In an episode called “Back to Normal” there are a LOT of things “out of the norm” for THE FLASH. Some definite highlights to be sure, but some parts of this show were also troubling. Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
After last episode’s events, Barry has no super speed. Caitlin is now a prisoner of Zoom on Earth-2. Zoom now has a breach by which he can access both Earths and presumably wreak havoc on both. Yep, things are not looking up for Team Flash.
Harry blames Barry Allen for the mess they are in, and to a large extent he has a point. Just check the comments after last week’s review on this site and you’ll get the idea. Still, Barry didn’t know that Zoom would take Caitlin, and right now there is no way to get her back. Given that, and given the continuing danger presented by Zoom to the Wells family, Harry has set out to find his daughter Jesse.
Harry does find Jesse, but she refuses to return, still unable to deal with what her father did to save her. One his way back, he is kidnapped by Griffin Grey (a name fans of the Bart Allen run as Flash may remember). In this continuity, Griffin was impacted by the particle accelerator accident and given immense strength…but also rapid aging. We later learn that he ages more every time he exerts himself (more on that later). This sets Team Flash on a mission to save Harry.
Along the way, they inform Jesse about her father and she quickly returns to S.T.A.R. Labs to join the hunt to save Harry. Without Caitlin there, she becomes even more valuable as one of her five (count ‘em, five) college majors is just what they need to analyze a blood sample of the kidnapper.
While all of this is going on, we catch up on two subplots. The first is the meeting between “Caitlin of Two Worlds”. Yes, Caitlin Snow meets her Earth-2 doppelganger, aka Killer Frost! Frost is a prisoner of Zoom as well, and makes a deal with Caitlin that will supposedly free them both. OF course, as soon as Killer Frost is free she attempts to kill her Earth-1 self…to be stopped, and killed, by Zoom.
The other sub-plot involves Wally West desperately seeking Joe’s help in setting up a meeting to thank the Flash for saving him, not knowing that Barry is actually the Flash. I’ll come back to this in a moment.
Eventually, Cisco and Jesse get some dwarf star material to line the Flash uni, in order to help Barry absorb one (hopefully not more than one) punch from Griffin (who I don’t think gets a supervillain name, interestingly enough. If anyone heard him referred to as something other than “he-man” let me know). They let Griffin literally punch himself out…of existence, at which point he turns young as he dies.
Some aftermath here…Harry and Jesse talk out their differences and agree to try to have a good father-daughter relationship again (and again we hear her referred to as “my little Jesse Quick”. Wally finally meets The Flash at a distance, thanking him. And then…
Cut back to Earth 2, with a real “beauty and the beast” sub-plot continuation. “Jay” is certain he can make Caitlin love him, and all she wants is to be released to go home. He agrees to take her home…to conquer the planet!
Back on Earth 1, Harry has a plan to stop Zoom…to recreate the particle accelerator accident and give Barry his powers back!
SUMMARY: There were some real good points to the show, in terms of watching Barry still acting as the hero even without his powers. Seeing Jesse not only come back to the show but take on more of a role in Team Flash was excellent. I had two issues with this show, however.
One was letting Griffin Grey literally kill himself with his powers. Team Flash may not always get things perfectly right (as noted with all the baddies they’ve stored in the Pipeline before), but taking on a plan that they have to know could result in death? That was a tough one to watch. No, it wasn’t pleasant seeing Frost go, but at least we know at this point that Zoom IS a killer. Not so team Flash, or so I thought.
Second, we are long past time for Wally to know who the Flash is. This would have been the perfect time to tell him. Now, whenever Wally does learn the truth, how can he not feel played by his own father and by Barry, Iris, and everyone else close to him in Central City? This has gone past a point of reason and it is my hope that they correct this one very soon.
All that said, this has still been an excellent season so far for THE FLASH, and I’m hoping to see something more next week as we likely will see Barry returning to full speed. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!
This episode was a bit better than last time. I liked that they didn’t rush back Barry’s speed. But mostly, I’m flabbergasted that this show went with a villain from that dreadful series, The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive. I don’t know if I’m happy or angry. Just … stunned.
Sadly, I was not as stunned as I should have been by Team Flash’s decision to kill Griffin Grey. This show is getting a bit casual with killing their bad guys, which is unfortunate.
Ya the death count is getting pretty high for Team Flash. I’m wondering if / when they’ll address that. They are pretty casual about killing the bad guys.
On the bright side, according to previews, we’ve got one less dead villain thanks to what I can only assume is the result of time travel.
On the plus side, we at least got Joe’s “wow, that was f—ed up” expression at the end of it.
A lot fewer idiot balls in play this week, and it was nice to see people getting called on them at least.
Zoom’s gone full “Skullcrusher Mountain” on us with Caitlin, though wouldn’t it make sense to actually *show* what he’s done to Earth 2 with his newly added speed instead of just *telling* us that he’s messed things up?
And yeah, I’m getting tired of the death count. Especially if they’re going to make a big deal out of Harry killing the Turtle — yeah, the context is different in that he had already been safely captured, but they so often seem to go with the first plan to stop a villain that comes to mind, whether it’s potentially lethal or not.
“Now, whenever Wally does learn the truth, how can he not feel played by his own father and by Barry, Iris, and everyone else close to him in Central City?”
Good point. Too bad Joe didn’t learn from his experience hiding the same thing from Iris.