FLASH SPOILER Review: Episode 8×06- “Impulsive Excessive Disorder”

The Flash (08×06)- “Impulsive Excessive Disorder”

Written by:         Thomas Pound

Directed by:       David McWhirter

We pick up with Nora and Bart pretty much where we left them last season. Talking with their parents after their vow renewal before they return to 2049.  When they arrive, the timeline adjusts before their eyes and in walks Jay Garrick. It seems their actions fighting Godspeed have caused some changes.  As they sit down with him for food they start asking questions and Nora becomes worried when Jay mentions his wife, Rose.

She decides they have to fix things but I’m not so sure. The last Rose I saw than hung with a time traveler in a leather jacket she was a bit of all right:

But as the child of Barry and Iris, it’s probably impossible to convince Nora of anything once she’s decided something must be fixed (at least until her actions have left everything screwed up and the only option is to do what everyone was telling her to do since the beginning) so the pair head to the Flash Museum to figure out where things went wrong.

They determine that the problems started when Joe was shot responding to a robbery while Barry was in the coma after his lightning strike.  (I would have probably started with the Trickster invading Tibet or Booster Gold visiting the White House but that a good place to start.)  They return to 2013 to fix things but things immediately derail into some minor time traveling shenanigans when they meet Eddie. Also, Hey! Eddie’s back!

They convince Eddie they’re interns helping to cover for Barry and since they’re interns covering for the person who seemed to be the entire forensics department of the CCPD he sends them on a coffee run.  While waiting Bart has a cute meeting up with a Doctoral Candidate in Physics named Avery and the pair flirt before Nora’s gauntlet tells them it’s time to save their grandfather and they race off to do so.

When they arrive Joe has already confronted the robber in question and he seems to not be up to the task of armed robbery. Or even just safely holding a gun and he ends up dropping the gun causing it to go off.

With very little time to formulate a plan, Bart rushes in and nudges Joe slightly out of the way allowing him to make the arrest with very little problems. Problem solved right! Time to drop a grand on Michigan State beating Stanford in the Rose Bowl then head home with a little green in your pockets, kids. You’ve earned it.

Right?

Wrong!

See there happened to be an emerging telepath on the scene and as Bart thinks a stray thought about Meta-humans she gets the idea that she’s not alone and just to make things worse she happens to be the Once and Future Queen of the Royal Flush Gang.

She decides to gather up some other meta-humans and knock over a casino in Central City.  The Royal Flush Gang gets their start early.

After some minor shenanigans getting the flash drive showing the robbery Nora and Bart watch the tape in Barry’s lab.  Watching the tape and seeing Mona aka Queen on the scene they realize they’ve accidently started the Royal Flush Gang before there was a Flash to stop them. 

Bart’s confidence crumbles at this realization and he runs off to see Barry in his hospital room.  Nora comes to comfort him and she tries to convince him that just because they’ve made some mistakes they haven’t failed until they’ve given up.

After that, the pair visits Avery and ask for her help repairing the timeline. Using her research into time travel theory she determines their best shot at fixing things without causing more unexpected changes is to let the robbery happen, keep the body count to zero and go from there.

At the casino (and it’s totally 2013/2014 and not 2021 with the social distancing Plexiglas bolted to every slot machine!) the RFG shows up to do things; steal money and steal money. Sure that’s just one thing but it’s a lot of money.  Bart and Nora hit the scene and try to stop the bombs the RFG has planted around the casino and get the hostages.

Bart gets found out and masquerades as a casino manager to try and defuse the situation but Queen believe he might be a cop so she reads his mind which almost outs him as a time traveler until he concentrates on Avery.  King then hits Bart, breaking his arm.  The RFG leaves which leaves Nora less than a minute to find the bombs and get rid of them.

The Royal Flush Gang might have gotten away but the day and the timeline are saved so we’ll call this a win.  With the day saved, the pair keep an eye on the aftermath in the police station which is how they end up in the photo from last week before Bart heads off to say goodbye to Avery.

In 2049, they explain their adventure to Jay and he tells them about all the trouble that he and Barry have had with time travel and congratulate them on learning a lesson from the experience as long as they:

Back in 2021, it’s also New Year’s Eve and the gang has gathered together for Barry to take them to Paris to welcome 2022 but more importantly drop hints at a bunch of plot lines for the rest of the season.  Especially when Iris’ hairbrush disappears into green particles.

That was a fun little episode, it also got more enjoyable after they got through the time travel shenanigans on the first act.  They didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything but that’s fine. They laid the pieces out for more stories. Everyone is assuming that Avery is at least a nod to the character “Avery Ho” who became the Flash of Justice League China in the comics which is a good a theory as any.

All I know is Piper Curda had some charm and chemistry with Jordan Fisher so I thought she was a fun addition to the episode and I hope to see more from her.

That’s really about all I can say, it was a fun little episode that the producers seemed to have made for a New Year’s Episode which continues the long Flash tradition of unintentionally releasing Holiday Episodes well after the holiday in question has past.

Things We Learned:

1. Nora and Bart’s attempt to stop the Godspeed War caused some changes to the Timeline however it seems they’ve repaired the most egregious ones.
2. While in 2013 they met a physicist named Avery who may have importance to not only future events but Bart personally.
3. Due to changes in the Timeline, the Royal Flush Gang has formed much earlier than before.
4. Iris may still be affected by becoming unstuck in the Timeline.

Questions:

1. If Iris is still affected by her time in the mirror dimension and becoming unstuck in time will Barry and Deon be able to help her or will she become unstuck in time?
2. If she does become unstuck could that explain why she and Barry’s children seem to only be in their early twenties almost thirty years from present day?
3. Will the early formation of the Royal Flush Gang become significant later this season?
4. Silly question but will the changes to the timeline come back to haunt Bart, Nora and the 2022 version of Team Flash? (It’s a silly question because of course they will.)
5. Is it possible that Avery does become a speedster in the events to come?
6. Who was Rose? Does she still have a part to play and does this mean that Doctor Who is bringing back my favorite Doctor? (Probably not but it would be Fantastic!)