It is a bit awkward to have --status report a new version, and --install just not say anything by default. With --install --verbose one can finally understand with some effort that the version it downloads is the one that's already installed. But why just not telling the user something like "We need to do some work to make the new update available, please be patient and understand what needs to be done at http://wiki.debian.org/FlashPlayer#maintainance" ... so that we can all avoid whining in our own corner :)
Best regards, -- Yann