The Flash (TV Series) The Fire Next Time (2022) User Reviews

First good episode since armageddon

[Bruh263_Movies · 8/10 · 30 March 2022]

This episode was very good. It has a lot of good things but it also has some bad things.let me list what i think are the pros and cons.

Pros: 1. The 'WHERES MY MONEYYY' was written eons better than season 4. He felt much better.

2. The flashbacks were great,they knew where to put them. 3. Cecile didnt get as much screen time😃. I dont hate cecile but i feel like she brings the episodes down. 4. This has season 1 vibes,this episode really brought back the old days to when the flash was a great show because we had barry doing csi stuff again(it felt like je actually had a job). The last one 5. It feels like the writers actually tried to do an intesting episode.

Cons: 1. The allegra storyline. Now this was a pretty boring storyline and it wasnt needed in the story. Im assuming they were just looking for something to fill the episode.

2. The cgi was pretty bad,the lava didnt look very realistic.

3. The last part where the 'WHERES MY MONEYYYY' guy needs to inhale all the chemicals or someting from the earth didnt really make sense.

This episode was really good. Im not saying the last two episodes were bad but im saying they were a downgrade from armageddon and were too cheesy. If the season continues like this,it could be a redemption for the show

8.3/10-Very good.

Ranking every Flash episode: The Fire Next Time

[lbramson · 8/10 · 22 May 2024]

In this episode, a mysterious murder case occurs where a man is wrongfully convicted and Barry tries to get him justice. This episode is incredible! It really hit me in the feels. The best part is, the episode is emotional as both a part of a story and a standalone episode. This episode acts as a great tribute to Henry Allen's character and a compelling, thematically rich mystery. The themes are mature, the emotions are powerful, and the story was compelling. It's really how impressive how the "I want my money" guy was turned into a protagonist you root for. It took one of the worst episodes into an important part of the Flash canon. Looking back, this episode is one of the most impressive episodes this show has given us in years.

Recovery?

[brrzzpffrt · 8/10 · 23 December 2023]

After the atrocity that was Armageddon (where the best part was really that it wasn't spread over four other series that run on different networks) and that annoying Barf & the Nag episode that was just full of holes, this one stands out purely because it's "classic Flash": a bit of mystery, an investigation, some side plots with a moral to them, a bit of suspense and a tad of emotion. Sure, no love story left to tell but otherwise, wholesome TV for a nice evening. Missed the humor of season 4 when Ralph saved the series for a while after the Cringesis event.

Also, not five damn therapy sessions that squeeze some plot in between. What little screen time Iris got, she made sure to make worse. Allegra gained a degree of personality while walking amidst a bunch of gaping holes, but good on her. Katie & Frost have all but left the show in terms of character or relevance so it's a bit lopsided.

Redemption for The Flash?

[lukewharris-13335 · 9/10 · 24 March 2022]

This episode pretty much hit the mark for me. It's amazing how good this show is when it is written well!! The level of emotion was much-needed, felt like Season 1 again.

Pros: -Flashbacks to Henry -Amazing Joe Pep Talk

• Jaco Birch was redeemed as both a man and a character

Cons:

• Allegra lol

Look, all you haters out there can continue rating the show 1/10 without even watching the episode, but seriously, you got nothing better to do?

This episode was at least an 8/10, but I'm giving it a 9 because I really do miss the old days and tonight's episode brought them back.

The Best Episode Since "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Part 1"!

[demigodshmurda · 9/10 · 24 March 2022]

I don't think that I've felt this strongly about an episode of the Flash in years. I just said I was gonna review this show less, but I can't not gush about this episode!

No bingo this week though. I guess this puts me at 2 and 6 now, and the only things I was able to cross off this week were the obligatory ones that always seem to show up: Iris, Cecile, Allegra, and Bad CGI. Looks like straying away from the show's typical tropes makes for better episode. Who'd have thought?

Let me start by talking about my favorite thing about the episode. Jaco Birch. Holy crap did the writers go overboard with the character surgery! He's not screaming. He's not overacting. He's not yelling "MONAAY!!!" in every single scene! No, he's treated like a real character here, and it's great! What could've come off as an overly hammy performance, not unlike Max Adler's last stint as The Hotness, instead feels like a tragically desperate man that just wants to see his son, and is trying to turn his life around! So every single time that Team Flash goes against Barry or reminds him about the insurmountable evidence against him, you genuinely feel bad for the guy! And let me remind everyone that the last time we saw The Hotness was in the absolute atrocity that was season 4's "Run Iris, Run"! How they managed to make a character introduced in that garbage fire of an episode into one of the most sympathetic one-off villains in this entire show blows my mind!

