Thursday 19 March 2015

Revelations - The Flash 'Out of Time' Review


Wow, what an episode.  Not only do we get the introduction of yet another of the Flash's Rogues Gallery but we also get some massive revelations about the villainous Harrison Wells and something that is sure to change The Flash, and possibly the whole of the Arrow-verse, forever.

Despite a weak start to the episode, focusing yet again on the awkward love triangle between Barry and Iris (possibly one of the weakest aspects of the whole show) things quickly stepped up a gear when the new Weather Wizard showed up on the scene.

Whilst at this point in the show Marton's main characterisation is that he wants revenge against Joe West and hasn't really been given any room to be fleshed out or have any depth his abilities do make a spectacular addition to the growing Rogues Gallery.  The scene where he stored the police station was pretty damn spectacular, and the final scenes where he produced a giant tsunami to destroy Central City goes on to show just what kind of a power house threat he has the ability to be.

The best parts of the episode though have to be the scenes involving Harrison Wells proved to be the most satisfying and nerve wracking of the whole thing.  The audience has been in on Wells' secret for a while now, that he is the villainous Reverse Flash, but if anything that has given us more questions about the character then answers.

The number of theories ans fan speculation surrounding Wells has been rife for weeks, some of which have turned out to be pretty close to the truth and some that were way off.  I've seen the theory that he's an older Barry from the future trapped in the past, that he's Zolomon Hunter and that he's a god Reverse Flash travelled back to help Barry Fight the Eobard Thawne version.  I'd even read the theory that he was the New God Metron.

As it turns out Harrison Wells is infact Eobard Thawne, a speedster from some point in the distant future who became trapped in our era after the events that led to Nora Allen's death.  It would also appear that despite appearing to be helping Barry to become a better, faster Flash he's been doing this as a means to an end, to somehow use Barry's increased speed to return to his own era.

Not only were these revelations amazing to hear, to finally have some of our questions answered, but they came in what is probably the most intense and emotionally fueled scene the show has given us, where Cisco is clearly aware that Wells is going to kill him for finding out his secret.  Despite some strong feelings that Cisco is not gone for good the scene was still shocking and powerful, especially when Wells delivers the chilling line 'to me you've been dead for centuries' as he delivers a killing blow to the young man he'd just describes as being like a son to him.

Even after this massive revelation, after Barry reveals his identity as the Flash to Iris and a tsunami races towards Central City the show manages to throw even more spectacular moments our way as Barry manages to run so fast that he travels backwards in time to an earlier point in the same episode.

We've known time travel was coming for a while now, but it's still amazing to see it finally happen.  It also offers the show runners some interesting new directions to take the series.  I'm expecting them to have Barry change the events of 'Out of Time', to have him save Captain Singh, to stop Marton before his plans go as far as they did the first time round, and I'm sure one of the knock on effects of that will be to undo the death of Cisco.

This gives the writers the chance to have their big reveal, to kill off a main character and quickly undo it, giving the audience that experience without having to change the status quo.  The biggest drawback from this, however, is that it could make the events from the end of 'Out of Time' feel throw away and cheap.  Hopefully they have the foresight to expect criticism for using time travel as a cheat and will instead use it to take the series in some exciting and even more amazing directions.

Amy.
xx

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