“Dude, this is the end of an era.”There comes a time in every long running show’s life where series’ regulars begin to leave. That time has come to The Flash. This episode was Cisco’s Sayonara, and it was a lot like Cisco himself. A playful and somewhat silly outer-shell with a huge beating heart at its core.
Cisco may have dreaded breaking the news of his departure to Team Flash. But as much as he wanted their support, he’d be lying if he wasn’t hoping they’d spend their last day with tears and heartfelt goodbyes. Alas, this was not to be... at least not at first.
Considering how long Barry and Caitlin have known Cisco, man did they read that room wrong. Instead of hugs and reminisces, Barry and Caitlin set out to prove how supportive they could be. Complete with Barry packing up Cisco’s office and Caitlin suggesting he take the plans for all his inventions to A.R.G.U.S. ... after asking for his ID badge and passcodes. Rather than the supportive atmosphere they hoped for, they made Cisco feel ignored and unloved.
This was in stark relief to Chester, who balanced the exuberance of being left in charge of S.T.A.R. Labs private candy store and the sadness of losing a fellow sugar fiend with the awe and humility at filling Team Flash’s version of Willy Wonka’s shoes. Plus, Chester’s enthusiastic exploration of the Starchives was an infectious way of taking us down memory lane.
Cisco’s answer to Barry and Caitlin’s lackluster response is for the O.G. Team Flash to tackle one last case together and capture Carrie Bates, AKA Rainbow Raider 2.0. It’s only fitting that this Rainbow Raider creates feelings of euphoria rather than anger in her victims. Unlike most of Flash’s adversaries, Carrie wants to help Central City. In a nod to real-world events, she seeks to end the suffering superheroes can never address—systemic poverty. Unfortunately, despite her feel-good ways and Robin Hood intentions, the simplicity of her solution poses a more dangerous, or at least a more immediate, threat to the city she loves.
The miscommunication between Barry and Caitlin and Cisco culminates when Barry asks if there were any strings to pull at A.R.G.U.S. that could help them capture Carrie. Cisco walks away in disgust. This storyline would have worked so much better if the audience had seen even a glimpse of Barry and Caitlin’s true feelings after Cisco and Kamilla broke their news. Instead, we only get Barry and Caitlin’s confusion at Cisco’s frustration. We assume they were putting on a brave face on Cisco’s behalf but until we know for sure it sours the sweet send-off The Powers That Be intended.
That said, their reconciliation did work. Given Caitlin’s abandonment issues, her desire to skip the tear fest was understandable. And it’s not a stretch to imagine Barry asking Cisco to stay. Nor would it be out of character for Cisco to sacrifice his dreams for his best friend. Caitlin and Barry’s realistic motivation for wanting Cisco to chase his bliss without feeling he'd abandoned Team Flash saved the characters from the unwieldy plot.
The only one acting normally was Iris. Unfortunately, acting normal is not the same as acting well. She was abrupt and dismissive of Kamilla’s opinions on potential replacements. Not to mention unreasonable in her expectations. The good news is she recognized her irrational behavior for what it was—a rational response to her friend and co-worker’s impending departure. This may not have been the most exciting aspect of the episode but it was the most realistic.
Which brings us to the end credits scene. Are they prepping Cecile (or some version of Cecile) to be our Big Bad? Does this figure into her Psych-induced nightmare scenario from "Fear Me"? I’m both intrigued and horrified by the idea.
Whatever I was expecting from this episode, this was not it. They didn’t kill Cisco off, and they left the door open for potential guest appearances, for which I’m eternally grateful. However, the lighthearted approach was both a blessing and a curse. It gave us a relatively harmless villain and a color by numbers plot. Yet, it also gave us a breakdancing Flash and the unbridled giddiness of a Karaoke "Poker Face." As farewells go, it was still a win.
3 Rainbow Robin Hoods
Parting Thoughts:
In the building notorious for its lack of security, Cisco has an ID Badge?
Cisco is headed to Star City partially due to Lyla and Diggle’s recommendations. It makes my Arrow-loving heart go pitter-patter.
In the latest edition of Chester P. Runk’s The More You Know, may I humbly introduce you to Sarah E. Goode. Now you know.
Quotes:
Kamilla: “Babe, we should have brought breakfast.”
Cisco: “It’s fine. No one’s hungry. (his stomach growls) Ignore that.”
Caitlin: “Oh, there is something that I wanted to say.”
Cisco: “I knew it. What is it? Lay it on me.”
Caitlin: “‘You suck forever. But I love you anyway.’ It’s from Frost.”
Carrie: “Who says money can’t buy happiness.”
Carrie: “Nice leotard by the way.”
Barry: “Thank you.”
Cisco: “No sweat Boba Fett. It’s all hakuna matata. I know exactly how to get this party started.”
Cisco: “Did you stop the bad lady?”
Barry: “Nope. I didn’t want to." (giggling)
Chester: “How do you guys feel?”
Barry: “Exhausted.”
Cisco: “And a lot less happy.”
Caitlin: “We both decided to put on a brave face so we could tackle one last case together so you could move on. And your last day wouldn’t be a tear fest.”
Cisco: “Caitlin, have you met us?”
Barry: “There wouldn’t be a Flash without Cisco Ramon.”
Carrie: “Those people need help. Real help. The kind that starts after you’re gone.”
Cisco: “I got this.”
Chester: “Dude, there is no word to describe how awesome you are right now.”
Cisco: “Keep 'em safe for me, will you?”
Chester: “Roger that.”
Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.
Sad and awkward. While it had a bunch of lovely moments and callbacks, this episode did not make me happy. That might be because I really don't like the idea of this show without Cisco. Or Wells.
ReplyDeleteI did think for just that moment that they were going to kill him off. Thankfully, no. That would have been even worse.
I felt the same. But "awkward" can be applied to most of this season. The sad part is this doesn't feel like a show that needs to be put out of its misery as much as it feels like The Powers That Be don't know what they want. I have no idea what they are trying to accomplish this season but it's not working.
ReplyDeleteShari, well said. It's harder for shows like The Flash to plan how they're going to go out, sadly.
ReplyDelete