Jessie Robertson reviews the twelfth episode of The Flash season 3…
How much exactly is an “Abe Lincoln” on Earth- 19?
Clive Yorkin….there’s a name even the most ardent comic book fan doesn’t know. He’s your villain of the week and his power: if he touches it, it dies (or if its organic material w/o a heartbeat, it disintegrates), well, unless it’s a Jitters coffee, which he drank normally. I guess that recycled material really does help the Earth. Anyways, he remembers Flashpoint because he’s one of Alchemy’s hatchlings and decides to take it out on all the cops that busted him in that universe. Of course, Joe is one of them. But, Yorkin really isn’t the story here. He’s the catalyst for the group finally, FINALLY telling Joe about Barry’s vision of the future. Joe takes it about as well as you’d expect and Jesse L. Martin gives us one of those sad dad heartstring moments we’ve gotten far too infrequently this season. Tears rolled and emotions were felt. It was glorious.
Joe is that quintessential family man as he meets Cecile’s daughter Laurie and brings the whole West clan with him. Laurie isn’t impressed with Central City, well except for their resident junior speedster. The issue is pressed to Joe to decide which Flash he prefers, but he can’t answer that, and won’t answer that. Feel this is some foreshadowing for possible conflicts later in the season. Barry doesn’t see it yet, but couldn’t the next town over use a Flash of its own? There’s an underlying thread that’s pushing Wally as the premiere speedster but it’s being done really well right now and Barry is all about passing down his knowledge, as he tells Wally he needs to step up and be that motivator that Wells (both versions) were to him. The raw potential is there, Barry, HR, everyone acknowledges it, and we’re seeing it take fruition. We’re also getting a bit more character for Wally, where as I felt like having speed powers was going to give him at least an identity, and it’s doing just that. The speedster effects are still very strong on this how as Barry phases a whole train through a broken bridge and Wally learns how to phase himself. Top notch stuff.
Iris got herself into a bit of trouble tonight as Yorkin confronted her and knowing she’s not scheduled to meet her maker for another 3 months, she tries to push back; it doesn’t work and his death touch infects her. The only course of action is for Caitlin to remove her necklace and unleash the power of cold. This was my favorite storyline of the night; there’s been some tension between her and Julian, where she’s starting to second guess if he was the right fit for the team, possibly even herself, as maybe she had back of her mind – ulterior motives for keeping him close. But, when she starts to lose control and venture into Killer Frost territory, it’s Julian of all people who talk her back off the evil ledge. He knows, sort of, what it’s like to not have control and be responsible for pain and suffering and he wants, desperately, to not be the prick most of his team knows him to be. He takes a chance and it’s his best scene to date on the show. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) gels well with most everyone, her quiet nature, soft touch, and lovely personality are a dull edge to Julian’s sharp bite. Her last line “hey, you want to get drinks?” out of nowhere and Julian’s reaction “what now?” energetically holding the elevator was a nice touch. As nice a moment as that was, we all know Caitlin’s dating history tells us this will end badly.
8.5/10- There’s a problem using a villain that can’t be touched and this one was exposed because of it; light on the comedy this week but a touch of quivering lip Joe and it strikes a good balance of an episode
Other Notes:
– Jesse! Grodd! 3 weeks is too far away!
Jessie Robertson
Originally published February 8, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
