THE FLASH 7.17

 

RECAP - THE FLASH  7.17:  "Heart of the Matter - Part 1" 

Speedsters!  Speedsters!  Speedsters!  We got A LOT as we have reached the season finale, broken up into two parts for your viewing pleasure.  The Godspeed War races on, and Team Flash has been at a lost at how to stop them.  Now, it looks like help has come in the form of our Tornado Twins.  Nora & Bart Allen arrive from 2049 to try and stop the real Godspeed - August Hart - and meet up with their dad.  Now...will THEY be enough to help stem the tide and end this war?  

Before we get things shifted into 2nd gear, we have to jump ahead to Central City in 2049 where XS and Impulse are chasing down Godspeed, who's tearing up the city, but the twins see some weird light show near the Flash Museum.  They're off to try and stop him before he does whatever he has planned, but get to him too late, as he's on the Cosmic Treadmill racing off through time to execute whatever plan he has in his twisted mind.  As much as the twins try to adhere to their father's rules about time travel, and risk it anyway to try and stop Godspeed.  This is how they've wound up in the 21st Century in 2021. This allows them a chance to reconnect with family, as well as getting to know the younger version of Chester.  Eventually, they put their heads together to try and solve away to stop the Godspeeds, and Chester comes up with a device that kills kinetic energy, it just needs Allegra's powers to charge it up.  

Barry takes a little time to get know his kids---especially Nora again, as he's reminded of the alternate version of her, which Nora herself brings up.  But the family reunion is shot lived, as Caitlin warns them that Godspeeds are on the run.  This gives Flash the chance to have XS and Bart to join him in seeing what they can do to stop them.  They get out there, and they see the Godspeeds.  Flash orders them to split up, and let them chase them until they burn out and need to charge...but they all end up chasing Bart.  Flash orders him to circle back, but he says he's going to lead them out of the city.  Flash and XS order him again, but he ends up getting stopped by one of the Godspeeds, and he's surrounded by them.  Flash and XS show up, and the Godspeeds take a powder to go recharge.  Back at STAR Labs, Barry wonders why it is that they only followed Bart, and Bart isn't exactly up to fessing up what he knows, but his dad pressures him, and Bart lashes out that Godspeed is his Thawne.  Bart seems to think that his dad doesn't understand, and Nora urges Bart to go train.  Barry contemplates on this news.

Allegra has been alone, mourning the loss of her cousin Esperanza, and Chester catches up to her, trying to see what she's up to.  He's also informed her of what he's trying to do to get the machie working to try and stop the Godspeeds, and needs her powers to charge it.  She feels that that's what they think of her, so she'll do it, just to get it over it.  

Barry is in the Time Vault mulling over everything, trying to find Wally, but he's off the grid meditating and in some different zone.  Barry isn't sure what to do when Iris appears.  Deon managed to stabilized her, and she's been able to see everything that's gone one with the help of Deon.  They talk about Bart and Godspeed...and feel that the best option is to keep him safe, and that's keeping him OUT of the fight.

We jump over to Central's twin city, Keystone, and we catch up with our old friend Jay Garrick, who's apparently back to his super speed self, and doesn't need his cane anymore.  Joan informs him that his power is back to full, and Jay suits up, knowing that Barry will need his help soon.  Joan warns Jay to keep his hat on.  She leaves, and as Jay goes to head out to meet up with Bary, the Godspeeds take him out, and caputure him. They need him for their plan.  

Bart trains, but Nora feels he's hot dogging it, and not taking it seriously.  They then get to reunite with their mother as Barry & Iris arrive.  Barry & Iris tell Bart that because Godspeed has made this fight personal due to him, they want him to stay on the sidelines until this is over.  Bart, however, gets angry and bails.  Nora says she'll handle it.  She arrives at the West household, and she tries to get Bart to understand where their parents are coming from.  But Bart says that Godspeed killed "Uncle Jay"....right in front of him.  Jay had been the one to truly understand Bart, and losing him was hard for Bart.  Nora understands, and asks him what would Jay say and do?  Bart understands what she's saying. Nora says she promises to take down Godspeed for the both of them. When she and Flash meet up with the Godspeeds, they fire the machine Chester created, but Flash charged up.  Turns out that all it did was charge the Godspeeds up.  Because it was charged with kinetic energy, it gave off that same energy.  So their inital plan failed. 

Cecile, Caitlin, and August are working together to jog his memory, and they take him to see the Cosmic Treadmill, but he's still not getting anything solid.  He gets a brief memory, but he can't hold onto it.  He wonders if he'll ever get his memory back, and Cecile and Caitlin wonder the same thing. 

Joe and Kristin finish giving their statements about Creyke to the police in Midway City before they leave to go home to Central City to try and reconnect with Cecile and the CCPD.  She coveniently left out the part where Creyke said she was dead to the police in Midway, and Kristin said she won't think more of it....he took enough from her. As they arrive back in Central City, they see a line of cars heading out of town, as the Godspeeds continue their war.  They eventaully land on Joe and Kristin's car...and they go after the two. 

