One of the most anticipated characters and aspects of The Flash has been the further exploration of the DC Comics superhero Firestorm (Robbie Amell and Victor Garber as Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, respectively), and last night was finally that heating hero’s time to shine.
I have been waiting for this episode for a very long time as I’ve wanted to learn more about this superhero from DC. While I knew that Amell is a terrific actor, last night he shined more than ever before. It was mostly due to the fact that he was able to portray Garber’s Stein so well that made me so impressed, and the way he would deliver those lines made me truly happy. Now that’s not to say that I’m not impressed with his Ronnie, because I love that character, but it’s remarkable to see an actor play two characters that are in the same body on this show.
The flashbacks to when Barry met Stein were terrific as Garber’s presence just made it all outstanding. I’m really looking forward to seeing Stein as a separate character next week and seeing what his character is going to be like now after the merging of him and Ronnie as Firestorm. The fight sequence between The Flash and Firestorm was outstanding, and it still amazes me how big the budget is for the VFX/Special effects on this show, as it is almost movie-quality effects. Now at some point, both these heroes will be able to access more of their respective powers, so it will be cool to if we were given the chance to see who would really win a battle like that down the line.
This episode also featured Joe and Cisco working on the Nora Allen case, as they make a huge discovery in the night of her murder. There were in fact two speedsters and one of them was, as speculated by a lot of us, an older Barry Allen, as the show is now introducing the concept of time travel. I like that Joe is really getting into this (without hopefully risking his life because I will never accept Joe West being killed off) and really showing his care for Barry. Also, it makes the character of Joe more involved with the whole sci-fi aspect that this world is entering.
“The Nuclear Man” also continued the new relationship between Barry and Linda (Malese Jow), and while I wasn’t here to comment about her first episode, I really love Jow in the role (even though I do know that Linda Park is famous for being the wife of the third Flash, Wally West). It’s a fun relationship, and while it does get into somewhat of a triangle drama between her, Barry, and Iris, I was okay with it, although I do hope to see her as more than just Barry’s love interest because we all know that at some point these two will not be together anymore and I would love for her to stick around regardless.
The one thing that kind of came of as underwhelming was that post-credit scene that honestly felt a little bit rushed, even though it featured the return of General Eiling (portrayed by Clancy Brown). If you have been keeping up with the synopsis for future episodes then you know that he will be in next week’s episode trying to capture Firestorm, so I get the logistics of showing him in the end. However, it just seemed so rushed that I would have preferred if the episode had ended with that major cliffhanger as Firestorm went nuclear.
Overall, “The Nuclear Man” was one of the stronger episodes of the show since it came back from its hiatus with the concept of Firestorm being further explored in great ways. Amell and Garber will be a fun dynamic to watch next week as they will then be separated, but what will be heartbreaking to see are any interactions between Ronnie and Caitlin as they will most likely not have it easy together.
The Flash airs on Tuesday nights, 8/7c on The CW.
[Photo via The CW]
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