Spoilers The Flash - Season 4

[Dick Whitman]

A detail I liked is that "The Thinker" and "The Mechanic" being a married couple and living in a normal house is not merely an act. It's who they started out as. When we got our first looks of them this season in their High Tech supervillain Lair I would not have expected that. I love it. It grounds them in level of relatable reality that we rarely see on these shows.

On a similar note Jesse L Martin recently said he is happy that we are actually seeing Joe West as a police detective again. So much time is spent at Star Labs that rarely do we see him on the job. Otherwise we see him as a father to Iris, Barry, and Wally. I have wondered for a while if that bothered him and he basically admitted it in an interview.

Also nice to see Captain Singh more often. I have assumed Patrick Sabongui has been busy with other work. Which might be part of why we saw so little of him last year, But considering how rarely we had scenes at the Police Station there would have been little for him do. He is at Barry and Iris wedding. Which is at least 3 episodes this season. When he was in only one episode all of season 3.

 

[Christopher]

Either way, if Devoe's plan would harm other people, then the Flash won't be ok with that.

DeVoe's plan already has led to the deaths of at least three people -- the first victims of Kilg%re and Black Bison, plus the bus driver who was found mysteriously drowned in his bathtub (though we still don't know exactly who killed him). Plus the near-deaths of their subsequent targets whom the Flash saved, and the citywide near-mayhem that Hazard's luck powers caused, and the drug epidemic that Amunet Black tried to start using the Weeper's meta ability. And there are still seven more metas out there that DeVoe is apparently manipulating.

Spoiler: Speculation

Given the repeated mentions of the metas being confined in Iron Heights Prison under Warden Wolfe, and given the ominous music when the camera lingered on Wolfe in the Kilg%re episode, my suspicion is that Wolfe is an ally or tool of the Thinker, and that DeVoe wants the Flash to catch the bus metas and put them together in Iron Heights for some purpose, perhaps to organize them into a supervillain strike force, or maybe to siphon off their dark matter to power his master plan or some such thing.

 

[Romulan_spy]

DeVoe's plan already has led to the deaths of at least three people -- the first victims of Kilg%re and Black Bison, plus the bus driver who was found mysteriously drowned in his bathtub (though we still don't know exactly who killed him). Plus the near-deaths of their subsequent targets whom the Flash saved, and the citywide near-mayhem that Hazard's luck powers caused, and the drug epidemic that Amunet Black tried to start using the Weeper's meta ability. And there are still seven more metas out there that DeVoe is apparently manipulating.

Good point. Devoe's actions have already hurt people so Team Flash already have a reason to want to stop him. But I was thinking about the future. I am speculating that The Thinker's master plan probably involves even more people getting hurt when it comes into full effect.

 

[Christopher]

Good point. Devoe's actions have already hurt people so Team Flash already have a reason to want to stop him. But I was thinking about the future. I am speculating that The Thinker's master plan probably involves even more people getting hurt when it comes into full effect.

Well, yes, that's kind of my point. The fact that the Thinker's plans have already killed people and endangered others gives Team Flash evidence that his intentions are not benign and that he's willing to sacrifice lives in pursuit of his goals. So it follows that more people will die if he isn't stopped.

 

[Romulan_spy]

This scene between Barry and Devoe is one of the highlights from the episode. The way Devoe completely dismisses Team Flash as a threat to him makes the viewer wonder what he is capable of. It elevates The Thinker as serious villain. There is something scary about a villain who uses his mind instead of brute force to defeat you. No matter what you do, he will come up with a solution to defeat you and you won't see it coming. And the final "congratulations on your nuptials. I'll be thinking of you" is creepy as heck. Really good stuff.

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[Dick Whitman]

I am most happy that this is the first season Barry is not beating himself all year trying to be faster than another speedster. When how fast Barry or anyone else is really determined by what is needed for the plot each week.

 

[Christopher]

I am most happy that this is the first season Barry is not beating himself all year trying to be faster than another speedster.

I think that's part of the reason he's so thrown by DeVoe. He's so used to his nemeses being speedsters that this new kind of threat is hard to get a handle on.

I am a little disappointed this isn't Grodd, though. As I've remarked before, this would've been a good way to do a season arc with Grodd as the big bad: Have a mysterious mastermind that Team Flash eventually realizes is behind the crimes they're fighting, then reveal that it's Grodd operating from behind the scenes. Keeping him largely clandestine, or operating through mind-controlled puppets, would let them make him a major presence without needing to spend too much on CGI.

