This episode has an underlying theme about friends…how they come into your life, who stays in your life, who leaves your life…and how you don’t always have a choice in which way that turns out. Still, this episode gives us a LOT of explosions, which makes sense when you realize the latest meta-human to hit Central City is none other than Plastique! All this and General Eiling too, in Episode 105 of CW’s THE FLASH!
LIGHT SPOILERS ONLY
There are two main storylines in this episode. The main story concerns Bette Sans Souci, who served in Afghanistan and received shrapnel while stationed there. The energy from the particle accelerator accident interacted with that shrapnel, creating the metahuman who will become known as…Plastique! She wants nothing to do with her powers – and wants nothing to do with General Eiling. The General, however, sees her as a big-time potential weapon and is determined to capture her, no matter what it takes. The crew at S.T.A.R. Labs is determined to help her…though they are not ready to make her a part of their team…except for the fact that Cisco has a huge crush on Bette, which gets frequent references in the episode.
The other storyline concerns Iris. She finally meets the Streak (a very blurry-faced Barry in costume, using that same Jay Garrick trick from a prior episode when he met his father). We learn why she started her blog, and why she refuses to stop. She wants to help someone…Barry…and believes this blog and her efforts to track the Streak can make a big difference for him. And, we see Barry struggling with whether he should reveal anything to Iris – his feelings, his alter ego – or whether it’s more important to shut that blog down for her own protection, even if that means shutting her out.
There are two NEW major nods to Flash comics-related abilities in this episode – running up the side of a building and running across water. The first is a neat bonus early in the episode, while the second is more critical as a plot point. And, we get an additional bonus “power” – Barry using his vibrations to scramble his voice when “the Streak” meets with Iris.
Back the story – General Eiling looks to be a character we will see more of as we move forward. I loved the interactions between him and Harrison Wells – it seems they previously worked together on a project to develop mind-reading abilities but parted ways when Wells realized Eiling’s true intentions for the research. That project has a name…and it ties back to something we saw in the pilot episode. The previous acrimony between Eiling and Wells plays heavily into the storyline, and into some instructions Wells gives Plastique. That leads to the big scene and Barry’s run across the water. Not everyone makes it out of this episode alive, but what happens in this episode promises to have repercussions on many fronts for some time to come in the series.
There is a neat framing sequence at the bar where Barry, Cisco and Caitlin meet Iris and Eddie at the start of the episode. It seems Barry metabolizes alcohol so quickly that regular drinks have absolutely no effect on him. At the end of the episode, Caitlin has a potential solution – a 500 proof drink (technically impossible as 200 proof equals 100% pure alcohol, but hey, this is TV, right?). It works…briefly…but still it was a friend giving her best shot (glass…ouch!), and Barry has found his group of friends. That’s really good, because his relationship with Iris isn’t looking so great right now – that’s part of the ending as well, but certainly not the last word in this series.
Friends do sometimes come and go in life, and you don’t always have a choice in how that turns out. There are friends who don’t make it through this episode, some friendships that get better…and some that are frayed by the end of the show. Still, there are plenty of highlights in this episode, lots of action, great nods to the power set of the Flash, and in the end another excellent episode of the best comics-based show on TV.
SUMMARY: Another great episode. The writing, acting, and special effects were all stellar once again. If you haven’t already caught the episode, check the CW App (or other streaming service) and be sure to check this one out!
I am totally glued to this show. Everyone in it is a perfect fit and Grant is doing a super job as a lead. It makes me so excited to see the creators make use of The Flash’s abilities; such as running up the side of a building and running across water. Lastly, Wells is excellent! He is crafty and fearless, as was demonstrated during his final words with General Eiling. All I can say is Bravo!
I wish I had a Cosmic Treadmill so I would not have to wait a whole week before the next episode!
I really lo email this show, I had low expectations but there all my own away.i must say Dr Harrison well look like he’s the villain right now.i am scared to see what he does next.
One of the marks of an engaging story is whether things like the “500 proof” drink bug me enough to take me out of the story or whether I just shrug and keep going with it. (Don’t get me started on Tin Man and solar eclipses during full moons.) There have been a few things in this show that bother me — sometimes things are a bit too telegraphed, for instance, and they’ve already killed off three potential recurring guest stars in five episodes (to the extent that dead means anything in a superhero show) — but so far the show has been solidly entertaining, so the things I don’t like aren’t enough to break it for me.
I especially like the fact that they’re modifying the status quo as they go instead of constantly resetting at the end of each episode. That may slow down as they establish public knowledge of the Flash, and Iris’ career, and resolve the central mystery driving this season (I’m looking forward to the point where they don’t have to remind you of Nora’s murder in the intro to each episode), but they’re moving forward enough that I feel confident that they’re going somewhere with it.
I love the show. Grodd is just a normal Gorilla before the particle explosion? I want speed force in my Flash stories!!!!