If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this week’s episode, it’s that Tom Cavanaugh significantly improves anything he steps into.
Season 3 gets relatively back on track, giving us a new villain who, thankfully, isn’t another speedster. Returning to the show are Cavanagh (Harrison Wells) and Violet Beane (Jesse Quick); Barry and Iris take a shot at dating, Caitlin tries to deal with her meta-human powers in secret and Wally throws a tantrum over not being a meta – what an eventful episode.
Harry and Jesse return to Earth-1 after finding out that Jesse is now a speedster. And in true Harrison Wells fashion, Harry tries to get Team Flash to talk Jesse out of becoming a superhero because he “wants her to be safe”. Harry specifically asks Caitlin to be the messenger since none of them are aware of her powers, and he feels as though she would be the best suited.
Meanwhile, Barry and Iris have their first date! And as expected, it was completely awkward for the both of them. It was still fun to see, however. After the constant “will they/won’t they” debacle in the first two seasons, the two are finally open about how they feel about each other and they want to make it work.
The meta-villain of this episode, Frankie Kane aka Magenta, is a teenager living with her adoptive parents and abusive father. After finally realizing that she’s fed up with her father’s ways, she uses her powers in an attempt to kill him but ends up sending him to the hospital with injuries instead. While investigating the situation at CCPD, Julian believes there’s more to Frankie than just the supposed heartbroken teen who claims to have blacked out when her father was hit by a lamppost.
I actually really like Felton’s character. It’s something different to the show. For the past two seasons, we’ve seen almost everyone love good-guy Barry Allen, so the character of Draco Malfoy- I mean Julian Albert, is very refreshing for the show, especially since he and Barry are essentially CSI partners. Who knows, maybe he’ll become a villain later on in the season.
And let’s face it, he’s going to find out that Barry is The Flash so that’s definitely going to be fun to watch.
Elsewhere, Wally and Jesse reunite! I always liked the idea of the two of them together if I’m being honest. Wally is still upset with the fact that he hasn’t become a speedster and believes the process is just taking some time. After Jesse finds out that Harry put Caitlin up to talking Jesse out of being a superhero, she storms out and Wally follows her. She reveals that her powers came to life after she was almost run over by a car. So obviously, the most logical thing for Wally to do is stand in oncoming traffic. And of course, his powers do not manifest and Jesse ends up saving him.
This is what I found interesting in the entire episode. After Joe and Barry find out about what Wally did, Barry is the one to scold him for being so irrational. As if Barry hasn’t made some stupid mistakes along the way. But it’s Barry Allen and he’s like pudding – and everyone likes pudding.
Not.
(Credits to Harrison Wells for that one-word sentence).
But that’s not to say I hate Barry. His actions are questionable but I can’t help but be attached to him.
While Magenta tries to get rid of her father for good, she hovers a ship over the hospital he’s admitted at, where Iris just happens to be questioning him. She triggers her panic button and Barry runs to the rescue. Barry, realizing that he can’t save everyone while still stopping the ship from crashing down onto the hospital, tells the team he needs help and I swear I could hear Harry sigh in defeat. He motivates Jesse to go help, which she does without fail.
Barry talks Magenta into giving up, and when she finally does, she breaks down crying and hugs Barry. It’s stuff like Barry holding a crying meta-villain that gets me so attached to him, That’s the kind of person Barry Allen is. He always tries to see and get the good out of everyone, and that’s what makes him such a good superhero.
The two speedsters finally save the day and Jesse goes back to Harry with open arms. And so we get the reveal of Jesse’s new costume! It’s great to have someone to help Barry save Central City, and of course, with a little bit of training, Jesse’s going to become a great speedster.
And if Wally does become Kid Flash again on Earth-1, that’s going to be one heck of a party.
