Goodness. The Flash really knows how to go on break with a bang. The episode brought the introduction of the Reverse-Flash, although he isn't going by that yet. The episode was really good, this week, and set-up a very interesting second-half of the season.
This week actually had some real story progression. One of the smaller things they did was finally have Barry admit his feelings for Iris. This whole secret has been one of the only aspects really dragging the show down, and now that the secret is out there, it should really open the door for some interesting exchanges in the future. I wonder what will happen when Eddie finds out. I am curious how this will affect Barry's relationship with Iris. It is certainly a good thing that his feelings aren't secret anymore.
The Firestorm story stuck out like a sore thumb. None of it was particularly interesting and it didn't affect this week's story at all. I like the idea of Cisco and Caitlin being more than lab lackeys, but this story just felt so out of place. I am not familiar with the Firestorm character, so I don't know how spot on they were, but I am willing to bet that the other guy was talking and not Ronnie. If that is the case, then this will be intriguing to watch. The powers looked good, too. I feel with more time, Firestorm will be a very interesting character.
The big story of the week was the introduction of Reverse-Flash. The character is being set-up to be the big bad of this season. His introduction didn't disappoint either. The character was perfectly menacing and powerful. I'm glad they made him beat Barry, because it puts Barry in a position he hasn't experienced yet. And all those knowing lines about the future were really cool, too. I can't wait to see more of him and get to the bottom of this mystery.
As for who he is, well that is still up for debate. I know we saw Wells with the suit and the voice, but there was a little voice in the back of my head saying this is too easy. I want it to be Wells. I think Wells is the best character this show has. But I am not entirely sold on Reverse-Flash being Wells, yet. There are too many questions, and there are still some hints about it being Eddie. Some of the red flags of it not being Wells are the fact that he was still injured (rather than healing quickly), the complications (even with time travel) of him beating himself up, and just the fact that the reveal seemed to neat. I would love for Reverse-Flash to be Wells, but this mystery of who Wells is and why he is doing what he is doing are some of the more interesting aspects of the show.
Overall, this episode was the best of the series. It introduced The Flash's greatest enemy and really helped jump start the second-half of the season. I am really excited for the rest of the season. The door is certainly wide open for great things now.
Highlights:
| The Score: 9 out of 10 Stars |