On this week’s episode of The Flash, our heroes run into a string of really, really bad luck. But this is no ordinary misfortune. It’s the work of a meta!
Previously, on THE FLASH…
In “Luck Be a Lady,” the team just cannot catch a break. And that’s before our meta of the week even shows up! Barry and Iris are having trouble booking venues for their wedding. Joe and Cecile are dealing with bad pipes in his house. And in the worst break of them all, Jessie breaks up with Wally via video cube. Thankfully, it’s delivered by Harry, bringing Tom Cavanagh back onto the show! It just doesn’t feel the same without his presence because Earth-2 Harry is a wonderful part of the team. But even he is a bit down and out, as Jessie booted him off her Flash team for being too controlling.
Still, as rough as our heroes have it, it’s nothing compared to Rebecca Sharpe. When the episode starts, we see that her life is a constant string of bad luck, to an absurd degree. But that changes when she suddenly develops meta powers that give her a quantum field that affects people’s luck. Everywhere she goes, things work out in her favor and against everyone else. For example, she robs a bank but Barry’s attempt to stop her is thwarted by a spilled canister of marbles. Such an antagonist offers a new threat in more ways than one. First, it’s another clever way that the writers negated Flash’s speed and the team’s collective skills to make this a challenge. Second, Rebecca herself is unique in that she’s not malicious or out for revenge. Things are going her way for once and she doesn’t want that to change. She’s definitely selfish, but it’s a different take than most metas of the week.
The bad luck makes for some comedic moments, though none as effective as last week’s. Though Iris’ desperate attempts to get married in a church, moments after it holds a funeral was pretty funny. It’s not all fun though. It’s revealed that when Barry returned from the Speed Force, it unleashed a wave of dark matter next to a bus, leading to our new metas. While they certainly weren’t happy about creating these new threats, it didn’t lead to moping in the team. Instead, they focus on stopping Rebecca, only for her quantum field to expand out of control. Airplanes start to lose control, accidents pop up everywhere and the particle accelerator turns on. Cisco and Harry put aside their very random squabbling to fix the issue, by actually letting the accelerator activate, which disrupts Rebecca’s field.
The day is saved, but the threat of The Thinker still looms, as he spies on Star Labs through “The Samuroid” helmet.
Story Notes:
- This episode sees us say goodbye to Wally West for a bit. After being neglected by the team (and the writers) for the last two episodes, he decides to go find his own path. With little for Kid Flash to do, it makes sense to write him out and keep him to special appearances.
- Cecile and Joe also discuss whether to sell his old house for a newer place together. At the end of the episode, Cecile changes her mind and decides they should stay. She also drops the news that she’s pregnant. Joe is left shocked and speechless.
- The Thinker refers to Rebecca Sharpe as a “plebeian soapcake.” Burn?
- I get the string of bad luck for Rebecca being abnormally high. But her still having a MySpace page? That’s a stretch too far.
- After a cool return in the premiere, Caitlin has had nearly nothing to do this season. Let’s hope the writers can have her contribute more to the team soon.
The Super Cinco
- – Harry Wells – Our favorite cranky scientist returned this week! After Harry came off a bit too mean last season, it’s balanced out a bit this time with some awkward humor. While he and Cisco fight over technology and equations, it’s his call to let the accelerator activate that ultimately saves the day. Plus, it looks like Harry’s sticking around Earth-1 for a while!
- – Cisco Ramon / Vibe – While he and Harry got on each other’s nerves for most of the episode, he trusted Harry when it counted and helped save the day. He also invited Harry to start over on Earth-1 and build a new life for himself. The best bromance on the show is back!
- – Wally West / Kid Flash – Not a great start for Wally, as he gets dumped by Jessie via Harry. Then he’s mostly left on the sidelines. But he takes the initiative and sees these setbacks as an opportunity to find his own path. He may be leaving Central City, but he’ll always be Kid Flash.
- – Barry Allen / The Flash – Barry tries his best but the quantum luck field stops any efforts he makes to bring in Rebecca. And the wedding venues he and Iris want to book don’t work out. One even burns down. Bad luck for Mr. Allen this week,
- – Joe West – Not only is his house slowly falling apart throughout most of the episode, but he’s having trouble with the idea of selling it to move somewhere else with Cecile. He works through his fear of moving but then is hit with news of Cecile’s pregnancy. He seems petrified.
That’s it for this week’s Flash. I’ll be back soon with this week’s episode of LEGENDS OF TOMORROW. Be sure to check out Steve’s SUPERGIRL recap, which is already up, and his ARROW recap, coming soon. And then, this weekend, there’s the ARROWVERSE POWER RANKINGS!