As THE FLASH moves forward through this post-Flashpoint world, we discover new twists to this new reality, We continue to meet new metas created by Doctor Alchemy…but we also see a NEW speedster! We meet….
Oh, let’s wait until after the jump, okay?
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Note: This review is being posted prior to the episode airing on the West Coast USA. If you haven’t seen the show yet, please watch the episode first and then come back. Okay? Okay!
Don’t worry, we’ll get to that new speedster. But first…
We see a failed first date for Barry and Iris. They are both trying too hard…and trying to leave out their lives as Flash and reporter. There is a break to stop a robbery…and then…a call to S.T.A.R. Labs.
There is a new breach! And, coming through the breach are…Harry and Jesse!
…and of course Jesse is the NEW speedster!
There are a lot of things springing out of this. Harry is very worried about what could happen to Jesse, so he wants help in talking her out of being a hero. Wally sees Jesse as a speedster and begins to wonder why he isn’t showing super speed. And, in getting ready to run tests, we find there is a part of S.T.A.R. Labs that we haven’t seen before…the Speed Lab!
Yes, the Speed Lab wasn’t there before. It’s now another effect of the post-Flashpoint world. Harry immediately recognizes the issue here…that Barry has been messing with the timelines again. Eventually, they discuss the Flashpoint paradox with them in terms of Doctor Alchemy’s efforts to restore powers to those people who were metas in the Flashpoint universe.
In the meantime, we see the latest product of Alchemy’s work…Frankie Kaine (known in the comics as Frances Kaine). On this show, Frankie has been through the foster care system for far too long with far too many families, settling on her latest home with an abusive foster father. She has dealt with dissociative personality disorder (split personality) for some time, and the part of her that Alchemy called to has become Magenta! Her magnetic powers are astounding, and she begins by attacking that abusive foster father with a lamp post, sending him into the hospital.
Later Julian figures out that Frankie shares a DNA trait with all the other husks…a trait not shared by previously known metahumans. When he confronts her, she uses her powers to attack Julian. He is saved by the Flash, but Magenta escapes.
Later, Magenta attacks the hospital where her foster father is recuperating…with a tanker ship! Flash manages to keep the ship from dropping on the hospital building…but he needs help. Harry finally encourages Jesse to join in, and she speeds into action, literally…giving Barry the chance to talk Frankie down.
After that, they find a safer foster home for Frankie and let her know that her abusive (now former) foster father will see jail time for what he has done to her. We may see her again…
But in the meantime we see Jesse finally get her own costume – in this case modeled somewhat on Barry’s uni. I’m sure there will be some differences, but since we only see this costume in a box we’ll have to find out more next week. Thankfully, Harry and Jesse plan to hang around a little longer.
We end with a second date between Barry and Iris, where they finally agree to be their “new” selves instead of trying to be who they were prior to Barry’s becoming the Flash….but…that date ends with a call to the CCPD, where Joe, Julian and Barry see the video from Iron Heights, where an invisible Alchemy kills Edward Clariss. Not much to work on, but they know Alchemy is even more formidable than they had thought previously.
NOTES: There is a subtext here of Wally wondering when he will get his powers…even stepping in front of a car to try and “trigger” his powers. He has been having dreams of speed, which gives him a common thread with Magenta, so we may yet see him interacting with Alchemy. We know this foreshadows Kid Flash…but whether it’s because his powers trigger on their own or because of Alchemy’s intervention is something we’ll have to find out down the road.
SUMMARY: This was a completely enjoyable episode of THE FLASH! After the first episode, I’ll admit that I (and some other viewers) thought Flashpoint had been disposed of rather quickly. Instead, we are finding little ways in every episode that the world has been affected…and I like how that is playing out. The Speed Lab is a very cool addition (technically it’s “always been there” after Flashpoint, but you get the point) to S.T.A.R. Labs. It was WONDERFUL seeing Harry and Jesse back on the show, and seeing Jesse finally becoming Jesse Quick was a great bonus. I’m also good with the pacing of Barry and Iris’ relationship – it’s not being rushed, and that’s a good thing. Ditto for how we are seeing the threat of Alchemy develop – we’re finding his “creations” first, and slowly learning the level of threat Alchemy presents. If anything, Doctor Alchemy looks to become a much more significant threat than we ever saw in the comics. I’ll give this a 10/10 – what’s your take? Leave your comments below!
I liked how Barry wanted to kiss Iris goodbye at the police station then chickened out and settled for a peck on the cheek. I expect Wally to get bitter towards Barry once he finds out from Alchemy that he used to be a speedster in a previous timeline.
Wow, they dropped the ball on this Wally just as hard as they dropped it with the new 52 version. By the time he is a likeable hero, there will be no seasons left. He had so much potential too. Love Lonsdale, but disappointed with his treatment in this series.
I can see where they might be going with this, and it could work if done well: Alchemy’s got to be targeting him already, judging by his comments about dreams, and Wally will almost certainly take him up on the offer. Maybe he’ll try to justify it as getting intel. Then they’ll have to disentangle him from whatever leverage Alchemy gains over him.
Hopefully it’ll be in the first half of the season, *and* he’ll be able to keep his powers afterward. I’m concerned the show runners will decide they have too many speedsters and drop back down to just Barry. Jesse Quick can just go home and come back anytime they want her to guest star, but Wally’s a regular — if they want to keep him around but not as a speedster, they’ll drop his powers again.
I also hope they don’t drag out Barry telling Wally that he was the Flash in the Flashpoint reality — or at least offering to tell him. Barry’s got to know Alchemy is likely to go after him based on what they’ve learned this episode, so by all rights, next week should open with him telling Wally, “Hey, this guy who targets people who had powers in the alternate timeline has a reason to go after you.” Or more likely spending the whole episode trying to figure out a way to awkwardly bring up the subject so that they can have the conversation in the last five minutes with Wally saying, “Yeah, I kind of figured that out. Thanks for the news flash.” Which would still be better than spending several weeks until Barry learns — too late! — not to hide critical information from people *again*. Or are we at the point where it’s no longer a lesson for him to learn, but a consistent character flaw?
Maybe. It’s just really uncomfortable for me to see the first black Flash treated like such a chump for so long. In the premiere, he was laughed at, called “kid”, and dismissed as an inferior product by people who are supposed to be his friends and family. That was before being killed off by his very first opponent, just like the new 52 Wally, and then replaced by a second and more effective white Flash. I really don’t think the path to any kind of meaningful redemption will begin with Wally being conned by a transparent supervillain with a spooky name. We’ll see.
Yeah, good point.