Flash In The Pan

This week actor Keiynan Lonsdale announced he won't be returning as Kid Flash in Season 4 of Legends Of Tomorrow. 

Lonsdale took to social media to explain his decision, saying:

Yo! Soo as a lot of you have now read, I’m not returning next season as a series regular for The Flash or Legends. It’s definitely not a total goodbye or “see ya never” situation, cause Wally West will still be round when you need him the most! It’s just that it won’t be full time anymore.

I’ve changed a lot in the past year (as you’ve probably noticed lol), and for infinite reasons my perspective on life & what I want from it now is just completely different. Because of that, my heart told me it was the right time to continue my journey on an unknown path, and I’m so damn grateful to both shows for honoring & respecting that with me. 

I love Kid Flash, I love the family I’ve made, & I’m absolutely in love with the invaluable lessons I’ve learnt along the way. Thank you for believing in me & rooting for Wally to thrive, you honestly helped me see that I did indeed deserve to play him, & that shit right there made me a stronger actor.

Anyway, I hope you stick around for the new adventures, the only thing I can promise is Magic.

Well that definitely stinks! Over on The Flash the writers botched the character of Wally pretty much from his first appearance. Once he'd been introduced it's like they couldn't wait to turn him into Kid Flash, but then once they did they had absolutely no idea what the hell to do with him. In fact the way the writers immediately shoved him to the side made me wonder why they bothered to add him to the show in the first place. Wally wasn't just in Barry Allen's shadow, there wasn't a light shining on him at all.

Wally's move to Legends Of Tomorrow was the best thing that ever happened to the character. From the second he showed up he flourished in a way he was never allowed to on The Flash. It seemed like a good move for Lonsdale as well, as he appeared to be visibly enjoying himself on the show. Which makes this decision all the more puzzling.

I'll be sorry to see Wally go, but as he said, I guess it's not goodbye forever. Maybe Lonsdale will find himself or whatever he's doing and return to the Arrowverse soon.

In other Arrowverse news, Greg Berlanti, creator of such shows as Arrow, The Flash, Legends Of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning and Riverdale (among many others), just signed a new contract with The CW. This new deal extends his contract to 2024, and will reportedly pay him a whopping $300 million.

(insert massive comical spit take here)

Cheesus H. Rice! $300 MILLION DOLLARS to keep pumping out those Arrowverse shows! Holy Crap! That's like baseball player money there! I guess somebody must be watching them besides me!

The Flash Season 3, Episode 16: Into The Speed Force

This week on The Flash, we get another dark, dour and gloomy (not to mention "meh") episode. I get that the show's currently in its "Heroes Brought Low" phase, so they can triumph at the end of the season. That's just Writing 101. But enough with the death and depression. The return to fun and frivolity can't come soon enough for me. This is the Arrowverse, guys! It's supposed to be lighter and more fun than the DC Murderverse, er, I mean Movie Universe. In fact this episode was so glum I almost didn't feel like writing about it.

This week's episode is sort of a sequel to last season's The Runaway Dinosaur. Many fans consider that to be one of the best episodes of the series. Unfortunately they won't be.saying that about this week's episode...

Last week I did a rundown of the candidates I thought were most likely to secretly be Savitar, including Wally, HR, Eddie Thawne and even Barry himself. After the events of this week's episode, I'm definitely ruling out Eddie. I suppose it could still be him, but I think it'd be too confusing if he was a Speed Force manifestation AND Savitar as well. This episode would also seem to rule out Wally, since he's no longer trapped in the Speed Force. Although I'm sure the writers could come up with some bullsh*t explanation if they really wanted it to be him.

I'm still leaning toward either HR or Barry. HR was acting even more suspicious than usual in this episode, going so far as to creepily eavesdrop on Cisco and Jesse. Another reason I think it's HR— so far each season of the show has featured a different version of Harrison Wells. My theory would allow the producers to write out HR at the end of the season, paving the way for an all new Wells in Season 4.

Barry's not completely out of the running, though. This episode featured several references to "Future Barry," which I assume is some corrupted version of him that could somehow become Savitar.

Star Labs has been a little crowded lately, as the past few weeks it's been housing three, count 'em 3 speedsters. Suddenly in this episode Wally decides to take a break, and Jesse Quick vacates our Earth altogether, leaving Barry as the sole speedster in Central City. 

I'm not opposed to this, mind you, as I thought having three speedsters on the show was a bit much. But i felt like the housecleaning seemed a bit too abrupt. Especially in Jesse's case. One week she's mooning over Wally, ready to chuck her life on Earth-2 to be with him. Then completely out of the blue she decides to go to Earth-3 for reasons, and can't get off our world fast enough. Odd.

It's always nice to see John Wesley Shipp as Jay Garrick. I'm not too thrilled about his fate in this episode though, as it almost felt like the writers were trying to get rid of him. Hopefully this wasn't his final appearance.

Lastly, Barry Allen really is an idiot. Despite the fact that Iris' potential death is only a month or two away, he decides the two of them need a break and pushes her away. Does that make any sense? It felt incredibly contrived and unearned, and is obviously another way to keep the two of them apart until the season finale. Feh.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
Inside STAR Labs, Barry stares intently at the Breach platform. He comes to a decision, and announces he's going into the Speed Force to rescue Wally. The rest of the Gang worries that he'll become lost once he's inside the infinite void. Joe tells Barry he doesn't want to lose both his sons. HR makes himself useful for once, and suggests Cisco whip up some sort of "interdimensional tether" they can use to pull Barry back into Earth-1 if he gets into trouble in the void.

Cisco opens a breach into the Speed Force, and Barry jumps through. He ends up in a budget-conscious creepy version of the Central City Police Department set. The Wormhole Prophets, er, I mean the Speed Force manifests itself as the late Eddie Thawne, who sacrificed himself to destroy the Reverse Flash back in Fast Enough.

