“I need a little time to think” could be the theme of this episode. There is a push/pull throughout the show. It’s the need to stop bad things from happening vs. being ready to act. There are some major moments in this episode, one that is a turning point in the relationship with the new forces. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
NOTE: This review is posting before THE FLASH is fully aired in the Pacific Time Zone USA. If you haven’t seen the episode, STOP HERE and return after watching. You’ll be glad you did!
We pick up where we left off last episode, with Nora making the Thawne-like vibrating hand-to-kill gesture against Deon/Still Force. However, she doesn’t go through with the kill. She wants to join forces with him to fight “Dad”, Barry Allen! Nora/Speed Force has gone over the edge.
Meanwhile, Alexa/Fuerza is coming around after being revived last episode by some connection with Barry and Iris. They now recognize this couple as the “parents” of the new forces. Barry wants to train Alexa to control her Strength Force, but for much of the episode she is simply too afraid to try, worried about the consequences of letting this force out. There is some argument between Alexa and Barry, with Caitlin taking Alexa’s side. Eventually, Caitlin gives Alexa the same device used in earlier shows for Caitlin and Frost to communicate. Alexa eventually uses this successfully, and we’ll come back to that later.
The main threat remains Psych, and we get a full backstory here. We find out that his name is Bashir Malik, the adopted son of “billionaires” who died while $50 million in debt. Bashir thought his friends in his college society, the League of Lions, abandoned him as well. Now, he is exacting revenge on all of the other members, leaving them nearly comatose.
Psych is getting stronger, now able to use his powers to physically attack even Flash. Barry cannot beat him, not alone. In the end, Alexa uses that device she got from Caitlin to help her communicate with and control her Fuerza side, and it is her strength that successfully counters Psych for the moment.
But, the real fight isn’t over. Iris has done some digging and found out that Bashir is wrong about his friends from the League of Lions. All of them except one had been getting together funds to help him when his parents died. He just didn’t know because he had pushed everyone away. Barry and Alexa use this knowledge, along with Alexa’s own backstory, to talk Bashir down. He agrees to give Team Flash (should I say Flash Family?) a chance, though his and Alexa’s relationship is clearly played out to be like arguing siblings. Barry and Iris are definitely mom and pop here.
It’s when they are all together that Nora and Deon appear. Deon freezes everyone in time, and Nora attacks…everyone! Team Flash, including Iris and the new forces, are all down. Dead? We won’t see how that turns out until Part 2 of “Family Matters” next week!
NOTES:
- Other storylines, part 1: Joe finds out that Kramer has ordered a sniper rifle with special bullets. These bullets contain the metahuman cure. Since she couldn’t win in court, she got the governor’s okay to go after meta-criminals this way. Joe tries to stop her, but realizes there is not way to do that. So, Joe does the only thing a person with integrity can do – he resigns from the force! He refuses to be a part of this effort. This likely leaves Kramer in charge of the precinct – but again there’s more to learn in future episodes.
- Other storylines, part 2: Kamilla has a potential job in South Beach, but Cisco hasn’t been applying anywhere. He’s in a quandary about what to do. But, he knows he has to move on at some point. The greatest fear that Psych showed him was that he would be the last person still at S.T.A.R. Labs, 40 years from now. He needed time to process…and near the end of the episode he may have his answer in the form of a phone call from A.R.G.U.S.
- This episode was a mix of big fights and resolutions involving talking people down. The mix worked for me, though I realize it may not work for everyone.
- I know that Barry and Iris are sort of the “parents” of the forces, but this is being repeated often enough that it can be pulled back just a bit. Other than that, I’m in on the storyline.
- Just a question – do you think Nora’s going over the edge is leading up to an origin story for the Reverse Flash? That’s just me wondering – please leave your thoughts here.
SUMMARY:
This was an episode that could be a turning point in the season – depending on what happens in the first few minutes of next episode. We are turning our attention away from just “save the forces” to a more direct battle with the Speed Force itself. I’ll give this one an 8/10 – of course that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!