Well, this secret is out. After teasing the audience for months on end, The Flash revealed Savitar’s true identity. To get there, this episode gives us a few good moments, but mostly runs the clock.
So, Savitar is a version of Barry Allen from the future. This is why he has detailed accounts of the future and knows the weaknesses of the entire team. Sure, the reveal is well-scripted and edited. Barry’s slow realization plays over a montage of every hint the series has dropped thus far. I can’t say it was worth the achingly slow build-up though.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Most of “I Know Who You Are” focuses on Team Flash’s efforts to find and protect Tracy Brand. The future scientist who creates the tech that traps Savitar is a failing graduate student in the present. While our heroes find her, they’re not the only ones looking for her. Killer Frost is after Tracy as well, looking to murder her on behalf of Savitar.
Two of the clashes with Caitlin’s villainous alter-ego are this episode’s best fight scenes, taking full advantage of the range of powers on both sides. In the first encounter, Flash grabs a gas canister and lights up a flame with a super-speed snap. It is by far the coolest use of his powers in weeks. In the second confrontation, Killer Frost chases Barry and Tracy through the city on a path of ice. With her duster coat and the ice slide weaving around the city, it’s a great visual that expands the use of her powers beyond “ice beam.”
While those action sequences are fantastic, the rest of the episode feels like it’s finding ways to kill time to the big reveal. Weeks away from the finale, shouldn’t there be more of a sense of urgency? Why is Wally visiting Jessie on Earth-3 instead of helping the team? Why are we spending so much time turning Joe and Cecile’s romance into will-they, won’t-they, secret-keeping nonsense? Why do we need H.R. to give Tracy the now-patented “believe in yourself” speech?
One of the qualities I greatly enjoyed in the first two seasons of The Flash was how the story kept moving at a brisk pace. You never had plot points slow down for more than a few weeks. We knew the identities of Reverse-Flash and Zoom far earlier in their respective seasons. This year though? It’s been glacial, causing my interest in Savitar’s identity to fade away. If we had this reveal two months ago, it would have been astounding. And a part of me is curious at how future Barry became Savitar. But mostly, I’m just looking for this storyline to wrap up.
Assorted Thoughts:
– There’s a weird subplot here where Cisco is afraid of losing control when using his powers. This never seemed to be an issue until now. I get that he doesn’t want to hurt Caitlin , but his concerns over accidentally killing her seem overblown.
– Jitters has a secret coffee called the Zoom? Didn’t he kill an entire CCPD squad in that coffee shop last season? This secret menu is morbid.
– Tracy: So you’re telling me I’m Sarah Connor in Terminator? Cisco: Ehhh, more like Miles Dyson.
– H.R.’s book on motivational speaking has the perfect title: “All’s Wells That Ends Wells”
– Next week, Team Flash tries to defeat Savitar by altering Barry’s memories. This should go well.