Barry asks Speed Force Eddie if he knows where Wally is. SF Eddie says Wally's in a prison that "Future Barry" created, and won't allow him to be rescued. He tells Barry the Speed Force restored his powers in The Runaway Dinosaur because he promised he was over his mother's death. He says Barry lied about that and inadvertently created the Flashpoint timeline. SF Eddie says they can't allow him to make poor choices like that again. Barry argues that Wally's just a kid, and doesn't deserve his punishment.

SF Eddie says he'll allow Barry to save Wally if he can beat a Time Wraith to the elevator. Barry races the Wraith around the office, and manages to run through it and make it to the elevator.

Meanwhile in the real world, Jesse's going crazy sitting around waiting. She picks up the piece of Savitar (that Barry broke off of him last week) and asks if Cisco could use it to track him. Cisco says it's possible, but it's too dangerous for her to attack him alone. HR hides in the shadows, listening intently to this exchange. Hmm...

Inside the Speed Force, Barry walks through a budget-conscious creepy version of STAR Labs. He sees Speed Force Caitlin cradling a crying baby. The Speed Force then manifests itself as the late Ronnie Raymond, who was Caitlin's fiancee at one time. Barry tells SF Ronnie he's willing to sacrifice himself to save Wally. Suddenly Barry's attacked by the Black Flash, who pins him to the floor. Barry takes off Cisco's "tether" device and sticks it to Black Flash, which for some reason disintegrates him (?).

Back at STAR Labs, the Gang loses contact with Barry. Cisco says with the tether gone, there's no way to ever locate him in the infinite Speed Force.

Barry then wakes up in a hospital, and sees Wally standing behind a door. As he reaches for the knob, it's coated by a blast of ice. He looks up and sees the Speed Force has now taken the form of the late Captain Cold (I guess it's only taking the forms of the dead during this visit). Speed Force Cold tells Barry that Wally's trapped in his own personal hell— seeing his mother die over and over again for eternity.

Barry says he's not leaving without Wally, and SF Cold freezes him to the wall. He's about to blast Barry again when Jay Garrick, the Earth-3 Flash, zooms in and punches out SF Cold.

Meanwhile, Jesse steals the piece of Savitar and takes it outside. It begins glowing and flies through the air, back to Savitar. Jesse follows it at superspeed. She finds Savitar and attacks. They battle for a while, and Savitar eventually gets the upper hand and starts choking her. He tells Jesse he has big plans for her, whatever that means. For some reason, HR is in communication with Jesse, and tells her to look for a weak spot in Savitar's armor. She takes the broken shard and stabs Savitar in the neck. He roars and speeds away.

Back in the Speed Force, Jay explains to Barry that after the tether was destroyed, Cisco vibed to Earth-3 to ask him for help (I guess he did all that while we weren't looking?). Barry and Jay enter the hospital room and tell Wally they're there to rescue him. Barry and Wally walk out the door, but notice Jay's staying behind. 

Jay tells them that for some reason, a speedster has to remain inside the Speed Force at all times, so he's decided to sacrifice himself and stay. Barry tries to talk him out of it, but Jay refuses to leave. Jay gives Barry his winged helmet, and says he'll see him later. Barry promises he'll be back for him someday, and he and Wally exit the Speed Force.

Later, Wally announces that after his traumatic experience in the Speed Force, he's taking a break from being Kid Flash. Jesse tells Wally that Savitar's crack about having big plans for her have unnerved her, and she's moving to Earth-3. Partly for her safety, and also to replace Jay as the Earth-3 Flash. Wally's sad to see her go, but understands. They profess their love for one another, and Cisco sends Jesse to Earth-3.

HR tells the STAR Labs Gang that Jesse learned something valuable in her battle with Savitar— that he's not a god. He's a man, and he can be hurt.

Later that night, Iris tells Barry she knows he only proposed as a way to try and change the future, but has decided she doesn't care. Barry says she was right the first time, and because he's an idiot and there are still seven or eight episodes to fill this season, he tells her he thinks they need some time apart.

Thoughts:
• There's not a lot to say about this episode. It's tough to find plot holes in a story when most of it takes place inside a character's head.

• You know, all the special guest stars in this episode might have been more of a fun surprise if their names hadn't all been listed in the opening credits.

I think there's a SAG rule that requires them to be named up front. If so, they need to write some sort of clause in their contract that allow guest stars to be listed at the end of the episode when the sight of their name constitutes a spoiler!

• Last week on Legends Of Tomorrow, the team went inside the mind of their former captain Rip Hunter, to try and cure him of his terminal evilness. Oddly enough, the inside of his mind just happened to look like the interior of this timeship, the Waverider, but with more spooky green lighting and lots of dry ice fog. 

Why would the inside of his mind look like his ship? So the producers didn't have to blow money building new sets that would only be used for one episode, that's why. Gotta watch that budget here on The CW!

So this week on The Flash, Barry enters the Speed Force, and once again this infinite void takes the form of various locations familiar to him. The CCPD, STAR Labs and a hospital room. Again, why would an interdimensional, abstract space look like places he knows? So the producers didn't have to blow money building new sets that would only be used for one episode, that's why. Gotta watch that budget here on The CW!

• In a similar vein...

On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Commander Sisko often entered the Bajoran wormhole, an interdimensional tunnel located near the space station, that connected the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants.

The wormhole was populated with a non-corporeal lifeform called the Prophets. The Prophets were non-linear beings who experienced the past, present and future all at once. In order to communicate with a lowly, linear being like Sisko, they took the form of various people he knew, such as his crew mates.

This gave the rest of the cast something to do during wormhole episodes, but it also saved the series a ton of money. Making the aliens look like the regular cast meant makeup man Michael Westmore didn't have to create tons of expensive alien prosthetics that week.

And so it is with The Flash and the Speed Force. Making it take the form of various regular cast members saves the producers a ton on CGI. Gotta watch that budget here on The CW!

You know, sometimes I feel like a talk about the budget of these Arrowverse shows way too much. But it's hard not to! I don't think I've ever been as aware of a TV show's limited budget as I am when I watch The Flash.

• Earth-19 Watch:

Apparently Earth-19 has Super Mario World, as HR challenges Cisco to play him someday.

