The Flash Season 9 Episode 8 Review: Partners in Time
Midway through The Flash Season 9 Episode 8, “Partners in Time,” Cecile says, “This moment is magical.” She couldn’t be much farther from the truth.
This is another wonky episode adding nothing to the Flash’s mythos and only biding time until they hit the correct number count to call these 13 episodes a season. While there is a trace amount of intrigue, the anticlimactic ending makes none of it feel like a proper payoff.
Seriously, at this point, there is absolutely no reason why this season should exist. It only feels like a pile of scrapped ideas left over from the years.
If these episodes were spaced out among a more significant and viable plot, these mistakes would be forgivable. Since they are all lumped together, no one could possibly explain their reason for existence.
This episode is at least the third one of the season to involve being stuck inside an endless loop. The chosen protagonists, Barry and Iris this time, must figure out something integral before coming back to the real world. Sadly, the important thing they must learn this time around isn’t even a moral standard.
What we get is a lazy whodunit with obvious answers and clumsily written plot twists. Nothing ever feels like it is at stake, and you find yourself counting the minutes until the episode is over. There is no “aha” moment, only an “it’s about damn time” feeling.
Not one of the inspectors feels like a living breathing person, and I find myself wondering why they bothered naming any of the characters at all. One would hope that Barry and Iris’ banter could liven up these scenes, but they come off more like a failed 80s sitcom.
One saving grace is that Barry Allen is actually in the episode for more than 5 minutes. The Flash, on the other hand, is still M.I.A. Even a few speed-related stunts prove fruitless against the villain of the week.
Barely even an ounce of action hits our television screens unless you want to count Allegra and Chester locking lips. This doesn’t add up for me because the two lack any amount of chemistry. Their side of the episode increasingly feels like a soap opera every week.
Their relationship truly feels like it is torn from the pages of a YA novel. Trust me, that isn’t a compliment.
Tying the two different storylines together is the common theme of change and commitment. Just like it was last week, and the week before that, and so forth.
Normally, I’m not against a season being centered on one keynote. If it is a significant idea to attack, please go after it repeatedly. But please, for the love of God, find new ways to explore the same themes so that they don’t become redundant.
Iris spouts off some dialog about her fear of pregnancy and how Nora will disrupt their routines. Yes, this is a viable fear, but she’s already said it nearly verbatim in a previous episode.
Cecile: This moment is magical.
All I’m asking for is some new material — something different to close out the series on a high note.
The final seasons of Arrow were far from great, but at least they took some chances. We had a documentary-style episode and a horror-themed one as well. Heck, Oliver Queen had a whole story arc where he was in prison.
They didn’t always add up to much, but at least they were thinking outside of the box. These episodes of The Flash seem more like they just gave up. A room full of people wanted one last paycheck so they mustered up just enough energy to spew out this crap.
Okay, maybe I’m being a little bit harsh.
We are getting to say a final goodbye to our friends and found family. There are many shows where we don’t get to do that. Naomi’s first and only season made us feel like we wasted 13 episodes getting to know a gang of fun kids we would never see again.
We never got to learn how and if the show tied into the Arrowverse. At least with The Flash, we know exactly where we stand.
This truly does feel as if it is the end of the Arrowverse. After all, Superman and Lois has already made its stance against being in the same realm, and it’s obvious Gotham Knights takes place in a Gotham City far different than Batwoman’s.
So if this is what goodbye looks like, I guess I’ll take it, filler episodes and all.
What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Will the last handful of episodes make up for everything we’ve had to sit through so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Flash airs Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW.
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Charles E Henning
Charles E. Henning lives in a quaint town of Illinois with his ever-loving wife since 1998. He is new to writing reviews, but has over thirty years of fictitious writing for his own personal fulfillment. His interests range from science fiction to character-based dramas, but he is a sucker for anyone in a cape.