'The Flash' Recap: There Are Things Even Barry Allen Can't Outrun
Warning: This recap contains storyline and character spoilers for this week's episode of The Flash.
The Flash continues to find ways to make its hero vulnerable, and this time, it's not a villain that does it. Barry Allen realizes that he can't outrun the guilt he bears over his mother's death, and many of the characters this week gather the strength to face their pain, rather than run from it.
Can't Outrun the Metaphors
If you're not a fan of comic book stories used as metaphors for life, this episode — ominously titled "Things You Can't Outrun" — will probably grate on you. It begins with Barry's narration telling us that we're all "running from something, running to something," which sets up the episode's theme: The toughest part of helping people is the guilt you feel when you can't save everyone.
Of course, Joe also adds in the guilt of getting it wrong. He goes to Iron Heights prison to talk to Henry Allen, the man he put behind bars. One of the greatest moments of the reconciliation between Henry and Joe is the way Henry handles him admitting he was wrong. "It doesn't matter that you didn't believe in me, because you always believed in my son." Despite what he did to ruin Henry's life, Joe also made sure that Barry was safe, and all of the complexities of their relationship were deftly expressed in that single line.
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Needles and Flashbacks — Did Quentin Tarantino Direct This?
Meanwhile, Kyle Nimbus, aka the Mist, is using his powers (the S.T.A.R. Labs explosion happened as he was being executed at Iron Heights, so now he can turn into hydrogen cyanide) to get revenge on everyone who wronged him. This leads to a marvelously gruesome yet family-friendly scene in which Caitlin has to jab an enormous needle into Barry's chest without anesthetic to get some of the Mist's toxic gas out of his lungs. The CW at 8 p.m. is the last place you'd expect to find a Pulp Fiction reference, but there it is, and it's a fun moment.
We get more flashbacks from the night of the explosion: Cisco still harbors some guilt for his part in the death of Ronnie Raymond, who was also engaged to Caitlin at the time of the explosion. He sacrificed himself to save the lives of everyone at the lab when it blew up, so naturally, Caitlin doesn't like seeing Barry risking his life to save others — though she does come to terms with it by episode's end.
That leads into the third metaphorical tie-in to running: Barry's end narration, in which he says, "Turns out, no one can outrun pain" and "The only way I know to honor my mom's life is to keep running." Narration can be a tricky thing. It's usually ham-fisted, and it often ruins the flow of storytelling. But it fits the throwback vibe of the show, reminiscent of the wordy captions of Golden Age comics.
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All's Wells That Ends Wells
It turns out that Dr. Wells had a video feed to watch Barry as he was struck by lightning because of course he did. The Wells codas are such a delight; they make it so Cavanagh doesn't have to overemphasize the lines that almost certainly refer to his futuristic machinations: "I feel like I've waited for this day for centuries." And "you'd be surprised what you can get used to." Whatever is up his sleeve, it's fun to see him playing the long game.
Hey Wait, Isn't That...
Fans of this week's Flash villain, The Mist, played by the wonderfully creepy Anthony Carrigan, will get a chance to see him on yet another DC show soon; he will also be playing the serial killer Victor Zsasz on Gotham.
What's with the two-timing? Of course, Carrigan has a great supervillain look. Hopefully, if Arrow decides it needs a Lex Luthor, they'll give him a call, and he can do a DC trifecta. Or maybe he'll cross company lines and do Uatu the Watcher for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
[Related: Ex-Superman Brandon Routh Prefers Breaking New Ground on 'Arrow']
He's not the first actor to cross between comic franchises. Sharp-eyed viewers noticed Robin Lord Taylor getting his throat slit on The Walking Dead last week, only to show up one night later in Gotham poisoning his restaurant-robbing compatriots. Apparently, the gaunt and fearful look works in both worlds.
(Might this become a trend? Maybe now that Summer Glau's character on Arrow, Isabel Rochev, is dead, she can bring Golden Glider to The Flash? Or Silver Sable to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Now that Bill Paxton's character is dead on S.H.I.E.L.D., he could do Abra Kadabra for The Flash. Maybe it's possible Gotham has already cast him as Dollmaker? But we digress.)
Are you tired of the ominous Wells scenes at the end of every episode yet? Liking the narration, or already sick of it? What actor from another comic book show do you want to see on this one? Let us know below.
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
