THE FLASH 7.3

RECAP - THE FLASH  7.3:  "Mother"  

It was an emotional rollercoaster ride for Team Flash this past season, that carried over into this season, as Eva McCulloch has terrorized Central City and Barry Allen's life....all the while Barry has lost his speed...got it back, and then lost it again after he pulled Iris from the Mirrorverse.  Now, Eva is ready to spring her master plan, and Team Flash is without a Flash---and time is running out.  

Things are bad as Cisco wakes up in the aftermath of his battle with Barry, where he, Frost, and Allegra were taken out by an emotionless Flash.  As Barry is frantic to save Iris, Cisco and the team prepare to take out Barry again, but realizes that the Artificial Speed Force has been shut down, and that Barry is desperate.  They get Iris checked out and she's stable....for now.  However, they also ask Barry how he's doing.  Barry, as usual, blames himself and feels the weight of guilt placed upon him again.  However, the team rallies around him, saying that they shoulder the blame, because they're a team.  They WILL figure out a way to save Iris...and rescue Singh and Kamilla.  Cisco says they have an idea on how to fix the Artificial Speed Force, but Barry says he's done with it.  It's done more harm than good, and he's done being The Flash.  

The CCPD got massively flooded with calls, as people calling about their loved ones being "different".  Joe is then approached by the Dearbon's, who ask him to arrest Sue....as it's the only way to save her. An officer pulls Joe aside, and once out of the Dearbon's sight, she reveals herself to be Sue, who said that those people are NOT her parents.  Joe believes her, and she came back because she and Ralph were still trying to find a way to clear her name.  They almost got attacked by Eva's mirror hands.  

Eva is grabbing the citizens of Central City (and beyond), through EVERY reflective surface and replacing them with mirror dulplicates...her "children", that will make the world in her own image.  Barry tells the team to call Joe, and have him inform the Mayor to call for a State of Emergency, and shut down the grid.  They do as many lockdowns of STAR Labs as they can.  Barry sits alone...moping, wishing he could save everyone.  He then starts hearing voices as he looks at a closed window.  Eva appears.  She says that the only way Iris can be saved is if everyone goes into the Mirrorverse...she then spends this time to goad Barry about what exactly has he done as The Flash to make the world better?  She has a plan to take all humans out of the world, and stick them into the Mirrorverse.  She says she is offering him mercy.  She then takes off to continue her master plan.  The team is ready to get the Artificial Speed Force going again, and take down Eva, but Barry appears and says they can't win.  

Barry continues to mope when a shrouded stranger appears....Harrison Wells.  Barry is stunned to see him, and Wells explains on how he got there---through the other Wells.  Wells reminds Barry that HE is the Paragon of Love....and tells Barry to run towards love.  Barry's not sure what he means, but he goes to ponder it as he checks in on Iris.  Meanwhile, the rest of the team meets the original Harrison Wells for the first time.  

As Eva continues carrying out her agenda, Joe and Cecile are trapped in Barry's lab, as the officer who got replaced from last episode is going after them.  Joe manages to get Cecile into the vent, and stays behind to take on the duplicate officer.  Back at STAR Labs, Ralph and Sue arrive, as they were caught in a bomb blast at McCulloch where Ralph found evidence to clear Sue.  But Ralph gets massively burned and is melting a bit.  He goes to get care from Caitlin and Allegra.  

Barry is with Iris, begging her to come back to him.  He goes to touch her hand, and he feels a spark....the same spark Iris felt when she touched Barry when he was in a coma.  It turns out that she responds and looks at him.  Barry then meets up with the team, and says that the Speed Force is still in Iris.  It's his and Iris' love for each other that can power the machine...she still has residual Speed Force in her.  

