This week's Flash episode was great!

[Hector]

This blogger let's that Flash episode have it...

"Last night The Flash was just nonsense"

"It's at that moment that Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) reveals to the team that once upon a time ago Jay Garrick revealed to her his name was actually Hunter Zolomon. Wells is shocked — shocked, I tell you! — to hear that name. Why? Because Earth 2 Zolomon is a serial killer who, in the midst of his barbaric electroshock therapies, was ensorceled by Wells' own metahuman-making experiment and turned into a speedster. So it has taken this long for Wells to recall the fact that a) there was another as yet unaccounted for speedster roaming Earth 2 and b) that he's a dead ringer for actor Teddy Sears."

"Bang, out pops a Zoom. The footrace is on, leading the evildoer into a cunning trap which is ... wait for it ... cardboard cutouts of his dead parents rigged, shooting gallery style, to pop out at just the right moment for the Flash to get a few punches in before shooting him with the ole' metahuman leg iron and locking him in place."

"Also, Iris is in love with the Flash now. Why? Because it looked like so much fun to make out with her adopted brother during her visit to Earth 2. Really."

http://www.polygon.com/2016/4/20/11466878/last-night-the-flash-was-just-nonsense

P.S. It was still better than that horrendous Supergirl season finale though...

[Hector]

Oh, I just realized Barry and Iris have no adoptive sibling connection on Earth 2, so it's all good...no grossness factor, ha...

[Hector]

From the very beginning, never really liked Iris, don't get me wrong, I think she's hot, she looked great in that skimpy red dress...but her character has always been whiny and annoying (she has eased up on that a bit lately though)...and as Chris pointed out...Barry and her googling eyeing each other is gross, borderline incestuous...they were raised as brother and sister...I don't know who was the genius who wrote that particular part...I hope they drop it...too late for their Earth 2 counterparts though...as they are already married there, ewwww, lol...

[The Toyroom]

I'm still thinking Johnny Quick has to come into play somewhere in all of this….his magic formula on Barry's equation board, the mute (?) man in the iron mask…

Plus, I'm still confused…was there EVER an Earth-1 Hunter Zolomon sitting on the park bench (Hey, Aqualung!) or was it the "time remnant"? Is a time remnant like the sliver of time that the Time Trapper used from the main post-Crisis timeline to create his Pocket Universe that the Legion travelled to to meet Superboy all those years as seen in Byrne's run on "Superman"?

Why WASN'T Barry's trip to see Supergirl referenced? If Barry could make the trip there why did he need Cisco to open a portal to Earth-2? I swear even by comic book standards the "science" displayed on this show sometimes is simply wonky.

[palitoy]

And yes, the return of Barry/Iris...ugh. I like Iris now. They saved her from Lana Lang/Smallville syndrome. But it's just...icky. And it has nothing to do with casting a black actress, etc. It's that we're constantly reminded Barry is practically her brother. Ewww.

My joke to the family when Barry began talking to Iris about her love life was "This is when the Flash gets slow". I tend to play with my phone during those parts.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I was disappointed the show did this big heel turn again. We did the "Barry's mentor secretly wants to kill him" thing last year.

Thank you. I left that out of my mini-rant. This show is better than that.

The "Jay is REALLY evil" thing just doesn't work. I think if you go back and watch the early episodes from this season, it's going to fall apart. It's as convoluted as Lex's long-term, non-sensical plan from BvS. Thawne as Wells worked last year, in an almost Sixth Sense-like way. This just stunk of BS.

I'm hoping they pull out a heck of a double-ringer on this one, and all is explained. Somehow, I don't think so.

And yes, the return of Barry/Iris...ugh. I like Iris now. They saved her from Lana Lang/Smallville syndrome. But it's just...icky. And it has nothing to do with casting a black actress, etc. It's that we're constantly reminded Barry is practically her brother. Ewww.

Chris

[sprytel]

The part that got me was: Cisco vibes open the portal and Zoom comes through. But then he leaves the barn door open so Zoom can go steal Wally and take him back to Earth-2?

And the logic was just baffling...

Ok, Hunter was made evil from an incident in his childhood that led to him becoming a supervillain. Clearly, Barry is going to travel back in time to stop Hunter's mom from being murdered, thus changing the "origin story of Zoom". That would be a neat parallel with his own origin story with the Reverse Flash... Nope.

So he uses his family history to catch him off guard. Surely, he won't sit around and monologue until Zoom can escape... Nope.

Ok, well he is making a deal to exchange his speed force. But we already know the Velocity 9 is killing Zoom. I bet he pretends to give him his speed force, but really gives him a super dose of Velocity 9. Zoom thinks it is Flash's speed, but really he has been poisoned to death... Nope.

