"You could barely call him a man."
This is the creepiest villain ever.
Meanwhile, Nora's still got a lot to learn. Remember, she hasn't been a speedster very long. (How did she learn how to travel back in time so precisely is an excellent question with an excellent answer.)
And Dr. Caitlin snow is ready to dive fully into the mystery of her father.
The episode title, "All Doll'd Up," refers to the our villain of the week (Ragdoll) as well as the fun scene where Barry and Iris get dressed up to go out. Barry jokes that Iris will get to see him looking handsome in a tux, but get real. Iris is the real eye candy at that party.
Ragdoll is the sort of villain who seems like he couldn't really tangle with the Flash. Plenty of these old-fashioned baddies are like this. It's easy to see how Ragdoll could be a real menace, but when the show lets Barry enter Flashtime or run to another country in the blink of an eye, it's hard to imagine a contortionist posing a threat.
But the writers did an excellent job creating a situation where Ragdoll could get the jump on Barry, and it takes Iris's Supergirl impression to save the day. The theme has always been the importance of your family, whether it's your biological family or the one you found, and these moments of supreme family devotion make The Flash a special show.
And once Ragdoll is tangling with Ralph, it becomes quickly apparent that he's no match for a real super.
Ragdoll is played by Troy James, probably the most famous contortionist in the world. Did his voice sound familiar? That was the sound of Phil LaMarr, whose done so much work that you have absolutely heard him before. His voice is everywhere.
Our questions about Cisco's powers are getting answered. His battle with Cicada left him more damaged than we knew, and poor Cisco has joined Caitlin back in the realm of the powerless. But Caitlin knows a lot about being brave without powers, and she puts the wind back in Cisco's sails.
The B-Team progresses their investigation when they head to Martin Stein's university and pick up the trail of Caitlin's dad. It should be a fun investigation, but the hints of Killer Frost tell us this isn't going to be a simple story.
There's a lot to like in "All Doll'd Up," but this episode has a slow section where we sit through four important heart-to-heart conversations in a row. It's hard not to reach for your phone whenever shows do this, and The Flash eventually becomes known for being filled with these meaningful but slow conversations. Mind you, each conversation was well acted and well directed, but it throws off the story's energy.
Don't miss the message Caitlin's dad left behind. "Khione." That's... going to be interesting for a long time.
Parting Thoughts:
-I think huge jewelry looks boring.
-The method Barry uses to identify Ragdoll by elongating his fingerprints is exactly what Mulder does on The X-Files to identify a very similar villain.
-Nora's future word, "schrap," is clearly a mix of "shit" and "crap." It's a great word.
-Ralph's spiderman-esque method of traveling is hilarious. I love it when people actually have fun with their powers. That's also why I love the Legends. Brooding works for Batman, but I don't need everysuperhero to be a sad sack. Having powers should be fun once in a while.
-Cecile is #teamiris. Just like Barry. The family is not taking Nora's schrap.
-Is it really necessary for Ragdoll to contort himself and walk backward on his hands to go five feet over to Barry? It's creepy as all get out, so I guess so.
-Iris mentions her childhood dream of being Christiane Amanpour, who happens to be the hero of Rory on Gilmore Girls.
-Someone mentioned Gotham City. We're seeing the groundwork of a new show, obviously.
Final Analysis: Fun stuff, but the beginning of a trend of dull conversations. 3 out of 5 creepy doll faces.
Adam D. Jones is a novelist, historian, and cat wrestler. He's also quite the contortionist himself, having recently bent over backward to keep his cat from seeing the bottom of its bowl.
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