The Flash
- type
- TV Show
- run date
- 10/15/14
- performer
- Grant Gustin, Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton
- broadcaster
- The CW
- seasons
- 3
- Current Status
- In Season
Barry finds Iris running around the Speed Lab to calm herself down. He makes the mistake of suggesting that maybe Cisco or Caitlin should handle the meta. That’s the last thing she wants because Iris needs to prove to herself that she’s not afraid. She tells him she was fearless as a reporter, but she feels like she lost that quality after quitting her job to work with Team Flash full time.
Caitlin interrupts Barry and Iris’ chat to inform them that they found the man Matthew gave the bank robber’s fire powers to, and he’s currently surrounded by police as he yells about someone bringing him his money. So, Iris speeds off into danger once again. Matthew’s there, too, but Iris cuffs him before has a chance to make things worse. Now, it’s time to handle this fire meta, whose temperature keeps rising. At one point, the guy flames on completely and turns into a thermo cyclone that threatens to destroy nearby buildings. Barry has no idea what to do to stop him, which leaves Team Flash with one option: using Harry’s Thinking Cap, which Cisco finally agreed to help him build. Wells put it on and comes up with the solution: Iris needs to use her speed to create a tall wave that will put out the fire. Watching Iris run across the water is some of the most fun I’ve had watching The Flash because it’s just a joy to see Iris out there after sitting on the sidelines for so long.
Team Flash brings Matthew back to the Cortex to transfer Barry’s powers back to him; however, before he does it, Barry makes sure Iris is okay with it and she says yes. And that’s a shame. I wanted to spend at least one more week watching Iris take over Flash duties; we really only saw her take one meta this week. Matthew returns Barry’s powers to him and declares that because of all the trouble he caused, that’s the last time he plans on using his own ability, but Team Flash says he shouldn’t give up just yet and suggests he use his powers to help them defeat DeVoe. So the team receives a new member! (I wonder how long he’ll last…)
That night, Iris explains to Barry why she decided to give up his powers: She realized that being the Flash wasn’t her calling, it was his. Iris decides to restart her blog from season 1, implying she’s found her calling — but this little character beat doesn’t feel earned in the slightest, because The Flash never really spent time developing Iris as a reporter. Sure, we saw her around the newsroom a few times, but the show never took an opportunity to let us watch her pursue a story. Instead, we just have to rely on Iris telling us how much being a journalist and writing meant to her, which violates the cardinal rule of showing not telling. Hopefully, that will change with this latest development.
Wall of Weird:
- In the episode’s stinger: Harry and Cisco use the Thinking Cap to find the last two bus metas. Hopefully they get to them before DeVoe does.
- I love that Cisco referenced Spider-Man 2 while explaining why he was worried about Harry building and using the Thinking Cap.
- Ralph agrees to disguise himself as DeVoe yet again in order to convince the mayor that DeVoe is alive, which would help Barry get his job back. Barry’s very moody without it.
- I feel this episode needed a montage of Iris running around solving little problems and thwarting crimes across the city, or something to give us a better sense of how Iris felt having Barry’s power.
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