The Flash delivers another interesting episode that delves deeper into certain characters. The episode that promises the death of Vibe doesn’t deliver said death – which isn’t a bad thing. “The Death of Vibe” does deliver a look into previously sidelined characters. Characters like Caitlin Snow and Joe West finally get time to shine this season. Confusing title notwithstanding, “The Death of Vibe” is another interesting entry in the fifth season of The Flash.
The majority of this episodes focuses on the Barry-Nora dynamic. While the series has focused on their strange dynamic before, this episode goes deeper into Nora’s impact. As it turns out, her presence has totally rewritten the history of new villain Cicada. It’s enough of a twist to keep the West-Allen dynamic fresh. Even though it’s a subject The Flash has explored for two weeks, it hasn’t gone stale.
While the show continues exploring Nora’s impact, it also introduces a “new” character. “New” being an interesting word – it’s a new iteration of classic character Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). This version of Wells is an ace French detective named Harrison “Sherloque” Wells. The accent is odd, but the character does provide some missed Wells shenanigans. Sherloque is enough of a twist on the Wells character that it makes for a solid re-entry point for Cavanagh.
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However, the side character are especially fun this episode. The Flash gives screen time to people who haven’t gotten a lot so far this season. For instance, both Caitlin and Ralph team-up for an entertaining and revealing side quest. Ralph is up to his usual stretchy antics, while Caitlin goes deeper into the mystery of her “dead” father. Joe West also gets some much-deserved free time, as he gets interrogated by Cicada. Characters who haven’t been as prevalent this season get some solid development this week.
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Cicada even gets a little more development. As The Flash builds up its titular villain, they also give him a bit more back story. Chris Klein spends some time outside the mask, as he visits his comatose daughter in the hospital. This new detail, along with his swapped secret identity, builds the character up. Cicada is a cool character on his own, but his human side is also interesting. How the two sides will complement each other will be interesting to watch.
“The Death of Vibe” isn’t the strongest Flash episode, but it does some solid character building. The title is awfully misleading, and reads like a cry for attention. It’s particularly interesting since this episode didn’t need the cry. The Flash delivers a solid episode with strong characters that doesn’t need the deadly tease. “The Death of Vibe” delivers more than enough action and development that you’ll forget the dumb title almost instantly.
