Month: May 2015

May 20, 2015

‘The Flash’ Season Finale did the Impossible

When it comes to season finales, Arrow likes to go big. High stakes, heavy action, with little downtime between set pieces. It’s par for the course for superheroes on screens both big and small, but the formula is reaching the point of diminishing returns. In its third season finale, Starling City is once again in danger of being destroyed (“The city’s under attack? Must be May,” Captain Lance says), but this time around clumsy plotting and a diminished sense of scale kept the show from reaching the heights of season two. Hopefully the new status quo and relatively clean slate that Team Arrow find themselves in at the end of the season will allow the show to start fresh in the Fall.

Given that they share some of the same producers and writing staff, I expected The Flash to follow Arrow‘s lead and hit the gas on the action and special effects in “Fast Enough,” (despite the fact that Barry finally captured Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash in the previous episode), so I was pleasantly surprised as I watched the show pump the brakes instead, structuring itself around Barry’s choice of whether or not to accept Wells’ offer.

That offer? Allow Barry to go back in time to save his mother’s life and reunite the Allen family, in exchange for letting Wells return to his future.

It’s a monumental decision, an act of heroism (with a side of selfishness) that the show has been building to since it premiered, and episode writers Gabrielle Stanton and Andrew Kreisberg take their time in weighing the pros and potential consequences of changing the past. So Barry seeks the advice of Joe, who doesn’t think there is a choice, telling Barry to save his mom. Henry, in the first of several scenes that ripped my heart to shreds, is against the idea, fearing that it may undo all the things that have made his son the hero he is today. Finally, Iris convinces Barry to follow his heart, and so Barry decides to go back.

Time travel is a very tricky thing. Decades of science fiction books and movies and TV have trained viewers to try to make sense of the rules at play, so we instinctively call it out when the plotting doesn’t quite measure up. So there’s no doubt some were irritated by the fact that seemingly no one brought up the uncertainty of what happens to the current timeline if Barry succeeds as a reason not to go through with the plan (not to mention the added threat of a potential black hole sucking up Central City should he fail), but I was okay with it. It felt like the writers made that choice consciously, choosing instead to focus on the emotional stakes. When the character work is as strong as it’s been on The Flash, it’s much easier to let cracks in logic slide.

But that’s not to say the question of what may or may not happen gets ignored completely, as Barry considers the fact that should he succeed he’ll never live with Joe and Iris, and may never meet Cisco or Caitlin. Again, the writers are allowing emotion – not cold, hard logic – to take center stage.

At least until Barry finally makes it back to the night Reverse Flash killed his mom. In the middle of all the chaos, future Flash spots Barry and waves him off, signaling to let his mom die. Barry listens, and can’t look as Reverse Flash stabs Nora Allen. In the aftermath, Barry enters the room to find Nora still alive, and takes the chance to reveal himself to her and tell her that he and his dad are okay (Disclaimer: my eyes are not getting glassy as I write this). I was genuinely surprised by this turn, which made the scene even more devastating, and Grant Gustin absolutely nailed this moment. Ever since his initial introduction in Arrow‘s second season, Gustin made Barry Allen feel fully formed before he even had his own show, and his performance in the finale deserves to be talked about alongside the very best of the year.

But the dramatics don’t end there! As Wells gets ready to ride off into the future sunset, Barry returns to thwart his plans for a second time (or third time, it’s hard to keep track with so many Barry Allens running around in space-time). And here is where the action kicks in, as the Flash and Reverse Flash square off once more. Wells gains the upper hand, but before he can deliver a final blow, a gunshot rings out. I don’t have time to groan at the idea that mere gunfire would be able to stop someone as powerful as the Reverse Flash, because I am again surprised (How does this show do it?) when the camera cuts to one Eddie Thawne, who fired a fatal bullet not at Wells, but himself. And while I wish the writers didn’t feel the need to have Cisco explain exactly what was happening, that doesn’t take away from the power of Eddie’s noble act. And as Reverse Flash seemingly disappears from existence, that black hole we were warned about earlier gets going and starts to do some serious vacuuming. With Central City in danger of being wiped out (If you wanna survive in a superhero universe, don’t live in the city), Barry needs to do the impossible again, and he speeds off (into the air!) to shut down the black hole.

