UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST:
Iris is trapped in the mirror dimension while her (evil) doppelganger is embracing Barry Allen. Will Iris be able to escape? Can she even let people know where she is trapped? Meanwhile, Ralph’s search for Sue Dearbon may be at an end…and the speculation begins as to her future on the show (and in Ralph’s life). There is adventure all around as we go into the 12th episode of season 6 of THE FLASH! Want to know more about “A Girl Named Sue”? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
NOTE: This review is posting prior to THE FLASH airing in the Pacific Time Zone USA. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, STOP HERE and come back after watching the show. You’ll be glad you did!
Wow, we have a LOT going on in this episode! Let’s break this down to three main threads. First, let’s get to “A Girl Named Sue”.
Ralph finally finds Sue, just as her seedy apartment is exploding! She convinces him that she is on the run from an arms dealer who is out to kill her. Ralph helps her in an adventure aimed to take this bad guy down – to find a lot of twists. Sue Dearbon can fight with the best of them, actually saving Ralph once. She is just as talented with sarcasm, and she and Ralph really seem like they have chemistry. That is, it seems that way until…
They break into a bank, supposedly to get the ledger of arms sales that will put the bad guy away. Turns out, there is no ledger. Instead, it’s a large (very large) jewel! Sue declares herself to be a thief, locking Ralph in the vault and trying to escape. That escape is derailed by the appearance of the bad guys…and Ultraviolet! No, the bad guys are not working with Ultraviolet, but they are all after that gem.
Sue puts up a great fight, and gets away with that gem. Ralph is heartbroken, and also mad at himself for being taken in. Still, there is one more twist…
Sue is analyzing that gem to find some peculiar markings. She may not be the thief she claimed to be…or is she? It looks as if she may be going after that same McCulloch Techologies (and Black Hole) that seems to be behind a lot of bad stuff going on in Central City. Whether that’s true or not is left for future episodes. But, given the history of this character in the comics, we will see more of her soon. That would be great, as Natalie Dryfuss did a great job with this character.
Let’s go to the next thread…the one in the mirror dimension. Eva McCulloch has been in the mirror dimension all alone for 6 years. The isolation has driven her to near madness. Iris and Eva spend most of this episode trying to find a way out. They try the liquid nitrogen trick that worked on Sam Scudder’s Mirror Master back when…but instead it shatters the mirror! It looks like all hope is lost for Iris and Eva. Except…
As Eva starts to lose it, the mirror pieces react to her! She may well be a meta – after all, this “6 years ago” event that drove her into the mirror dimension happened the night of the particle accelerator accident. It filled the mirror with dark energy…and now that mirror reacts to Eva’s command! Eva is able to put the mirror back together, restoring hope that she and Iris may yet find their way out.
While they try to find a way out, the evil doppelganger of Iris is working to get her hands on a mirror gun. Barry won’t do that at first, but following Joe West’s advice decides to trust her with the gun. That’s of course a mistake…but how big a mistake is something we’ll have to find out in future episodes.
That leads to two bonus threads:
- Joe West has been investigating a number of suspicious incidents that all appear connected to Joseph Carver, CEO of McCulloch Technologies. Barry is able to connect them, at least potentially, to Black Hole. Joe is worried that there is someone in CCPD (and maybe in the higher rankings of city government) helping Carver cover all this up. That is certain to come up again soon.
- Nash Wells has found the journal of Harry Wells…and possibly the Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne Reverse Flash. Only Nash can see him for now, but this Wells/Thawne(?) knows a LOT more about Nash than we thought. This ought to be VERY interesting as the season progresses.
NOTES:
- The bad guy arms dealer is named John Loring. Comics fans will know that Jean Loring (ex-fiance of Ray Palmer) killed Sue in the mini-series IDENTITY CRISIS.
- While we talk about similar names, just a reminder that Evan McCulloch was the second Mirror Master in the comics. Eva’s new meta powers over that mirror may give a new twist to that tale.
SUMMARY:
Candice Patton continues to excel this season with a special performance as Iris and her mirror-world doppelganger. She is giving us nuanced versions of the same character, one good and one evil, making them both believable. And, she is making it believable that even Barry would miss the change. That slight smirk as she walks away with the mirror gun is perfect. Add to that a stellar performance by Natalie Dreyfuss as Sue Dearbon, and I’ll give this show a 8/10 – but that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!
UPDATE (and question for you): the mysterious Wells that only Nash can see is sporting the look of the Eobard Thawne Wells of Season 1…and also the Harry Wells of Earth 2, especially early in Harry’s run. Even the glasses are the same. Which do YOU think this is? Leave your comments and guesses below!