Jessie Robertson reviews the seventeenth episode of The Flash…
If you only watch one scene, out of context, from The Flash this season, let it be the opening of this episode! We get, in fully computer generated, the race-battle between the Flash and Reverse Flash and it is YES!
Spoilers ahead (as always)…
“Tricksters” is one of those typically fun episodes a lot of shows do with a guest star, who maybe has a few scenes, and gets the best lines; this episode amplified that formula, by plastering Mark Hamill all over this bad boy and giving us the back story of Harrison Wells. It’s triumphantly fun and intriguing all at the same time. Central City gets bombarded by a viral villain calling himself the Trickster, who released gift wrapped bombs all over a Central City playground, in a pretty disturbing effect, if you really think about it. Turns out he’s using the borrowed name of a criminal doing a life stint in Iron Heights who was also called the Trickster from 20 years ago. The beauty of this guest star is that Mark Hamill played the Trickster in the original Flash series 20 years ago (as if you didn’t know.) He even kidnaps Barry’s father (John Wesley Shipp) who played the original Flash 20 years ago. Hamill gets tons of great lines in this one, my favorite being when Flash inoculates a crowd of people who Trickster had just poisoned and his retort is “That wasn’t very sanitary!” Hamill’s actually really good here, as he goes from sinister, to creepy, to just bonkers fun while using a lot of body language and crazy facial expressions. I hope he returns later; his son (played by Devon Gray) was pretty one note – and actually functioned better as the lackey sidekick than the mastermind.
You could have aired this on Father’s Day and it would have been completely logistical. More than ever, as Barry suspects Wells of being not who he says he is, Wells comes through for him, just as a father would, when Barry is strapped with a “Speed-esque” bomb from Trickster. This scene, where Wells is describing the emotions and feelings of running at super speeds all too well, and another when he pries at Barry after getting back talked by him, are both close ups of Wells; they both play up his mystery and treachery and elusive-ness so well. It’s like “A Christmas Carol” dynamic as Barry gets advice from each of his “fathers” in this episode, one from Wells, one from Joe when he’s trying to keep Barry calm and keep their investigation into Wells secret and one from his actual father after he rescued him. It’s a really cool dynamic because all three are such different personalities but all do deeply mean something to Barry. More than anything, Flash develops these lifelines to Barry because his mother-less life rings so frequent; her death and absence in his life and it’s effect on him remain at the core of Barry’s fortitude to just keep running.
Other Notes:
– We have a John Locke situation on our hands: for any that are not Lost fans (and what is your excuse?!?) we find out Eobard Thawne (who is the Reverse Flash) is from the future, came back to kill Barry Allen, which failed. He lost whatever power let him time travel and stranded him here. So what did he do? He took over Harrison Wells….what, soul, body? Not sure, but what it seemed to me is for all intents and purposes, Harrison Wells is dead and has been for 15 years and Eobard Thawne lives in his body. So is Wells Reverse-Flash? Yes, technically but also no. This just got real good.
– The journey to Trickster’s lair was a fun trip down memory lane as it had Hamill’s costume from the original series on a dummy.
– Hamill also had some lines that thudded for me; such as the Breaking Bad reference, but I loved the save of that one ” We had cable.” But, of course, there was a Star Wars reference and I loved the role reversal Hamill got to do with that one.
– So, they told Eddie. Wait, they told Eddie? This seemed to come out of nowhere. I understand loosely how she was investigating Bridge’s disappearance, but that was the solution? Couldn’t her dad have relayed the same info Eddie did and it would be just as reliable? And 10-1 odds, Iris still looks into it.
– For being a smart guy, Barry loses some points when describing Wells’ speech to him about using his super speed to literally “phase” through something; he almost thinks he’s ran at those speeds! WELL OF COURSE HE HAS! What other person could have described, LITERALLY, exactly how you feel when running that fast? Haha. Oh Barry.
Jessie Robertson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ONsp_bmDYXc&list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published April 1, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