Since I don’t think we’re going to come back in the Fall to find that the Flash failed and all that’s left is a black screen, I see the final scene less as a cliffhanger and more as the jumping off point for what’s looking like a very ambitious second season. For me, the season ended when Barry said goodbye to his mother, and Eddie stopped Wells for good. Both of those sacrifices made for one of the most heartwrenching yet spectacular hours of TV I’ve seen this year.

It doesn’t have the production value anywhere close to the budget of a Marvel movie, yet I thought the best set pieces of this season were just as exciting, if not more so, than the best set pieces in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it doesn’t have as much critical acclaim or prestige, but I found “Fast Enough” to be more emotionally satisfying than the end of Mad Men.* And that’s how The Flash did the impossible.

Other thoughts:

  • *I have a draft of stuff on the series finale of Mad Men, and I may get around to finishing it some time (probably after reading 200 more thinkpieces on the meaning of the ending!), but long story short, I liked it. It felt honest. But I understand why so many were disappointed, and despite some fantastic moments, I wouldn’t rank it among the show’s best.
  • Eddie was probably the second weakest character at the start of the show, with little to do other than be the obligatory third side of a love triangle, but he eventually found his way, acting as the voice of reason when Barry and Joe still refused not to let Iris in on Barry’s secret, and Rick Cosnett was able to do just enough with the character to really let Eddie’s death make an impact.
  • With all the stuff going on between Barry and this three dads, it’s easy to overlook the father/son relationship between Cisco and Wells, so it was really nice to see them get a scene together. And Wells reveals that Cisco was affected by the particle accelerator (Vibe alert!)
  • Also, Killer Frost alert! Jay Garrick’s helmet! The Flash museum! And there was Captain Cold! And someone who might possibly maybe become Hawkgirl in a second DC spinoff to debut midseason next year!
  • “Goodbye, Dad.” “Goodbye, son.” Damn you, Jesse L. Martin. Damn you.
  • One thing that stuck out in a not good way: the episode made me wonder if all of Caitlin’s credentials have been mentioned on the show, because she sure seemed confused by all the science-y mumbo jumbo being discussed.
  • I’m hoping to get more in depth later about the many missteps of Arrow‘s third season, many of which are now exacerbated in the wake of the success of this finale.
May 8, 2015

Thoughts on Avengers: Age of Ultron

hjkhThere will be spoilers.

During the audio commentary for The Avengers Blu-ray/DVD, writer/director Joss Whedon remarks candidly that he didn’t think his big Marvel superhero team-up was a great movie, but “a great time.” And he was right. I love the movie, and I return to it often on Blu-ray, but there really isn’t much more to it than a great time. Now that’s no small feat, especially with all the moving parts Whedon had to juggle, but even before signing on to direct The Avengers, Whedon was renowned for his ability to explore complex themes and write well rounded characters within conventional genres, and that’s why Buffy, Angel and Firefly became cult favorites. Those shows were a ton of fun, but they were also emotionally and thematically rich. They’re proof that Whedon can do more than entertain.

With Avengers: Age of Ultron, Whedon brings the gang back together for a lot more CGI punching and smashing, and again it’s fun to watch (though the core concept isn’t as shiny the second time around), but this time there’s much more to chew on in terms of theme and character. For a really nice exploration of said themes, check out this article by Devin Faraci at Birth.Movies.Death. Almost everything that happens in Age of Ultron can be traced back to character, and despite what some elitist critics might say, this movie really is about something. It’s thoughtful, funny, hugely ambitious, and it’s got a soul. I know everyone likes to groan about the Marvel Movie Machine and how these blockbusters are designed for mass consumption and the selling of merchandise, but any mega franchise that opens with an arrogant (yet charismatic) weapons manufacturer almost losing his life but instead finding his heart, and closes a major chapter with a robot and a synthezoid (created by that same weapons manufacturer) meditating on the nature of humanity…. I mean, there’s something to that, you know?

