If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Barry comes face to face with DeVoe; and Devoe’s past is revealed through flashbacks. Meanwhile, Iris puts the final touches on the wedding, which is a week away. (TVGuide)
Writers: Eric Wallace & Thomas Pound
Director: David McWhirter
Rating: TV-PG
Running Time: 43 minutes
As we prepare for next week’s epic “Crisis On Earth X” crossover, this week’s The Flash focused on its central villain, The Thinker.
A flashback to four years prior shows Clifford Devoe (aka The Thinker) as a professor teaching his students. Devoe’s passion has always been expanding the ability to think, so much so that he has created an idea for a “thinking cap”. This cap would allow him to have limitless thoughts and intelligence unlike anyone has ever seen. He shows his wife the blueprint he has created and asks her to bring it life by building it.
Meanwhile, in the present, Joe and Barry pick up where they left off in last week’s episode, in Devoe’s home for an interrogation. The discomfort is very visible in Barry’s face as he looks around Devoe’s home, spotting a picture of a samurai (remember Samuroid!).
In another flashback, Devoe’s wife has created the “thinking cap” but they must figure out a way to power such a device. Luckily for them, the O.G. Harrison Wells was preparing to showcase his particle accelerator, which would provide the power needed for the cap.
One of the most intriguing things about this season’s villain is that he doesn’t exhibit a direct physical threat, but a psychological one. From Savitar to Samuroid, he has been the mastermind behind it all, and we see the psychological effects come to fruition through Barry in this episode. The Thinker is a very complex, and a complicated villain that poses a unique threat to this season.
As Barry conveys his utter distrust for Devoe, the team finds nothing but positive information about the man. This causes a great source of anxiety and paranoia for Barry who is hell-bent on proving Devoe is evil.
As we learn, Devoe and his wife were at the press conference the night of the particle accelerator explosion. Eager to take advantage of the power they could derive from the accelerator, Devoe puts on the cap and gets struck by lightning as the explosion occurs. This gives him the ability to have unlimited intelligence.
Barry and Joe’s abrupt appearance had the Devoes jaded, and naturally, they went to complain about them, asking not to be bothered. Barry, refusing to listen, finds himself repeatedly confronting Devoe to get answers by breaking into his house or showing up in the classroom. When caught, Barry is suspended from work for harassing the Devoes. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, Barry was unable to gain anyone’s belief that Devoe is evil.
In the flashbacks we see a Devoe is walking around and fairly healthy. In the present, however, that is not the case due to him being diagnosed with an accelerated form of ALS. His mind appears to be feeding off of his body, rendering the rest of his body to become weak.
In a final ditch effort, Barry shows up to Devoe’s classroom to get him to confess to his evil intentions. Barry learns that Devoe knows he is the Flash and knows everything about him. The Thinker has a grand plan and is going to follow it through. Barry was right! With this news, he goes back to S.T.A.R. Labs to inform everyone he was right, and now it’s the Thinker’s play. Meanwhile, they have a wedding to prepare for (in a week!) and most concentrate on that. Wally returned from Blue Valley ready for Iris and Barry’s nuptials.
As the episode closes out, the Thinker is seen transforming from his normal state into an odd sci-fi robot that makes connections to his brain via a chair his wife designed for him.
This week’s episode was one of the better ones this season as it explored The Thinker in greater depth than any villain has revealed before. The allure of the Thinker is his ability to use his intellect to attack and destroy people. This proves to make the story even more interesting as we see Barry struggle throughout this episode in a way we haven’t really seen before.
We look ahead to next week’s crossover that will focus on Iris and Barry’s wedding and an epic battle that will bring everyone together. Who will the villain be and will Devoe have a role in it? Only time will tell!
Score: 7/10
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