Arrowverse is a vast comic-book universe comprising of shows like Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning etc. CW’s The Flash is one of the marquee shows with a massive audience across the world. The first three seasons of Flash have followed a specific template where the bad guy is a speedster with an enormous baggage and scores to settle with Team Flash. In the end, the good guys win.
But The Flash Season 4 is very different as it has broken the mould and introduced many new elements previously unseen. It has managed to keep its ratings up not because of its engaging plotline (which it isn’t) or because of the moving performances of its core characters. The two most amazing characters of this season are Clifford DeVoe aka The Thinker and Ralph Dibny aka The Elongated Man.
The former is the first non-speedster villain who is proving to be the most formidable adversary that Flash has ever come across as he has not just framed him for the crime he did not commit, he also managed to transfer the consciousness of another meta-human that allows him not to be a cripple anymore and read anyone’s minds. At this point, he is in total control of everything and only a miracle can prevent him from executing his sinister scheme.
The latter started off as an annoying detective turned superhero who feared death and only joined Team Flash to get a kick out of it, but when he faced real danger he succumbed. But then Barry Allen gave him a pep talk which motivated him to take on Trickster and his mother and save Cisco and Killer Frost from their eventual death. He is now a hero for the Central city who goes by the name “Elongated Man”. Well, he now has a super suit too.
This is how ‘The Flash’ has taken a different route to make sure it has what it takes to challenge the other shows of the Arrowverse. The Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Super Girl and Black Lightning have taken the small screens by storm.
The Flash has also followed suit and has changed gears. After a fledgling season, 3 that almost crumbled the show, showrunners of The Flash have experimented with something unique in the show which surprisingly has worked wonders.
The Flash has a new weapon – Easter eggs and Guest appearances.
While the Easter egg formula has been used in the other shows as well, it’s the Flash that has pioneered this technique with massive amounts of Easter Eggs in each and every episode. Coming to the guest appearances, Mark Hamill and Goldberg are only a few names that have popped up on The Flash roster.
Their appearances have helped jack up the show’s ratings and turned a limping cripple of a show into a running juggernaut. Hate it all you want but The Flash is now one of the most watched shows of The CW’s Arrowverse.
One more character that popped up on the TV Show before The Flash took its mid-season break is again coming back. Up until now, people have been thinking that the character’s appearance was only an Easter Egg and would not be explored further.
The writers of The Flash have done the same thing in the past. Tease something that intrigues our senses but then just as the hype reaches critical mass, the tease is not explored any further. One can understand that there is so much material in the hands of the writers to work with that non-core characters can only be used for guest appearances but they can’t be part of main narrative.
Safe to say, this time the writers have learned a lesson. They have given the fans just what they need. The character we are talking about returns in the latest episode of The Flash. And by the looks of it, not just for one episode (Maybe a series regular?). This is going to be insane if the makers actually go along with this plan.
Spoiler alert: The Following article contains massive spoilers about The Flash Season 4 Episode 11: The Elongated Man Rises. Steer clear if you still ain’t watched it….
The Mystery Girl from the first episode of Crisis on Earth X is returning to the show. The girl was seen as a wedding waitress in The Flash during Barry and Iris’ wedding. Out of nowhere, she shook hands and greeted Barry at his wedding. But her body language was weird and clearly, it was not just a courtesy call.
The Flash and the mystery girl talked a bit where the Girl seemed perpetually in awe just by talking to Barry Allen. When the Evil counterparts of Earth X hit the church, the girl was nowhere to be found. The fans thought that was the end of it. They couldn’t be more wrong. The show has decided to bring her back in a major way with an awesome back-story that will surprise even the staunchest of show’s critics.
At the end of the episode ‘The Elongated Man Rises’, Cisco and Ralph are at Jitters, celebrating their win over the Trickster. As they bought their coffee, they realize no one has money to pay for it.
Both pass the bill back and forth until a girl pays for the money realizing the two are short on cash. Then she rambles on about something that’s related to the ‘Paying Forward’ philosophy as Cisco and Dibny look in surprise.
Cisco and Ralph leave the coffee house confused as the Girl goes back to her seat and gives out soft laughs. It is when the camera zooms in on something she is writing in her notebook that the fans realize the gravity of her character.
The pages of the notebook she is writing in have the same glyph like writing that matches that of Barry when he came out of the speed force during the Season 4 premiere.
There are two possible identities for this mystery girl character – Dawn Allen or Jenni Ognats. Dawn Allen is the daughter of Barry and Iris in the future and one of the Tornado Twins. Jenni Ognats is Barry’s granddaughter and famous speedster superhero of the future.
Considering the Trial of The Flash storyline ended up with Barry retreating to the future to escape law enforcement, it makes sense for the show to sow the seeds of Barry’s 30th Century successors in the upcoming episodes.
Does this mean Barry will get help from the future? Or will he just make a run for it? Here’s the official synopsis for the episode:
“A meta who can shrink anything he touches battles Team Flash. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Ralph (guest star Hartley Sawyer) get caught in his crossfire and are shrunk to miniature versions of themselves. Cecile (guest star Danielle Nicolet) realizes her pregnancy has caused her to have temporary powers and discovers she can hear other people’s thoughts, which unnerves Joe (Jesse L. Martin). Meanwhile, Barry (Grant Gustin) meets someone with a mysterious connection to Henry Allen”.
The next episode titled “Honey, I shrunk Team Flash” will be aired on CW at 9:00 PM, Tuesday.
Don’t Miss: Why The CW Should Cancel Arrow After Its 7th Season
