THE FLASH 8.19

 

RECAP - THE FLASH  8.19:  "Negative - Part 1"  

Well, we have reached the penultimate episode of Season 8...which, I gotta say, has been something of a mixed bag for me.  Been nice to see some old villains pop up, and see the Allen kids have an adventure of their own.  But with more departures coming (Jesse L. Martin), and---quite possibly---Danielle Panabaker, it leaves Team Flash in a state of flux, and with Iris having to sit on the sidelines most of the season (thanks Eric Wallace, you imbecile), this season...much like Season 7...had a bit more disappointment than excitement.  Well...we DID finally get Barry into the gold boots, and he's probably at his most powerful at the moment.  But it seems that others have gotten more powerful too, such as A

Allegra AND Cecile.  Meanwhile, Joe has embraced retirement, and has really settled into that Ward Cleaver role, where he's just there to offer advice to everyone, but not really DO anything, since Martin's workload has decreased what with his impending departure.  As for Panabaker, I am not sure what her role will be coming up, but we have SOMETHING brewing with her and Mark as they try to get Frost back.  

This episode, however, gave us the evil versions of the Forces, who've been playing havoc with everything...mostly Dion.  He played Flash for awhile now, and in this episode, we finally get the reasons as to WHY they're here, and why Flash has to die at their hands.  But before things get rolling, Dion has paid a visit to Eobard Thawne on Lian Yu.  Dion says Thawne's time to fulfill his destiny is now, and all Thawne wants back is his speed.  Dion says he'll get what he deserves...and then kills him.  This prompts the Scarlet Speedster to investigate, and he discovers Thawne's body.  He's not sure the endgame yet, but the team is now on high alert.  

Meanwhile, the Allen kids are gaming in 2049 when they get a message from Iris, only to have the message vanish, and the Iris-West Allen from 2022 appears in the flesh.  The kids then take her to Joan Garrick in 2049, and they see that her condition is worsening.  She's slipping through time, and she's getting images of the future, including Flash's fight with the Forces.  Back in 2022, Flash is trying to train Meena more, but she's pushing herself too hard.  When she gets frustrated, she bolts.  Flash goes after her, and tells her that she CAN be a hero.  She never wanted to be, she just wanted to help others, and Flash tells her that she can do it...and reveals that he's Barry Allen to her, and say that the suit she has is an opportunity to rise up and be a hero.  She decides she can do this, and he even gives her the superhero name of Fast Track.  So, with her set to go, they start to plan on how they can stop the Forces.  It turns out that THESE forces are connected to the Negative Speed Force, and when Barry cut Thawne off from the Negative Speed Force, that meant that the Negative Nora was gone.  The remaining three are tired of being nobodies, and will kill their counterparts soon as they kill the Flash.  

While Team Flash prepares for battle, Cecile reveals to Joe she went on hero patrol the other night, and discovered that her powers had augmented.  That brought Rosa Dillon to the West home, as she had been following Cecile.  Turns out, Cecile stole her powers, and Dillon wants them back.  But Cecile doesn't know how to return them.  So, it seems that they need some assistance from an old foe in Iron Heights:  Mona Taylor.  Mona tries to read Cecile's thought to get an idea of how she stole Rosa's vertigo powers, but Cecile ends up stealing Mona's as well.  From what Rosa understands, Cecile is becoming, arguably, the most powerful meta..psychically...in the world.  

The Allen kids are desperate to try and save their mother, but Joan says that the images are getting more intense, and Iris has very little time left.  Nora orders Bart to stay with Iris, and she heads back to 2022 to get help from their father.  She explains what's going on with Iris, He tells her to go back, and be with her until he stops the Negative Forces. It's the only way to save her, since they infected the other Forces, and now Iris.  Nora departs, and Flash then turns to Meena and Thawne for help.  Thawne was willing to give up his dream to save Meena, and because he loves her.  So, Flash has an idea---to use Meena's machine to transfer speed into Thawne, and he'll help stop the Forces.  So, they managed to get that, and Flash gives him the evil Thawne's old Reverse-Flash suit.  They head out to stop the Forces, and the fight is on.  The Forces hold their own against Team Flash.  But Flash himself gets ready to throw a massive lightning strike at the evil trio, as forward in 2049, Iris sees that vision, and realizes that the endgame...the sacrifice...wasn't Thawne---it was her all long  And as the lightning bolt gets closer to Dion, he zaps Iris into 2022, and she's in the path of the lightning blasts.  She's hit, and it's a fatal strike.  Iris dies in Barry's arms, as Negative Dion says that sacrifices had to be made.  Iris dissipates into green energy, and it flows into Thawne.  In massive pain, he starts peeling away at his face and flesh....pulling it apart to reveal the original Eobard Thawne...who's been resurrected thanks to Iris' sacrifice.  Meena has lost HER Thawne, and now they must face not only the Negative Forces...but their avatar as well:  the Reverse-Flash.  

And while all this mayhem is going down...Mark Blaine was STILL trying to convince Caitlin to come back and finish what they started:  to resurrect Frost, by using the Chamber he built.  Caitlin does arrive, saying that she just can't let go.  And they'll keep trying if they have to, even if Barry finds out about their work, and destroys it.  

This episode DID set up for the finale, and now...as expected....Eobard got his speed back.  The fact is:  it's the cycle that HAS to be kept in play in Flash history:  Barry vs. Thawne.  And now, it looks like yet another battle is prepared between the two enemies.  Will this be a FINAL battle?  Or will this be a letdown?  With Iris dead, Barry's going to be pissed off something fierce....so, revenge is going to be on his mind.  So, the stakes are high.  And while this will be personal, there's also the other 3 Forces to deal with....and where are the NORMAL Forces?  And while we can expect the Allen kids to help, Meena's assistance, and Jay Garrick...the one thing that CONTINUES to piss me off about Eric Wallace's direction with this show the last few seasons, is the lack of Wally West.  Even in GUEST appearances, Barry could use Kid Flash's help right now.  And HIS lack of presence is sorely felt on this show.  Also....with Caitlin going rogue with Mark on this Frost resurrection, I feel that this is the "heel turn" for Caitlin and something's going to go wrong.  And at times like this, is where I WISH Cisco was here...because HE would be the only one that could have that calming effect on Caitlin....but without HIM there, this is going to end BADLY.  

Finally...my BIGGEST gripe is the fact that Iris WHOLE entire arc this season flat out SUCKED...and her death just....didn't seem as BIG...as intense emotionally or epic in any fashion.  It's like the writers rushed through it just to get to the Thawne reveal.  This is the Flash's WIFE...and next to the hero himself...SHE is the most important character.  To have Candice Patton sideline sit through a good chunk of this season is an insult to Flash fans, and has really showed me that this show is really nearing the finish line, and Season 9 should be the last....because they're literally grasping at straws for stories, and they're taking a lot from the comics...which is fine to an extent, but they've also relied on it too much.  I get that the show centers around a guy who is the Fastest Man Alive...but that doesn't mean the WRITING has to feel that way....and more often than not the last couple of seasons...it's felt that way.  

So...how did YOU all like the episode?  Subscribe and leave me YOUR thoughts below....

Until the season finale....keep on running!