- Director
- Alexandra La Roche
- Writers
- Jonathan Butler, Gabriel Garza
- Rating
- TV-PG
- Running Time
- 43 minutes
- Airs
- Tuesdays 8pm
- Channel
- The CW
Overall Score
Rating Summary
For our review of the last episode of The Flash, click here.
Synopsis: When Barry suddenly gains the power of speed thinking, he attempts to use his new gift to save Iris. While Barry is thrilled with his new power, Cisco is hesitant to trust it. Meanwhile, Eva must face a shattering truth. (TVGuide)
The Flash often struggles to keep fans entertained through the course of an entire season. For the past few seasons, without fail, there’s always a less than intriguing storyline that just mucks things up. While it’s too early to judge this season just yet as we’re only two episodes in, but this week’s episode was not amusing as it could have been. Sure, there were some exciting elements to it, including the final scene, but it just needed some semblance of excitement. Maybe with this week’s plot twist we just might get that–maybe.
After getting his speed back, Barry learns this week that speed isn’t the only thing he acquired from the Artificial Speed Force. It seems he now also has speed thought and can speed through what someone is going to say or think. At first, it was confusing why Barry’s voice suddenly started getting so robotic over the episode, but it began to make sense as the story sort of came together.
Cisco finally returns for this week’s episode and gets to work trying to help Barry figure out how to open a portal to the Mirrorverse. With Barry’s speed thought, the need for Cisco isn’t pressing or really needed, but it’s nice to have him back anyway. As they continue to brainstorm, it becomes obvious that the more Barry uses his new speed powers, the more emotionless he becomes. While this wasn’t the best episode, Gustin should be commended for his incredible job so far with the range of emotions they are allowing him to work with and it’s quite impressive how he can switch between them so effortlessly.
When the ASF was built, there was a deliberate fail-safe embedded in there to avoid emotional fallout. Unfortunately in this case it backfires because Barry is rendered emotionless, and it proves rather dangerous for Team Flash, who are subject to Barry’s rapidly changing behavior. As we approach the end of the episode, this version of Barry computes that they can only save Camilla and Captain Singh or Iris. He even uses his speed thinking to see what the future debate over this conundrum would be, not figuring in the emotion such a decision would bring up on everyone.
Naturally, when Cisco learns of Barry’s intent on only saving Iris, he points out that if Barry would have talked to him first, he would have realized that Cisco would never allow such a decision to be made in the first place. In an attempt to stop this Barry, Cisco, Allegra, and Killer Frost try to confront him, but he knocks each of them out as they try to render him powerless. Barry then proceeds to open the Mirrorverse to get Iris back, even though she suggests that he take Camilla and Singh instead since they weren’t doing so great. Of course, emotionless Barry refuses to listen and drags her through anyway. It wasn’t the best of ideas as Iris appears to have a seizure, and somehow pulls Barry back who grows concerned over Iris’ condition.
Once Barry comes to and realizes what he’s done, he destroys the ASF but gets knocked out in the process as an electrical charge hits him back. It’s riveting, but it still didn’t help the episode. The best part of this episode comes at the very end when a flashback takes us back to the moment Eobard Thawne kills Harrison Wells and takes his identity. We see Harrison’s body placed into the grave, but what follows is rather interesting. We see a green streak begin to scatter across the screen, and then moments later the REAL Harrison Wells appears.
It looks like we just got the O.G. Wells back, along with Tom Cavanagh’s return as we were already expecting. Now, if they can only do this season some justice with all these changes and plot twists. Here’s to hoping!
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