by Kbear! on March 28, 2017
Young Barry (Liam Hughes) and his mother Nora Allen (Michelle Harrison) are watching “Singing in the Rain” on TV. Nora teaches her son that musicals can make anything better. In the present day, her grown up son (Grant Gustin) is watching the musical in a funk, depressed about his breakup with Iris (Candice Patton). Cisco (Carlos Valdes) offers his support, but that cannot help Barry’s broken heart. They get a call to get back to the lab. A portal has opened and H.R. (Tom Cavanagh), Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale), Cisco, and Barry are there to meet their visitors. Out of the breach step out Hank (David Harewood), and Mon-El (Chris Wood) carrying an unconscious Kara (Melissa Benoist). Iris walks in. Hank and Mon-El explain what happened to Kara and that the person who did this to her is coming for Barry next. On a monitor they see the Music Meister (Darren Criss) is in the building. The Flash and Kid Flash run to confront him. The Speed Meister is fast and he knocks Wally down. Wally is still shaken up from his experience from the Speedforce so he looks frightened. The Music Meister mocks him so Barry goes to deal with him. He uses the same eye whammy on Barry he used on Kara earlier. He puts Barry in a trance and Barry wakes up in the same club as Kara. Kara is on stage singing “Moon River”. When she sees Barry in the crowd, she is confused but excited to see him.
Barry and Kara try to figure out what has happened to them. The Music Meister introduces himself. They are in a dream, since both of them love musicals; they end up in this environment. If they want to get out of the dream, they have to follow the script. If they die in the dream, they die in real life too. They also don’t have their powers here. Barry and Kara find out they are singers at the nightclub and they work for a doppelganger of Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman). Doppelgangers of Winn (Jeremey Jordan) and Cisco work for him. Malcolm threatens them and tells them he wants original songs from them. Then everyone does a musical production of “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.” Once the number is over a doppelganger of Martin Stein (Victor Garber) knocks out Barry.
Martin has kidnapped both Barry and Kara and brought them to the doppelganger of Joe West (Jesse L. Martin). He is a mob boss and his daughter Iris is missing. Last seen near Malcolm’s club he wants them to find her. He and Malcolm are underworld rivals. Barry and Kara discuss their problems. Kara is upset that Mon-El lied to her for nine months. Barry pushed Iris away to concentrate on saving her. They find the doppelgangers of Iris and Mon-El shacked up. Neither one is happy seeing their exes making out with each other. They find out that Mon-El is Malcolm’s son and their fathers hate each other. Barry and Kara convince Iris and Mon-El to talk to their respective fathers. Barry goes with Iris to talk with Joe, while Kara goes with Mon-El to talk to Malcolm. Both fathers (including Martin who is Iris other dad) are upset their child is in love with the child of their enemy. While talking to the parents both Barry and Kara figure out their own problems in the real world. Barry: if you find a love like Iris, you have to hang on no matter what. Kara: maybe listen, see things from his point of view, and understand why he lied. Joe, Martin, and Malcolm sing “More I Cannot Wish You”. The father’s makeup with their kids. They are still going to war with each other.
Barry and Kara are happy but they still have to put on a show. They sing an original song called “Super Friend”, by Rachel Bloom the star of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and Tom Root. After singing and tap dancing, they hear shots from outside. Someone shoots them when they run out. In the real world their vitals drop, the only way to save them is if Iris and Mon-El love them enough. With Cisco’s help, they enter the dream. Iris kisses Barry, and Mon-El kisses Kara. Saved they are back in the real world. The Music Meister did all this to because he saw two broken hearted souls.
While all of the singing and dancing was happening in the dream, the Music Meister is draining Kara and Barry’s powers. He shows up at the Central City Bank to rob it. The Kid Flash has to stop him. Hank volunteers to go with him, the Star Labs gang think he is just a regular guy until he changes into the Martian Manhunter. Cisco opens a portal to the bank. The two superheroes defeat the Music Meister. This gets Wally back in the grove.
We now understand the Music Meister isn’t a bad guy. He roughed up Wally to help him get his confidence back. He put the whammy on both Kara and Barry so they could get over themselves and be with the persons they both love. After the Music Meister leaves, Barry and Iris go home. Barry sings “Runnin’ Home to You” by the writing team Pasek and Paul, the men who won the Academy Award for the song in “La La Land”. Barry sings this song to the woman he loves and proposes again, this time for the right reason. Iris happily says yes. Isn’t love grand!
***
Many TV shows that decided to do a musical episode. Some succeeded like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Scrubs” and others completely failed like “7th Heaven” and “Grey’s Anatomy”. It probably helps if the show is in the fantasy range since it’s easier to have everyone singing than if the show is a straight drama. This was a great episode. The musical selections fitted the show, everyone who sang in the episode could actually sing. No one with an embarrassed look on his or her face trying to weakly belt out a song. The episode also advanced both shows; it wasn’t just a one off but a continuation of both shows storylines. Greg Berlanti must really love musicals, because he has many people with musical backgrounds on his shows. With the talent he has in the Berlantiverse, he could do a musical every season. I hope he continues every season have Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist be on each other’s show. Together they put a smile on my face.
Grade: A
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