When Cisco says he thinks he can rig up an interdimentional tether for Barry, HR says, "Yeah! Now we're cooking with helium." The laws of physics must be very different on Earth-19. Here on good old Earth-1, helium is an inert gas. That means it can't burn or explode, for those of you who believe Obama is using microwaves to spy on Donald Trump.

They also have "Schroeder's Cat," and a Peanuts character called "Schrodinger." Also, in the Earth-19 Peanuts strip, Charlie Brown is the one who plays the piano, which is apparently funny as he's terrible at it.

Earth-19 has the Peanuts comic strip, but it's a bit different. 

• I don't understand why one speedster always has to stay inside the Speed Force. 

Savitar's trapped there, but tricks Wally into taking his place. Then Barry enters to rescue Wally, and is willing to stay to free him. Then Jay sacrifices himself by remaining inside the Speed Force so both Barry and Wally can leave. 

Why? Why does there have to be at least one speedster occupant in it at all times? Other than because the writers say so? This is my biggest complaint about this whole Savitar/Speed Force storyline— nothing about it makes any sense and it feels like the writers are making it all up as they go. Rules, guys! Savitar and the Speed Force need rules, so the audience at home can play along and try to figure out what's going to happen. It's hard to do that when even the writers don't know.

• Wally's "personal hell" inside the Speed Force consisted of him standing in a hospital room, watching his mother die over and over again for eternity. When Jay Garrick takes his place, he does so literally, by standing in the exact same spot, watching Wally's mother die.

I'm assuming that after Barry and Wally left the Speed Force, Wally's Hell morphed into something more meaningful for Jay. It has to, right? Otherwise it's not gonna be much of a punishment for Jay to stand there and watch a stranger die over and over.

By the way, when Wally sees his mother die over and over, HE'S the only one who can see hef— when Barry looks into the hospital room, all he sees is an empty bed.

Why's Wally's mom invisible to everyone but Wally? Were they not able to get actress Vanessa Williams, aka Francine West, back this week? She appeared on the show in the previous episode. Maybe it's the budget rearing its ugly head again. There were four guest stars in this episode— could The CW honestly not afford a fifth?

• There was really only one notable line in this episode:
Speed Force Captain Cold: (after knocking down Jay with an ice blast) "Getting a little slow in your golden age, Garrick!"

The Flash Season 3, Episode 12: Untouchable

This week's The Flash feels a bit like a throwback to Season 1, complete with the old "Disposable Metahuman Of The Week" plotline.

There's some interesting stuff between Barry and Wally, as the Flash realizes it's not enough to just teach Kid Flash, he has to inspire him. But these scenes are undercut by the fact that for weeks they've been telling us that Wally's actually faster than Barry, except when he's not. As in this episode.

Also this week Iris is endangered yet again and almost dies. Except we all know there's no way she's going to die yet, as Savitar's scheduled to kill her in the season finale. I hope this "Oh No! Iris is Going To Die Before She's Supposed To!" subplot isn't going to become a weekly occurrence from now until May. It's already old after just two weeks.

We also get several more "Patented The CW Believe In Yourself™" speeches this week. I wonder if the actors on the show are as sick of saying these as the audience is of watching them?

And once again, the Gang's insistence on keeping secrets from one another backfires dramatically (which of course was the whole point) as Iris finally decides to tell Joe about her potential death. Joe's anger over just now finding out rang very true. I was practically cheering when he ripped 'em all a new butthole for keeping him in the dark. When are these characters (and the writers) going to learn that it's never a good idea to keep a secret from someone "to protect them?"

Savitar's prophecy is brought up this week, after the writers seemingly forgot about it the past few weeks. For those who came in late, his prophecy says, "One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death."

I'm betting Caitlin, aka Killer Frost, will end up being the one who betrays the Gang. Killer Frost resurfaced a few episode back, but was dealt with very quickly and easily, making me think it was all setup for a huge return at the end of the season.

It's also possible this could refer to Julian, who may end up betraying the Gang somehow. I guess it depends on whether Tom Felton signed a long term contract with the show or not.

As for the one who shall fall, obviously we're supposed to think that refers to Iris. That seems way too obvious though, and after Barry's talk about changing the future, I can't see that NOT happening. I'm starting to think that Joe's days may be numbered. There was a little bit of ominous foreshadowing in this episode, as he said he's do anything for his "baby girl." I get the feeling he's going to sacrifice himself to save Iris, and Savitar won't care which member of the West family he kills.

As for the one who will suffer a fate far worse than death, most fans— myself included— think this refers to Wally, as he's somehow going to transform into Savitar. As possible proof, this week Wally finally learns how to phase. He gleefully plays around with his newfound power as he shoves his hand through a wall. Gosh, that couldn't possibly have been foreshadowing, could it? I have a feeling it won't be long before he's shoving that same vibrating hand through his sister's chest.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
Barry wants to increase Wally's speed so he can save Iris from Savitar in the future. To that end, they race through Central City. Wally pulls head, but Barry phases through a building, while Wally has to run up and over it. This split-second delay causes Wally to lose the race.

Later Barry, Joe and Julian investigate a dead body at Luigi's diner. They're puzzled as to why the body is extremely decomposed, even though it's only been dead for eight hours. Barry suspects a metahuman was involved. Julian takes the body to STAR Labs to examine it.

Back at STAR Labs, Iris tells Barry that this incident will likely close down Luigi's diner. She says one of the headlines he saw in the future read, "Luigi's Opens After Murder." She's afraid that her doomed future is coming all too true. Barry assures her he'll do whatever it takes to save her, and says she needs to finally inform Joe about what's going on. Because this is The Flash and the characters are all incapable of not keeping secrets from one another, she refuses, saying he doesn't know.

Julian and Caitlin examine the decomposed body and find it's turned completely to dust, something which no disease can do. I think they meant "no KNOWN disease could do this" here.

Meanwhile, a jazz musician named Julio Mendez (who should be familiar to fans of the 1990 Flash) exits a club. He's approached by a man who shakes his hand. Julio's arm immediately begins decomposing, spreading over his entire body. He collapses and dies.