Allegra is struggling to power the device for Chester, and when he catches up to her, he notices she hasn't charged it all the way.  Part of the reason is that she is using ultraviolet rays instead of her augmented powers.  Chester realizes that her powers wane in times of emotional distress.  Chester prods her, and she admits that Esperanza is dead.  She feels guilty that she let her only family down.  She feels like a failure because not only did she not help her cousin, but now she can't power the machine because her powers aren't working right, and the city is going to suffer.  

Barry and Iris talk about how being parents this time is a lot harder.  He also feels that their family is cursed.  Tragedy seems to follow them around.  Iris knows they have had hard times, but she doesn't think he really believes that. They both know that Bart is the key to it all.  Chunk then alerts them that Godspeed has left a message for Team Flash:  Bring the "Adversary"  (their name for Bart) to them, or they'll kill Jay Garrick...the one he loves. 

Bart goes out to to rescue Jay, and is immediately trapped by the Godspeeds at a church.  Flash and XS arrive, to listen, then see, Bart being attacked by the Godspeeds, and eventually they see him being drained of his power by the Godspeeds.  Jay has already been weakened.  They stop the attack on Bart when Flash vibrates through one of them.  He catches Bart, but he's been really hurt.  The Godspeeds surround the speedsters, but Cisco arrives in time to freeze them in place.  They won't hold long, but it's enough for both Flashes and XS get Bart back to STAR Labs, but he's in something of a coma.  What reserve speed he has is what's keeping him alive.  

Barry realizes that whatever drove August Hart to go to the Flash Museum in 2049 is locked inside his head, and they have to get that info.  So, using Jay's Mental Collider, Barry enters Hart's mind to try and discover the reason why Godspeed travelled back to 2021.  When Barry enters his mind, he's back at the church.  He's called into the building by Godspeed, and there he confronts the real August Hart...who is all to pleased that Flash found him.  And now he's ready to tell the Flash his master plan. 

This was, without a doubt, THE best episode of ALL of Season 7.  The stakes were high, there was drama and tension, and we got guest stars galore!  To see the return of Jay Garrick was one of the best surprises of the year, and I had figured that when they talked about the Godspeeds being Bart's "Thawne"....it was because the one they killed in the future was Jay.  Of course, that's from the fact that Jay was Bart's mentor in the comics.  We see that Bart doesn't quite have a tight relationship with his dad...and it seems like he's much closer to Jay from the impression we're given....though he IS happy to see Iris when she returns.  So, it seems that there will be some work to get Barry and Bart on the same page, and to build a father/son relationship.   Bart certainly does live up to all the tropes that come with Impulse as a character.  Jordan Fisher embodies the role so well.  

Allegra feels lost and useless after the death of her cousin...feeling she let her down, and now not being able to use her power to save the city.  It's going to be on Chunk to pull Allegra from this depression stouper to get her act together.  It's the one story they need to get over with, and move her on.  She can have time to mourn, but if there's no city left to mourn in...what's the point.  

I'm glad we got SOME idea about Wally---and why HIS absence has been a glaring problem with this storyline.  I'm honestly STILL not really going to be satisfied if we go into Part 2 next week, and there's STILL no Wally.  It's a let down.  If we can have Jay Garrick....we can have Wally West.  All there is to it.  If this is the Speedster Family...then they need a part of that family there...and that's Wally.

I am HONESTLY hoping that now that Creyke is in custody, that we can move on from Kristin Kramer's issues, and focus on her and Joe doing the cop thing to help save the city.  It's time to see what kind of leader of this department is going to be.  Because I have a feeling that Joe is NOT going to take his job back, and is going to be quite content to play stay-at-home dad.  And whatever issues she has with metas, she needs to put them in the rearview mirror.  Metas AREN'T going away, and she'll have to deal with that.  Plus...what if SHE is a meta?  Time to put that prejudice aside.  

It's been sad that it's taken all season to get an actual captivating episode.  This season has NOT been my favorite, and it's given me that ominous feeling that this show is close to running its last mile.  I know we'll have a Season 8, but will that be the final race for this show?  All I know is that this season has been flat.  COVID issues aside, they've had ample time to make this season worth watching....and it's just kind of been stuck in cruise control, and hasn't hit high gear until now.  I'm all for short arcs, but when the arcs meander along, and are---let's face it---boring....not doing yourself as showrunners OR your audience any favors.  So...hopefuly...they end on a high note next week, and they have time to REALLY plot something good for next season.  

So...you guys on board with me in that assessment?  Do YOU think this show has hit the wall?  Or do you feel they have one more race in them?  Subscribe and let me know how YOU feel....as well as what YOU thought of this episode.

One more lap for Season 7 to go....so, until then.....Keep on running!