And I thought that Barry's reaction to Birch's situation was very human, grounded, and realistic for the character. Barry's feelings aren't sidelined, everyone on Team Flash goes out of their way to help Barry despite the odds, and it feels really great to see Barry reacting so strongly to something small scale. Barry's dealt with so many big threats recently what with the Force Storm, a Power Rangers' villain come to life, Thawne sticking his you-know-what in the timeline, and literal Armageddon, that it's good to see Barry standing up for someone in a smaller sense!

I especially like how Barry put Birch's case on the same corkboard that his dad's was on. And yeah, he did the same with DeVoe in season 4, but if this episode proves anything, it's that season 4 was a bizarre fever dream that it's best we all forget. In season 4, Barry's use of the board was stupid and out of character, but here it feels right because the situation matches, calls for it, and is personal enough for it to be believable.

Heck, when Joe and Barry talked about how Barry's dad had to miss his own birthday party that Barry'd been planning for for months, I almost cried! This show hasn't made me feel like that in years! And then finding out that that was the last birthday party he could've had before Barry went to prison was genuinely heartbreaking, and it almost pushed me over the edge! The writers finally found out where to hit me! It's right in the feels, man! They got me in the feels!

And this was probably Allegra's best episode since season 6 too! Yeah, it means that her and Iris ended up butting heads, but that's a good thing. Allegra is a reporter, and seemingly a good one, so she should be able to use her talents to tell the stories that matter. It's like Allegra said in "Armageddon, Part 1", "It's right there in the name: Central City *Citizen*. Yeah, you guys landed some pretty major interviews, but every person's voice in this city deserves to be heard; not just the most famous or high profile ones." Yeah, Allegra's boss tasked her with a project and she failed to deliver, but Iris recognized that Allegra did quality work. Iris may have wanted to drive more eyes to the site, but there needs to be some more quality work done on the team, and Allegra right now appears to be the only one that wants to do it. Heck, that's the whole reason *why* Iris promoted Allegra in the first place! Did I just side with Allegra when she got into an argument in an episode? Yeah, I did. I'll own it. Like I said, this was her best episode in a long time!

You want me to call out some genuine flaws with the episode? Fine. The third act where Birch's powers cause a volcano to erupt under Central City was hilariously dumb! The drama near the end with Allegra and... That other reporter who's so unimportant that I literally can't remember her name, was absurd! Allegra did something wrong and apologized for it! Just accept the apology and move on you b--

Outside of those two things though... That's really the only issues I had with the episode. Remove those things, improve the show's CGI budget for the third act, and I'd put this on par with some of the episodes from season 1! Yeah, I'm serious about that! And this is coming from the guy that hated Reverse Flashpoint back in "Armageddon, Part 4"! All things considered, this was probably the show's best episode in a long time! And that can only mean one thing.

Buckle up, guys! Because we're about to witness the show's worst storyline yet!

If you think I'm joking about that, I'm not. Every time we get a remotely good episode, one of the show's worst storylines ever follows. "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Part 1" was followed by the Mirrorverse Arc. I was a fan of it until the writers ruined it in season 7, but I know a lot of other people weren't. "Fear Me"? Force Quest. "Good-Bye Vibrations"? Power Rangers' putties meets "Spaceballs"! I'm only trying to point out that there's a precedent set for good episodes preceding awful storylines recently, so I hope everyone's ready for a bumpy end of the season.

9 / 10.

Would love to point out

[Suepardon123 · 1/10 · 26 March 2022]

1. Cecil shouldn't be having so much screen time because her role doesn't need that much appearance and cringe script ...trying to squeeze her into each scene make it worse 2. The Flash doesn't need to consult team flash on every mission since he leveled up I don't see the need of flash team consulting each other when comes to executing a mission as flash cast is changing so does the story it's okay to have new stories

3. WestAllen Scenes are becoming cold and the fact that they don't have kids yet is weird because the actors are aging in appearance and it would feel weird later when they do have kids just like when you did with Cecil when she didn't need to have a child in the story !! They don't have to be 50 yrs old to have kids.

A very good one!

[pauli_gomez · 9/10 · 27 March 2022]

Really good. I liked how they pointed out the unfairness of the way ex-convicts (meta or not) are treated and how difficult it is to them to reinsert in society. I also liked Jaco's acting.

And I loved Joe and Barry's talk.

And I am glad they had Frost do something.

I found Iris acted quite professionally. I am thinking that Allegra does not deserve her supervisor position, but she is a good journalist/writer and should be doing just that. She was very unprofessional, but apparently she is quite skilled. I am surprised the other journalist at least was sincere with her and not pretended to accept her excuses and then stab her as soon as she had the chance.