Barry tries to train Wally how to phase through objects.This "training" consists of having Wally run full speed at a solid wall, over and over. Needless to say, it doesn't go well. Barry gets a CSI call and zooms to the scene of Julio Mendez's murder. Barry recognizes Mendez (well, his name at least, since his body's now unrecognizable) as the Captain of the CCPD in the Flashpoint timeline. Barry checks the I.D. of the Luigi's diner murder victim, and realizes he was a cop in Flashpoint as well. Barry says somehow there's a metahuman out there targeting Flashpoint cops, and tells Joe he needs to lay low, as he may be next on the list.

Julian and Caitlin then examine Mendez's decomposed body. They examine DNA on the body and match it to a Clive Yorkin. His DNA also contains traces of the husks that Alchemy used to transform people into metahumans. Julian, who was secretly Alchemy earlier in the season, gave Yorkin his powers and feels responsible for the murders.

Joe asks Barry, Wally and Iris to meet him at CC Jitters. He wants to introduce them to his girlfriend Cecile's daughter Joanie, who's been away at college. Joanie seems disinterested in meeting the rest of them and in Central City in general. According to her the only good thing about the city is Kid Flash, which makes Wally perk up. Just then, Clive Yorkin walks in and threatens to kill Joe. Joe fires at him, but the bullets disintegrate the instant they touch Yorkin's body. Wally zips away and returns as Kid Flash (much to Joanie's delight). He doesn't dare touch Yorkin, so he uses his superspeed to create a vortex that blows him out of the restaurant.

The Gang regroups at STAR Labs and Iris finally tells Joe about her future. Joe explodes at them for keeping yet another secret from him, basically saying everything the audience has been thinking for weeks. He storms out.

That night Iris is writing in her apartment, when Yorkin dissolves the door and storms in. He says he decided he could hurt Joe more by killing his daughter rather than him. Iris presses the panic button on her phone and Wally responds, zooming to the scene. He zips across the room to save Iris, but is too slow (!) and Yorkin brushes against her arm. Iris' arm immediately starts decomposing. Wally has no choice but to let Yorkin escape so he can save Iris.

At STAR Labs, the Gang tries to save Iris. Cisco comes up with the bright idea to freeze her arm to prevent the decomposition from spreading, and that Caitlin is the only one who can do it. She reluctantly takes off her power-dampening pendant, grabs Iris' arm and freezes it. Amazingly this slows the decomposition, and somehow doesn't give her irreparable frostbite.

Cisco then tells Barry that he and HR have figured out how to see who Yorkin will strike next. All he has to do is vibe to Flashpoint. Barry reminds him that the Flashpoint timeline no longer exists, as he erased it earlier this season. Cisco says this is true, but Flashpoint has to be happening in one of the infinite Earths in the multiverse, and he can vibe to that particular world. Comic book science! I defy even the writers to make sense of this scene!

Cisco grabs Barry's arm and sure enough, somehow vibes into Flashpoint. He sees CCPD Captain Julio Mendez talking to Joe. Suddenly an Officer Stone brings Yorkin into the station, parading him around and humiliating him before throwing him in a jail cell. After the vibing's over, Joe recognizes the name Stone, and says she's a private investigator in this timeline.

Joe finds Stone at a train station and warns her that she's in danger. Naturally she has no idea what the hell he's talking about. For some reason they both board a train so they can talk, as Yorkin looks on.

Back at STAR Labs, Iris begins convulsing. Caitlin ups her powers to freeze her arm even colder (which somehow still doesn't permanently damage her). She begins changing into her evil persona Killer Frost. Julian springs into action and talks her back to Caitlin. The Gang also somehow comes to the conclusion that if a speedster's blood is injected into Yorkin's body, it would neutralize his power. More comic book science!

Yorkin somehow gets several miles ahead of Joe & Stone's train. He disintegrates the support beams of a bridge, causing rubble to tumble onto the tracks. Joe presses the panic button on his phone (man, that panic button's gettin' a workout in this episode) and Barry and Wally show up. Barry says there's not enough time to get everyone off the speeding train (even though he's done something similar before). He says the only way to save everyone is for him to phase the entire train so it'll pass through the rubble. Yep, you read that right. He hops onto the train, places his hands on the floor of the car and begins vibrating. Amazingly, the entire train passes harmlessly through the rubble.

Yorkin then approaches Wally, intent on disintegrating him. Barry tells Wally he needs to get some of his speedster blood into Yorkin, and the only way to do that is to phase. Problem is, Wally hasn't mastered that trick. Barry gives him a Patented The CW Pep Talk.™ Wally slices open his hand, runs full on toward Yorkin, and amazingly passes right through him. For some reason, this transfers some of his blood into Yorkin, even though that's not how phasing is supposed to work. Yorkin grabs Wally's arm, but nothing happens. His powers are gone!

Back at STAR Labs, it's time for the weekly Thirty Second Wrapup.™ Iris wakes up, and Julian says once they had a sample of Yorkin's stabilized blood, they were able to create an antidote. Still more comic book science! Joe tells them if they want to beat Savitar, there can be no more secrets. Julian says he's going out to hunt for the last hush metahuman he created. Caitlin asks him out for a drink, and he changes his mind and accepts. Awww... now that Caitlin/Killer Frost tried to kill Julian, he's sweet on her.

Wally practices his phasing in STAR Labs. Suddenly a breach opens and Jesse Quick from Earth-2 leaps out. She says she needs his help, because Grodd has kidnapped her dad Harry and taken him to Gorilla CIty!

Thoughts: 
• In the "Previously on The Flash" montage, HR tells Wally, "I'm saying that at this point in his training, you're faster than Barry!" In fact pretty much every character on the show has said the same thing at some point during the season.

Then in this episode, Wally's suddenly slower than Barry. He even loses their big race!

Did the writers forget about all the "faster than Barry" comments? Or is Wally simply slower this week because the script needs him to be, so Barry can train him?

• Since the second half of the season started up, everyone's been wringing their hands over Iris' possible death in May, as they try to figure out a way to alter the future and save her.

