But, as fate would have it, the speedster Barry got to test these new skills on was not Zoom but Trajectory. Eliza bore little resemblance in personality or backstory to the character from the comics, instead just being retooled so that she can fill the villain of the week quota. This seems to be a recurring problem with the CW superhero universe — THE FLASH has already done it a few times this season with Atom-Smasher and Geomancer. I’d much rather the show just came up with some original character instead of using the name of a comics character on a minor bad guy with no connection to the original; it’s false advertising and just gets the hopes of fans of the character up. Still, there was something novel about seeing a meta- human use their powers petty crimes like pickpocketing rather than world domination or taking out Barry.
Of course, Iris’s new boss used the opportunity of a rogue speedster to continue his crusade against the Flash, which led to Iris taking him on a not-quite-a- date as a distraction. While I’m sensing we’re probably heading towards a Westallen hook-up in the Season 2 finale, the show still has a ways to go until then, and Iris still hasn’t quite come to terms with her feelings for Barry. Between Linda, Eddie, and now Scott, I’m kind of burnt out on the “temporary love interest who brings the main couple together” trope on this show, but the two have a passable enough dynamic that I don’t think a few episodes will be too painful. Let’s be honest, Candice Patton could have chemistry with a sack of flour.
Jesse, meanwhile, was forced to grapple with the lethal side of her father that reared its head during her time in captivity, which ultimately culminated in her deciding to leave Central City. It seems like a waste to ship Jesse on a bus to Opal City just when she finally got out of that cage. For a moment it looked as if she was going to her powers this episode after getting injected with Velocity 9, but all it seemed to do was give her a seizure. Maybe a dosage that pure takes a while to kick in? Either way, here’s hoping she doesn’t stay gone for too long.
But it was the last few minutes of the episode that stole the show, as tends to be the case on THE FLASH. I was pleasantly surprised the team was able to piece together the truth about Jay being Zoom so quickly; the show tends to tediously drag out its mysteries, but that just made this exception all the more interesting to watch. It was heartbreaking to watch everyone’s dawning horror as they call came to the same realization together. The fact that the show didn’t even include an ending teaser but simply left us with that final image of Barry screaming made it all the more meaningful.
This season has taken a lot of time to show how deeply affected Barry was by his former mentor’s deception, and it’s hard to say how another betrayal like that will affect him in the long run. Clearly, the fact that Barry’s going back in time at all, let alone trying to track down his dead nemesis, is a sign of how reckless he’s becoming. Hopefully a reunion with the Reverse-Flash will give the show boost of adrenaline it needs to carry it through the rest of the season. Eobard knows how to get under Barry’s skin in a way no one else does, and the show has never quite been able to create a conflict that was a personal or compelling as theirs. If nothing else, seeing Tom Cavanagh back in the role should be a treat.
Written by Kaitlin Roberts, THE FLASH Beat Writer -- Click here to read Kaitlin's posts
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