I have never been what you’d call a comic book fan. Growing up, I wasn’t really into superheroes, even though I absolutely love pretty much all superhero shows these days. All my knowledge about them is basically what the TV show presents to me, so I love this version of THE FLASH – despite never knowing any other version of it. That said, last night’s episode really made me love one of the characters even more.
Welcome aboard, Jesse Quick. See, I have always been a Jesse fan, ever since she first showed up last season. When she and Wally got hit by the blast of the particle accelator explosion, I knew they were about to become speedsters. But what I saw last night was this excited young woman, fascinated by her new powers and with a desperate need to help people and do good, even though Harry was not really into letting his daughter face dangerous situations.
What I really, really enjoyed – and this is what THE FLASH does best – were all the family moments. I was already overjoyed that we got Harry back, but his scenes with Jesse were just fantastic. Tom Cavanagh and Violett Beane have this amazing chemistry that really shines through on the screen. Cavanagh, especially, had the worried dad vibe down pat and I laughed out loud every time he finished a sentence with that sarcastic “not!”
But what I really loved was the slow progression for Harry to accept that now his daughter is a superhero. He went from complete denial, to anger, to resignation/acceptance and then finally to pride for what she had accomplished and the hundreds of lives she’d helped save. That final scene, where he gives her her new speedster suit… that brought tears to my eyes, I have to confess. Because it was quiet and beautiful and he was just so proud of the young woman his little girl had become.
Westallen. They still don’t work for me. Sorry, Westallen shippers, but those two just have zero chemistry as each other’s romantic interest. As much as I love Barry and Iris individually and as siblings/best friends, I can’t see them as a couple because they are so painfully awkward. That first date was supposed to be awkward, but it kind of just highlighted the fact that maybe they’re not supposed to go down that road.
Even that last scene was just unremarkable. I know that they’re comic book canon and all, but I really wish they didn’t try to push this thing on the show. In a way, this is just like Oliver/Laurel on ARROW and their total lack of chemistry – and we all know how that ended.
Dr. Alchemy. I am so very curious about this guy. Who is he? Where did he come from? How can he possibly know what happened in Flashpoint? And most importantly, what kind of power is this that he can give super powers to ordinary people? Last night, he gave super strength to a teenage girl called Frankie, so she could exact revenge on her abusive foster father. Her metahuman persona called herself Magenta and it took a lot of effort to talk her down from dropping a cargo ship on top of the hospital he was in.
But what we really need to focus on here is why is he giving power to these people? What’s his ultimate plan here? I still don’t believe Julian is actually Alchemy because that would be just a repeat of last season. But after watching last night’s episode, I do believe that he is involved somehow. His reaction when Joe showed them the video of the Rival being murdered was very telling, and I think he knows exactly what or who did that.
That said, I firmly believe that Alchemy is going to be the one who gives Wally his powers – especially because the kid is desperate to join the superhero league. The look on his face when Jesse showed up was heartbreaking and, even though Joe sat him down to knock some sense into him and Barry eventually had to yell at him for trying to awake his powers in the stupidest way possible, I am willing to bet he will do just about anything to get his speed and Alchemy will tap into that.
Overall, awesome episode with a special honorable mention to Harry on super dorky dad mode.
A new episode of THE FLASH airs next Tuesday, October 25, at 8/7c on The CW.