Then again, Grodd as big bad wouldn't be quite as sympathetic a character as Clifford and Marlize have now been revealed to be. Sure, he has a tragic backstory, but there's only so much you can do to create emotion and pathos with a digital gorilla.

 

[CorporalClegg]

This is shaping up to be the second year in a row where Flash is holding the DCW spit bucket. SG his jumped to the front of the line in a major way and Arrow and LoT have both been very good. But this whole Thinker thing is silly and I'm finding it really hard to care.

 

[Romulan_spy]

I think that's part of the reason he's so thrown by DeVoe. He's so used to his nemeses being speedsters that this new kind of threat is hard to get a handle on.

I think it is more than that. It is not just that the Thinker is different, it is that he claims to actually be unbeatable. How do you defeat someone who is so intelligent that there is nothing you can possibly do that they have not already thought of? That's what makes the Thinker such a formidable foe.

 

[CorporalClegg]

That's what makes him a terrible foe.

Omniscience is never a good thing for a bad guy because it always ends in massive plot holes.

Always.

 

[kirk55555]

Finally, an episode without fake Ralph Dibny. I can finally watch The Flash again (since I'll never watch an episode that features the "fuck you" that is criminally corrupt cop they call Ralph Dibny, I was worried that he might become a regular and I'd have to drop the show even though I like most of it).

 

[Christopher]

I think it is more than that. It is not just that the Thinker is different, it is that he claims to actually be unbeatable. How do you defeat someone who is so intelligent that there is nothing you can possibly do that they have not already thought of? That's what makes the Thinker such a formidable foe.

I'm talking about Barry's reactions before he even knew what DeVoe's power was, the fear that made him so paranoid about DeVoe in the first place. It wasn't just that he has so much to lose, a week before his wedding. It was that he didn't know what he was facing. All he knew was that there was some guy out there who would become one of his worst enemies and who was already starting to make his move, and he had no idea who it was or what his abilities were. So he irrationally latched onto the first suspect that was presented to him. Sure, it turned out to be the right suspect, but he leaped to conclusions before he had proof, and that -- as Caitlin pointed out -- is not the way they're supposed to do things.

 

[Romulan_spy]

That's what makes him a terrible foe.

Omniscience is never a good thing for a bad guy because it always ends in massive plot holes.

Always.

Well, yes, the writers will most likely have to cheat a bit in order for the Flash to win but that is true in virtually every movie ever where the villain is super powerful. The issue will be how good is the cheat and how entertaining it is to watch. If Team Flash can win in a clever and entertaining way then I won't mind the plot holes needed to make it happen.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Hazard?

The thinker shouldn't be able to predict shit, when probability is upended.

 

[PKerr]

What's with the Flash and mentioning Marvel Comics characters?
Two weeks in a row now, last week they referenced the Hulk and this week Barry says his Spidey sense is tingling off the charts.

 

[Guy Gardener]

DC comics don't exist in the DCU.

Marvel has an unchecked monopoly probably.

 

[Nerys Myk]

What's with the Flash and mentioning Marvel Comics characters?
Two weeks in a row now, last week they referenced the Hulk and this week Barry says his Spidey sense is tingling off the charts.

He's a nerd.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I think it is more than that. It is not just that the Thinker is different, it is that he claims to actually be unbeatable. How do you defeat someone who is so intelligent that there is nothing you can possibly do that they have not already thought of? That's what makes the Thinker such a formidable foe.

Sounds a lot like Adrian Chase but so far has been less insufferable. I’m glad they dropped the charade early so we’ll see.

 

[JD]

I'm finally caught up, and the last few episodes have been really good. DeVoe is quickly becoming one of my favorite Flash villains, it's great to finally get someone who can be a major threat and legitamate big bad without being another speeder. His backstory was really good.
Dibney's been a fun addition to the cast.
The Council of Wells was hilarious.
Katee Sackoff's was pretty fun, I hope we see her again.

 

[Romulan_spy]

Sounds a lot like Adrian Chase but so far has been less insufferable. I’m glad they dropped the charade early so we’ll see.

The difference is Devoe is a metahuman, Adrian Chase was not. Adrian was just a guy who plotted things in advance really well to stay ahead of Arrow. Devoe's brain has been enhanced by the dark matter explosion and the thinking cap so that his mind is literally superior. So in theory, Devoe should be near unbeatable because it should be impossible to out-think him. Of course, I am sure Team Flash will figure out a way to defeat him nonetheless.