Welcome to the Legion!

the-flash-119-3

Legion contributor Christina Janke is filling this week for your regular reviewer, Shaun Rosado. Follow her on Twitter @IntrotoGeek!

We’re nearing the end of The Flash’s first season, so naturally there would be an episode that brings the calm before the storm. “Who is Harrison Wells?” feels like that kind of episode. It’s kind of a strange title. Clearly they’re not asking us because we already know who Harrison Wells is, or rather, is not. So this must be a question for the characters, who are finally catching up this week.

Joe and Cisco are back on the Harrison Wells case where they decide to reinvestigate the car crash that killed his fiancee 15 years ago. Guess where they crashed? In Starling City. I smell a crossover! Joe enlists Captain Quentin Lance’s help to visit the site of the crash, which turns out to be a tachyon hotspot. Just off the road, Cisco uncovers a buried corpse. Cisco runs to do some tests, leaving Lance and Joe to trade secret on how to deal with their respective daughters. Quite the change of pace considering they’re both cops working in cities protected by a vigilante. You’d think they’d be talking about that instead. Glad they didn’t, though. It mildly touches on Lance’s growth has a father character to Laurel. This might even be the point where Lance starts forgiving his daughter. As for Laurel, seeing her with Cisco really lightens her up. Where is this Laurel in Arrow? Cisco’s fanboy cheeriness is contagious.

the-flash-119-1

Meanwhile, the rest of Team Flash is dealing with a meta-human who can change his appearance after touching someone. He’s been taking on the identities of bank employees and stealing valuables from the banks’ vaults. This naturally leads to a slew of innocent people wrongfully accused of a crime they didn’t commit. What complicates things even more is that the shapeshifter (dubbed “Everyman” by Caitlin) takes on Eddy’s appearance and shoots two cops. Of course, this was all caught on the car’s dash cam. So now Barry and Caitlin have to deal with hiding what they know about Dr. Wells from Dr. Wells, they have to prove Eddy’s innocence, and find a way to catch Everyman.

Shortly after Eddy gets thrown into jail, Barry gets a visit by…um…Eddy at home. The poor dope doesn’t really give it a second thought to how he got out of jail and, therefore, lets his guard down just long enough to get wanged in the head by Imposter-Eddy. Everyman takes on Barry’s appearance (but not his powers), hides the real Barry in a closet, and is about to leave when Caitlin walks in with some news — she may have a way to temporarily stop Everyman’s powers long enough to subdue him. This interaction leads to a hilarious scene at Star Labs where Imposter-Barry puts the moves on Caitlin. And she reciprocates! Shippers across the country squeed in unison.

the-flash-119-2

As soon as we figure out that Everyman can’t copy superpowers, the villain loses his potency from potentially dangerous to just a nuisance. A nuisance that brought us some instantly classic moments from Team Flash. Even Dr. Wells has his laugh out loud moment with Everyman. Say what you will about the guy (villain, liar, murderer, and all-around dick), I’m glad he is around. If I didn’t know any better, Barry saved that throat punch specifically for Imposter-Iris.

The most important moments in the episode happen towards the end. Caitlin sees undeniable proof that the Dr. Wells she knew for years is not who he says he is. This puts her on the same page as everyone else. Almost immediately after that, they discover Well’s hidden room where he keeps his Reverse-Flash suit, the tachyon prototype, and the front page of the newspaper talking about the impending Crisis in 2024.

SIDE NOTES: 

Everyman’s real name is Hannibal. Bates. He should have been arrested by principle alone.

Eddy finally confesses to Iris that he’s working with the Flash. Well…okay. But Iris is definitely now the only main character who doesn’t know about Barry’s double life and that Harrison Wells isn’t really Harrison Wells. Just tell her already. If they do, she might actually go through some real progression and may even start turning into the intrepid reporter comic book readers know her to be.

Cisco makes Laurel an improved Canary Cry device in the form of a choker. When and where did he have the time to make that???

I used to dread Cisco’s character before The Flash premiered. After all, who likes Vibe? But now he’s my favorite character, second only to Poppa Joe West. He’s us if we found ourselves in a world where comic book heroes are suddenly real. I mean, how could you not love this picture (below)?!

the-flash-119-4

 

                     

About author View all posts

Christina E. Janke

Christina is the co-host of “Intro to Geek” on Shauncastic and Editor-in-Chief at Agents of Geek. Her love of all things Mass Effect knows no bounds. She also carries an obsession with comic books, video games, and quirky television shows. Her heroes are Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Gail Simone. She hopes to be just like them when she grows up.