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Monday, October 11, 2021

TV Show Review: The Flash - Season 7

Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Acting, some episodes
Cons: Too many new characters, needed a few more standalone episodes
The Bottom Line:
Three arcs in season
Harder to get into it
Characters shuffle



“Please Tell Me There’s Another Apocalypse.”

The Arrowverse shows are beginning to show their age – at least to me.  While I keep watching them, I only really care about one any more.  It’s not that I dislike the shows, but I didn’t find much to care about in season 7 of The Flash.

Season six of The Flash was shortened due to the pandemic, so we kicked off season 7 exactly where we left off.  That meant that Barry Allen, aka The Flash (Grant Gustin), was without his powers while his wife Iris (Candice Patton) was trapped inside a mirror with a doppelganger running around in Barry’s world.  This arc plays out over the first few episodes of season 7.  Fortunately, they didn’t try to stretch it over the entire season since we were already nearing the climax.  Instead, that gives us time for two more arcs, one involving others with specialty powers and a connection to Barry and Iris, and one involving Godspeed coming intent on taking Barry’s speed.

Meanwhile, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) returns from her trip with a surprise, she and Killer Frost (also Danielle) are now permanently separated.  Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) faces some tough changes in his life.  And we say goodbye to two original cast members this season.

There were several issues I had with the season.  First, these shorter arcs didn’t allow much time for standalone episodes.  Instead, I felt like every episode was building to some crisis I couldn’t see how they could get out of.  Mind you, I enjoy that to a certain extent.  But a season of that got exhausting.  I need some standalones.

Second, the cast changes are hard to deal with.  Both of the cast members who left were the cast member’s choices, and I understand the desire to do other things eventually.  It’s a job, after all, and we all change jobs.  However, I am just not connecting with the new characters.  Hopefully, they will be given more meaty episodes and arcs in the new season so I’ll have that connection.

In what I’m assuming was due to COVID protocols, not every character was in every episode.  Sometimes, those absences were very awkward, other times they felt natural.

Now, this isn’t to say I wasn’t enjoying the show.  Some episodes really worked for me, and I enjoyed them.  All of the storylines reach satisfactory conclusions.  The effects are strong.

And the actors continue to be at the top of their game.  My inability to connect with the characters isn’t on them at all, but on too many new characters too quickly.  It’s why I’m hoping I can connect with them more as they get more screen time.

Season seven was slightly shortened, so we got eighteen episodes.  However, this was known very early on, so we got the ending the writers intended for the season.

Yes, I’ll be back for season 8 of The Flash.  But, if season 7 is any indication, it is getting time for the show to wind down.

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