The Flash (Episode 1x09) | Midseason Finale

*(Spoilers Ahead)*
We are officially midway in the new series The Flash and I've really enjoyed what we've seen so far. Tonight's episode dealt with Reverse Flash, or the Anti-Flash, or as the episode was called "The Man in the Yellow Suit". Not only did we gain insight on this character, but it was also Christmas in Central City, adding a little holiday spirit to the episode amidst everything else. The episode also tugged on some heart strings at certain moments.

The scene in the very beginning of the episode where Barry gave Iris a replica of her mom's wedding band for Christmas made me smile. Although I don't ship them particularly (I'm more of a Snowbarry person), the gift was so sweet and thoughtful that I couldn't help but be happy seeing their relationship. They had a few good scenes in this episode. One of the other scenes that tugged a bit at the emotions was the scene where Iris goes to ask Barry if he has feelings for her. I think if Iris and Eddie weren't as far along in their relationship and they seem to be, Barry would have told her, at this point in the episode. He cares more about Iris and her happiness than he does about his own happiness, and he saw how happy she was talking about Eddie, which I think stopped him from getting the words out. In any case, seeing him upset made me so sad, but not for too long. Fast forward to the scene after he speaks to his dad, where he pours his heart out to her, finally tell Iris everything he feels about her, right down to when they were kids. That boost of confidence by his dad was really influential in his decision to tell her. I would be lying if I said this wasn't one of the scenes that go me in the episode made and maybe made me a small fan of Westallen, although I still love Snowbarry.

Honestly, I didn't expect Caitlin to come across Ronny as early in the episode as she did, but I'm not surprised her initial reaction was to run away from him. A person you've believed to be dead for over a year suddenly shows up again on fire. I think I would have definitely reacted in a similar fashion. The actual scene where she got to say a few sentences to him definitely didn't go as she had planned, but the scene where she spoke to Cisco about it though, that was the scene that got me in their storyline. The last thing she wanted was to see something horrible happen to him, but him being back after she believed her was dead, that just took a bigger toll on her, almost as if he was leaving her all over again. I'm looking forward to seeing this relationship be brought back together further, even though he did tell her to leave him wherever he may be.

The man in the yellow suit. Again, a character introduced as the main focus of the episode in one of the first opening scenes. Barry's instant pull to look at all of his files, figure out more about this man, the man who he knows is the one who killed his mother. Amongst all of his other work, he's still so dedicated to finding who this was and freeing his dad from prison. The fight between Barry and the Reverse Flash held an interesting conversation. He knew him, almost a little bit too well. He said it was destiny that Barry became the Flash, that his mother died that night. I said in a previous blog post that it would be interesting if Eddie eventually became the Reverse Flash like in the comics, but it seems as though they've gone a different route, for now at least. How exactly he'll be discovered, or even defeated, is something to look forward to and think about. It was nice to see Firestorm (Ronny) come in and help Barry out a little bit when he was fighting him. The last two scenes told us that not only is there another speedster, but Wells seems to at least have control over the Reverse Flash, which is something I've felt from the beginning. I've never trusted him. He has the ability to speak in the voice and owns a ring with the lightning bolt, opening a series of things that hide the suit. The only reason why I don't feel like he necessarily is the Reverse Flash is because he was around Team Flash when Barry was fighting the Reverse Flash on the football field, leading me to believe that he can control him, maybe not in its entirety, but definitely has some superiority and is working with him. It would seem to be that he could possibly be the other speedster that Cisco had mentioned, if he isn't the Reverse Flash. (Although I did see an interesting theory on Tumblr as to the red bolt of light being Barry himself, having gone back in time to try and save his mother, which would be super interesting to see if that is the case.)

The scene we got to watch between Barry and his dad, that was the scene that officially got me out of all of them. The fact that Barry's main focus isn't even revenge, it's justice, is such an important dynamic to his character. His ultimate goal is getting his dad out of jail because he doesn't deserve to be there. That whole moment between them was such an emotional scene. I loved it. It helped him realize that he can't stop being afraid of things, he needs to be living his life. Likewise to this scene, the scene between Joe and Barry was also a great scene. They have a father-son dynamic as well, and that's so nice to see.

I'm looking forward to seeing the second half of the season and what it has to bring, The effects so far have been great, and the storyline has also been well-developed, in my opinion. The series has gotten so many great reviews already, that if things to come are even better, like they're said and seem to be, I can only imagine the response being even more positive than it is already. As for now, we get a little bit of time to reflect on what's happened in the first half and ponder what will occur in the second, and I look forward to seeing where this story takes us.