The Flash - Flash of Two Worlds - Review: "A New Way to Live"

2.02 - "FLASH OF TWO WORLDS"

Directed by Jesse Warn
Written by Aaron Helbing and Todd Helbing
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington

Click on a title to be taken to the review for that episode.

2.01 - "The Man Who Saved Central City" (October 6, 2015)
2.02 - "Flash of Two Worlds" (October 13, 2015)
2.03 - "Family of Rogues" (October 20, 2015)
2.04 - "The Fury of Firestorm" (October 27, 2015)

Oh man, were we in for a treat with this episode. I actually think I preferred it over the premiere. What I like most about this episode is that it set up a lot of exciting new things that will come into play this season. The episode began where the premiere left off (they really could have made this part of a 2-hour premiere which would have been awesome), with Jay Garrick entering STAR Labs and him telling Barry and the team that his world is in danger. Almost everyone seems very hesitant to believe him to begin with, especially Barry, who can't seem to trust new people following Harrison Wells' betrayal. We can't blame him really, but I did find Barry to be quite a dick towards Jay. I can see why he wasn't quick to jump into believing him, but I found myself annoyed at Barry sometimes due to his lack of belief, especially as Jay wanted to help stop the Sand Demon and Barry was just like "don't need your help". I'm glad he came around by the end and Barry and Jay proved to be quite the team.

I really like Jay. Sure, he might turn out to be evil, but I don't think he is. I believe in what he says and looks like the others do too. He's opened the show up to so much more now so I'm thankful to him for that, I mean, the idea of the other world and the breaches meaning a bridge between both Earths is so exciting. It means there will be more enemies and more situations that will elevate The Flash to a whole new level. I don't think I've been this excited about a storyline in a show in a long time. It's really quite genius and I love it. It also means we get one killer ending scene. I had an inkling during the episode, especially when Jay suggested doppelgängers of the gang and what their counterparts could potentially be doing, that Wells would be alive there. Turns out he's doing the exact same thing he was doing in our Central City. It was still a great ending and one that promises a killer follow-up. Anyone else think alternate Wells is Zoom?

We also got introduced to Patty, a police officer who has been on the force for seven months and wants badly to be part of Joe's anti-meta-human task force. Of course he gives her a hard time about joining and she has to go through so much to finally be accepted. I liked her a lot, and I do love me some Quinn from One Tree Hill / Vera from The Messengers. Following on from Barry's distrust of Jay, he has no issue with Patty. They click right away actually, so she could be a potential love interest. I loved the little Holy Grail reference between them, showing they have pretty awesome chemistry. Sucks she had to be kidnapped and held hostage with a concussive bomb to prove she belongs in the task force. The backstory of her father was really sad too but it gives her a relatable and very emotive reason to be against the meta-humans. I can't wait to see more of her and how she works with Joe.

The villain of the week - the Sand Demon - was also a pretty good one, though just like Atom Smasher, he was defeated easily. I liked the idea of distracting him with the Flash from the other world, Jay, so Barry can save Patty. I was a bit surprised that they took him down quite early in the episode too (with 10 minutes still left to spare), so I was a little disappointed with that. I thought it'd be harder than that! However, the moments leading up to catching him too was really good. I am loving Cisco's powers starting to seep through and become a bit more prominent in his activities, proving so useful in the team. I wonder what will happen next though in terms of how he'll still keep it a secret from everyone, and how the others will react. I think they'll only react badly because he is keeping it from them, not that he actually has powers.

Iris wasn't greatly featured in this episode, but that's okay. The scenes she did get were awesome and I loved her talk with Barry about trusting people. "It won't be long before they don't believe in you." She's becoming such a wise young woman and a perfect guide for Barry, who really does take her advice on board. Is she the muse he so desperately needs? The ending with Iris's mother returning opens some personal drama that could happen with Iris and Joe. We also have to talk about Caitlin and Jay. Caitlin is quite fascinated by him, could she be potentially developing a crush on the alternate Flash? He does seem to be a bit older than her but I don't mind, I quite like the idea of them being a sort of thing. Or I could have read it all wrong and there's no romantic chemistry between them. And poor Martin! I like him being part of the team but my heart gave out when he collapsed - does he have some heart problems or something that will mean his time on the show will be short-lived? What's going on?!

EPISODE VERDICT

Thoroughly enjoyed this episode, more so than the premiere which might not be popular opinion. The villain, like last week, turned out to be a little underwhelming but the revelations of the 52 breaches and the other Earth and doppelgängers and all that jazz has me so excited. There's another Harrison Wells! I had a sneaky suspicion the show writers would want to keep Tom Cavanagh in the show as he was such a big part of season one and a reason the show was so entertaining in the first place. Loving this season so far!

What did you guys think of the episode? Let me know in the comments and be sure to watch the next new episode of The Flash on October 20th!

About the Author - Gavin Hetherington

Award-winning author of the 'Abyssal Sanctuary' series. Gavin joined SpoilerTV in August 2014 and reviews 2 Broke Girls, Devious Maids, The Flash, Mistresses, Pretty Little Liars, Salem, Scream Queens and Sleepy Hollow. Gavin will write previews for Devious Maids and Shadowhunters, and backs-up Empire, iZombie, Once Upon a Time, Reign, Scandal and Supergirl. You can contact him at gavin@spoilertv.com.

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