Okay now THAT one was top tier. Javicia Leslie was by far the MVP, she was KILLING it this episode. Her acting at the ending was a bit much, but still pretty solid. Still, it is clear she is not getting the quality of material or directing she got on Batwoman--and yet she’s STILL KILLING IT 99% of the time.
tbh I hope they give her a lot more scenes out of the Red Death suit because it's an absolute crime to have her face and voice hidden or to give her classic Batman lines instead of her own. Actually on that note, lets talk about her origins
So, she’s not Armageddon Ryan, and tbh I think that’s a HUGE missed opportunity. But you know what? She’s still great. The idea that she was adopted by the Waynes is definitely an intriguing angle to play. This is a Ryan who grew up in privilege, who never had to deal with the things that made OUR Ryan a hero. this is also a Ryan who never had a Batfam, it seems--so no one to bring her back from the edge like they did when Earth Prime Ryan nearly killed Hush. I think it’s absolutely a mistake to make her not Armageddon Ryan, but I can accept that’s not the direction they wanted to go, and this could be still be plenty amazing--at least, we know Javicia will be.
That suit up scene in the West-Allen apartment was amazing tbh, and i’m intrigued by the twist that Red Death is NOT the new Negative Speed Force Avatar. I do like how she’s twisted what happened in her world in her head--that The Flash betrayed her, that he went crazy and became evil--to give herself the role of hero. I think that’s super interesting. Actually the entire Ryan/Iris standoff was great, from the acting to Iris’ journalistic instincts to the peek into Ryan Wayne's psychology, to the overall incredibly tense atmosphere--it was all really good. Definitely the highlight of the episode.
I have always had mixed feelings on Mark, so i can’t say i was particularly impacted by his sacrifice--but i do appreciate that he did change just enough with Frost that he couldn't completely commit to the betrayal.
Also, red death’s line about “seeing the best in your enemies, but the worst in your allies” is really interesting, I like it a lot. That and her absolute contempt for criminals are great peeks into her psyche.
Speaking of peeks into a characters psyche, i love how deeply that contrasts with Barry mourning the loss of Thawne’s life. Barry values all lives, even that of his greatest enemy, and he’s always going to wish a life wasn’t lost. Also it makes me feel better about what I felt was a pretty significant inconsistency with the saving of Thawne at the end of Armageddon. There’s still some inconsistencies and hypocrisies there, but I'm not too hung up on them.
Allegra and Chester FINALLY getting on the same page is nice. That’s about all I have to say about that. Still great chemistry between the actors.
And i really like Joe’s conflict. He has a chance to be a father again, and try to do things a little better this time--and whether central city is a place for that is a legitimate question. Even though he agreed to stay, the look on his face makes me think this conflict is not over. He still wants to leave, even if he doesn’t want to take away Cecile’s chance at being a superhero, or imply to Jenna she wasn’t capable of it.
And that’s about it. I’m excited for next week!
And i can’t wait for Ryan Wilder to make her grand return in the near future and face off against Ryan Wayne. That’s gonna be a hell of a thing.
