The Flash season 8, episode 15 review: Into the Still Force

“It’s Iris. She’s missing.” Spoilers for The Flash season 8, episode 15 follow.

Iris has suddenly disappeared into the Still Force and Team Flash must rush to figure out what has happened and find her.

While they do so, Caitlin tries to bring her sister back from the dead.

Here’s everything that went down in The Flash season 8, episode 15 “Into The Still Force”.

Searching for the lost in The Flash season 8

The overarching Time Sickness storyline has been bringing down the show for the entire length of the storyline. It started as utter nonsense and has continued to be nonsense to this point and this episode does absolutely nothing to change it. Going into this episode, I was literally begging that this would be the final episode for this absolutely atrocious storyline and well, it wasn’t.

Seriously, we’re this far into this storyline and the Time Sickness itself still makes absolutely no sense. Like, what even is it supposed to be and how is the Still Force involved and why does it even matter and how does it work? There are no explainable rules to this thing and it just feels like a worthless plot that has been dragging on for far too long.

How the Still Force is shot is awful as well. The annoying green lens flares and constant, poorly panning dutch angles are headache inducing. I’m not kidding. It actually gave me a headache. It’s a a diet RC Cola discount version of Sam Raimi and JJ Abrams that just doesn’t work.

The only good part that comes out of this is the reappearance of Nora West-Allen. Unironically, Nora is one of my favorite characters on this show, so it’s always exciting whenever she comes back, especially because Jessica Parker Kennedy is just so great in the role. Other than that, and Grant Gustin, like always, that’s about the only redeeming part for this area of the episode.

Revival

As for what’s actually the most interesting part of the episode, it’s literally the focus of two scenes. Obviously, Caitlin trying to revive Frost feels like the set-up for the arc for the final five episodes of the season and it’s vastly more interesting that whatever is happening in the Still Force. And yet, it’s reduced to two scenes in this episode.

Seriously though, this one scene is the best that Chillblaine has ever been on the show. He doesn’t feel like a caricature like he has so often before. This time, he feels like an actual character with real feelings, motivations, frustrations, and thoughts. Jon Cor has been giving a good performance from his first appearance (even if the writing for the character has been questionable), but he actually gets the chance to make Chillblaine into someone interesting in this one scene, and he delivers.

Running solo

As for back in the regular world, Chester helps Kramer out on a case by himself. This really feels like an afterthought and, yet again, is absolutely uninteresting and just done to give Chester some random internal conflict about being the inventor that he is. It’s so uninteresting that it’s hard to write anymore about it.

Nora being awesome and Chillblaine finally being interesting can’t save this absolute trainwreck of an episode of The Flash.

The Flash season 8 airs new episodes on The CW each Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET.

What did you think of The Flash season 8, episode 15? Are you enjoying season 8? Let us know in the comments below!