TV Show Review

TV Review: THE FLASH: Season 3, Episode 10: Borrowing Problems From The Future [The CW]

Grant Gustin Keiynan Lonsdale Borrowing Problems From The Future The Flash

The Flash: Borrowing Problems From The Future Review

The CW’s The Flash: Season 3, Episode 10: ‘Borrowing Problems From The Future’ started a new arc, meaning that the Flashpoint storyline was finished. We get a new intro where the focus is on trying to prevent Iris’ (Candice Patton) death at the hands of Savitar. It’s not a bad way to start the second half of the season, but the show did need a big boost as it enters a new year. However, the midseason premiere felt short on delivering just that.

We last said that the midseason finale did leave some hope for a great storyline, but it all went down the drain when the show returned with this episode. What The Flash basically did was recycling old plotlines for season three, so it didn’t offer anything new on the table. The problem is pretty much the same as last time, a new speedster threatens the team and this villain has a connection with the team somehow. Plus, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is trying to keep secrets from the team again thinking that he can handle his new problem on his own. In the end, we know that Barry will end up losing the ones he loves as the season closes. Sound familiar? That’s because this plotline has been used for the past two seasons. The only thing the show can do is by making the remainder of the season different from the rest. This week’s episode just doesn’t seem to prove that point.

The one good thing coming out of this is that Barry didn’t take long to keep the secret. Instead of not telling Iris of her impending murder, Barry decides to tell her and then see her reaction once she learns the truth. Barry knew he wanted to keep things honest with Iris as they start moving together, which was the right call on his part. It did take him some time to think it over, but he ended up making the right decision. It’s nice to know that Barry has learned from his mistakes and continue to mature as an adult because he does seem to annoy his friends whenever he has a secret to hide.

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The scene from the future showing Iris’ death will be something we will be coming back to throughout the season. This is just another version of Barry’s mother getting killed, except that instead of the past, Barry must prevent the future by altering the present. Team Flash will keep coming back to see if anything changes in the timeline leading to that fateful night. With some help from Cisco (Carlos Valdes), Barry should have no problem resolving this.

The idea of trying to change details on the news to prevent the outcome does seem a bit weak. However, it is still good to see the show going deep into the rules of time travel and question whether the future can be changed or if it’s already ‘set in motion’ as H.R. Wells (Tom Cavanagh) likes to put it. Barry wasn’t so lucky when he tried to change the past in Flashpoint, but maybe the future won’t be so difficult. Or there’s a chance that Barry will mess up just like his other attempts and makes things worse. No matter where this is going, let’s hope the show keeps things interesting and unpredictable because having this topic of free will and fate needs some better outcomes.

While all this was taking place, we were introduced to this week’s villain who is called Plunder (Stephen Huszar). Plunder can be seen as a Deadshot rip-off with a futuristic-looking gun. He didn’t come off as menacing, but more of a typical villain with some fancy gadgetry. Even Barry’s problem of preventing the future from happening wasn’t very gripping. Seeing that Barry believed letting Plunder go to prevent Iris’ death was completely foolish. Even after being a superhero for so long, Barry’s judgment can be spotty at times.

The great thing about this show is the dynamic with Team Flash even when the story doesn’t come through or executed well enough. It wasn’t the perfect start for the new year, but the characters had some strong moments. Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) and Barry’s bond as brothers and partners has started growing stronger. We was also fun seeing Cisco’s bond with H.R. just like his time spending with Earth-2’s Harry. H.R. stands out from his other two counterparts, and it seems there’s a lot more we don’t know about him which we will find out later this season. Even Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) connection with Julian (Tom Felton) was a great addition to mix in with the rest of the characters. These two are connected by the same suffering of being manipulated and controlled by Savitar.

The Flash midseason premiere got off to a not so perfect start. Having the fate versus free will does make the story interesting, but it often feels like the show is going back to old storylines by going this route. Adding another villain into the fold didn’t make things any better. The one thing that the episode has got going like the other episodes before are the great dynamic shown in most of the Team Flash members to make it enjoyable and appealing.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of The Flash in the comments section below. Readers seeking more The Flash news, images, and videos can visit our The Flash Page, The Flash Google+ Page, and our The Flash Facebook Page. Readers seeking more TV show reviews can visit our TV Show Review Page, our TV Show Review Twitter Page, our TV Show Review Facebook Page, and our TV Show Review Google+ Page. Want up-to-the-minute notification? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

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Mufsin Mahbub

**Fired from FilmBook for Plagiarism** Mufsin is a freelance writer from New York who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism at Long Island University. He has written for publications like HollywoodLife, Clubplanet, and Heavy. He is an avid lover for everything related to TV and film. He has gone to dozens of film screenings, press events, and loves to attend New York Comic Con every year. He gives an honest opinion on every TV show or film that people are going to be talking about.
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