The Flash Review: Fear Me (Season 7 Episode 5)
The Flash is obviously racing toward something (pun intended). But at this point, it’s unclear what that is.
On The Flash Season 7 Episode 5, “Fear Me,” Team Flash battles a new threat that sows fear among Central City citizens, and the Speed Force falls to Earth!
“Psych” is an interesting villain, and what he and “Fuerza” seem to mean for The Flash has potential to be epic. But that messaging is unclear.
“Fear Me” spends a lot of time on the fears of the main characters. But 7 seasons in, Barry’s fears (for example) aren’t that interesting. It’s no secret that Barry’s past encounters with speedster villains and losing his loved ones is a fear he carries.
Long seasons are tough, but the battle against Psych itself isn’t enough to keep viewers interested. The fact that Fuerza, Psych, and the human version of the speed force (who looks an awful lot like Nora Allen) are related to each other is a cool tease, but unless more is revealed quickly, viewers may lose interest.
Part of the problem is that the show introduces Fuerza, and then mentions her name a few times but otherwise casts her aside in favor of Psych. In this story, serialized storytelling is becoming a disadvantage.
The good news is, there are still some truly great moments on and aspects of “Fear Me.”
First – separating Killer Frost and Caitlin is a great decision that should have happened much sooner. Their strong differences can play off each other, and that works to the betterment of the show without having to cast someone new to play off.
The whole show dynamic is stronger and more engaging with Killer Frost and Caitlin simultaneously, and plenty of story to be told there.
Secondly, The Flash has made a habit in recent seasons of splitting up the team into various missions, and does many episodes a year without one or more of the cast members. This plays to mixed results, but what it does effectively is help viewers appreciate the main “Team Flash” (Barry, Cisco, Iris, Caitlin/Frost). Having this team working together for multiple episodes in a row is a true treat, and hopefully it continues.
A few stray thoughts:
- Theory: Do you think Psych is to Cecile as the Speed Force is to Barry? Is that why she was able to stop it?
- Fuerza is so named because “She-Hulk was taken.” Genius. I love Cisco.
- The show is clearly planning something with Killer Frost because of her separation from Caitlin, combined with a whole federal agent showing up to chase her down. It’s a little weird.
- Obviously the best bits of “Fear Me” are the extensive references to This is Us.
- I’m honored to be able to cover The Flash for the rest of the season. I’ve been a big fan for some time.
What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.