I've got the perfect solution for them— tell Iris to leave Central City and lay low somewhere until after May!

Barry got a glimpse of the future and saw Savitar stab Iris in Central City's main square, right? So just remove her from the location. Boom! Savitar can't kill her if she ain't there. Future changed, problem solved!

• Julio Mendez returns! Well, for a few seconds at least. He was a police chief in the Flashpoint timeline, but for some reason in this new one he's a jazz musician. Eh, cop, musician— same thing.

Julio was Barry Allen's best friend and fellow police scientist on the 1990 The Flash series. Oddly enough, Julio never learned the Flash's true identity, because the Barry on that show didn't blurt it out to everyone he saw like the current version does.

• Joe asks his kids to meet his girlfriend Cecile's daughter Joanie, who's home from college at Coast U. Wally asks Joanie what she misses most about Central City, and she says "Kid Flash." 

Huh? At this point, Kid Flash has only been in the public eye for a couple of weeks. That doesn't seem like enough time for Joanie to become infatuated with him, move away and then start missing him.

• Clive Yorkin, the metahuman of the week, can disintegrate objects just by touching them. Apparently he can turn his power off and on, because at one point we see him in CC Jitters, holding a coffee cup. Oddly enough, the cup doesn't decay and spill coffee all over his lap.

By the way, apparently Yorkin was such an unmemorable villain that Cisco didn't even bother coming up with a code name for him!

• Yorkin's motivation in this episode seems pretty sketchy at best. Try to follow it with me...

Barry deliberately goes back in time and inadvertently creates the Flashpoint timeline. I think Yorkin is a metahuman in Flashpoint, with the ability to disintegrate objects with his touch. He's captured by the police, and for some reason they parade him around the station, which humiliates him.

Barry then erases Flashpoint and restores the original timeline (sort of). Yorkin no longer has his powers in this timeline (as near as I can tell). Alchemy, aka Julian, then seeks out Yorkin and restores the powers he had in Flashpoint (I think).

Yorkin then somehow remembers his life in Flashpoint (I think) and vows revenge on the cops who humiliated him there, even though that timeline no longer exists and his public disgrace technically never happened.

Jesus, what a tortured and convoluted plotline!

• This week's Fun Earth-19 facts: Gambling is referred to as "a game of speculation." Financial wagering was banned there "after an unfortunate incident with Vice President Al Capone." And Lincoln is on the $100 bill instead of Franklin.

• I just realized this week that Caitlin's glowing pendant, which suppresses her ice powers, is shaped like a snowflake. Cute. Cisco made it for her (with some inexplicable help from Julian, who's a CSI, not an engineer), so I assume that was his idea.

• When trying to figure out a way to save Iris, CIsco says, "Okay, what do you do when a banana ripens too quickly? Put it in the freezer!"

Really? I dunno how things work in the Arrowverse, but here on my world putting a banana in the freezer turns it jet black and makes the insides all soft and creamy. Is that gonna happen to Iris' arm too?

• After Yorkin touches Iris' hand, the decay begins spreading up her arm. Note the t-shirt she's wearing. It looks like some kind of Rorschach test, but it also perfectly echoes the pattern of the decay on her arm. Was that intentional? If so, that's actually pretty cool. Well done, Costume Department!

By the way, I'm proud of myself that I correctly wrote "Rorschach" just now, with no help from spellcheck!

• Is there anything Cisco's vibing powers can't do? In previous episodes he's used it to send his mind into the past, so he can have a look around at historical events. Then a couple weeks ago he sent his (and Barry's) minds into the future for a peek.

In this episode he somehow able to vibe into one of the millions of parallel Earths in the multiverse, in which the events of Flashpoint are happening!

The constant ramping-up of his powers reminds me of Wolverine over at Marvel Comics. When Wolverine was first introduced, he had a healing factor that was fairly believable, as it allowed him to recover from an injury in a day instead of a week. 

Over time Wolverine's healing factor became more and more powerful, ballooning to ridiculous levels. He recovered after the Hulk ripped his body in half (!), and was able to somehow regenerate his body after it was completely vaporized (!!).

Cisco's vibing power seems to be undergoing a similar sort of bloat.
• Does Clive Yorkin have superspeed as well? He watches Joe and Stone get on a train so they can talk. Several minutes later, he's somehow several miles ahead of the train, and uses his power to collapse a bridge onto the tracks. 

How the hell did he manage to get so far ahead of the train?

• The commuter train speeds toward the pile of rubble, unable to stop in time. Barry says there's no way to get everyone out in time, and the only way to save them is to phase the entire train, so it'll pass harmlessly through the rubble (!). It's a Herculean task, but amazingly he manages to do it. A couple things here.

First of all, Barry claims there's just not enough time to get all the passengers off the train before it crashes into the rubble. I guess he forgot he did something very similar way back in the Season 1 episode Going Rogue. Back then he actually rescued people from a train as it was tumbling through the air! And he did that by himself. This time he's got Wally with him to help, so... I don't get why he couldn't try this again.

Secondly, I guess in all the excitement it didn't occur to Barry to phase the pile of rubble (which was relatively small) so the train passes through it, instead of the other way around. Oh well.

• The STAR Labs Gang somehow figures out that speedster blood will neutralize Yorkin's powers. Barry, who's worn out after the train ordeal, tells Wally he'll have to phase some of his blood into Yorkin's body.

Wally steels himself, cuts his hand to make it bleed, then phases through Yorkin's body. Hmmm.... that doesn't make any sense.

The whole idea of phasing is to pass harmlessly through something without affecting it. How would Wally transfer his blood to Yorking by phasing? Their molecules shouldn't have interacted at all. 

I suppose we could say that once a drop of blood drips off of Wally's hand, it would stop phasing and enter Yorkin's body that way.

Man, Wally's blood sure works fast (heh). He phases through Yorkin and less than five seconds later his power is completely neutralized!

• When Wally finds out he'll have to phase to defeat Yorkin, he doesn't think he can do it. Barry tells him, "I know you can do it. I need you to believe it, too. Run, Wally. Run."

