'The Flash' Recap: 'Mixed Signals'

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

You know, I have to admit that I completely and utterly missed something when it comes to last week's recap of The Flash, in that...I forgot to bring up the fact that this series is suddenly a whole lot more lighthearted. Because sandwiched between the wonder of Barry's return home, and the matter of nursing him back to health, there were truly some fluffy and hilarious moments to be found and the reason that I bring that up today, is because it is clear now that a lighter and more adventurous tone is going to permeate this show in season four. 

For proof, look no further than the opening moments of 'Mixed Signals' wherein we were treated to a speedster version of Risky Business wherein Barry made breakfast in style and the joy and smiles that particular moment produced didn't end there. This episode was truly loaded to the gills with hilarious one liners from Cisco or gut busting comical moments and really, it's a wonderful sight to see. After two years of tough storylines and heartbreak and sorrow, it's nice to see the characters and the audience be rewarded with a break from the darker storylines and as an added surprise, in between the laughs there were some genuinely touching moments to be found as well. 

Because oddly enough, this episode made relationships a focus, as both Barry and Iris and Cisco and Gypsy worked on their romances accordingly, with the first couple finally taking the time to deal with the fallout over the impact of Barry choosing the Speed Force over Iris and while this was indeed handled in fluffy fashion with some wonderfully cheeky moments in a therapist's office, it was a necessity to have these two handle this matter and it was touching to see them address it and move on and it was equally as sweet to see Cisco and Gypsy shed their tough guy and tough gal personas and open up to one another for a change and express just how much they care for one another. 

But what would this show be without an evil Meta showing up and of course it delivered on that front too, by giving us Kilgore. This former programmer turned meta had the power to control any electronic device near him, and he wanted revenge upon a creative team that profited heavily off of an idea/app that they stole from him and well, Kilgore was quite the ugly villain. He was all about the most elaborate kill possible and unfortunately for Barry, taking this vengeful man down was no easy task. Because Barry's shiny new suit was filled to the brim with fancy new technology that Kilgore was happy to exploit and it look a little trust and a healthy dose of electricity to get Barry back in control in order to bring the bad guy to justice.

However, that sequence was also packed with some hilarious moments as we learned just how much stuff Cisco jammed into that suit and while this episode seemed purely transitional in nature, Kilgore's arrival actually served as a grander setup for the mystery villain we met last week. Because it would seem that Kilgore is a new breed of Meta, one unrelated to the explosion that gave birth to the Flash four years ago and it would seem our cybernetic mystery fiend is hell bent on finding a specific set of Metas one by one and it should be interesting to see why he wants to find these people, and what plan he has for all of them. Either way, this was just a joy of an episode. I was smiling and laughing heartily throughout the whole thing and I really do hope the series sticks with this new and improved iteration of The Flash. Until next time.

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