Now that Season Two of “The Flash” is over and speculation for Season Three begins, I’m going to step back and look at the online series “The Chronicles of Cisco” that ran concurrently with the final episodes of the show. Not all Flash adventures star the Flash, so meet me after the jump, and we’ll look at this solo Cisco Ramon adventure.
The Man Behind Cisco
Played by Carlos Valdes, Cisco has become one of the most popular characters in the Arrowverse, and his touch can be felt in all aspects of this world. Whether it’s naming the bad guys or designing the costumes, he is a known entity in the lives of the Flash, Green Arrow, the Legends of Tomorrow, and even Vixen. I’m sure he’ll also make his presence known to Supergirl in her second season on the CW. But who is Carlos Valdes, the man behind Cisco Ramon?
Like much of the cast of “The Flash,” Valdes’ background is actually in music. From appearing in productions of The Wedding Singer and High School Musical in high school to being a stand-in for the national tour of Jersey Boys, Valdes eventually played in the Tony Award nominated Once before joining the cast of “The Flash.” You can check out his own music as Tha Los here. He’s actually quite good, well worth a listen.
Cisco Alone
This four-part series ran over the last few weeks of “The Flash” this season in just nearly-two minute segments. Featuring Cisco alone in his lab with an unexpected visitor, someone I wish would’ve shown up in the regular series, but I’m happy to have this rather than nothing at all – Peek-a-boo. We join Cisco as he works on making the Flash costume bullet proof, and also as he notes that a better antiperspirant is needed for a speedster. Yep, Cisco humor intact.
We have a good idea when this little adventure takes place as Cisco is still afraid of jay’s winged helmet, won’t touch it, and certainly won’t ‘vibe’ it, and he also references the Time Wraiths (although plural, which is interesting as Team Flash has only encountered one, though they know more exist). There’s also his Vibe glasses on the lab table nearby, and the fact that Cisco calls his Dr. Sheldon Cooper t-shirt “Big Bang” when he spills orange soda on it. Heh, yeah, Cisco intact.
Meta-Meet
In the second chapter, there’s a metahuman sneaking around S.T.A.R. Labs, and Barry won’t pick up his cell. Did Cisco say he was at a Justin Bieber concert? In the comics, Barry was always a bit of a nerd, but Bieber?? So Cisco does what he shouldn’t, he investigates on his own at three in the morning. Carrying the gun he was using to shoot at the Flash suit, he goes down into the Pipeline and is met by Peek-a-boo, who of course pops by and takes the gun, switcheroo.
We’re quickly caught up on what she’s been up to since “Rogue Air,” and it comes up that Cisco is a metahuman too. At first Peek-a-boo is impressed until he tells her he has headaches and nightmare visions, not impressive. What she’s after is what Cisco can do for her. She wants a gun. He made a gun for the Golden Glider, and Captain Cold, and Heat Wave, so why not her? Hmmm… Cisco is not getting the rep he wants in the super-villain community…
The Miracle Properties of Orange Soda
So when Cisco refuses to make her a gun, Peek-a-boo settles on raiding the S.T.A.R. storeroom. When our hero further refuses, while confessing she’ll need his phone to gain access as well as his fingerprints and retina scans, she shoots him. He did offer “over his dead body” after all. As I’ve mentioned before, the television Peek-a-boo is much more ruthless than her comics counterpart.
But, miracle of miracles, Cisco’s not dead. It seems that the orange soda spilled on his shirt was what he needed to make the Flash suit bullet proof, and the bullet bounced off. Yeah, that’s where I checked out too. There’s a line where comic book science is just too silly for television. Multiverse, speed force, teleporters, etc., all good, but orange soda science is where I draw the line. Cisco gets up, blinds Peek-a-boo, and gets the upper hand, but she soon regains it, locking him in the Pipeline. Then he wakes up.
Nerd Dreams
Yeah, it was all a dream. Woken by Barry calling, Cisco says he’ll have to call him back, he has to write something in his dream journal. Hmmm… if Barry’s calling at three in the morning, it must be important but that’s besides the point I guess. What is important is the bullet Cisco finds at his feet. Was it the one Peek-a-boo used on him? Or the one he shot at the Flash suit? Hmmm…
All in all, this was a fun exercise in watching Cisco do Cisco, a nerdgasm of so many joys. In many episodes of “The Flash,” Cisco is the best part, and this condenses that fun into a tight eight minutes or so. This kinda reminded me of the old DC Comics animated cartoons from Filmation that fit an entire story in just seven or eight minutes. This was great, if you get a chance to check it out, well worth it.
Filed under: DC Universe, Glenn Walker, television, the flash Tagged: Arrow, big bang theory, captain cold, carlos valdes, chronicles of cisco, cisco ramon, CW, filmation, golden glider, heat wave, Justin Bieber, legends of tomorrow, Music, peek-a-boo, stage, Supergirl, tha los, the flash, time wraith, vibe, vixen