Which I did not like was the team not trusting Barry and acting as if he was mental about Jaco. For starters, he was right in saying that nobody has even tried to look for another suspect. And when Barry found hard evidence in his favor (the identical heat signature) they dismissed him. They shouldn't have done it. As Barry pointed out, he had run a lot of cases like that one. That sort of experience gives you a feeling on the evidence. And Chester, I hated the part when Barry asked him to do some check and he looked as if he had been asked to do something bad and looked to Cecile as if asking her permission. Last time I checked, Barry was paying Chester's bill. He is his boss. Not hers.

I also did not like Harold and Jaco reconciliation in he end. It felt too artificial. The kid did not seem to care for his dad in all the time. Even after him saving a lot of lives, it made no sense that Harold was suddently so happy and emotional with his dad.

Oh boy... here we go again.

[davideshaw-39922 · 2/10 · 25 March 2022]

I've watched this series since the beginning, and I hate to say that most of the writing turned into senseless S@#! A long time ago. Case in point with this episode, which recycles old material. I'm still waiting for it to be renamed "The Team! ... and sometimes this guy that runs fast." I truly keep holding out for a good episode but the writers seem to just not care anymore.

1. Fire guy is "innocent" but doesn't face consequences for threatening and intimidating people? And, even escaping custody?? WTF!?? Lmao!

2. Grant trying to act like a sad Barry, but spends the whole episode looking like he's constipated instead?? Lmao!

3. Irrelevant subplot of Iris and girls having drama in the work place!?? Now that's the DC comics universe of the Flash I always want to see!! Forget about all that other stuff in the episode. Lmao!!

4. Awkward flashbacks of Barry and his Dad to situations in the episode that feel extremely forced and stretched out longer than they should be just to put "filler" in there somewhere... probably due to a lack of any original ideas on the show anymore.

I digress.

Pretty good

[aistiilem · 10/10 · 24 March 2022]

This ep was so good the flashbacks the demtermine in Barry the Henry flashbacks were just the best and when joe and Barry moments were good and the ep in general beside Allegra scene fighting with her old friend was not it can't wait for black flame but I don't now she is the villan for this graphic novel will we see.

A great episode

[warriorytx · 9/10 · 25 March 2022]

People who are saying The Flash is horrible right now; should really see this episode. It's a sold one that connects to the earlier seasons, and it shows why The Flash always stops to talk to the criminals, he wants them to change themselves, sure it doesn't always work, but it's the effort that counts.

This episode has a simple premise, but Barry being a CSI which is something I love and many others do. This episode relates to Barry trying prove a father's innocence, similar to Barry trying for so long to prove his father was innocence. This episode is just one huge tribute to Henry who was just such a great character, so I'm glad his presence is still felt. This episode is everything good about The Flash, a good focus on all the characters for the most part, Barry being a CSI, and a lot of heart. Overall 9.5/10.

"The Trash" a continuation of crapola

[gareth-75442 · 1/10 · 27 March 2022]

What a pile of nonsensical garbage, the fire meta didn't kill anyone it was a meta serial killer but the meta's emotions are controlling the lava underground!??? Steam released from cooling the lava had to be sucked up by the meta or it would kill thousands!!?? Who writes this garbage???

Seriously, this jokefest is cringe TV, the "Flash" is nothing more than an after thought at this point with all the attention paid to background characters and their irrelevant pointless sub stories.

This show should have ended 4 seasons ago, anyone giving this nonsense a score above 3 stars are either paid to do it or are themselves delusional about what a good show actually is.

The soap drama drivel isn't even the worst part of this show its the thorough dismantling of the Flash/Barry Allen character that has been happening throughout the entire series, a strong white male character that is a crime fighting detective superhero has been ground down to a weak spineless wimp submissive to the female characters and every black and ethnic character, male or female, even "killer Frost" and her non meta "twin sister" have been reduced to air headed simpletons compared to the black and ethnic characters.

Decades of hard work by decent creators/writers /directors to elevate the superhero genre from its humble beginnings in comics are being undone by garbage shows like the Flash.

This is trash TV for a trash generation audience that belongs in the gutter with the rest of the CW garbage.

Alienation of white male/female characters at the expense of black and ethnic characters isn't "inclusiveness", this show depicts white characters as stupid, weak and aggressive, both male and female while black and ethnic are shown as strong, intelligent and inspirational, that is a false narrative that is being forced onto an audience that gets the majority of its life education through the "idiot box".

