The Flash Season 7 Episode 2 Review: The Speed of Thought
Sarah Little
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To say that The Flash Season 7 Episode 2 was an emotional rollercoaster full of twists, humor, and emotion would be an understatement.
The episode started strong with a heartfelt scene to remember all the Wells. It only got more interesting as Barry and the rest of Team Flash dealt with his new power of speed thinking.
Everything about "The Speed of Thought" was classic The Flash, dating back to the glories of The Flash Season 1. If this is a picture of how the rest of The Flash Season 7 will play out, we are in for a treat.
Barry's heart has always been at the very core of the show. Barry Allen was not the Paragon of Love on the Crisis of Infinite Earths for nothing.
But with the death of Wells, Barry wondered whether or not his heart was a vulnerability that Team Flash's enemies used to their advantage.
When he acquired his new power, Barry was able to fix his problem. But, as we all realized, being emotionless is even worse than being too emotional.
Joe: Bare, I know what you're doing. Don't. Don't blame yourself.
Barry: But what you just said. Ramsey infecting me. Eva using a copy of Iris to manipulate my emotions. Lately, it feels like my heart is my enemies' greatest weapon.
Joe: Have faith, son. We will get Iris back. I feel that in my heart.
The show and the team are not the same without Barry's compassion and love; what he sees as his biggest weakness is actually his biggest strength.
Yes, Barry's speed thinking helped figure out how to open the portal to the Mirrorverse, but the cost of achieving that goal was too high.
Barry's emotional deterioration was heartbreaking to watch. He started the hour worried that his emotions and his heart were bringing the team down, and he slowly progressed into not feeling anything at all.
As we witnessed Barry's transformation, we could all predict that Barry would return to normal sooner rather than later. And when he did, he would feel awful for the things he did and the things he said.
Barry: Your emotions are making you irrational.
Cisco: And your lack of them are making you wrong!
It's hard to fault him for his actions, but they caused real hurt -- both physical and emotional. And it's common knowledge that Barry is his own worst critic, so there is sure to be a lot of self-punishment in the future for him.
Barry's journey with his new power is almost akin to when Kara is affected by Red Kryptonite on Supergirl.
They both made them do things that are not in line with their character, but it also made us appreciate their good hearts even more.
We've wanted a WestAllen reunion ever since Iris got trapped in the Mirrorverse on The Flash Season 6 Episode 10. However, we didn't think this is how it would all play out.
The longer the speed thinking infected Barry, the less he was able to calculate emotions correctly. He thought that Iris would agree with his decision only to save her, but he couldn't be farther from the truth.
Barry was too far gone to recognize the humanity in his wife, and it was too late for him to correct his mistake once he pulled her from the Mirrorverse.
It looks as if Iris' resistance to leaving caused her to have a negative reaction in the real world. So Barry was left with Iris and the rest of the team unconscious and hurt from his actions.
On the plus side, seeing Iris hurt is what pulled Barry out of his emotionless facade and made him turn off -- or destroy -- the Artificial Speed Force, returning him to his normal self.
With his team down, Barry is going to need help to save them and ultimately stop Eva. Who better to do so than the original Harrison Wells?
We should have known that Tom Cavanagh was not gone from The Flash for good. But this is definitely not the way I thought he would return.
As I stated in my review of The Flash Season 7 Episode 1, I guessed that Cavanagh would play Ralph. Of course, The Flash writers are much smarter than that.
Those Wells', they took some getting used to, didn't they? If we learned anything from them, it was that our greatest weapon against darkness isn't our superpowers. It's our humanity. And our love for each other.
Joe
The details of his return are scarce. All we know is that Eobard Thawne killed Harrison years ago and that he has now materialized on top of where the Reverse Flash buried him.
Whatever it may be, the original Wells's appearance from Earth-1 is a twist that we never saw coming. And, if you think about it, all the best surprises on The Flash always concern Wells. He is the gift that keeps on giving.
Speaking of gifts, how cool was it to see Frost gain superspeed and face off against the Flash?
We were just glad to see Frost back and better than ever. But then we also saw her in an epic battle trying to save Barry from himself.
He was the most brilliant mind I ever met. They all were. Whatever the problem, you could count on a Wells, a council of them, to have the answers. Now, they're all gone. We gotta find the answers ourselves.
Barry
Frost most likely injected herself with Velocity X because she, Cisco, and Allegra all believed that Barry would never predict that outcome with his super brain. Unfortunately, Barry was just too smart for them.
No matter the outcome, it was still mesmerizing to see the two of them zip through the city. Hopefully, we get to witness more extraordinary and shocking battles as the season goes on.
The theme of the episode revolved around whether or not emotions aid you on your path to success. And after the outcomes from both the hero and the villain side, it's obvious that emotions are integral to accomplishing your goals.
Eva is quickly spiraling, but this isn't a good thing for Team Flash as Barry thought it would be. Barry hypothesized that making Eva emotionally unstable would cause her to slip up, but instead, she's determined to win.
And now, Eva is even more dangerous than she once was.
She wants to expand the Mirrorverse to the real world or bring the world to the Mirrorverse. And if she succeeds, the team is going to need Iris.
Iris is starting to understand the Mirrorverse better than anyone, and she will most likely be the one to take down Eva once and for all. Who knows? She might even have gained powers from her time in the mirror world.
Twists aside, sentiment played a big factor during this hour.
Barry's unusual lack of emotions enhanced everyone else's, from Cisco's to Allegra's and Cecile's.
Barry and Cisco are arguably each other's best friends, and all Cisco wanted to do was help him. Their friendship is a highlight of The Flash, and seeing them work together will never get old.
Honey, the people that we love, they're only gone when we stop carrying them with us. How you choose to carry Nash is up to you.
Cecile
On the other side of the episode, Allegra missed Nash, and Cecile, being the wonderful empath she is, helped her learn how to carry on after his loss.
Every single character on the series is worthy of screentime and interesting, complex storylines. It's amazing to see most of them get the attention they deserve as we're two episodes into the season.
What did you think, The Flash Fanatics?
Was it heartbreaking to see Barry be so unfeeling? Are you happy that Iris has finally escaped the Mirrorverse? Did seeing Allegra wearing Nash's sash make you tear up?
And how surprised were you when the original Harrison Wells appeared?
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch The Flash online right here via TV Fanatic!
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
