Zoom runs wild on Earth-1
What They Say:
Back on Earth-1, Zoom is intent on taking over Central City; Barry and Wells devise a dangerous plan to stop Zoom for good; Barry reaches out to both fathers for advice.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
If we thought that Deathstroke was the most badass villain in a superhero TV show then we were wrong…VERY wrong. Zoom makes Deathstroke look like (insert lame villain here). Who’s bad? Zoom is bad! And we got a look at just how evil and how deranged Zoom is in what was certainly the darkest episode in series thus far.
To help combat crime, Barry and Cisco are using a hologram device to project Barry around Central City to deter criminals. While it has the desired effect, Wells knows this is a short term solution. He pushes Barry to go through with his plan to duplicate the particle accelerator accident to try and give Barry back his powers. Barry is indecisive and reaches out to his dad, Henry (John Wesley Shipp). Henry uses the predicament to make his return with Barry to Central City. And interesting little subplot is revealed when Barry relates to his dad that Jay Garrick is Zoom. Henry mentions that Garrick was his mother’s maiden name. Interesting.
Cisco has a vibe about his brother Dante and goes to meet him. Their reunion is short-lived as they are attacked by Rupture, Dante’s doppelganger from Earth-2. Rupture is out for revenge against Cisco whom he believes killed his own Earth-2 brother, Reverb. Zoom sends Rupture to threaten the Central City police but when he is captured, Zoom arrives and kills several cops as well as Rupture. Barry agrees with Wells’ plan to try and get back his powers but in the attempt, Barry is seemingly disintegrated while Jessie and Wally are caught in an energy blast.
Well, of course, you need only watch next week’s preview to see that Barry is alive and well and apparently on yet another alternate world. From this brief preview, it seems that Joe is not exactly friendly towards Barry so I am guessing this is Earth-3, a kind of backwards history Earth ruled by a criminal gang of supervillains called the Crime Syndicate of America.
A lot to take in this week, for sure! While there have been deaths in the show, the bright tone of the show was stomped on and kicked into a mud puddle. Zoom is complete homicidal maniac and Barry does the only thing he can by agreeing to try and get his powers back. The attempt is obviously going to have several unexpected consequences. Not only is Barry off on another world but Jesse and Wally getting caught in the blast of energy will undoubtedly lead them to become speedsters Jesse Quick and Kid Flash (or Impulse or whatever they choose to call him).
One of the other interesting notes touched upon this week was Wells hinting that the city has far more meta-humans than they believed, even more than Earth-2. So what they are telling us is we are going to see a lot more super-powered characters.
There were several emotionally charged scenes between Wells and Henry Allen. Wells was clearly a bit envious of Henry as he has grown attached to Barry and saw himself as a father figure. The pair also sparred over Wells’ plan as Henry was completely against the risky attempt to restore Barry’s powers. We also saw Caitlin have her potential dark side thrown in her face by Zoom. There wasn’t much NOT to like about Rupture
In Summary
Perhaps the darkest episode yet of the Flash as we see what Zoom is capable of when he wants to make a point.
Grade: A
