The Flash (Episode 1x17) Recap

I was really looking forward to tonight's episode of The Flash. Not only was it a reunion of the older Flash series from 1990 between John Wesley Shipp and Mark Hamill, but the plot just looked to be such a great one. The cast was also hyped about the episode, which only made the fans even more excited and it was for good reason because the episode was definitely a good one. Warning: This post contains spoilers.

We got to see even more of the flashback to what happened that night at Barry's house. The Reverse Flash was stuck in the period after the time jump, but it wasn't Wells who took off the mask. Instead, it was Eobard Thawne, also known as Professor Zoom for those who know the comics. We also learned that Eobard Thawne was also the reason for Wells' wife's death and actually the death of Wells'. The small information we got about Wells' wife was that she was the creator of the name STAR Labs. There's more on these scenes towards the end so be sure to keep reading.

Barry was definitely giving Wells the cold shoulder, which isn't surprising. Joe covered it up by saying he just woke up in a bad mood, but Wells definitely sensed Barry's attitude towards him. "Not every criminal likes to hide in the dark" was a line definitely indirected towards Wells and you could feel the tension from that one line. Every single thing Wells told him about finding his mother's killer and working at it together was a lie and Barry knew it.

Axel, or the copycat Trickster, was the one causing trouble in Central City this episode. In order to find out if he had any connection to the real and original Trickster, they went to the source himself and asked. James Jesse, the original Trickster, claimed to not know this copycat Trickster, but of course, that was a trick. Not only did Axel help James out of prison, but they also then took Henry Allen hostage as leverage. Mark Hamill did a fantastic job reprising his role. I particularly loved the part where they got Mark to say "I am your father" as the Trickster to Axel, which is why Axel was picked to continue the legacy in the first place. Such a great line because of its parallel to the Star Wars movies. Definitely not a subtle parallel, but it made me laugh since the writers threw it in.

I always love scenes between Barry and his dad. He ensured him he's getting closer to who put him in jail and although Barry's dad didn't particularly understand what he meant, he did trust his son telling him to hang in there. When he was taken hostage by Axel and James Jesse, he made it known that The Flash would go after him. While scenes between Barry and his actual dad are always fantastic, so are scenes between Joe and Barry. The scene between them actually brought tears to my eyes. Barry was so confused as to why Wells was helping them if he was his mom's killer and Joe was trying to help him understand, but he couldn't even make sense of it himself. Barry was also so worried about his dad and he couldn't lose him, which filled this scene with even more emotion.

The scene where Barry had the bomb on him because of the Trickster that required him to run at 600mph was insanely cool. Wells helped him through that scene, which was so important because that was how he survived, but it also led Barry to an even further realization. The special effects used to show him traveling through a solid object were so cool. He got rid of the bomb and of course, saved his dad and everyone affected by the virus the Trickster had planted in them in order to gain their money.

Barry saving his dad was such a happy and touching scene, especially when Henry saw who the Flash actually was. You could see from Henry's face how proud he was of his son. This came with Henry getting to see STAR Labs and a big hug from Caitlin for both of them. Henry thanked Wells, saying how great a man he was... if only he knew the truth. Eddie also found out Barry's secret identity in order to help them prevent Iris from knowing the truth.

By the end of the episode, Barry figured out that Harrison was the Reverse Flash because of how he described the feeling of running in order to help him. They sounded like they were from personal experience and they were. However, it's not actually Harrison Wells. In one of the last scenes regarding Wells and Eobard we see in the episode, Eobard Thawne used a device that changed him from looking like Eobard Thawne to Harrison Wells, killing the actual Harrison Wells. So, Wells isn't actually the true Wells. Wells is Eobard Thawne in disguise who has traveled back in time in order to create STAR Labs and everything that has come about because of it.

Tonight's episode was absolutely fantastic. I loved the flashbacks. Everything about it was so great. Definitely one of my favorites of the season. The preview for the rest of the season looked great also. Next week the show takes a short hiatus, which isn't bad at all because it's only a week, thankfully. Also, in the preview we saw Robbie Amell (Firestorm), Stephen Amell (Arrow), and Grant Gustin (Flash) all in an episode, which I'm assuming is the finale in order to play their respective characters to face off against the Reverse Flash. I'm so excited for that episode and the rest of the season so I can't wait for the show to return after this week-long hiatus. (I feel like I'm saying I'm so excited about a lot of things, but it's true, I'm looking forward to seeing everything else happen.) The next episode is with Ray Palmer (The Atom) and Felicity Smoak, so I will see you all with that recap in two weeks, though there will definitely be stuff in between so be sure to check back next week for more.

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