The Flash – Recap and Review

First off, it might have been a week or two, but – whoa – the finale rocked my world. It most certainly made my head spin. Let’s deal with the awesomeness that is John Wesley Shipp donning the suit as ‘the’ Jay Garrick. A little trippy, but way cool. For those who missed the earlier television series (90s), John Wesley Shipp played Barry Allen. Maybe you saw it coming, all the hints at the man behind the iron mask, but I certainly didn’t expect to see a version of Barry’s father – The Flash in his own reality/dimension.

But I’m getting ahead of myself as usual. There is so much to cover. I can’t say I’ve always enjoyed the Zoom storyline, mainly because of all the weak threads – the inconsistencies, if you will. But I did find sweet justice in Zoom being carried away by the time wraiths. Barry’s time remnant was also a pretty nice touch.

Perhaps one of my favourite things about this season was having Tom Cavanagh (Dr. Harrison Wells) back. Don’t get me wrong, I knew he had to go at the end of season one, mainly because he wasn’t actually Harrison Wells but Eobard Thawne, and evil to boot. But I loved his character – the sharp intelligence and even sharper wit. So when Harry from Earth Two was introduced, well, I was over the moon. This Wells was everything his doppelganger was and more. I enjoyed the moody, secretive side to him, and the relationships he built, especially with Cisco.

Whilst on the subject of Earth Two, there were a few colourful and recognisable characters who made an appearance this season. Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost and Cisco’s ‘Reverb’. They were a little cheesy, though Cisco’s own powers developed nicely thanks to his ‘other half’, which means there is more to come. I wasn’t entirely convinced about the whole vibing thing, but as usual, Cisco managed to make it seem cool, thanks to his special brand of geeky humour. The show wouldn’t be the same without a little Ramon magic.

Found on http://arrow.wikia.com/wiki/Cisco_Ramon

There were a few interesting meta humans, one of the most ambitious being King Shark. Joe got himself a sidekick for a while, in the form of Patty. I liked the relationship which developed between Barry and Patty. In an odd way, it reminded me of Felicity and Ray from Arrow. In the beginning she was a lot like an overenthusiastic puppy, but her character had depth and, like Barry, she had her own agenda for working in the department. It was a little disappointing when she left. Patty had guts and a quirky nature, and I’ve got to admit Barry and Patty together were all kinds of cute!

Patty wasn’t the only new addition. The Earth Two version of Wells had a daughter – Jesse. She didn’t really come into her own, but she was nonetheless intriguing. A bit wet at times, or perhaps she wasn’t given a chance to shine – especially that brain of hers.

Then there was Wally, Joe’s son. He found his feet pretty quickly, and I’m sure there is lots to come from his character, not least because he’s probably sitting on an undiscovered power, since the particle accelerator hit both Wally and Jesse.

Barry had his share of emotional story arcs this season. In the penultimate episode, losing his father (after finally coming to terms with his mother’s death) seemed particularly brutal, and it was a very powerful scene. I did wonder why he didn’t immediately travel back in time to save him (he’s done it many times before), but then again, if he’d done that, he couldn’t have shocked the hell out of us by going back and saving him mom.

A fact which left us with a variety of questions, and hours of discussion about the consequences of his actions. So, what do you think his future will look like? What did you think to the finale/the season as a whole? Are you praying as hard as I am that Wells returns in season 3? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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