The Flash 6x01 "Into The Void" Episode Review
Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.
The season six premiere started amazing. There were high expectations attached to this season as it will lead to Crisis On Infinite Earths in the first half of the season, and then the fallout will be dealt with in the second half. However, we only dive into Crisis material at the start of the episode and then at the end.
Seconds after season five ended, Barry and Iris see Gideon, the time vault, and Nora’s message destroyed as the timeline changed. Then, we are subjected to a four month jump where Barry The Flash is chasing after a Godspeed. Yes, A Godspeed. They find Godspeed every month, who act like robots more than people. The face doesn’t even belong to August Heart, the original Godspeed last season in Nora’s origin story. This Godspeed problem will likely be addressed later…
As the main threat of the episode is not a metahuman of the week but rather… a black hole. The Flash remembered what kind of show it wanted to be at long last. Last season, The Flash seemed to have forgotten or it knew and took too long to resolve everything. I believe Cicada shouldn’t have been a season-long villain, a problem that’ll definitely fix with Bloodwork / Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy), the main antagonist of the first half.
Ramsey Rosso’s introduction is done through a funeral Caitlin attends, as she is good friends with the man and his mother, the one who passed away. Caitlin and Ramsey’s interactions were tense as Rosso’ motives were carefully laid out. He wishes to make a cancer cure using dark matter, but Caitlin refuses to help him as the risks were too big.
This storyline is very deliberate as we learn Rosso has the same cancer as his mother and refuses to die / give up. He wants to cheat death and makes himself the first human trial experiment. Barry and Rosso are definitely going to have a conversation about escaping death.
All the other characters feel like they know what they’re doing now. Joe didn’t do much in this episode aside from reminding us that he’s the new Captain of the CCPD, Cecille is the best addition to the show for some odd reason as she helps Iris process her unique grief. I think Cisco staying on the show is a wise decision as without powers, he’s back to season 1 level humor. Even Ralph figured out how to balance seriousness and humor. The writings on all the characters improved so much.
Candice Patton’s performance during season five blew me away, and she’s still carrying that heartbreaking stuff with her in the season six premiere. The conversation between Barry and Iris on losing Nora and how she won’t be “their Nora” even if they had another child Nora was too real. When Iris said she’d jump into the void to get Nora’s jacket was too much. Iris West-Allen… you are too good for this show… now.
Overall, season 6 premiere laid out the groundwork for what’s to come on December 10, 2019. The Monitor dropping by was predictable and teased all summer, but the moment was no less amazing for it. Barry wants to find another way, this week’s episode message, but The Monitor says bluntly that The Flash must die to save billions. Season 6 is going to be great… I said about season 5, but season 5 didn’t have to build-up to Crisis so… look out for next week’s episode review. We’re back, baby!