#sage force

[barryallenis]

Timeless | The Flash 7.09

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Issue with the writing on The Flash

Watching the most recent episode, something struck me about the issue with the writing in the show, and its something that I have always been aware of but it has become more obvious in this story arc. I love this show and the cast in particular. I think the actors are all very earnest and they elevate the material, which is admittedly at times rather ordinary. But there are times where even they can't do anything. I think The Flash writers are good with coming up with big ideas. I like the idea of the forces arc. Introducing new elemental forces other than the speed forces. I also think Dion, Alexa, and Bashir are reasonably compelling and well cast. The problem is the writers aren't good at constructing the details around the mythology. For example, there is no explanation as to why the speed force presents itself in the body of Nora whereas the other forces are basically residing inside normal people. As a result, they are neither like Barry, who is a user of the speed force, or someone like Nora who is not a real person. Also, I have no idea who came up with the idea to make Barry basically powerless against the new forces. Because of that, we haven't had a single Flash fight scene in the new arc. I think the last fight scene would have been in the Abracadabra episode. The most he has done is whisk people away from danger. And in a superhero show, its a problem when the superhero can't do anything. This is similar to the problem season 4 had. In that season, the Thinker was so OP once he accumulated multiple powers that The Flash was ineffective against him. Which lead to rinse and repeat of Barry getting defeated and The Thinker getting even more powerful. And then in season 5, where Cicada's dagger made him powerless so any fight with Cicada became useless. Here he can't even try because his powers are ineffective. It can't be all Covid effect since Supergirl and Superman & Lois have had fight scenes and The Flash fight scenes don't even require too much physical contact. I'm assuming the Godspeed arc will be better in this regard. Another weird thing is the unironic use of the parenting analogy. I get that in concept but when the character openly start calling each other Mom, Dad, Sis, Father etc... when they are elemental beings, its just unintentionally funny. There are small things like this, like them calling Barry travelling back in time 'Flashpoint' unironically within the show, and keep calling COIE 'Crisis' within the show. I know its a way for layman to understand what comic book stuff they are referring to but it gets a bit eyerolling given how often they do it.

[sigridlaufeyson]

Similarities between DC's the Flash and Marvel.

Space stone- speedforce? (idk travel?)

Time stone- still force (both have green light)

Power stone- strength force (both have purple light)

Reality stone- sage force (Psych could create a fake reality like Thanos did in IW with Starlord and co.)

Also Cisco named the strength force villain Fuerza, because "Can't name her She-Hulk, because that's already taken." 😮 Like does it mean that the Marvel character She-Hulk exists in DC universe or do the Marvel comics exist in DC universe?

[superohclair]

and there it is

still force has entered the chat

[staticdreads]

Psych and the sage force

[zhis616]

Ah, just like the Inheritors.

From The Flash #62

[ultrahpfan5blog]

As a fan of The Flash, even I have to admit that the Forces arc was poorly done. Might be the worst arc they have ever done. For all the promise Eric Wallace initially showed, the arcs have gotten worse since he took over. Bloodwork is the only arc he did genuinely well. The Mirrorverse arc was promising initially but petered out because it was stretched out for too long but it was really obvious that Eric and the writers really had no idea what to do with the Forces. The idea of family was really cringeworthy as was the idea of Barry and Iris being called "Dad and Mom". I know The Flash relies heavily on the cheese and often I quite enjoy the melodrama, but this was really bad. The two parter was where the arc just fell off the rails. Some of the previous episodes had some promise, but the show made the forces so powerful that they had no idea how to make Barry and team Flash do anything in the climax. I mean, team Flash literally did nothing and Barry just did his run around the circles to stop a storm and had to get an assist from the other forces. It all ended up feeling like a very clumsy way to prelude to Barry and Iris actually having children, since we know Impulse and XS are coming later. I can only assume that them having an actual villain who isn't some vaguely defined cosmic entity will help loads in this regard. Its a damn shame. The Flash is usually really good at ending story arcs. I mean, season 3, season 4, and season 5 got panned for some of the way the story was handled but all three seasons had excellent finales. Bloodwork also had an excellent two parter finale. Mirrorverse finale was ordinary but I laid that on covid restriction preventing large fight scenes, but this was worse because it was clear that they had no idea how to properly do a story with the forces.

[staticdreads]

force avatars