It’s the longest day of Barry Allen’s life. At least, that’s what it feels like as everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – is falling apart. Despero is watching, waiting to find the first signs that Barry will become the villain that destroys the world in the future. Armageddon Part 2 raises the stakes considerably, with some disturbing turns of events. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
NOTE: This review is posting before THE FLASH airs 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!
There are SO many bad turns for Barry Allen in this episode. So many that we just don’t have room for a detailed description. So, let’s hit the high points:
- Barry Allen, CSI is accused of federal crimes and must turn in his badge!
- S.T.A.R. Labs is leaking radiation and is being shut down, with the intent to reduce it to rubble!
- As part of the shutdown, in order to protect Team Flash, Gideon has to erase all files…including Gideon itself!
- The first time Barry goes against the villain-of-the-week Zotar, she twists his mind and he attacks his own team!
- After Barry stops Zotar, he blanks out and attacks City Hall with lightning! He is now branded as turning against his own city!
- And, worst of all…Joe West is dead! He died six months ago and Barry doesn’t recall it. Has Barry gone over the edge?
And, BTW – we’ve only gone just past lunchtime on the longest day of Barry’s life.
We find out more about Despero, and why he’s after the Flash. Despero already lost his home world and blames himself for letting the bad guy there live. That bad guy regained power and destroyed everything. Despero may be the only survivor of his planet, and was hoping to make Earth his adopted home. After seeing this bleak future in which the Flash supposedly destroys everything, he resolves not to make the same mistake twice. He is willing to kill Flash to avoid losing another world. And, Despero is convinced that the next 24 hours will start Barry Allen on a dark path to madness and destruction. He’s watching closely.
The villain Zotar turns out to be more distraction that big-bad. Yes she is powerful, but she isn’t in the end the reason that Barry supposedly loses his grip on reality. In fact, his last rampage through Central City happens after Zotar is in meta-cuffs, and after all her previous victims instantly recovered.
So, Barry does have serious issues. Even his own team has some doubts, though they are still standing by him. At least they are for now. In the end, Despero has seen enough and is ready to strike a killing blow, but Chester and Allegra arrive just in time to stop the blast with a new device. That gives Barry the chance to run away. He goes to the Hall of Justice, and as the show closes, he meets up with Black Lightning. That’s where we leave it for now.
NOTES:
- This episode has a couple of cameos from Chyler Leigh, aka Alex Danvers. She only appears through a communication device, and supplies some info on Despero. She also gives the excuse for no Kryptonians in this event, as both Kara and Clark are off-world.
- There is a subplot that explains Chester’s pacifism. He doesn’t want to build a weapon, for reasons that become clear here. He does, however, build a device that protects Barry. That’s thanks to some pep talk from Allegra.
- Joe West’s death was hinted at during Part 1 but was not confirmed until near the end of tonight’s episode. It was a huge blow to Barry – which may prompt some time travel, but we will have to wait to see.
SUMMARY:
This was a powerful episode, relentless in the tragedies that hit Barry Allen. His life is being torn to shreds, and even Team Flash is worried about Barry now. If you wanted more action and dramatic tension, this episode pays off in the most emphatic ways. This episode is a 10/10 for me – but of course that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!