This is a nice little callback to Season 1, and the many times that Harrison Wells said much the same thing to Barry. It first happened in the Pilot episode, when Wells said, "You can do this, Barry. You were right. I am responsible for all of this. So many people were hurt and when I looked at you all I saw was another potential victim of my hubris, but you, Barry, you can stop it. You can do this. Now RUN BARRY, RUN!"

• It would appear that Caitlin and Julian are now becoming an item. That means one of two things will happen: She'll turn into Killer Frost and attack him again, or her late husband Ronnie Raymond will return due to time travel shenanigans and ruin everything.

• After everything's wrapped up, Julian says he has no time to celebrate as says he's going out to find the last of the husk metahumans he created when he was secretly Alchemy. Then Caitlin bats her eyes and asks him out for a drink, and he immediately accepts. I guess hunting down the last metahuman he created isn't that important to him after all.

In a similar vein, Barry assures Iris he won't stop until he figures out a way to save her. Note that two weeks from now he and the Gang will be traveling to Earth-2 to rescue Harry from the clutches of Grodd in a special two part episode. Eh, there's plenty of time to save your girlfriend, Barry! Might as well take a side trip to another Earth for a few weeks!

• This week's best lines:

Caitlin: "Julian, you can't change what happened to you. It's not your fault."
Julian: "You keep saying that. But it is my fault. People are responsible for their own actions. To say otherwise is just a way to make yourself feel better."
Caitlin: "Is that what you think I'm doing? Making excuses for things I've done in the past You know I'm really starting to regret bringing you in here."

Caitlin: (to Julian) "You know, I used to think Barry was overreacting when he complained about sharing a lab with you. But now I understand his frustration."
Julian: "Believe me, no one is more frustrated than I."
Caitlin: "You do realize it's possible not to be a jerk all the time, right?"

Joe: "Barry, I'm a cop. If I canceled my plans every time I'm in danger, I'd never leave the house."

The Flash Season 3, Episode 9: The Present

This week on The Flash we get the big mid-season finale, or winter break as the networks like to call it. How I loathe these artificial interruptions in the show's storyline.

For several weeks now, Cisco has been the president of the "I Hate Barry Allen Club." He's actively resented his former friend for altering the timeline, which inadvertently killed his brother Dante. Suddenly in this episode all is forgotten, and Cisco and Barry are buds again. So what the heck happened?

See, last week in Legends Of Tomorrow, Cisco himself went back in time to 1959 and inadvertently caused an alien invasion in 2016. He then realized how easy it is to screw up a timeline, and immediately forgave Barry. 

I can't imagine why, but apparently the writers thought it was a good idea to wrap up a major Flash storyline on a different series. What about people who didn't watch the Legends episode? They're going to be totally in the dark. The least they could have done was throw in a line explaining why Cisco's no longer mad.

It's always good to see the real Jay Garrick on the show. Kudos to actor John Wesley Shipp, who somehow plays Jay different from Henry Allen, despite the fact that they have the same face.

We also got a surprise visit from Mark Hamill, as the Earth-3 version of the Trickster. Hamill was in full Joker mode here, as he even looked like the character. At this point they might as well get it over with and just start calling him the Joker.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
We flash back to Julian Albert (Barry Allen's nemesis) on a Mummy-style expedition in India. He finds an ancient artifact, and like an idiot, opens it. His face is bathed in a blue glow. Sadly, no Ark-ghosts melt it off.

In the present day, the STAR Labs Gang is discussing Savitar, the God Of Speed. Cisco discovers that Julian published a paper about an ancient relic called the Brahmastra, which can allegedly create metahumans. The Brahmastra is also known as— the Philosopher's Stone! Barry goes to the Central City PD and questions Julian about the Stone. He says he used his personal fortune to find it, but unfortunately failed. Barry senses he's lying, and asks about Savitar. Julian looks shocked at the name, and tells Barry not to waste his time on the matter.

Meanwhile on Earth-3, the Joker the Trickster robs a bank. He's stopped by Jay Garrick, the Earth-3 Flash. The Trickster sets off a bomb, but before it can explode, Barry leaps out of a dimensional breach and disarms it. He ties up the Trickster and leaves him for the police.

Barry asks Jay if he knows anything about Savitar. He says he's heard of him, as he was the world's first speedster. He follows Barry back to Earth-1 to help him take down Savitar.

At the CCPD, Joe asks Cecile to the West Family Xmas Party. HR trains Wally, and notes he's becoming faster than Barry. At STAR Labs, Cisco keeps seeing visions of his late brother Dante. He also whips up a device which can sense when the Philosopher's Stone is activated. Is there anything he can't do? Caitlin finally gets a line, and says she found out everyone on Julian's expedition was killed. Except him, or course.

The Philosopher Stone alarm goes off, and Barry and Jay rush to the source of the signal. There they find Alchemy, surrounded by acolytes as he attempts to summon Savitar. Hilariously the followers bugger off the second they see the speedsters. Savitar appears, and Jay goes after him. Unfortunately the God Of Speed throws him around like a rag doll. He throws him against a wall and is about to stab him in the heart. Just then Barry yoinks the Stone from Alchemy and puts it in a special box. Savitar instantly disappears. Really? Has he ever done that before? Barry pulls off Alchemy's mask, revealing Julian, which we've known for a couple weeks now.

Back at STAR Labs, Jay recovers from his battle. Cisco tests the Box, and says it doesn't show up on any of his instruments, as if it isn't there. Joe's furious with Wally again for using his speed, and even furiouser at HR for training him. Barry puts Julian in the Secret Super Jail. He asks Julian about being Alchemy, but he has no idea what he's talking about. He says he needs Julian to trust him, so he removes his mask and reveals his identity to yet another cast member. He asks Julian if he's been blacking out, and he says yes.

Julian says his sister died, and then began appearing before him. She said if he found the Philosopher's Stone they could be together again, so he formed an expedition to find it. He did, and that's when the blackouts started. When he awoke and saw everyone on his team was dead, he fled to America in fear. He says when he blacks out, he hears a voice in his head.

