"Death of the Speed Force" was a really powerful episode. It was filled with the return of some great characters, a huge reveal and of course the emotional turmoil us fans love so much. Because I had so many thoughts this week, I'm gonna turn this whole thing into a list. Let's get to it!
What I Was Thinking As I Watched
*Damn this show could use the new Kid Flash! Wally's return reminded me just how important other speedsters are to the Flash story.
Team Flash is cool, but The Flash has a legacy and hearing Wally talk about that with Barry was spot on! I hope it's a foreshadowing of things to come. Plus, just seeing them running and embracing their roles together was what the show is meant to be about.
*Wally's return was played really well. Making sure his connection to the Speed Force was strong and his connection to himself even stronger was awesome to see. Flashes (no pun intended-swear!) of his old self spilled out when confronting Barry and having Joe check him about that was well placed. Evolving takes time and to see him lose it over Barry's selfishness felt right.
*With the return of Wally, Cisco, and Thawne, it made me start to think about which characters really don't add much to the show anymore.
*Caitlin as Cisco's place of comfort is nice and all, but does he really need her now that he has Kamilla? Her Frost story line doesn't seem to be getting any better so, I just have questions....
*Joe got back to his Joeisms. Checking Wally about being harsh with Barry was one thing, but another staple of the Joeism is all the love that it is laced with. Joe has no qualms about showing his love to his family. He embraces and kisses Wally with no problem, and he says "I love you" without hesitation.
*We are back to the Barry can't ever stick a landing story line, huh? After all the anguish of Crisis, Barry is left trying to make sense of the new universe. Just when he's beginning to work it out, he loses Iris and now the Speed Force.
*Grant Gustin does tormented Barry so well. You hate to see it, but you kinda don't because he is so damn good at it. The welled up tears and devastation in his eyes is ALWAYS gut wrenching. And let's not talk about the scenes with Michelle Harrison (Mom/Speed Force)! How many times have they said good-bye? How many times have they cried in each others' arms? Said "I love you"? You would think it gets old, but the show does such a good job of letting the pain of Nora's initial loss linger-never being too far from Barry's mind so that when it comes to the forefront it never feels phony.
*Letting Wally be angry was warranted, but letting him forgive was special. Acknowledging that they both have a unique connection to the Speed Force and that they both lost it and get to mourn it was so perfect.
*Barry not wanting to tell Iris his mistake broke my heart. What did he think she would say? Or did he just not want to say it out loud because then it would actually be true?
*Barry has known deep down that something is wrong with Iris. I know he hasn't confronted her yet due to how the plot needs to play out, but it's really hard to see him interact with her and not probe deeply. When she told him that losing his powers may be a good thing, he seemed stunned. All the times she has assured him that being The Flash was his destiny must have his mind reeling.
*I love Cisco! He beat Thawne's ass! I couldn't contain the laughter. Without his powers, Thawne is weak!
*I cannot stand that whisper voice that TC uses for Thawne. It's weird and he can do the character just fine without it.
*I'm really curious about why Thawne took over Nash's body. Maybe I missed something. Was it just to get close enough to kill Cisco and Barry without detection? He has never been shy about being himself before. If you know, hit me up!
*Eva-Iris seems to be malfunctioning in the real world. Her anger is surfacing and she was about to have a breakdown. Zapping Kamilla was beyond bold. Though it isn't the real Iris, I do enjoy trying to figure out what she's up to.
*Poor Iris is missing out on everything. No hugs from Wally and if she knew what Barry was going through she would be so heart broken for him. Iris needs to step her sleuthing up like now! I know she knows something is up!
*Why did they bring up baby Jenna? Ain't nobody thought about her in months! LOL!
*Cecile's powers are useless. Why hasn't she picked up that Barry and Wally are unsure about Iris? Maybe I can give her a pass on Wally because he hasn't been around, but she should have sensed lots going on with Barry- about Iris and the Speed Force.
*I wonder if Joe will use his skill as a detective to start spying on Eva-Iris. I'd love to see it. Can he stump her with something that she should know but doesn't??
*Barry is a genius. He could create the artificial Speed Force on his own. He has a team so I know they are going to help, but it would be nice to see him take the lead. I'm glad he was given the opportunity to even speak the thought into existence though. I wanna see Flash toiling away to create his new Speed Force the way Reverse Flash or Zoom would!
*The Russian accent on Turtle 2.0 might as well have been spoken by me.
"Death of the Speed Force" had all the things we love about the show. Action, emotion and a bit of humor mixed in. It was also a reminder of just how great the show can be when The Flash, his connection and his legacy to speed are the focus. What did you think?
Sound off below, and as always thanks for reading.
You can catch The Flash on Tuesday nights on the CW.
