And given that Patty now seems to be on her way out for good, due to a previously unmentioned lifelong dream, you really have to wonder what the point of this subplot was. Attempting to get us attached to a character meant to leave after ten episodes? Reminding us that Barry’s bad at relationships? This time could have been better spent fleshing out Zoom or spending time with characters like Iris or Caitlin that haven’t had much to do. With any luck now that this relationship has panned out the show can regain some of its focus, but you can’t help but mourn for all the wasted time.
On this week’s meta-human front, Barry finds himself up against the Turtle, a man who can slow down everyone else around him — even the fastest man alive. Despite bearing zero resemblance to the character from the comics, the Turtle is a pretty fun villain. The special effects used for his powers are great, and he makes for an interesting match for Barry. It’s a shame he’s probably doomed to be a one-off character, like many of the baddies on THE FLASH, but if nothing else at least the show proved it’s willing to break from the Earth-2 villain mold once in a while.
The episode’s most enjoyable moments easily came from Wally, who is trying to find his place among the tight-knit West family. He’s understandably resentful of the fact that his dad has been absent from his life, but he can’t help but want a relationship with him all the same. All of this is, of course, made more difficult to deal with because his mother’s terminal illness. It’s a complicated relationship, and it’s nice to see that the show isn’t shying away from the messiness of it. Keiynan Lonsdale plays the conflicted young man well, and it’ll be interesting to see how he interacts with the rest of the cast beyond the West family. While there’s no hint of Wally’s powers at the moment beyond a penchant for driving fast, the fact that we’ve already gotten Vibe and have Killer Frost on the horizon makes me think the show won’t make us wait too long to see Kid Flash in action.
The episode’s ending teaser shows us what appears to be Earth-2’s Reverse Flash — an Eobard Thawne who hasn’t had to hijack anyone’s body. It’ll be interesting to see what a new actor brings to the character, or if Earth-2 Eobard is even a villain. Either way, seeing Thawne again is undoubtedly to send Barry into a tizzy, considering what a tough time he’s had putting the Reverse-Flash behind him. Hopefully their sure-to-be emotional confrontation will give the show the boost it needs to get its energy going again.
Written by Kaitlin Roberts, THE FLASH Beat Writer
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