The latest episode reveals that Rip would do anything to stop Vandal Savage from potentially destroying planet Earth – and that includes giving Sara the task of killing Dr. Stein.
First of all, is anyone really capable of even hurting sweet old Martin Stein? I mean, besides the Soviets. The episode opens with Valentina Vostok trying to trick Stein into revealing the Firestorm formula by disguising herself as Cisco Ramon. Stein quickly notices the change in behaviour (and clothing) of “Cisco” and calls Vostok out before he could go as far as actually revealing the formula and potentially destroying everything.
Back on the ship, Sara and Leonard set out to rescue Stein, Ray and Mick (who were previously captured by the Soviets), and Rip pulls Sara aside to tell her that she should kill Stein if they can’t rescue him, in order to prevent the destruction of Star City in 2016. Meanwhile, Kendra and Jackson figure out a way to let Stein know that they’re coming to help him, since Jackson could feel that Stein was scared.
Savage tortures Ray and Mick in front of Stein in order to get him to talk. Okay, real talk. I loved Ray from the moment I saw him. He’s truly a well written character with such a good heart. Even in a prison and at risk of being killed, he still sticks up for Mick, someone he barely even knows, because they’re on the same team. Ray even takes a beating for Mick, even after Mick didn’t stand up for him when Ray first got beaten up. What a sport.
Stein eventually gives in and says that he’d help them stabilize Firestorm, if Ray and Mick could live. Simultaneously, Leonard and Sara get into the gulag in an attempt to rescue the three captives. Leonard subtly tries to make Sara see that killing Stein isn’t the right way to do proceed while sneaking onto the premises.
Upon obtaining the formula from Stein, Vostok realizes that Stein is the other half of Firestorm and merges with him to create a Soviet Firestorm. But thankfully, Jackson arrives just in time to save the day. Jackson attempts to talk to Stein because he knew that Stein would never let Vostok hurt him. Successfully, Stein separates from Vostok after a short pep talk, and Vostok isn’t able to control the nuclear reaction inside her body and is destroyed.
Once the team gets back to their ship in an attempt to escape, the ship is hit by Chronos (who apparently never gives up) and they crash land into Star City of 2046. And here, we are greeted by Green Arrow – but one who doesn’t seem to recognize Sara or Ray, and whose name isn’t Oliver. Perhaps this was our first look at Connor Hawke? There is a lot of speculation around the character, as it isn’t fully confirmed that we’re getting Hawke so soon.
Since the show first aired, there have been mixed reviews by a lot of people including myself. I will admit, there is so much potential for this show to be great, they just need the right writers and directors. Fail-Safe had a lot of good moments, especially scenes where we see relationships grow between the team members. I’m glad to see Leonard developing a relationship with each individual member of the team and not just sticking to Mick to commit more crimes. To be honest, I didn’t care for him or Mick too much when they first appeared on The Flash, but they’ve grown on me and I do hope they’d stick on longer (and not leave for an apparent Prison Break reunion).
For me, my favourite part of this episode was the growth of different relationships. Leonard pretends as though he doesn’t care for anyone, but we see him convince Sara not to kill Stein, proving that he actually cares for at least two other people who aren’t Mick. Mick also has a similar attitude, but is grateful to Ray for taking a beating for him. Stein and Jackson continue to bond and care for each other, while Stein acts as a fatherly figure to Jackson. And Rip… well he’s still mourning the loss of his wife and son and sends Sara to kill one of his own, but we all know that he truly does care for all of them, even if it’s deep inside.
Fail-Safe was directed by Dermott Downs, who also directed the episode Blood Ties, which I thought was a very impressive episode so far. Downs has also worked on The Flash and Arrow and proves to be worthy of directing DC Comic related TV shows and I’m excited to see more episodes directed by him.
The episode Star City 2046 airs February 25, and I personally, am very excited to see a very goatee-filled guest appearance.
