Superhero Weekly: The Flash goes Back to Normal. Arrow’s last Canary Cry.

Spoilers will come up, sit down and ask for a cup of tea.

If we are talking about explicitly comic-based TV shows, The Flash is arguably the best all around, specifically in the writing department. Despite an ever growing cast, it has managed admirably in this second season to keep things moving. It hasn’t been all roses, but Zoom has proven to be a constant presence even when he’s not in the scene. Things have definitely gone personal, as Hunter Zolomon, aka the man formerly known as Jay Garrett, aka Zoom, has taken Caitlin Snow to his lair in Earth-2.

Caitlin enters a fragile alliance with her own Earth-2 version, Killer Frost. She’s quick to double cross her but so is Zoom is dispatching her via the same icicle shard she was hurling at Caitlin. Rest in piece, Killer Frost. Although the real enigma in that lair is the Man in the Iron Mask. It wouldn’t surprise me to know it’s Earth-2 Wally, but it also wouldn’t surprise me to know it’s the original Jay Garrett. Actually, I wonder if the writers have written this in yet.

And speaking about written parts, I’m going to skip over the entire confrontation with the metahuman villain of the week – who Barry has to fight with a Speedforce of zero – for the actual finale. This is why I love the writers of this show. After being humbled and thankful for Barry’s assistance with his rescue and having his daughter Jesse (Violett Beane) back, Dr. Harrison Wells tells Barry he’s going to make him into the Flash again. The delivery of this last line is masterful: by creating another particle accelerator explosion. I got chills. They’re multiplying.

We’re completely in need of therapy in Arrow. Props to John Diggle (David Ramsey) who actually loses his cool and goes after the Mayor. Yes, it backfires, but character wise that was a lot of emotion he had to work through (and still works through, as his brother Andy is the culprit). Essentially this is another very dark and very depressing episode. The high marks go to Paul Blackthorne’s acting abilities as Quentin Lance. He brilliantly personifies a broken man in this episode. You can feel the last remaining layers of his armor fall away when he tells Oliver that Laurel was his rock. He can’t keep it together anymore. I can’t blame him.

The idea as the series has posed it is that Damien Darhk can’t be stopped. You can’t imprison him, you can’t de-power him, you can’t strike a deal with him. He’s basically got this city in his pocket with his wife Ruvé Adams (Janet Kidder) becoming Mayor. Even when a pretender, Evelyn Sharp, appears as the Black Canary, Ollie goes the extra mile and reveals Laurel as the Black Canary (it even appears in her grave). It all supposedly points to one inevitable conclusion: there’s no way to stop Damien Darhk without killing him. So, he has to be killed.

Highs/Lows/Cliffhangers

Harrison Wells 2.0 finally calls her daughter “my little Jesse Quick”.
Jesse Wells proves her mettle taking up the slack for the missing Caitlin Snow. She has like five different degrees and apparently that’s a normal thing in Earth 2.0. Other Earths have better education than ours.
Caitlin meeting Killer Frost is a short lived alliance. However, Killer Frost was such a cool character that it seems almost criminal to never use her again.
Is Dr. Wells 2.0 going to do the unthinkable and cause another disaster just to give Barry the Speedforce again? Chances are he’ll go for a controlled event, but can he really assure everyone that it won’t go bad? Is it worth risking everyone’s lives in Central City to get the Flash back?
The Flash is three episodes and then the finale one May 24.
Although Evelyn Sharp is discouraged from killing the mayor, there’s no indication she was exposed. Will she attempt to take up the mantle?
Paul Blackthorne did an amazing portrayal of Quentin Lance. You really feel it when he’s saying “she was my rock.” He’s a man that can’t pull himself together anymore. I know David Ramsay’s John Diggle was remarkable, but it’s Paul in his heartbreaking desperation that tugged at the heartstrings.
I’m trying for this not to sound shallow, but somehow Arrow needs to find hope for better days ahead. I don’t think there can be anything funny about revenge, but you better make this engaging. Three more episodes before the finale on May 25.

Coming up on the Calendar: