The Flash Review: Elongated Journey Into Night (Season 4 Episode 4)

The Flash Season 4 is pretty remarkable so far.

In just three episodes, the show manages to recapture much of the joy, laughter, and lighthearted fun that drew fans to the series in the first place. It is so good, it almost makes you forget how dour and unpleasant much of Season 3 was.

However, all good things must come back to Earth eventually.

“Elongated Journey Into Night” is Season 4’s first real “meh” episode. To be fair, it’s not bad. In fact, it’s probably even slightly above average, all things considered. It’s just that Season 4 has been so good thus far, that merely “above average” suddenly feels like “mediocre.”

Comics fans may find more to really love here, as The Flash finally introduces Ralph Dibney, the Elongated Man. His origin on the small screen is a bit different than you might expect, though.

Here, Dibney is a former cop with a complicated, pre-existing relationship with Barry. He has something of a crooked past, having lost his job for planting evidence and lying under oath.

Oh, and Barry is the reason he got caught for it. Awkward.

Unlike the comics, however, Dibney is much more of a grey figure onscreen and we, along with Team Flash, aren’t really sure about whether we can trust him. Because this is The Flash, it turns out that he’s a jerk with a heart of gold (of course), but the ensuing debate about Barry’s treatment of him is an interesting one.

The Flash doesn’t always spend a lot of time on nuance. Most times, it doesn’t have to. Which is why the scene in which Barry faces the fact that maybe he doesn’t always live up to his own ideals is so good and so necessary.

Let’s be clear, though: Dibney’s manipulation of evidence is bad, no matter what his motivation is for doing so. Barry’s decision to report him was the right one, and he should be applauded for that.

That said, the fact that The Flash is willing, even for a moment, to have its hero question whether their methods are good ones is important.

Sure, Barry and his friends try to do their best always. But they also have a basement jail full of metahumans that they keep prisoner without the benefit of trials. Barry himself seems to rewrite all of time at least once per season.

Even good people can convince themselves to do bad things for what they see as good reasons. So a little self-awareness for Team Flash — particularly Barry, who can often come across as so judgmental — is always a good thing.

“Elongated Journey Into Night’s” B-plot is considerably more entertaining than its serious primary story, even if it feels much less crucial to the season’s overall plot arc. Once again, Gypsy’s back from Earth-19. But this time, her father Breacher follows her, under the guise of “testing” Cisco to determine if he’s worthy of Gypsy.

The story (which involves Breacher hunting Cisco around Central City for 24 hours, like we’re suddenly in the Most Dangerous Game) feels like little more than an excuse to ask Danny Trejo to guest star. That is not the worst thing ever, as Trejo’s deadpan, stone-cold murderer vibe is hilarious.

He and Carlos Valdes play off of one another marvelously well. The scene in which Breacher calmly rejects the entire concept of coffee before explaining how he straight-up murdered one of Gypsy’s old boyfriends is comedy gold.

However, their story doesn’t really tell us anything new. Of course Cisco is smart and capable, loyal to his friends, and brave when it matters. We know all that already.

That he found the courage to risk himself in order take responsibility for Ralph’s elastic condition is admirable, but not unexpected. That’s what Cisco does.

(To be fair, I’m a bit biased, because I adore Caitlin Snow and am still waiting for the great Killer Frost story I know The Flash can give her. That follow-up definitely seems… more important than a story about Gypsy’s father, no matter how much fun Trejo is.)

Maybe after three weeks of truly stellar episodes, it’s unfair to complain about an average one. “Elongated Journey Into Night” is an entertaining ride and not a bad way to spend an hour. Just don’t expect to remember it for too long after the credits roll.

Stray Thoughts:

• I must admit, after everything in Season 3, I did worry that Barry would just throw Dibney into a meta holding chamber, just in case. I’m glad that didn’t happen. (And I’m glad it’s Caitlin who sticks up for those who have powers they can’t always control.)
• I’m also genuinely shocked that the show does a purposeful callback to Savitar. Sure, it’s meant to underline the inevitability of Barry’s battle with The Thinker, but I expected that The Flash would happily never mention him again.
• Since The Flash purposefully wrote out both Julian and Wally (at least for the moment), does the show really need another recurring character in Ralph? I’m not averse to seeing more of him, but the show already struggles to fit its existing characters into the story as it is.
• “You look like someone I once sent my daughter to kill.” “I get that a lot.” Earth-2 Wells is the best Wells!
• Team Flash seems over the moon about Joe and Cecile’s pregnancy announcement, which is sweet. While I’m still not crazy about that particular storyline, I do wish it had at least involved Cecile for the reveal/celebration.

What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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