Jessie Robertson reviews the nineteenth episode of The Flash season 2…
Just a normal day…..when you’ve lost your super powers to a freak running at the speed of sound from another Earth…..
Ok, we’re back and Barry is just back to being Barry after last week’s huge botch on the side of the heroes. First off, they have too many liabilities. Granted, tonight’s hero worship of The Flash from Wally was the first real moments this character has had but the expense they came at was too great. And 1 breach was actually left open? Everything about last week was penciled in to get us to this point and it’s way too convenient. Don’t get started on the “Jay Garrick is not Evil” fanboy stuff that exploded after last week’s episode; am I the only sane one realizing the man in the Iron Mask is Jay from Earth 1! This seems so obvious. And Iris is thinking all signs point to Barry as her future, as she daydreams from afar watching him in action….I have to stop and get to this week’s actual content.
In essence, The Flash works in the same core way Arrow does at this point; a team of people wanting to protect their city have joined together behind one leading hero and now each show has to split all the dynamics of that group each week while coming together to fight a villain, or continue sorting out a mystery for the season. It’s a formula. But, the engrossing part is where is the overall story taking us? And with The Flash, being less soap opera-y, and more just good plain fun and an innocence, it usually comes off as more engaging and exciting. And it is, for the most part. But taking away Barry’s powers is a huge risk with not much payoff. Because we know, hell , Iris even tells him, you’re a hero without the speed, it’s in your heart. The only way I see this thing going is to give off some of the speed force to some innocent bystanders (I’m looking at you Jesse and Wally). Speaking of Jesse, Harry lets us in that he’s always known where she is and how to find her and now that Caitlin is creepily locked away in Earth 2, he deems it time to bring her back in where he can protect her. Flash is usually all about the fathers and sons, and they have a different relationship than Iris and Joe; here, Jesse tells Harry that he’s as scary to her as Zoom is, because they’re capable of the same monstrous reactions. It’s a very human reaction to the situation and I like the easiness and natural way to Jesse on the show. Wells continues to show strained emotion but listening to Griffin Grey (villain of the week) lecture him about the things Thawne-Wells did (ex. particle accelerator accident) it dawns on him that he is most certainly not that Wells, and not the person his daughter sees him as right now. He did those things under great duress and sadness and when Jesse is part of the rescue crew for her dad, she realizes the place he was in. I did like that she wants him to promise that will never happen again; but he doesn’t quite do it; he tells her that he will do his best to be the best father he can for her.
Griffin Grey is the villain this week, a young man struck by the accelerator who gained super strength due to the proteins in his body decaying; the side effect is he is growing older every time he exerts this strength. For the most part, our villains coincide with whatever existential problem our hero is facing, but I believe he was meant to inspire Wells this week and be a test for powerless Barry and crew, which they passed. But, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness when Grey over-exerted himself and grew too old and died; his body reverting back to its natural form as a teenager, both because the loss of a young life taken is always sad but in this way it’s a cruel joke; but from a story standpoint, did anyone else find it weird once he died, apparently all that protein his body was breaking down replenished itself to make him young again? Maybe I missed something there.
8/10- all in all, a good episode that’s picking up the pieces and laying them down as we get closer to this year’s finale
Other Notes:
– Cisco getting annoyed Wells makes him drop calls was great
– Grey visited a very famous locale in the DC Universe this week; Ace Chemicals, the sight where the Joker became the Joker
– I loved Wells telling Grey to shut up as his long-winded speech was pissing him off
– After Wells tells Jesse what happened to him after her mother died, he makes the absolute point that Jesse is the only other thing he cares about so much; a close 3rd would have to be Big Belly burger, which he has a freakin POSTER! of in their new living quarters
– Killer Frost returned, and Danielle Panabaker reaaaaaaaally played up the slow drawl of a villainess and I liked it. I also think Teddy Sears seems to have much more resonance as Zoom (Hunter Zolomon) than he did “playing” Jay Garrick
– An after credits scene! Finally!
– When Wells tells Barry he wants to recreate the particle accelerator accident that gave him his powers in the first place, all I could think was Flashpoint!
Let’s hope it goes better than this!!!!
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