In the view of myself and a fair amount of fans, The Flash season 4 has thus far proven to be a mixed bag. For the first six episodes, the producers tried so hard to stray from the darkness of season 3 that they made pretty much every line of dialogue a quip, effectively reducing the show to a farce in short order.
But, with episode 4×07, we saw a turnaround of sorts, as the magic of seasons 1 and 2 was seemingly being recaptured. To be honest, we owe much of our gratitude to the Thinker and all the riveting storytelling and shocking plot twists he’s brought along with him. Really, it’s okay to smile here and there, but this is The CW, not Disney XD.
Having said all that, we’re hoping that the series don’t fall into a forcefully comedic quagmire in the next few weeks as Ralph Dibny, a rather divisive addition to Team Flash, will step up in the pornographically titled “The Elongated Knight Rises.” And despite whatever mental images that may inspire, we assure that you won’t have to be at least 18 years of age to tune in.
Thanks to the official synopsis for said episode, we’ve learned that Barry Allen’s murder trial will keep him occupied for a bit longer than we expected, thus forcing the Elongated Man to protect Central City in his stead. As for which villain will return, your guess is as good as ours, though we doubt it’ll be someone as formidable as the Reverse-Flash.
Anyway, here’s what you have to look forward to on January 23:
THE RISE OF THE HERO — When a familiar villain returns to terrorize Central City, Ralph (guest star Hartley Sawyer) must rise up to defend the innocent while Barry (Grant Gustin) is detained by his trial. Meanwhile, Barry searches for the strength to keep his optimism alive in the face of his new circumstances. Alexandra La Roche directed the episode written by Sterling Gates & Thomas Pound (#411). Original airdate 1/23/2018.
The Flash returns with new episodes on Tuesday, January 16 on The CW.