The Flash - Enter Zoom - Review
Last week on The Flash, Barry and Patty had their first date which ended with a much-awaited kiss. Hawkgirl was introduced to us in what was a lackluster appearance, the real Harrison Wells returned to help Barry stop Zoom. Jay Garrick decided to leave the team after struggling to work with Wells, and Vibe was born.
"Look at your hero. This man is no god. He is nothing. The days of The Flash protecting this city are over. What will you do without your precious hero?" Zoom
The Flash continued this past Tuesday with what was one of the best episodes of television I've seen this year. Zoom made his debut in the closing minutes and what a terrifying villain he already is. There have been a lot of villains on various comic book shows such as Arrow, Gotham, and Supergirl, but none come close to Zoom. Zoom is scary. For a villain to be on screen for such a brief time and make that much of an impact, makes me highly anticipate the rest of the season.
The Reverse Flash was a good villain, but he lacked certain characteristics that Zoom possesses. He wasn't as frightening or as powerful. Zoom is and because of his demon eyes and that haunting voice he makes scenes more spine-chilling. Watching him drag Barry across Central City was chilling and parading him in front of the people and watching them lose hope as they saw their broken hero was saddening.
The biggest shock this episode was the reveal in the closing minutes that Barry had lost the feel of his legs. I don't think anyone saw it coming. Barry is now weak and helpless and incapable of stopping Zoom or all those he sends to kill him. It will be interesting to see how long he is out of action for or if it's just a limited thing. But, he essentially being paralyzed is a fascinating take, something we've not seen since he's been Flash. How will he save his city if he can't properly move?
Speaking of Zoom, there has been a lot of speculation as to who he exactly is. I would have placed money on it being Barry from a different Earth, but now I'm not too sure. With Henry Allen making his return next week, I have a feeling he will play a key role in Zoom's reveal, and might even be Zoom himself...well not our Henry but Earth 2's. It can't be Wells, so Henry is the most plausible person. As long as the reveal of Zoom's identity makes sense and pushes the narrative forward, I'm fine with whoever it turns out to be.
"Harrison Wells, you thought you could defeat me...with this?" Zoom
Another person keen to take down Zoom is Harrison Wells. Zoom has his daughter so it's personal for him. I originally thought we might get a rehash of Eobard and that Wells would turn bad, but it looks like his intentions are true and honorable. He truly wants to help, and it appears that he might be sticking around longer than I thought. Tom Cavanagh continues to shine as Wells, and every episode is made better by his brilliant portrayal. Whatever happens with Zoom and Earth 2, Wells needs to remain by Barry's side. If Wells is killed or returns home, the show will feel his loss.
Linda played a key part this episode. Barry not only revealed who he was to her, but she willingly put her life on the line for him. I'm not sure what the plan is with Linda, but I don't want her to join team Flash. There are a lot of people that know Barry's secret, but not all should be part of his 'life.' Her training session with Barry and the fake fight was a nice comic relief moment. The Flash regularly manages to balance comedy with dark moments, and this episode was no exception. I applaud the writers for that. This episode though should be it for Linda and her involvement with helping team Flash. Too many people on the team can make scenes too crowded, which is never a good thing.
Someone else who should know Barry's secret is Patty. She has only been around for a short time, but she is literally the only person who doesn't know and that irritates me. The writers probably think it's best to build up her relationship with Barry first, but it really doesn't matter much. She needs to know as her encounters with Joe are starting to become a little awkward. Barry's poor excuses also make it abundantly obvious that he's hiding something and I just don't think we need all this secrecy again. We've seen it all before with Iris.
Summary
‘The Flash’ continued this past Tuesday and presented us with a horrifying new villain, Zoom. The introduction of Zoom was terrifying and chilling, and this is a great start of his villainy arc. Linda needs to vanish now, I love her, but her purpose is served, she doesn't need to be brought into the fold. Patty needs to find out about Barry soon as I don't think I can handle more awkward encounters with Joe or Barry. Let Barry be in an honest relationship for once, writers. Cavanagh continues to shine as Wells, and although the character is mean spirited and a douche, it's enjoyable to see. Without Wells, the show will not be as good, personally. Overall, this was a fantastic episode that managed to balance humor with the dark moments. Bring on more speedsters!
As always, thank you for reading. Let me know in the comments what you thought of Enter Zoom!
