His insistence on referring to women - even and especially Caitlin - by their measurements instead of their names is just so sexist and gross. He’s rude and crass and disrespectful to almost everyone, and while I’m all for the idea of the “lovable loser,” there’s way too much emphasis on the loser here so far.Īdditionally, in our current cultural environment, it seems worth saying: Ralph’s rampant misogyny is crazy off-putting. The downside, however, is that Ralph is also kind of a jerk. Related Nancy Drew Review: The Drowned Woman (Season 2 Episode 5) Barry and company need differing perspectives at Star Labs. His character is much less of an obvious good guy than most folks who join up with Team Flash (Killer Frost excepted, obviously). As an “ends justifies the means” kind of person, he seems to have plenty of moral flexibility about doing the wrong things for the right reasons. We already know from his first two appearances on The Flashthat Dibney has a complicated, messy background. The real problem is that Ralph is frustratingly one-note, and that note is kind of sketchy. Happily, Barry is at his most likable when he’s going on about goodness and why we should choose it, so that helps. The jokes that fly are occasionally fun, but the central gimmick - can Ralph learn to put helping innocent people first? - gets pretty old real quick.
The bulk of the hour focuses on what is essentially Barry Allen’s Superhero Training School, as he attempts to help Elongated Man Ralph Dibney figure out how to use his new metahuman powers for good. The Flash - “When Harry Met Harry…” - Pictured (L-R): Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Hartley Sawyer as Dibney - Photo: Katie Yu/The CW - © 2017 The CW Network, LLC. Unfortunately, even a fight with a giant animated T-Rex skeleton can only make up for so much. The episode veers too close to preachy instead of fun, and while several characters learn Very Important Lessons at the end, these moments feel predictable and unearned. “When Harry Met Harry…” is a great example of when Season 4’s amped-up light and breezy tone doesn’t work. Pretty much only the last five minutes matter. The metahuman of the week is generally boring and forgettable. It’s not as funny as it wants viewers to think it is. But it’s the worst episode of this season to date, thanks to some goofy storytelling and the pervasive sense that it’s trying too hard. To be fair, it’s still better than several Season 3 installments. “When Harry Met Harry…” is The FlashSeason 4’s first real letdown.