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westallen-world · 7 years

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In The Flash’s third season finale, we found ourselves nearly escaping the black hole that was the darkness of Season 3 after we learned that — by the grace of God — Iris West hadn’t been killed by Savitar. Just when things appeared to be on the rise, Barry Allen sacrificed himself to the Speed Force ultimately affecting the lives of everyone he loves — and the city that depends on The Flash.

As The Flash gears up for its fourth season — following an incredibly dark and uncharacteristic third season — we’re left with more questions than answers as we await Barry Allen’s return and see what the future holds for WestAllen, Cisco, Killer Frost, and our West men. Basically, we’re in the palm of your hands. So do us right.

Here are five things we want from The Flash’s fourth season:

1. A Lighter, More Flashy Tone

One of the brilliant things about The CW’s Arrowverse has been the distinct tones for each of the shows that define it. Arrow has been the darker show, Supergirl the hopeful show, Legends of Tomorrow the fun show, and The Flash has typically been the lighter show. And then there’s Season 3, which deviated from that completely. While The Flash’s third season had its moments, it didn’t really feel like The Flash we’ve known and love. It got too dark. Not that it’s not allowed to be dark, but The Flash got lost in that darkness, and I’m sure producers and actors would agree. So as we head into this fourth season, we’d like to see The Flash embrace what made it the best comic book show on television in its first season. That light, fun, family-oriented show that was all about the characters and less about the theatrical elements. But, luckily, it appears as if the producers learned something from last year’s Arrowesque Season 3, where the darkness was overwhelming and not at all fitting for The Flash’s foundation.

2. Redemption for Barry Allen

Perhaps the biggest issue we’ve had with The Flash since Season 2 has been how the show has, unknowingly, made Barry Allen into a villain. Season 3 was really where it hit the climax as Barry’s selfishness created an alternate universe that, even when “fixed,” left a permanent effect on everyone on The Flash and in the Arrowverse. But it wasn’t Barry messing up so much as it was that he never learned his lesson. He just acted selfishly again and again and again — all the while never learning his lesson from it. Just when it appeared as if Barry was lost for good, he had a small moment of redemption as he, willingly, gave himself over to the Speed Force. It was a great first step for redemption for Barry Allen. But it wasn’t the only thing that needs to happen. Barry needs to come out of this situation having learned that, as a hero, he doesn’t have the luxury of being led by his selfish tendencies. He has to be selfless. He has to understand that.

3. A WestAllen Wedding

This is an obvious one, but we are so ready — after a season of darkness — for Barry Allen and Iris West to tie the knot. After the two explored a romantic relationship in Season 3, it was through an everlasting love that they realized why prolong the future? We got not one, but two engagements only for our hearts to be shattered in the final moments of The Flash’s third season finale, where Barry gave himself over to the Speed Force. But good things come to those that wait. And we believe that a WestAllen wedding is certainly in the future. Though when that happens is the most important question. Because it’s now a matter of when not if. We’re ready to see these two navigate the world as a married couple, and all of the ups and downs that come with it. We’re in this for the long haul. We’re ready for Iris West-Allen. That’s right, she hyphenates.

4. Female Friendships

If there’s one thing that the DCTV universe really needs to do better with it’s capitalizing on the female dynamics throughout its universe. The Flash has so many amazing female characters, including Iris West and Caitlin Snow, and we never get to see the friendship potential or interaction. There’s plenty of focus on bromances, but what about the females? It’s not just men that watch these DCTV shows, you know. We want female friendships on THe FLash. On Arrow. On Legends of Tomorrow. On Supergirl (which is probably the only show that does this well). All the female friendships. With the announcement of a “Girls Night Out” episode this season, featuring Arrow’s Emily Bett Rickards with Flash’s Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, and guest star Katee Sackhoff, here’s hoping this is more than a one-off and more of a permanent fixture not only on The Flash but throughout the Arrowverse.

