The speedster battle in The Flash’s latest episode proves that the Arrowverse series has a ton of untapped potential when it comes to action. All season, Barry’s approach to fighting has been one of the show’s biggest problems. One of the most common complaints about The Flash season 7 pertains to its fights (or lack thereof).
The season has a few hand-to-hand combat sequences with characters like Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker), but how The Flash has handled its main protagonist has left a lot to be desired. Barry being the Fastest Man Alive, yet somehow not fast enough to defeat his metahuman opponents has been an unfortunate trend in the current season that has forced Barry to rely more and more on appealing to his enemies’ emotions rather than actually beating them in combat. For this reason, many feel that Barry’s speed hasn’t made the impact that it should have.
The Flash season 7, episode 15, titled “Enemy at the Gates” took big steps towards finally fixing this issue. When the Godspeed clones stormed S.T.A.R. Labs, an exciting battle between Barry and the white-clade speedsters ensued. Instead of simply fighting back by throwing lightning (as he tends to do), Barry engaged Godspeed directly by bombarding the villain with a flurry of super-fast punches, followed by the two zipping around the room, knocking each other off their feet with some hard-hitting blows. The special effects used during all the dodging and punching that was going on during these scenes made for a fun action sequence and one of the most intense fights the series has presented in a long time.
Episode 15 also went a long way in highlighting the potential that a live-action speedster battle can offer. A character with as much speed as Barry lends the series all sorts of visual opportunities that the Arrowverse show doesn’t always take advantage of, possibly because of budget issues. Regardless, the Flash vs. Godspeed showdown was proof of how thrilling the action can be when the show really lets Barry loose. Lately, there’s been a feeling that The Flash is holding Barry back. Too often and too quickly this season, Barry has resigned himself to finding ways to win that don’t involve the use of his speedster powers. They’ve been treated as inadequate for several of the battles they’ve faced in season 7, and given how powerful Barry is, that shouldn’t be the case.
The way Barry attacked Godspeed at S.T.A.R. Labs is how the character deserves to be used. And this style of action doesn’t have to be reserved for fights with villains who match his speed. It’s hard to imagine Barry losing against non-speedsters if he were to fight with this much intensity in his other battles. Hopefully, episode 15 was a sign of things to come, because this is the kind of action that The Flash needs going forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment