FLASH SPOILER Review: Episode 8×07- “Lockdown”

The Flash (08×07)- “Lockdown”

Written by:         Christina M Walker

Directed by:       Stefan Pleszczynski

We open this week with Chester on monitor duty on a boring afternoon and it seems his stomach is ready for lunch but it also he failed to pack his lunch and didn’t notice. (How do you not notice the second you pick up the lunch box?)

He now has a minor dilemma, run off to the break room and nuke a hot pocket potentially missing an emergency they need Barry for or continue to listen to the not so soothing sounds of borborygmus.  (Apparently Door Dash, Uber Eats and the delivery options even Taco Bell offers are not a thing in Central City)

Luckily for Chester’s hunger pains, Allegra shows up with some sandwiches and awkward sexual tension. Luckily for them there’s a trio of crimes around town including Central City’s most inept criminal:

Sterling Brooks.

The guy had a name? Alright now we’re moving on.

But you know that whole “Fastest Man Alive” thing Barry used to talk about in the episode pre-cap?  Turns out he’s pretty fast and he rounds up all three then drops them off in the lobby of the Police Station and is off again before you can pronounce the “z” in “Citizen’s Arrest.”

There is a problem though, without Joe on the Force anymore there’s a bit of an information gap in the actual process when Barry runs people in.  Captain Kramer would at least like the option of calling The Flash.  Later when Barry brings it up to Joe and Cecile they think it’s a good idea.  Come on Barry! Even Batman works with the Cops, you can at least start Discord with the CCPD.

Back at STAR Labs, Chester’s trying do the whole Livestreaming thing when Caitlin comes storming in with this week’s B-Plot. It seems that she’s a little annoyed at Frost’s budding romance with Chillblaine, because of him being a pretty unrepentant criminal that has sold the team out at least once. I’m betting some of it has to do with the picture message spam she’s getting too.

Good thing Caitlin has herself a date with Marcus and in case you’re wondering, that sound you just heard was the “unexpected double date” plotline arriving from Sitcom town.

Back at CCPD, Barry brings Kramer in all the leg work for the arrests Flash made that afternoon.  The pair have a conversation about how they’ve done things involving the Flash up to that point and Kramer continues to make the reasonable argument that if  they’re going to work with the Flash they need to able to rely on the Flash working with them.

Not sure why you’re dragging your heels on this so much, Barry.

The pair arrive at the elevator in the lobby but when it opens they get a surprise knockout gas attack and everyone takes an unscheduled nap.  Who would do something like this?

Glad you asked because I was pretty happy with the answer. Goldface did it!

The officers come to and find they’re all tied up in the lobby and Goldface has taken the extra step of giving them meta-dampening cuffs each containing a bomb to prevent tampering.  Our man has put some thought into this.

Now on to why he’s done this. It seems Amunet told him that in the weapon’s locker there’s some anti-meta bullets that he wants to sell on the black market since they can do things like potentially cost the Flash his powers.  This is a pretty good plan, I like it.

Even better, Goldface recognized Barry from his stint undercover a few season back and he is not happy to see him at all.

They cut away to a bar and it seems Caitlin and Marcus’ reservation was fouled up so they couldn’t have their nice dinner date.  It’s karaoke night and surprise, surprise Frost and Chillblaine are on stage singing.  Why if it isn’t the “unexpected double date” plot line!  Tonight’s Episode of the Flash was filmed before a live studio audience.

This is something I haven’t felt the need to do in a while, cut to the chase on the B-plot. Caitlin’s anger at Frost’s relationship is actually her jealousy and insecurity manifesting and Frost and Chillblaine call her out on it after she ruins the double date.  Back to the A plot!

Goldface busts into the armory and the guys break out the weapons case only to find the weapon and rounds are gone.  When he brings Barry and Kramer in to get them but Kramer refuses to help him Barry attempts to stall Goldface by offering to build him a tracking device.

Up in the lab, Barry is working on the tracker while Goldface takes a call from Aumnet.  It seems since the last time we saw Goldface and Amunet they got some couple’s counseling and decided to really commit to bring their lives together.  We then get a fun combo reference to Moby Dick and Wrath of Khan before Barry uses the modified scanner. It seems he changed it emit a high frequency tone that disables Goldface and his henchman long enough for them to escape.

In another part of the station Barry and Kramer try to find a way to get their cuffs off without blowing themselves up Barry notices that Kramer’s cuff has been deactivated.  Barry believes her powers fried the circuitry which means she can use her powers to stop Goldface, but Kramer’s scared because she doesn’t think she can control her powers enough to not hurt one of her people.

That was part of why she wanted to contact The Flash, she was hoping he could help her learn to control her powers.  When Goldface threatens to start killing the other hostages, Barry gives her some advice on how to use her powers by trusting her instincts.

Meanwhile, Barry decides the best way to get out of the cuff is to take his own advice about trusting his instincts then taking the Band-Aid method of just ripping it off and outrunning the explosion.  Kramer’s control over her powers slip when she believes Barry killed in the blast and Goldface gets the upper hand but not long enough to do anything with it since The Flash is now on the scene and the day is saved.

As the station is being cleaned up from the hostage situation, Barry catches up with Kramer and when he asks what happened to the meta bullets she reveals she’d quietly had them moved to ARGUS months earlier. He returns later that night as The Flash to offer up a way for her to contact him if she needs help and offer her help with her abilities.

He even starts to reveal his identity to her but it seems Kramer has already put two and two together since she had a look at the remains of Barry’s cuff and determined the only way The Flash would have been fast enough to save Barry is if he was Barry.

Across town, Joe and Iris are just finishing up dinner and catching up.  Things get a little weird when Joe goes to check on Iris’ sister and she seems to black out long enough for Joe to be returning with files from an old case.  Joe believes she just had a slip of concentration but judging by the way her eyes suddenly start glowing green I’m thinking it might be more of a problem than that.

This was almost a damn good episode.  I liked the development of both Kramer’s storyline and her and Barry determining how best they can work together, both as police officers and as police official and costumed crime fighter.  It was easy to lose sight of just how much Joe and Barry might have been able to do to prosecute all the people Barry brought in with Joe having direct access to him so this answered that problem pretty well.

I also liked that Kramer was smart enough to have figured Barry out, it’s the Perry White/Jim Gordon/J Jonah Jameson issue.  If the hero’s boss is smart enough to be where they are to help the hero they’re probably more than smart enough to know who the hero is even if they never bring it up.  Though it makes me wonder again just how many officers in the CCPD have figure it out over the years.

Damion Poitier as Goldface is fun as always. Much like when Katee Sackhoff shows up as Amunet I know two things the second he arrives on the scene; his part of the story will be fun and that there won’t be one inch of scenery that isn’t chewed to bits. I can’t wait to see him again.

Here’s where the Almost comes. I just didn’t care for the B-plot.  It was nothing special and I’m already done talk about it.  But yeah, Flash season eight keeps rolling along. Up next; “The Fire Next Time.”

Things We Learned:

1. Barry has given Kramer a direct line to him and has offered to help her with her meta abilities.
2. Kramer has determined that Barry is the Flash.
3. The anti meta bullets are now in ARGUS’ possession.
4. Iris’ is having black outs that seem to point to her problems with the Still Force.

Questions:

1. Is Iris’ problem at all related to “The Scarpulla Case” she’s working on?
2. How long has Kramer actually known and how much of the CCPD has figured out that as well?
3. Who was the buyer Amunet and Goldface were stealing the meta bullets for?
4. Why does Sterling Brooks still live in Central City?