Oh, and to top it all off: the Iris and Barry thing! It has always been uninteresting at best, and pseudo-incestuous at worst. I was so glad they had finally moved on. We saw Barry with Patty and it was a million times better. Iris (who I am still not a huge fan of) has been way more interesting since she has moved from love interest to one of the gang. And then, almost out of nowhere, we get that crappy "I'm secretly in love with Barry" confession. Gah.

That episode was just full of bad writing!

[johnnystorm]

I agree Barry needs to win decisively more often. And on his own, without team effort all the time. He's supposed to be a highly educated forensic scientist.

Speaking of highly educated...so everyone on E2 knows something about serial killer Hunter Zolomon, Wells can pull up his wikipedia page ir whatever, AND NOBODY RECOGNIZES HIM AS JAY GARRICK??!!?. There was a freakin' statue of him on E2! REALLY!?! And then they all sit around with Zoom chatting about his plan. Surprised they didn't get more pizza. And the speed stealing which doesn't even sound plausible...it's like a liquid you can siphon off and inject? Really? My car battery is bigger!


And now we see that Jay's whole Golden Age Flash outfit was his Dad's Army uniform? Really? Way to ruin the classic helmet.
Time revenent? What? Bogus science makes no sense.
Caitlyn never told anyone about Jay's doppleganger?
52 possible breaches and Cisco opens the one in Zoom's office?

So hoping the Iron Mask is the real Jay and he becomes the positive mentor Barry has in the comics. But I'm afraid we'll get Wally2 or Henry Flash and then next year another Earth's Jay, thereby giving usva season of angst and mistrust similar to what we have with E2 Wells this year.

This was the worst episode all season. The problem with dragging out the plotlines and then trying to wrap it all up for the finale. They should just do a villain of the week for awhile, and less of this epic saga stuff. Or do two stories without interruption/filler episodes, one story run & done per each 1/2 of the season. And cut down the cast to necessary people only. 80s Flash was him & Tina. The current DC shows have a cast of hundreds.

[palitoy]

I was disappointed the show did this big heel turn again. We did the "Barry's mentor secretly wants to kill him" thing last year.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yeah, I was thinking it may be Shipp. He doesn't look big enough, but then Zoom looked bigger than Teddy Sears, so...

Shipp has been VERY absent from this season. Honestly, I wish Zoom had been revealed to be the Earth-2 Henry Allen. Sigh.

Chris

[knight errant00]

I'm hoping Zoom was lying, at least partially. If they've really screwed the character of Jay Garrick over like this...well, EARTH 2 Chris isn't going to be too happy.

I hope so, too. But given the ep started with a flashback, and not Zoom/Zolomon narrating, I'm tending to think they've sacrificed E2 Flash for a shock reveal. Earth-Prime Knight isn't happy either.

Here's hoping the "Man in the Iron Mask" sheds some positive light on the character.

Sadly, I'm not hopeful for Jay here, either. Except . . . I did have a realization that we've seen everything from Barry's crossing the dimensional rift visions except for . . .

1990 Flash . . .

Could the man in the iron mask be John Wesley Shipp, as Barry or Henry or some other alternate-world Flash? We've already seen this world has its own Tina McGee. Maybe, especially given Zoom's speech on it, he'll come in and in the end take on the E2 Flash costume to restore hope to that world?

[Earth 2 Chris]

I still love this show, but I'm really starting to dislike the fact that Barry screws up every single time he tries something. He needs a win every once in a while.

I'm hoping Zoom was lying, at least partially. If they've really screwed the character of Jay Garrick over like this...well, EARTH 2 Chris isn't going to be too happy.

Here's hoping the "Man in the Iron Mask" sheds some positive light on the character.

Chris

[MIB41]

I found it hard to believe Wells would flat out give away Barry's speed without some kind of wrinkle in that equation. There was a bit too much angst there on his part and waaaaaaay too much trust on Zoom's part. And yeah I have to agree with you Hector. Barry seems a tad too impulsive to muck things up with this very broad sense of responsibility that doesn't really hold any salt to each of these situations. I realize they're trying to build this hero sensibility in him, but he seems to sacrifice his family on some often misguided ideals that serve to do everyone around him more harm than good. If ever there was a guy who should wear a shirt that says, " Let it go" it's Barry.

[Hector]

No one talking about Flash anymore?

There goes Barry again, not listening to Wells, lol.

However, great episode, very intense...Zoom is one great villain.

Thoughts?

[johnnystorm]

In the comics, Barry mucking about in the timestream caused the whole New52 Flashpoint things, so...would have been funny if he returned on the show and everyone was wearing shirts with those goofy Jim Lee nu52 collars.
And why is Barry handing out romance advice? He did SO well with Patty (miss her she was a hottie!).