The Flash Season 2 Episode 21 Review: The Runaway Dinosaur
Carissa Pavlica
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I will never grow tired of Grant Gustin's eyes filled with tears. One could get lost in those eyes.
Barry's eyes were welled up a lot on The Flash Season 2 Episode 21 because the speed force itself thought Barry would be more comfortable communicating with his loved ones than unknown faces.
Why were they communicating? I guess that's the only way he could get become one with the force again. No matter. It worked.
Of course it worked, because Grant Gustin is an emotional marvel.
There wasn't any doubt he'd make every moment with each of his loved ones (or their speed force counterparts) inside the speed force count for Barry.
I'm not even 100% sure what Barry was in there to learn.
To give himself a break, accept the tragedies of his past made him the beautiful person he is today and all of that history and the lessons learned as a result of suffering through it and surviving, being a strong and good man, is why the speed force chose him to be The Flash.
I think.
At the beginning of The Flash Season 2, he was defining himself by his decision not to save his mother. It was one he didn't make on his own, but with the help of another version of himself from another timeline.
He played a good game and put up a good front, but at the end of the day, he's still just a boy who lost his mom struggling with the fact he let her die twice. But he appears to be in a better place after his trip into the speed force.
What I wasn't looking forward to was the return of Tony Woodward aka Girder. Tossing in a meta just for the hell of it when another story seems so much more pressing tends to annoy me.
Yet this time it worked, and dare I say it? Iris kicked ass. Yes, Iris.
In fact, I didn't enjoy Iris in a "oh, she's pretty good for Iris," way, but genuinely enjoyed Iris on her own merits. Could it be they've finally found a way to write for her that speaks to her strengths?
There were quite a few specific scenes that stood out. As soon as Girder woke up, she was in the lead. Cisco instinctively pulled the "get behind me" tactic in the morgue, but Iris beat him when she forcefully pushed him behind her instead. And she was seriously in charge of that moment.
Iris was in the lead of the entire Girder situation from start to finish, even when Barry appeared and she was still bait. Thankfully, he didn't question her and just pulled her into the hallway and they were off. It was really good stuff.
She was also amusing when she pointed out Joe broke a mug she bought him as he tried to see if his son had become a meta after the particle accelerator explosion.
What's with that, anyway?
Did Jesse come away with speedster powers, but Wally escaped without any? That will seriously insult Wally.
Doesn't it seem like Wally is just teetering on the edge of feeling accepted in his family and begging to have something special? If all was the same and only Jesse got the speed force, oh man. That would be seriously disappointing.
Henry told Barry he's sticking around. It was very cool to see him doing some doctoring. There is a lot more room for characters now that Caitlin is gone.
I really hate to say it, but I'm not sure she's necessary. I don't miss her. I wouldn't mind is she chose a life of crime and stayed with the metas, perhaps leading them when Hunter eventually meets his end.
Because, we KNOW Hunter is going to bite it. But we need a new big bad for Season 3. How cool would it be to have someone we've always known to be a good guy, a seriously good good guy (not a good guy in disguise) change sides. Especially if she becomes an homage to Killer Frost.
Then again, I've already forgotten about the Man in the Iron Mask. Maybe he's destined to be bad after being in captivity for so long. There is so much hanging out there, but we have only two episodes left to set up the next season.
It's about time to start doing that, isn't it?
And my final point about Barry...and Iris.
The truth is, Iris, I don't know what this is or where we go from here. All I know is you're everything to me, and you always have been, and the sound of your voice will always bring me home.
Barry
I bought into that. I felt that, finally, they were in a place where I could buy THIS, whatever this is, at this moment. Barry admits he doesn't know what they're doing or where they're going, and it's the ambiguity of it that works.
You guys know how I feel about relationships on my comic shows, so this is shocking me as much as anybody. Developing Iris slowly was a good idea, and using this hour to build her up, even while Barry was actively trying to find himself, worked to better the idea of the pair.
And her comments about not liking his favorite book for the very reason he loved it was very poignant. If they can truly mine that history and make it work where they've failed in the past, there could be so much that lies ahead.
And no, I didn't miss all of the cool things out of Cisco's mouth. Everything out of Cisco's mouth is gold. That's just a given.
So where do you stand on all of this? Anybody with me? Were you taken in by Barry's crocodile tears? Iris' strength? Did Jesse get the speed force? Did Wally? Did you miss the Zoom doom this week? Thoughts on Caitlin?
Don't forget, you can watch The Flash online right here via TV Fanatic. Hit the comments guys!
Here's a flash of The Flash Season 2 Episode 23, "Invincible," featuring Katie Cassidy as Black Siren! Who is Hunter gonna kill?!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
