Despite The Flash being centered around Barry Allen, it focuses on much more then just it's namesake. In this episode, 'Things You Can't Outrun' the focus shifted to the shows secondary characters and gave them some much needed chances to shine. Normally, with how new The Flash is that would be weird and downright wrong. But so much development and world building has already centered on Barry that it was good to give it a breather for a bit.
Much like Arrow, The Flash is continuing to use flashback sequences to expand on the plot in both the past and present. Unlike Arrow however which has flashbacks that constantly move forward, the flashbacks used here are not limited by time, place or characters present. This worked best with Caitlin and Cisco who gave us a look into what went on internally with the Particle Accelerator.
Watching their struggles gave us an insight into their lives before the accident and what shaped them to be who they are. Caitlin's tradgedy was especially put on the spotlight with the introduction and possible demise of Ronnie. I touched on this last week, but Caitlin and Cisco work best when they let their emotions come forth. When Danielle or Carlos try and force their bond or their emotions it really brings down their performance.
Barry and Caitlin's bond was also developed here and I can already tell that the shippers are going crazy. It makes me wonder if they plan to develop Caitlin as Barry's first love interest, or give them a bond of intellectual friends. The cast already have a tight bond that really shows but these scenes of downtime really show how that behind the scenes chemistry can really change the tone of a show. If the cast didn't click as they do, The Flash wouldn't carry much of the emotional punch as it already does.
Ronnie's introduction was handled well and while I'm still not over what happened to The Tomorrow People, it's nice to see Robbie back our screens. Even without powers, one can see that he's a hero and it'll be interesting to see how future storylines regarding the character are developed. Robbie already feels more suited to this role however then he did on The Tomorrow People. They had the right idea with aging up Ronnie, because Robbie cannot pull off looking like a High School student.
The ending scene with Harrison Wells however stuck out to me. I get what they're trying to do, end each episode with a hint of his true nature but this time I felt it didn't really flow. Instead it ruined what I felt was a powerful message by Barry. I also once again took issue with the villain.
I mentioned something similar in my review of the pilot but The Mist also felt very one dimensional. They gave us a motive at least but his vendetta was too simple. Visually it was impressive for what they had to work with (the gas effect) and the fight was a feast for the eyes, I just wish these villains would be a bit more complex. Hopefully with the character imprisoned we'll get a repeat appearance to expand on him further but so far they're all really lacking. (Also is anyone else expecting the inevitable 'Prison Break' episode?).
Overall Feelings:
This episode showed that the supporting cast can carry an episode just as much as Barry/Grant can. We learnt more about Caitlin and Cisco which really helped turn them into more complex characters. Now if they could just do the same for the villains we'd be good.
