic reading is using a bit too much imagination, this season has already followed one character’s decent into the darker side of metahuman police work. When Cisco and Barry got an eyeful of Killer Frost on Earth-2, they raised the specter of such villainous future being possible for their own Caitlin Snow – and the prospect hung over their collective heads ever since.

Until that very story began to play out following Barry’s messing with the timeline, and dropping Caitlin into rage, violence, and metahuman superpowers. Her friends managed to stop the descent before she was completely lost, but should Caitlin’s power-dampening cuffs break, or her composure be challenged, then the predicted “fall” may be less of a shock than even the aforementioned betrayal. Either that, or the camera pointing at Cisco is a sign that he’ll be transformed into his Earth-2 counterpart – a “fall” that’s as ironic as it would be tragic.

"One Shall Suffer a Fate worse than Death"

Now you would think that in an episode which leapt forward, showing the murder of our hero’s significant other at the hands of his nemesis would be the headlining shocker… but even Barry’s accidental trip to such a grisly future pales in comparison to one destiny teased by Savitar. Sure, one future may see Iris killed at the speed god’s hand… but according to that same villain, one member of our cast will be forced to “suffer a fate far worse than death.” If this future is just one of infinite possibilities, as Jay Garrick claims, then Savitar may not have seen it coming at all. But if he’s as powerful as all evidence suggests, then it wasn’t actually Iris he was referring to as the one doomed to a worse fate.

First things first: a fate worse than death is an idea that can be defined differently by everyone who considers it. What’s worse than dying in pursuit of a better world? Being forgotten? Being written out of existence altogether? Or, perhaps, it’s becoming the villain yourself? We also can’t tell if these destinies refer to three different people (the camera falls to Caitlin, then Iris), or if a fall, a betrayal, and a fate worse than death all await the same person. That’s obviously the point, but if an inciting incident is needed to trigger these tragic fates, then the impending death of Iris West may be just what’s needed.

Surely, Barry wouldn’t attempt to change history yet again… right? Only time will tell, but the writers of The Flash have succeeded in delivering as puzzling and restrained a finale as is likely possible. Rather than wondering “what happens next,” fans everywhere must now speculate on how Barry will handle the known challenges and twists as they come – and just how heartbreaking these destinies will be when they rear their heads.

To see my rest of the season 3 predictions, click here.

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SHERLOCK Season 4 Episode 3: "The Final Problem" Recap

The series finale, The Final Problem, puts heart above brains and it works. Its not the perfect episode but it is one of my best episode as it puts our beloved sociopath through hell, shreds him apart and then puts him to the test.

So spoliers, if you have not seen the episode yet.

Welcome to the final problem.

Those fans still wishing that every single episode of Sherlock involved a stranger knocking on the door of 221b and recruiting Holmes and Watson to solve a case might well have found this fourth (and final?) series frustrating.

But what's easy to miss is that our dynamic duo are still very much solving mysteries: it's just that these mysteries no longer arrive from outsiders, but are deeply ingrained in the central characters' own backstories.

For me that brings another dynamic edge, to the already complex detective. It feels fitting that in his last bow (for now, at least) Sherlock must face his own dark mirror image.
Even more so than Moriarty, Eurus (Sian Brooke) is Sherlock gone wrong – all cold, hard logic and no feeling, her emergence highlights her brother's humanity and just how emotional he can be.

While Brooke delivers a hypnotically dead-eyed turn, 'The Final Problem' features Cumberbatch's most humane performance yet, as Sherlock learns to use his biggest asset to win out – not his mind, but his heart.

A child prodigy with an intellect greater than Isaac Newton's, the young Eurus was also seriously disturbed and obsessed with her younger brother to such an extent that she murdered his best friend – plot twist!

Mycroft (Mark Gatiss) would later lock Eurus away in the prison island of Sherrinford to keep Sherlock safe, but her supreme powers of manipulation still allowed her to collaborate with Moriarty on everything, before he died.

A side note: Moriarty's return – to the strains of Queen's 'I Want to Break Free' – is so outrageously over-the-top that you can't help but love it. It's a neat trick, too, inserting a flashback into the episode in such a manner that we're briefly fooled into thinking he's actually back from the dead.

Mark Gatiss might've rejected comparisons between The Six Thacthers and the super-spy antics of James Bond – quite rightly – but once Sherlock, John (Martin Freeman) and Mycroft take the trip to Sherrinford, 'The Final Problem' starts to absolutely reek of agent 007's adventures.

A supervillain with a phenomenal brain, an army of soldiers and a top-secret HQ? This is unquestionably Gatiss and co-writer Steven Moffat having their cake and eating it by telling a Sherlock Holmes story that also indulges their Bond fandom. To tell you the truth, I loved every bit of this detective being Bond. Tell me in comments who want to see our Dr. Strange as 007.
But once it becomes clear that Eurus has assumed control – the lunatic quite literally running the asylum – this breathless adventure transforms again, taking inspiration from another, very different film franchise...

It's Sherlock does Saw as we get to the meat of the episode: an absolutely superb second act that goes to some seriously dark places, as our heroes – reduced to rats in a maze – are set a series of harrowing challenges.

Art Malik delivers a hugely sympathetic performance as the tragic governor of Sherrinford, but it's the desperately cruel manipulation of Molly (Louise Brealey) that takes the biggest emotional toll.

Cumberbatch and Brealey are both wonderful in this stand-out sequence – weaving an emotional pay-off to their relationship into a pulse-pounding, race-against-time narrative, it's quite remarkable that the scene was a last minute addition.

But after all the pulse-racing, heart-pounding sequences, the climax of the series, of the episode fell flat for me. Don't get me wrong whole episode was superb, gut-wrenching scenes but Eurus is arguably the most clever and calculating adversary that Sherlock's ever faced. She's tortured him, John, their friends and family. She's murdered dozens of innocent people. And all it takes to stop her is a hug?

The whole thing's so swift and simple that, as Eurus is whisked back to Sherrinford, you find yourself waiting for one last twist... but it never arrives. It's a resolution which highlights that, for all its good qualities (and there are many), 'The Final Problem' is a story oddly without consequences.

With this quite possibly being the show's final episode, it's understandable that Moffat and Gatiss wanted to end on an uplifting note – Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the Baker Street boys, out solving mysteries... forever. But after everything that's happened, they're required to hit the reset button to deliver that jolly final tag. I loved the whole montage of them rebuilding the whole Baker Street, kind-of showing the reset they need.

I loved the idea that Sherlock can never be more intelligent than Mycroft or Eurus, but him having emotional context, makes him a stronger person who will always prevail.

The way, they left things, there can be a season 5 but the cast and crew have said if they do it, it would be not for another 2 years.

Tell me what you loved in the episode.

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