It’s a little frustrating to see Caitlin relegated to the same damsel in distress role that Jesse occupied for the first half of the season with a bonus creepy stalker, but I appreciated that she still managed to be an active participant in the fight against Zoom saving the cops’ lives or sending a secret message to the team. Her presence also adds a little humanity to Zoom’s scenes, which often end up feeling very bland and cartoonishly evil.
What with this major city crisis going on, it would have been easy for sudden Ramon family reunion to feel like a sideshow or a distraction, but instead we got some nice character insight into Cisco and the subplot tied nicely back into the one of the recurring themes of the episode — telling your loved ones how you feel before it’s too late. Cisco has proven time and time again that he’s the beating heart of the show, and any storyline that focuses on him packs an emotional punch, even if it involves a goofy looking doppelganger of his brother.
Meanwhile, Barry’s struggle with his impending decision led to one of the best Barry/Iris heart-to- hearts yet, which culminated in Iris finally confessed her feelings for him. Barry’s rather subdued reaction felt a bit odd considering this was something he’d been dreaming of for half his life; it felt like his lack of response was because of a desire to not see the characters properly hook up until the finale, instead of it being his natural reaction. But a strong performance from both actors meant the scene was still wonderfully emotional. So often we as the audience are forced to infer how Iris feels from her facial expressions, which isn’t as big of a problem as it could be considering Candice Patton is a master of wordless communication, but it means that any scene in which she actually verbalizes her emotions automatically becomes extra special. Seeing her make herself so vulnerable only made her reaction to Barry’s “death” during the particle accelerator explosion all the more heartbreaking.
Of course, as many of us suspected, Barry wasn’t the only one affected by the explosion — a part of the Speed Force passed through Wally and Jesse in what I’m sure was a very intentional call-back to Barry getting struck by lightning in the pilot. This ending was pretty much a foregone conclusion after we saw that Wally and Jesse just happened to be in the next room over during the explosion, but it didn’t make the moment any less thrilling to watch. The show has teased Wally and Jesse’s eventual fates since the moment they were introduced, and I think not dragging out the inevitable any longer than they have to is a smart move. There are much more interesting stories to be told with a team of speedsters than a lone hero, and it’s sure to make the finale chaotic and unpredictable in all the best ways.
Judging by the promos for next week, it looks as though Barry will be spending most of the episode stuck in the Speed Force, which could have interesting implications for Barry and Iris’s changing relationship; traditionally in the comics, the only thing that has been able to help pull Barry out of the Speed Force has been his connection with Iris. And of course, his absence gives the two newest speedsters a chance to try and test out their powers. This could mean a full-fledged superhero outing against Zoom or just some experiments in STAR Labs, but given how long we’ve been waiting to see a glimpse of their speed, either prospect should be exciting to watch.
Written by Kaitlin Roberts, THE FLASH Beat Writer -- Click here to read Kaitlin's posts
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