Wally is back! That’s the good news. The bad news? The Speed Force is dying! Yes, that mysterious force that powers all the good speedsters in the multiverse is fading fast. Just why that is…and what the implications may be…are a BIG part of this episode of THE FLASH. That’s not all, though. There are major plot points in “Death of the Speed Force” for Nash Wells and for Iris’ mirror world doppelganger. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

NOTE: This review is posting prior to this episode of THE FLASH airing in the Pacific Time Zone USA. If you haven’t seen the show yet, STOP HERE and come back after watching. You’ll be glad you did!

Wally West has returned, more centered, more Zen, and with more powers than he had before. Wally came back for a purpose – to find out what is happening to the Speed Force. He knows something is wrong, though Barry won’t talk to him about it at first. 

Still, there is a way to learn about it. Wally has learned how to project his consciousness into the Speed Force while leaving his physical form behind. That’s something even Barry can’t do. Wally projects them both into the Speed Force to find green lightning. More than that, they find the avatar of the Speed Force, who looks like Barry’s mother Nora, dying!

At first, Wally blames Barry for everything. Barry could have asked for help a long time ago. But, Barry has been in a state of denial up to now. That ends when Barry goes back into the Speed Force on his own with Gideon’s help. He learns that when he used the Spectre’s power to re-enter the Speed Force during the Crisis, that power was something that infected the Speed Force. That’s the source of the green lightning. The Speed Force couldn’t handle it, and it is fading fast. Barry watches this version of Nora die. That means Barry and Wally have only residual Speed Force energy left. When they use it up, there will be no more Flash or Kid Flash…just Barry and Wally. 

Now, while all of that is going on, some major things are happening:

• A new villain, whom Cisco names “Turtle 2.0” has appeared in Central City. She was previously deported to Russia after a couple of informers turned her in for running an international drug ring. This Turtle 2.0 can not only stop time, but she can rob a person of all their kinetic energy. That instantly ages them so much that the victim dies. Much of the episode is based on stopping her. She is eventually stopped through the use of Velocity X, delivered by Joe West while Flash and Kid Flash kept her busy in a fight.
• Cisco is still frustrated after returning from his world wide cataloging adventure. He feels like he is simply back where he started. Cisco has to relearn how to ask for help, and to trust the latest Wells…but…
• Nash Wells has been taken over – by Eobard Thawne! The Reverse Flash has taken over Nash’s body. He tries to kill Cisco, but in Nash’s body he has no speed. Cecile helps Cisco fight him off, and they take Nash/Thawne to the Pipeline for safe keeping. More on that in a moment.
• Kamilla took a picture of “Iris” and Wally that “Iris” wanted her to delete immediately. For whatever reason, that picture just won’t delete. At episode’s end, Kamilla sees that the image of “Iris” shows her for what she is…a mirror duplicate! Not that this knowledge does any good, because “Iris” shows up with a mirror gun and fires it directly at Kamilla! What happens to Kamilla? Don’t know right now -she could be headed for the mirror universe, or not…but we won’t know for now.
• For those who wondered what that “boop” from Oliver/Spectre did for Barry back in CRISIS, the question has been answered. But, the answer is NOT what we expected. Yes, Barry got that boost and his “potential” was unlocked. But, the energy that allowed Barry to go back into the Speed Force is the very thing that has killed it now. Wow – don’t know if we will revisit that again later, but that was a shocking reveal.

The big reveals in this episode are the fact that the Speed Force is dying, and that Eobard Thawne is most definitely NOT dying. In fact, he gloats about how the negative Speed Force that he built will still be around. He plans to escape and kill Barry, Barry’s family, Barry’s friends…you get the idea.

But, Barry ALSO gets an idea…if Thawne could build his own Speed Force, why can’t Barry build one too? Barry asks Cisco and Caitlin to help him build an artificial Speed Force to regain his speed!

NOTES:

• This was a fantastic performance by Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West. It’s the best performance he has given on this series by far. I found myself cheering for him and wishing for more Kid Flash. Great episode for him!
• I’m glad to see the Nash/Thawne and “Iris” story lines moving forward tonight. We’ve been building up to Thawne for a while now, and it was great getting this version of Wells back on screen. Tom Cavenagh is simply awesome. It was also great to see “Iris” moving forward with her evil plans tonight. I do want to see Kamilla’s return, but the way Iris took her out lets us know that things are about to get wild here, and I can’t wait for whatever happens next.

SUMMARY:

This was a great episode all around. A great return for Wally…and for Thawne as a character. A great script, and superb acting all around. I’ll give this one a 10/10 – but of course, that’s my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!

Share