If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Barry meets a powerful woman whose abilities could help him in his battle with DeVoe. Meanwhile, after learning that DeVoe is targeting everyone who was on the bus, Ralph decides he doesn’t want to be a hero anymore, his only concern is staying alive. Harry offers to help Joe. (TVGuide)
Writers: Mike Alber & Gabe Snyder
Director: Ralph Hemecker
Rating: TV-PG
Running Time: 43 minutes
After a bit of a hiatus, The Flash returned tonight with Barry back working at the CCPD. However, his return wasn’t as smooth as he expected it to be. Most of the CCPD felt DeVoe returning from the dead was extremely shady and were reluctant to believe it was truly him. It’s hard not to disagree, especially considering the world they live in. As a result of this resistance, Captain Singh decided to put Barry on an indefinite leave of absence.
This week’s episode was repetitive in that it continued the storyline of the bus metas, and DeVoe’s relentless pursuit to capture them all like Pokemon. This week brought in a country singing meta-human named Izzy Bowin (Miranda MacDougall) with the ability to use sound waves to create molecular shrapnel. In the last episode, the team realized DeVoe is after each of the bus metas, which would include Ralph. In order to protect him from harm’s way, they took turns babysitting him. This made for some funny moments throughout the episode as Ralph became frustrated with it. After discovering her CD from the bus and Cisco’s vibing, Ralph and Barry paid her a visit to tell her of the danger she’s in.
DeVoe’s storyline is definitely worsening with every episode, and this episode was no different. Every episode he transfers his consciousness into another body and continues to get powerful. However, the body he had most recently placed himself in was deteriorating at a very fast rate–meaning he needs a new body ASAP.
Another enjoyable part of the episode was the dynamic between Cecile and Harry as he helped her with her mind-reading problem. Thanks to this newfound ability, she is unable to sleep at night because of Joe’s constant thoughts. This leads Harry to create a cerebral inhibitor which will completely block out the thoughts she’s hearing. Their hilarious banter back and forth was fun to watch and gave supporting characters an opportunity to be in the front and center.
After paying Izzie a visit, they bring her to S.T.A.R. Labs. In an attempt to gain her trust, Barry and Ralph reveal their true identity to her. Since they found out her powers can weaken DeVoe, Barry felt they should train her to channel her powers properly. As the team comes together to train, Barry and Iris realized that Savitar had told them about the future and a device that they would use to fight DeVoe.
The cerebral inhibitor would prevent DeVoe from transferring his consciousness into another body as he has been doing. Unfortunately, the inhibitor did not work on DeVoe and he managed to surpass its power, using kilg%re’s power, and took over Izzie’s body. This was a heartbreaking moment for Ralph who had formed a close relationship with Izzie in the short time they knew one another. However, at the episode’s end, Barry attempts to cheer Ralph up, but in turn, gets hired by him as a private investigator. Ralph’s end goal? Take down DeVoe.
This episode was slightly better than the two have preceded it, however, the plot of The Flash remains slow and extremely repetitive. It feels like in every episode we watch DeVoe jump to a different person followed by/preceded by a short face-off with Barry. I would like to see the story move forward and gain some traction with this’s season plot. One positive thing this season has done is spend a bit more time on the supporting cast. Seeing Cecile and Harry be a bigger part of the season has been a welcome change. Here’s to hoping that the second half of the season picks up the pace and starts making things a bit more exciting.
Score: 7/10
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