Kevin Smith Knocks It Out The Park With “The Runaway Dinosaur”
To be honest, ‘The Flash‘ on CW has been kind of stuck in a rut. The story hit a stand-still and we were just waiting for another big moment to shift the show in another direction. We finally got that shift when nerd legend Kevin Smith directed one of the most intriguing episodes of Flash to date.
I’m admittedly very intrigued by high concepts in DC like “The Speed Force“. There is a certain sense of mystery and magic to it; I never knew how going deeper into the speed rabbit-hole would translate to TV. Well, ‘Clerks‘ director Kevin Smith did a fine job with attempting to bring the “Speed Force” to mainstream audiences.
Borrowing heavily from the DC Comics limited series ‘Flash: Rebirth‘ from 2009, Smith and the team of ‘The Flash‘ wrapped up a 2 season long story with Barry and his mother as well as furthering the mythos of the show. It also brought some much-deserved heart to the show. That scene with Barry & Nora Allen was one of the most heartbreaking moments I’ve seen in years.
A problem with episodes like this is the main focus goes to the Barry’s Flash storyline while the secondary story gets lost in the shuffle. Maybe it was seeing the other characters get a chance to shine or the shoutout to ‘The Walking Dead‘ but I loved the mayhem of Zombie Tony. We got to see some stellar character development from Barry’s father Henry Allen as well the usual comedic moments from Cisco.
That’s not to take away from the main story as Barry’s self-discovering journey in the “Speed Force” was one of the most powerful things the show has done.
There is a term in cinema called “magic-realism”. It’s basically defined as “an unexpected alteration of reality”. In the world of superheroes, this happens quite often but it’s more than a simple label. It’s an entire art-form that this episode got right. The world of the “Speed Force” instantly felt off. The cinematographer of the episode gave the world a de-saturated look; we know this is the familiar Central City hangouts but why does everything look so different? It was a visual cue to show you that this reality has been altered. Once you met Joe West in this dimension, you know things are running completely different from the natural order.
“We pretty much invented trippy here”
– Speed Force (Joe West)
Maybe it was because he had the chance to work on a smaller scale but Kevin Smith really captivated me with this episode. I’ve always thought the man can make a fun film but to me, rarely has he shown this much raw passion for a project. The episode “The Runaway Dinosaur” hits all the notes you want if you are a Smith fan. His infamous natural dialogue, self-referential humor, and comic book love was all there. He even managed to not-so-subtly sneak his longtime friend and frequent collaborator Jason Mewes into the episode.
Showcasing his style wasn’t the only thing Kevin Smith did. He also furthered the story of ‘The Flash‘ to new heights. Now that we have Barry back and his speed batteries recharged, there might also be one (maybe two) new good speedsters as Jesse Quick woke from a coma very similar to the one that Barry Allen was in before he became The Flash. While the show tried to say that Wally West wasn’t affected by the particle accelerator, I don’t believe that for one second. I think we shall be seeing Kid Flash soon enough.
On top of a zombie version of a previous villain, Barry’s “Speed Force” journey, and the growth of different characters…we now know that Zoom is creating an army of meta-humans in order to take over the world! Oh and let’s not forget that Barry & Iris are finally on the path of love. What a jam-packed episode!
Kevin Smith didn’t hold back when it came to directing his episode of ‘The Flash‘. He’s is a huge-fan of all things comics but Smith rarely creates within the genre. With an episode as this strong, I want to see Smith work more with superheroes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVrpaq8-ys0
Did you like Flash’s latest episode titled “The Runaway Dinosaur“?
