The Flash - The Darkness and the Light - Review
Last week on The Flash, Stein and Jax merged to become Firestorm after Hewitt turned out to not be a match but posed a much greater threat. Iris met with her estranged mother where they spoke about her brother and Iris told her exactly how she felt and Harrison Wells returned to save Patty and Barry from King Shark.
"A man who looks exactly like me betrayed you. I'm sorry, I'm not him. You need to listen to me if I say you can capture Zoom." Harrison Wells
The Flash continued this past Tuesday with its best episode yet. Harrison Wells made a triumphant return and what a difference he made. The absence of Tom Cavanagh has been notable these past few episodes, but I didn't know how great until his first scene. Cavanagh has always done a superb job in the role of Wells, but he portraying the same character just with a different personality and making him feel as if he was a new character is a testament to his performance.
Wells brings with him an interesting subplot and mystery surrounding him. In Earth 2, Harrison Wells has a daughter. She has been captured by Zoom in his absence and all those who think that Wells will turn 'bad' might just be right. Except, I believe, there will be a catch to it. I think Zoom is using his daughter as leverage to make Wells capture Barry so he can kill him or take his speed and become the only speedster. Barry trusted Wells before, and he will trust him again because he is familiar - not to mention Wells is good at manipulating the truth. This Wells is truly good, though, but he might be forced to betray Barry to save his daughter, but I'd like to think they can stop Zoom before he is forced to do that - If it even turns out that way, of course.
For now, Barry has his mentor back - even if it's a different man - and he needs him now more than ever. I like Jay, but he isn't Wells. He can't push Barry like Wells can. Wells has a way with words and believes in people when they don't believe in themselves. We witnessed it twice this episode with both Cisco and Barry. If Barry is to defeat Zoom, he needs Wells. And if Wells actually created him, he based him around The Flash which means it's like facing Reverse Flash all over again, except someone a bit more powerful.
"Do you think we've reached the good night kiss stage" Barry
Elsewhere, more development came this episode in Barry and Patty's growing relationship. They have now turned couple, and this episode offered us a sweet and endearing moment between them as they had their first date. The Flash doesn't need to be all action; it's the small moments, the simple, that have such a lasting effect. Relationships are great on shows and can be important when they aren't rushed or feel forced. This one isn't.
Hawkgirl was also seen for the first time in what was a rather lackluster introduction of a beloved comic book character. I expected her first appearance to be linked to all those on team Flash, not just being introduced as a potential love interest for Cisco. It just felt bland. Hopefully, the writers can skip the 'dating' so she can meet with Barry and the rest and then show off what we all care about, her costume and her crime fighting nature. But so far, I'm not convinced by this Hawkgirl.
Meanwhile, Vibe was born. The show has touched and teased Cisco's abilities up until now, but he just got 'vibes' randomly, nothing deliberate, but now he was finally able to push himself to control his ability. He knows how it works, and now just has to believe in himself for it to work to the full potential. Going forward, it will be interesting to see the development of Vibe and if it changes Cisco like he thinks it will. Only time will tell. This was a good starting point for the newly created hero though.
We also got more focus this episode on Jay and Caitlin's relationship. I understand that she has to move on eventually, but we have had hardly any focus on the effect Ronnie's death has had on her. She needs more time to deal with it and we need to see it. I like Jay, and the prospect of them together could be interesting, but I just think the writers are rushing into it all. They don't blend as well as other couples such as Patty and Barry or like Ronnie and Caitlin did. At the moment, I'm not on board with it.
Summary
‘The Flash’ continued this past Tuesday and delivered what was this season's best episode. Cavanagh's return as Wells was a welcomed one, and he made a notable difference. He really elevates the show to whole other level and was superb as always; he is the master of subtlety. The introduction of Hawkgirl was poor and her scenes should have been really engaging, but they weren't, so much so that I'm not even convinced by Ciara Renee as her. Patty and Barry's relationship continues to grow on me, and I'm really enjoying seeing them spend time together, they are a great match. Overall, this was a fantastic episode that really pushed the show forward into a new direction.
As always, thank you for reading. Let me know in the comments what you thought of The Darkness and the Light!