5. Iris West to Have a Storyline That’s Not Just Romance

Don’t get us wrong, we love WestAllen. We really, truly do. But we love Iris West as an individual. We watch this show for her just as much as we do for Barry and WestAllen. Iris West isn’t defined by Barry Allen, just like Barry Allen isn’t defined by Iris West. They’re two incredibly unique and passionate individuals that come together as one. It’s their definitive personalities as individuals that make them iconic when they’re together. We’ve seen Barry, plenty, as an individual. Rightfully so, as it’s his show. But Iris West is the leading female of this show, and her individual story is just as important. We’ve been teased for the past three years of Iris’ dive into investigative reporting. We’ve seen it in bits and pieces, but we’ve never truly gotten to explore that aspect of her. It usually comes back to being Barry’s love interest. And Iris is so much more than that. She deserves so much more than that. So we’d like to see Iris get a storyline in Season 4 where she’s not just the love interest. We want to see Iris West the individual. And being the badass she is, she deserves that.The Flash season 4 premieres Monday, Oct. 10 at 8/7c on The CW.TAGS: CANDICE PATTON, DC COMICS, DCTV, GRANT GUSTIN, THE CW, THE FLASH, WESTALLENALYSSA BARBIERISENIOR MANAGING EDITORTEACHER BY DAY, WRITER BY EVERY OTHER FREE MOMENT. OBSESSED WITH SPORTS, TV, BOOKS, MOVIES, AND SUPERHEROES. PROUD SHIPPER AND SUPPORTER OF STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS. TV EDITOR AND SPORTS EDITOR. I WRITE ABOUT DCTV, THIS IS US AND SO MUCH MORE. CONTACT: [email protected].

#westallen

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 7 years

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Episode 51*: Open Book

"WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT”

As you know if you’ve read this blog’s description and/or certain other reviews, I’m a children’s librarian (surprise, someone writing about youth media works in youth media). The passion that consumes Connie when talking about her favorite series is something I’m therefore accustomed to, both as a reflection of myself and as the ideal reaction of one of my kids. Still, while sheer enthusiasm may be wonderful in real life, it makes for a pretty dull plot if left unattended, and I love how Marble Madness and Open Book manage to show two distinct ways nerding out can go wrong.

Connie’s past frustration with Steven’s lack of shared fervor and familiarity with book series basics like reading in order (unlike cartoon series, which can apparently be watched in a variety of orders, ahem) is enough to fill a subplot, but Open Book needs to be fueled by the kind of rage that fans reserve for the content itself. And sure enough, Connie’s minute-long rant about the ending of The Spirit Morph Saga is a thing of beauty. Seriously, I clocked it, she’s rambling for fifty-eight seconds, nearly a tenth of the episode’s total runtime.

What she, and perhaps we, don’t notice is that Steven isn’t on the same page. It’s easy to attribute his grimace with Connie’s general zeal rather than a firm disagreement, and said zeal is endearing to nerds like us, making it just as easy to forgive her for not genuinely asking for Steven’s opinion. But this is a series about empathy, and Connie is definitely in the wrong for steamrolling the conversation.

Far from making her a monster, or even a jerk, this mistake humanizes Connie as any good narrative mistake does: I’m sure we’re all guilty of going on and on about something we love without paying enough attention to the person we’re talking at. It adds a subtle lesson to an episode that doesn’t spare much time for subtlety, a lesson that fans of all ages could stand to hear more.

Mind you, just because Open Book isn’t very subtle doesn’t mean it’s bad. Something is clearly up with Connie when they enter Rose’s Room and she keeps delegating the details of their adventure to Steven’s imagination instead of hers—a benefit of her impassioned speech is how obvious it is when that passion evaporates. But she needs to be blatant for the eeriness of her behavior to sink in, and for our occasionally obtuse hero to understand that something is clearly wrong.

Even more obvious is the romantic subtext of Fake Connie Connterfeit’s final conflict with Steven, between her wedding dress and her menacing “I know you like her.” But that’s what makes the twist that he’s hiding his true feelings about the book all the more satisfying. Steven and Connie’s relationship often veers platonic, which is terrific, but the crew gets great mileage out of remembering its origins as a crush (see: An Indirect Kiss, Alone Together). Even if he acts younger than his canonical thirteen, he’s still mature enough for crushes to be a factor in his life. Connie can make Steven feel embarrassed like no other character, and this dynamic makes Connterfeit’s words and Steven’s reaction hit us right in the gut.