Meanwhile, Dante appears to Cisco again. He tells him if he opens the box, they can spend the holidays together. HEY, CISCO! JULIAN JUST TOLD A STORY ABOUT THE SAME THING! TOO BAD YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT AS WELL! Cisco opens the box, and right on schedule Savitar appears. Barry and Wally begin fighting him inside STAR Labs. Caitlin pleads with Cisco to close the box. He reluctantly does so. Savitar disappears just as he was about to kill Barry and Wally.

Barry lets Julian out of his cell, and tells him that Savitar's been speaking through him. They ask if he's willing to let them hook him up to a technobabble device so they can speak directly to Savitar. He agrees. Cisco hooks up Julian and activates the machine. Julian is immediately possessed by Savitar and says, "Hello, Barry. It's been a while." He tells them he's from their future, and knows all their destinies. He says "One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death." Sounds ominous. 

Barry asks what Savitar what he wants. He says that Future Barry trapped him in eternity (?), and he wants revenge on him in the past. Barry takes the technobabble device off of Julian to shut Savitar up.

Barry wants to destroy the box so Savitar can never be freed. Cisco say it's indestructible. For some insane reason they decide to toss it into the Speed Force, since, as Jay puts it, it's an infinite void. 

Barry and Jay run as fast as they can around the particle accelerator. Barry somehow siphons off some of Jay's speed and opens a breach into the Speed Force. He throws the box into it. Unfortunately explodes and blows Barry five months into the future (!). 

A confused Barry wanders the streets. He stops when he sees his future self confronting Savitar, who's holding Iris. Savitar kills Iris and disappears. Future Barry cradles her lifeless body in his arms, as our Barry looks on in horror. Suddenly Jay Garrick appears and yanks him back to the present.

Barry's terrified by what he's seen. Jay tries to calm him down, saying the future's always changing, and what he saw isn't set in stone. He tells him to focus on now, and returns to Earth-3.

Everyone goes to the West Family Xmas. Joe and Iris give Wally a present— a Kid Flash suit. What happened to them not wanting him to ever use his powers? HR gets drunk on eggnog. Julian even shows up and joins the party. Cisco's sad that it's raining, so Caitlin uses her Killer Frost powers to make it snow. It's a Christmas Miracle!

Iris asks Barry when they're going to exchange gifts. He says right now, and zips her off to a spacious new apartment, and says both their names are on the lease. He says, "I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I want to spend every single moment with you, Iris." Until you're murdered by the God Of Speed.

Thoughts:
• At the beginning of the episode we see Julian on his expedition to find the Philosopher's Stone. He sits in his tent and writes the following in his journal: "It's been six months since I arrived here in India. Though I have faith it's out there, the voice that once drove me has waned. And I fear my quest may be for naught."

Why is he dressed like Indiana Jones and writing like someone from Downton Abbey? According to the onscreen caption this expedition took place four years ago!

• This episode gives us our first-ever (I think) look at Earth-3. Of course it's federal law that every establishing shot of a parallel world must contain at least one blimp floating above a city.

• Mark Hamill makes a brief appearance in this episode as the Earth-3 Trickster, battling John Wesley Shipp as the Earth-3 Flash.

Of course Hamill and Shipp played the same roles in the 1990 Flash series. Cool!

• Since the character was introduced, Hamill's Trickster has always been sort of a poor man's Joker, becoming more and more like him with each subsequent appearance. That's never been more true than in this episode. He's even standing like Heath Ledger's Joker in this scene!

Note that with his pale complexion, dark circles around his eyes and ghastly teeth, the Trickster looks a lot like Conrad Veldt in The Man Who Laughs.

And Veidt's character Gwynplaine was famously the inspiration for the Joker! So they've come full circle here. Hamill's imitating the character who inspired the character he's imitating!

• Cisco does some digging and discovers Julian Albert wrote a paper about the Brahmastra. Oddly enough, according to the google search it appears his real name is Julian Albert Desmond. Wha…?

So according to this episode, Albert Desmond mounted an expedition to find the Philosopher's Stone in India. He found it, was possessed by Savitar and blacked out. When he woke, everyone on his expedition was dead, presumably by his possessed hand. He then fled India in fear and came to America. He then assumed the false identity of Julian Albert, marched into the CCPD and was hired on the spot.

So what's the big deal? Welp, it means that the CCPD apparently doesn't perform simple background checks on potential employees, else they'd know that "Julian Albert" doesn't exist. 

By the way, there is an Albert Desmond in the comics. It's a long, long story, so I'll try to be brief. Albert Desmond was a scientist who suffered from multiple personalities. One of those personalities called itself Mr. Element, and built a gun that could change one element into another. Like alchemy, get it?

While in prison, Desmond learned about the Philosopher's stone from a fellow inmate. He broke out of jail, tracked down the Stone and became Doctor Alchemy. The comic version had nothing to do with Savitar though.

• Barry goes to the CCPD to question Julian about his expedition. Julian says, "Many years ago, I heard about the Brahmastra, or as it's colloquially called, the Philosopher's Stone."

In-jokes Ahoy! Tom Felton, who plays Julian, played Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone, or as it's known everywhere else in the world, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. Wakka wakka!

• Jay seems to know a lot about Savitar, despite the fact he's never actually seen him. When Barry asks him how he knows so much, he says, “Speed Force myths, legends, and rumors." I guess maybe there's some kind of speedster newsletter or magazine?

• Barry reveals his secret identity to Julian in an effort to gain his trust. 

Sigh… Why in the name of Bruce Wayne does Barry even bother wearing a mask anymore? At this point every character on the show with a speaking role, with the possible exception of Cecile and Capt. Singh, knows he's really the Flash. He might as well tear off his mask and throw it in the trash, for all the good it does.

I bet the only reason he still wears a mask is because the character has one in the comics and all the merch.

• So ever since Julian's been possessed by Savitar, he's been keeping his Alchemy costume in a drawer in his office at the CCPD. Got it.

• When Savitar speaks through Julian he tells the STAR Labs Gang, "One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death."

