Jessie Robertson reviews the twentieth episode of The Flash season 2…
Did we just hear a “Fringe” reference? Sure, seasons 1-3 were great, but that show went down hill fast!
Zoom has landed on Earth (1? Prime?) don’t know if we have a name for it. He brought Caitlin with him, as a trophy. Wells has seen this before. First, he will belittle the police; then he will kill them. Then, he starts recruiting meta-humans. It’s a pattern. They need The Flash. The only way to do that is to recreate the particle accelerator experiment that gave Barry his powers in the first place. This is the crux of tonight’s episode as Barry’s 3 surrogate father figures weigh in; Wells is all for it, Joe is on the fence and Henry Allen, making his return to Central City, is adamantly against it. This is his son we’re talking about. For precaution, Joe and Wells lock their children into a sealed room for protection; why shouldn’t Henry be allowed the same for Barry? (BTW, we’ll talk about that ridiculous idea later; ie: Wally & Jesse). The decision is clear to the audience; it’s fairly clear to Barry, but the stakes have to be higher with him; there’s no certainty it can be reproduced. As I pointed out last week when Geoff Johns famously portrayed this idea in his comic book arc Flashpoint, Barry was burnt to a crisp the first time around; as Barry’s head engulfs in flames tonight in the closing moments of the episode, I thought that’s exactly what we were seeing. But, we don’t know until next week.
Despite it all, Barry is the one who has to make the decision; they’ve rigged up a hologram that is supposed to scare baddies away; but Wells says it’s only a matter of time before someone notices Flash doesn’t talk, punch or go indoors anymore. They need a better plan. There’s talk of the man Barry is; he’s a hero, no doubt, and has the heart of a hero, but when Henry poses the thought that Barry won’t be any different with or without powers, it’s something Barry has to chew on. Iris, who confesses she wants to date Barry outright, also tells him that she’s interested in him, not The Flash. But, for Barry, as the audience sees, these powers were gifted to him by fate almost, because the combination of his good soul with the responsibility to do good is what makes it necessary that Barry Allen get his speed returned to him; as he says “it’s the best version of myself.” It’s a cool little morality story that is (somewhat) necessary for character plot but we the audience know the answer all along, so it can be a bit tedious but with Zoom’s vulgar display of power , the moment pays off well.
Tonight’s episode brings us again, a one-note villain, but a damn cool looking one! Most can be forgiven as there is so much happening internally this week, even with Zoom, as he continues to piece together the remnants of his past, that you don’t always need a villain to show up and wreak havoc just to do it. Rupture, scythe and all, comes from E-2 and is Dante Ramone’s doppleganger. As a refresher, Dante is Cisco’s older, less charming brother who does no wrong in his parent’s eyes and he bears a grudge against Cisco. Tonight’s baddie pulls those strings closer between them and ties them into a knot; it’s ham-fisted, but Cisco makes us buy it; as he can be an emotional creature and him hugging Dante is a small victory for him as a character.
Leading into next week, Barry is trapped in the speed force, I’m guessing. 3 eps left, peeps.
8.5/10
Other notes:
– Wally and Jesse (who sort of flirted once) are locked into a room because their respective parents believe they have a high probability of being taken again. First off, 2 teens ( I think) locked up with no cameras; in this day and age tell me there’s no hanky-panky going on? Secondly, does Joe actually not think if Zoom wanted he couldn’t just snatch Iris up and take her, but just because he hasn’t yet, she’s free to stay out of the room. In the end, it’s all to set up these two as our up and coming speedsters, as they are both blasted with the remnants of Wells’ particle accelerator experiment gone wrong.
– Interesting note: When Barry mentions Jay Garrick to his father, his nose twitches (how badly does anyone else want Ralph Dibny on this show already????) Garrick was his mother’s maiden name….hmmm.
– “How did you know about that Harry Potter convention?” Cisco – even in the face of danger, there’s still time for movie quotes as the immortal words of young Mr. Potter and Doc Brown ebb from Cisco’s tongue as he plays Weather Wizard for tonight.
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published May 4, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