Great episode with good depth

[prometheus19870 · 9/10 · 24 March 2022]

In the previous review, I said I had good vibes about this episode and I wasn't wrong.

Episode Summary in a nutshell: Basically Barry tries to clear Jac Birch, The Hotness, from a wrongly accused murder. The evidences all lead to Birch being the culprit. However Barry doesn't believe that due to the fact of the type of fire wounds on the victims and the fact that Birch was claiming/begging his innocence and the fact that he was looking after his son also contributes to the fact that Barry was having second thoughts, as this was the same exact thing that happened to him when his mother was murdered.

This leads to Barry believing in Birch when no one else did and eventually clears his name by forcing Chester to analyse the wounds of the victims showing this wasn't Birch who did this. Hence clears his name.

What this episode does so well is that it shines with its simplicity. No fancy things like time travel and all, just a normal criminal case. There's not much action in it either but it is made up Barry's emotional connection to the case. There are a couple of moments Barry uses his tornado hands which was cool.

Also The Hotness is redeemed after a horrid episode back in season 4. The episode really makes you feel sorry for him. His son looks at Birch as if he was some sort of a loser. Birch is also desperately trying to be a better dad for his son and loves him even though his son doesn't see it. But his son's perspective changes very quickly after he is proven innocent and also helps flash by saving the city(in a way). So I'm satisfied with The Hotness's role in this episode.

There is a subplot regarding allegra which is okay where instead of running the story of some media influencer she runs a story of a fellow inmate who was in prison with her on how she is struggling to cope up with life.

She is criticized by iris for not helping her colleague with that media influencer story, however iris does acknowledge allegra's story of her prison friend.

Allegra apologizes and tries to make amends with the colleague, but the colleague acts really cold with her and makes a big deal of it. I don't know why.

Honestly with Allegra, I think any story which doesn't have an awkward moment with Chuck is a win for the audience.

Now most importantly, this episode is a tribute to Henry Allen. This episode takes place on his birthday and hence this makes Barry feel as it is his duty to make sure Birch is proved innocent.

This case with Birch is almost like it's the way for Barry's redemption for not have freed his father from prison earlier. But who can blame him? He was up against thawne, and we all know you can't win an intelligence battle against him.

Nevertheless, after he does prove Birch's innocence, you can see a relief on his face and a flashback to Henry's release from prison. This meant a lot to Barry. Also Joe gives some of his "Joe Advice" to Barry when Barry starts to lose hope of being able to prove the innocence which was very touching.

In the end of the episode there is a small party where Barry and his family, all have drinks in Henry's name and talk about him. Barry tells how ,despite how busy his father was before he went to prison, it were the little things that mattered to Barry like a bedtime story told by his father to him which stuck in his heart.

All in all a great episode, there was a small inconsistency which I found, but I don't think that too important. Overall: 9/10

I saw the promo of the next episode "Phantoms". Team flash try to investigate the fire meta who framed Birch. Also I believe we will see Phantom girl in next week's episode. I don't know how that will tie in to the graphic novel. Also this new fire meta, I wonder who that could be, everyones, including me, thinking it's Ronnie.

I hope episodes become better and more consistent throughout. Story seems to be heading in an intriguing direction, I hope it remains so. Crossing my fingers that the writers won't ruin this graphic novel, although there is a high possibility they will.

Edit :How is episodes rating so bad? 7.7 really?!

I know everyone has their own opinion but this episode at least deserves an 8/10. Come on guys this episode isn't that bad, it just doesn't have anything mind blowing but quality is still good.

Eric Wallace & these writers needs to go man

[ek_03 · 4/10 · 29 March 2022]

My God! Who are the bimbos working on this show now man?!

Do they not even now the birch fella wasn't even a meta before? And u can't even use "crisis" excuse, 'cause that makes 0 sense.

Besides from Barry's scenes taking about Henry and the lil flashbacks (surprise surprise) the episode just felt like a Saturday morning cartoon (again!).

The poxy cringe music that comes of nowhere in the middle of scenes too!🙄 What the actual f happened to this show fam?!

Really good episode

[tj-84168 · 10/10 · 24 March 2022]

It brought back old time flash backs and remembering Barry's father and a lot on the darker side of an episode of a unknown murderer but Barry knew he was innocent and was also a good detective type episode.

Wrong and disgusting

[leptilic · 1/10 · 24 March 2022]

Promoting illegal immigration of people who are in bloody drug war and somehow that they arent what they were (despite they still are), promoting racism, promoting division, promoting crime, hate, insecurity, doubt, promoting everything that is wrong. Big tech media got too much power of promoting everything that is bad and this is disgusting and should be illegal.