In Review: The Flash (S7 – Ep6) The One with the Nineties

Synopsis: In ‘The One with the Nineties’. Cisco and Chester travel back in time and get stuck in 1998, repeating the same day over and over again. The key to returning home is at Chester’s childhood home but he refuses to visit. Iris forges a connection with the speed force.

The Story

While testing a new gizmo, which is designed to detect Psyche and the other forces that are after The Speed Force and Barry. Cisco and Chester get thrown back in time to 1998. Additionally, they find themselves reliving the same day over and over again. The key to them returning home sees Chester having to find a new appreciation for his father. But if that isn’t enough. We learn that there is a new force in the form of a College Football player called Deon Owens who can control time itself. 

Meanwhile, in the present day. Iris bonds with the speed force that has manifested in the form of Barry’s mother.

The Acting

This is a great episode for Brandon McKnight who gets to explore his character of Chester P. Runk and peel back some of the layers. The scenes he shares with Milton Barnes who plays Chester’s father are absolutely brilliantly performed. So much so. That even I had a little lump in my throat. Also, great was seeing some fun chemistry develop between McKnight and Carlos Valdes. In short Chester and Cisco work well together. 

Overall

I have to admit. Initially when I read the synopsis for this episode. I was worried that the writer’s room on this series was running out of ideas. I mean the time loop episode has become a trope on this series that has been used over and over. And it hasn’t always come off very week. 

Thankfully, ‘The One with the Nineties’ manages to pull it off fairly well and it is thanks in part to Brandon McKnight’s performance as well as the scene we see of Chester with his father. I also think that Deon’s meltdown at the end, which causes time to flip out in the present day also helped. Especially given that it allowed the regular cast to play dress-up. I mean Frost as a 1960s hippie was just priceless. As was Iris’s afro. 

I also loved the title of this episode borrowing somewhat from ‘Friends’.

Overall. A fun episode that felt a little more like a ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ story than it did a ‘Flash’ episode.