Eva's continuing her assault on Central City, and Joe comes face to face with the mirror cop, only to have Cecile reappear....or, rather, her mirror duplicate.  She says the only way to save Cecile...is to enter the Mirrorverse.  Joe is prepared to do that.  As the team has reconfigured the Artificial Speed Force, Iris awakes, and says that the city needs The Flash, and attatches herself to the sphere....powering it up.  Barry takes off as Iris continues to power the machine....with him remembering all that he loves and has....and uses that as his focus.  The machine is powered up and Barry gets hit with the energy....thus getting his powers back.  Flash, Cisco, and Frost join the fight against Eva, but she's still very powerful, and still faster than Flash.  They soon are about to fall to the numbers game when Iris appears.  She tries to reason with Eva, but Eva seems committed to her cause.  She tries to reason with Eva that for what Eva wants to do---make a better world---she's using duplicates filled with hate...and for her to see what they're doing to people.  Eva then sees what Iris means, and tries to reign in her "children" but they're too strong.  But Iris joins her with Flash...and together they destroy the mirror duplicates, and Eva ends the threat.  At this juncture, Singh AND Kamilla have been returned to Earth, and all is right with the world.  Eva realizes that she has a chance to make a better world....in the Mirrorverse.  She will build that world right.  Flash and Iris wish her luck, and she disappears into the Mirrorverse. 

Harrison Wells bids farewell to Team Flash...as he now can traverse time, and decides to relive the moments he had with his wife...and after another awkward Cisco/Wells moment...Harrison is gone.  Ralph is in a suit until he can recover from his injuries.  Caitlin asks Sue if she wants to join Team Flash, but she says that her and Ralph still have Black Hole to take down, so they're off on their own adventures.  

At the end of the episode, we flash back to 18 hours earlier, when Iris was powering the Speed Force...and we see this lightning hit the sky, and fracture off into different directions...each one a slightly different color....and thus the new threat begins.

I have to admit....they definitely sped things up in this episode to get to the finish line of this story.  We got Eva coined as the Mirror Monarch this episode, and Flash got his powers back.  Caitlin/Frost are back at full strength, Cisco had his toys, and---of all people---it was IRIS who ended up REALLY saving the day---by appealing to Eva's sense of humanity.  Plus, with her having the residual Speed Force energy, it powered Barry back up.  Harkening back to Barry being the Paragon of Love from CRISIS helped fuel his return.  

It was great to get a Ralph & Sue to appear!  And glad that Sue got her name cleared.  And it also showed us fans that the showrunners felt that the couldn't kill off Ralph.  So, the possibilities are open to having him return...and with his injuries, a different face won't be a shocker.  And I loved Iris' comment about them making a great team.  To ME....THIS is where the CW can go with a new show.  Elongated Man lends himself to some crazy adventures...it's a thought.  

Kind of sad that the original Harrison Wells was only around long enough to help Barry get back in the game, and help Team Flash save the day.  And he gets some closure as well.  It brings the Wells story full circle.  I'm still of the theory that when we get an actual physical manifestation of the Speed Force....it will be a Wells.  But I think his story is done.  It was sweet to see Allegra go up to Harrison, thinking he was Nash...but Harrison DID let her know that Nash thought highly of her.  

Eva got some redemption at the end here...not sad about that.  Once Iris showed her the folly of her plan, she realized that this isn't the path to peace....to a better world.  This mirror Eva is still trying to find her humanity a little.  And it's been Iris through this whole arc that has been Eva's biggest weakness....because Iris saw right through Eva's facade....and knew Eva's heart---that she hadn't moved on from Carver.  But we'll see whether or not the Mirror Monarch returns some day...and whether or not she's made HER world a better place.

Okay....the different colored lightning that shot out from the sky when Iris powered Barry back up----I wonder if part of that went to Wally?  See, Wally was just as connected to the Speed Force as was Barry.  Could Wally have gotten HIS power back?  We KNOW Godspeed is coming.  But whom else has been hit by this lightning?  Our answers WILL come soon.  

I know like it seemed very rushed this episode...and perhaps it was---but considering they needed to wrap this arc up, so they could get to the next story, they had to speed things along.  Either way, it's better than having it drag on another 1 or 2 episodes.  This felt right, and we can begin a new chapter for Team Flash.  What were YOUR favorite parts of this story arc ending?  Subscribe and comment below.  

Unitl next time...Keep on Running.