Is Open Book a horror episode? I lean towards no, but it’s certainly unnerving in the way only Rose’s Room can be. Connterfeit’s eeriness is amplified by an unfortunately unavailable distortion of Connie’s theme, and Connterfeit’s slightly off delivery devolving into a frightening glitch (on top of the aforementioned book rant) cements the episode as the series’s best Grace Rolek showcase so far. Sure, she’ll outdo herself soon when she finally gets to sing, but credit where credit’s due, she’s amazing here.

For better and worse, this is the fewest number of characters we’ll see in a Steven Universe episode, with only three (four if you count Floaty Pink Whale’s silent cameo) and two voice actors between them because one is a clone. While this allows for laser focus on the story it’s telling, the lack of subplot or side characters also forces some narrative padding in a way that’s rare for a show with such a tight time constraint. Steven and Connterfeit’s imaginary second act adventures drag on a couple scenes too long, and the chase leading up to the finale takes forever; the latter stretch is especially unfortunate for Steven’s repeated variations of “I don’t want this” after it’s been made obvious that Connterfeit is doing the opposite of what he wants now so he should really stop saying stuff like that. Yes, lack of subtlety isn’t always bad, but in this case it definitely hurts.

And don’t get me wrong, this one’s a ton of fun. Steven’s falcon suit is a wonder to behold, Connie’s gusto rules, and even Connterfeit gets some humor between bouts of uncomfortable strangeness. Moreover, I can’t really imagine a sideplot that could fit into this story without some serious rejiggering, so I see why they’d forgo one.

Still, the pacing suffers regardless of how fun Open Book often is; it’s great that the crew gave this format a shot, but I’m glad they returned to a structure that makes the most of their many wonderful characters. Steven Universe has a killer roster and an insane batting average for well-structured eleven-minute plots, so no need to adjust the formula too dramatically.

It’s cool to watch Open Book alongside future episodes like Tiger Philanthropist and Rocknaldo for their varying perspectives on fan culture. All three have the same general message of fans benefiting from avoiding extremes, but while Open Book is a more general message, the latter two episodes seem aimed squarely at Steven Universe fans themselves. Ronaldo and Lars are always going to come across a bit rougher around the edges than Connie, but honestly all three are pretty sympathetic stand-ins for people obsessed, regardless of how frustrating the fandom (or any fandom, really) can be.

Some people just like schmaltz, and the world would be a better place if hardcore types accepted this as easily as Connie. To a degree. Too much sugar (as opposed to too much Sugar, which might not exist) will eventually make you throw up.

Future Vision

Steven’s art style, complete with plus-sign teeth, will be explored further in Shirt Club, which takes place after Open Book in both the intended and the aired orders.

This is the second time Connie’s gotten her hands on a sword, which is two times too many not to be foreshadowing some sort of training montage at least.

Together Forever is just plain mean to Open Book. It was uncomfortable enough for Connie in a wedding dress to torment Steven about his secret feelings before we learn that his love of weddings has some serious downsides.

I’ve never been to this…how do you say…school?

Okay Hilary now you’re just pandering to me.

I guess you could read it that way…

It’s nice to see Open Book come right after fellow Connie episode Full Disclosure, and Steven’s had way more time to realistically finish the Spirit Morph Saga than if this episode immediately followed Rose’s Scabbard. That last book alone was 917 pages long!

However, the break between Full Disclosure and Joy Ride bleeds momentum from establishing the new status quo. Season 2′s Homeworld pacing is wonky regardless (looming threat Malachite is ignored for most of it then jumps back in out of nowhere as Season 3 begins) but I can imagine some folks prefer a more direct link between the first two intended episodes. Still, Open Book partially relies on the TV ban that Joy Ride sees lifted, so it has a pretty limited airing window.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Open Book is the first of many early Season 2 (viewing order) victims of the preceding season’s cream of the crop. It’s a good, but not great episode; with better pacing it might be ranked higher.

Top Fifteen

Steven and the Stevens

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

Rose’s Scabbard

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Winter Forecast

On the Run

Warp Tour

Maximum Capacity

The Test

Ocean Gem

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Future Vision

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

No Thanks!

4. Horror Club 3. Fusion Cuisine 2. House Guest 1. Island Adventure

#open book #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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