Let's see if we can figure out this prophecy. Who's the betrayer? My money's on either Caitlin or HR. There's no way the Killer Frost storyline is over, as it was resolved WAY too easily. I would not be surprised if she takes over Caitlin again before the season's over and betrays the Gang.

There's also something slightly sinister about HR, and I think he's more than a harmless, hipster doofus. Savitar calls him "Fake Wells" here, and a few weeks ago we saw that HR has a piece of Earth-19 technology that can alter his face. Do not be surprised if he turns out to he someone other than who he says he is.

The writers would like us to think "the one who falls" is Iris, since we saw her future death in this episode. That would probably be too obvious though, but then again that's what I said about Julian being Alchemy, and look how that turned out.

Is Julian the one who'll fall? I could see him sacrificing himself to save his former enemy Barry. I think he's the most likely suspect, as I can't see Tom Felton wanting to stay on the show for more than a season.

So who's the one who'll "suffer a fate far worse than death?" My money's on Wally. There's a fan theory out there that he somehow becomes Savitar in the future. In this episode Savitar is pretty pissed at Barry, saying he took everything from him and trapped him in eternity or something. Maybe something happens and Barry accidentally sends Wally into the Speed Force, and can't get him out?

• The Gang figures out that Savitar can only appear when the Stone is released from its magic box. Unfortunately the box is indestructible. So they come up with the brilliant idea of tossing the box into the Speed Force to get rid of it forever. 

I honestly don't understand how this is a good idea. Yes, they say the Speed Force is an infinite realm, and the box will be lost forever inside it. But Savitar lives in the Speed Force. Why risk him stumbling onto it? 

This plan is like tossing your keys in your car to keep a thief from stealing it. 

Why not just shoot the box into the sun? I bet that would take care of it. And if Cisco can't do that, he knows some people with a time ship who could.

• When Barry's thrown into the future, he sees Iris murdered on Infantino St.

This is a reference to Carmine Infantino, the most famous of all Flash artists, and the one who designed the all-red suit. In 1961 he drew the Flash Of Two Worlds issue, which introduced the concept of the multiverse to DC Comics.

• Last week in Invasion!, Cisco mentioned that Supergirl is from Earth-38. This was a shoutout to 1938, the year in which Superman was created. Being the pedant that I am, I wondered why they didn't say she was from Earth-59, since the character was created in 1959.

Several readers noted that in DC Comics, there are currently only fifty two earths in the multiverse— the result of the New 52 miniseries or something. So it would be impossible for Supergirl to be from Earth-59. 

I knew about this was a thing in the comics, but wasn't sure if it was the same on the show. I couldn't remember anyone on The Flash ever stating there were fifty two earths. Besides, when I hear the word "multiverse," I think of millions of worlds, not just fifty two.

Welp, looks like Jay Garrick just confirmed I was right. During his conversation with Barry, he says, "This is why speedsters don't travel to the future. Nobody should know this much about their own. Just as their are infinite Earths in the multiverse, there are infinite possibilities to the future!"

So there are millions of worlds, and Supergirl could have been from Earth-59.

• After Barry screwed up the timeline a few months ago, he was dismayed to see that the holographic newspaper in his secret Time Closet in STAR Labs had changed. The headline article is no longer written by Iris West Allen, but by Julie Greer.

Now we know why it changed. Iris is scheduled to be murdered by Savitar in five months.

By the way, I'd just like to point out once again that The Flash believes that we'll all be reading holographic newspapers in 2024. Hear that, Science? You have eight short years! You better get busy!

• All season long, Joe and Iris have done nothing but bitch and moan at Wally for wanting to use his new speedster powers. Suddenly at the West Family Xmas Party, they give him his own Kid Flash suit. What. The. Hell. So what changed? Did they finally realize he's gonna use his powers no matter what they think, and give up?

Whatever their reason, this is one storyline I'm glad to see go. Their constant whining was getting old.

Oddly enough, the suit Joe and Iris give Wally looks identical to the one he wore in the Flashpoint timeline, which is something they can't possibly know about. Did they have Barry draw them a quick sketch from his memories of that timeline, so Cisco could make it?

• A contrite and apologetic Julian shows up at the West Family Xmas Party and is welcomed into the fold. Now that Julian's warming up to the cast, that means he's doomed, right? 

• At the Xmas party, Joe and Cecile have a "nog-off," as they each pit their grandmother's eggnog recipe against the other. When they taste the respective concoctions, they sputter and cough. Joe says, "Damn, that's strong. Our grandmothers are alcoholics.”

By the way, during the party, Cecile gets a call from her daughter, and I'm pretty sure this is the first ever mention of her. Does this mean a new character will be showing up soon?

• Drunk HR, complete with ugly Xmas sweater, was a lot of fun. He approaches Cisco and Caitlin, saying, "Caitlo... Caitlo, Ciscan! OK. Whoo. You got to try the eggnog a holiday concoction done by Joe and his hot girlfriend!"

• Cisco's sad that it's raining on Xmas. Caitlin sees him moping and apparently thinks, "Eh, what the hell. I'll just risk turning into a super villain again by whipping off my dampening bracelets and using my unstable powers to makes some snow for Xmas."

• By far the most unrealistic part of this week's episode wasn't the speedsters, the parallel worlds or the interdimensional scrap metal monster. Nope, it was the idea that Barry could ever possibly afford a vast, luxurious apartment like that. No wonder Iris was upset that all she got him was a wallet!

I don't know what the real estate market is like in Central City, but that looked like it was $5,000 a month if it was a penny. How the hell did Barry afford a place like that? He didn't even have a job until Julian asked him to come back to the CCPD!

Maybe housing's cheap in Central City due to all the supervillain activity, which results in constant property damage?

We know that Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash gave STAR Labs to Barry in Season 1, but… does that mean anything? Is STAR Labs a business? Does it actually produce some sort of product or do anything that turns a profit? I guess it somehow generates enough income to keep the lights on and pay Cisco and Caitlin a living wage.

Does owning STAR Labs mean Barry's rich? If so, why does he still work as a CSI? Why not just devote all his time to being the Flash?

So many questions. And absolutely no answers.