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More thoughts on Avengers: Age of Ultron, in a bullet list, in no particular order:

  • The opening assault on Hydra is my favorite set piece in the film, with the “tie-in” shot evoking fist-pumping memories of a similar shot from the first film. Of course, this means all the remaining set pieces fail to top it. Captain America: The Winter Soldier remains the best Marvel movie in terms of action.
  • Music continues to be a weak link in the MCU, though Age of Ultron‘s score is probably the most memorable because they didn’t change the main theme like they have for every Iron Man, Thor and Captain America sequel. And I liked that composer Brian Tyler was able to incorporate his Iron Man theme into the Hulkbuster fight. Didn’t notice Cap’s theme from Winter Soldier at any point, though.
  • There has been a ton of backlash on the internet with regards to Black Widow and her relationship with Bruce Banner, specifically the scene where she reveals to him that she was sterilized during her training in the Red Room. These critics are calling this reveal misogynist because they think it redefines Natasha’s character as ‘the female who believes she’s damaged because she can’t have children.’ I’m with the film’s defenders (like Alyssa Rosenberg at Washington Post), who understand that the scene is really a lament on the choices both Natasha and Bruce have had taken away from them, and the ability to have children is a part of that, but not all of it.
  • As villains go, Ultron certainly had the potential to stand out from the pack of generic Marvel bad guys seeking world destruction. And while James Spader’s performance gives the titular robot a sarcastic flavor that only Spader can provide, Ultron is no different from all the other sentient machines encountered in science fiction. It feels like there should have been more to the Stark/Ultron relationship. If Tony’s the mad scientist, Ultron is his monster and his progeny, but the reasons Ultron hates Tony so much aren’t very well defined. I mean, you can infer some of it from his dialogue, but it’s not enough. As a precursor to Civil War, I would have loved to have seen the Avengers go up against an Ultron that’s more a product of Tony’s worst impulses – the part of him that “can’t tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it.”
  • I’m guessing a lot of Quicksilver was left on the cutting room floor. Out of the four new main characters, he makes the smallest impression, and not even his heroic death can make up for it. The version of Quicksilver (played by Evan Peters) in X-Men: Days of Future Past wins this faceoff.
  • The Vision – you know how you can tell if a character is awesome? They make the biggest impression with the least amount of screen time.
  • Unsurprisingly, the Avengers wind up saving the day – rescuing the people stranded on the floating city of Sokovia and everyone else on Earth below it. But as I watched the movie, I couldn’t shake the feeling that that wasn’t supposed to happen, and that some part of the Avengers’ mission should have failed. It would’ve been in keeping with the theme of consequences (“Everyone creates the thing they dread”), and it would’ve set up the coming conflict between Cap and Tony in Civil War. I could be way off base here, but it’s possible Whedon and Kevin Feige had a darker ending for the film in mind but some Disney/Marvel bigwigs wouldn’t go for it. And now there’s going to have to be some other kind of devastating event to set the plot of Civil War in motion.
  • Let’s talk for a second about how great Hawkeye was this time around. As the one real human with no special abilities (we don’t know for certain if Black Widow is enhanced like she is in the comics), and a surprisingly normal personal life, Barton serves as a reminder of what it is the Avengers fight for. Funnily enough, his role here reminds me of Green Arrow’s introduction in Justice League Unlimited, where Batman tells him that his presence in the League would “keep us honest.”
  • Where would I rank Age of Ultron in the MCU? Probably 3rd or 4th, after Winter Soldier, Iron Man, and maybe the first Avengers. Ultron is probably a deeper film than all of those, but it falls short on the action front, and Loki remains the better villain (of the movies. The best villain of the entire MCU is Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil). I hope the talk of an extended version of the movie coming to DVD is true. I really would love to see the 195-minute cut that Whedon has mentioned in interviews.