Thursday, March 19, 2020

THE FLASH - SEASON 6.15





REVIEW:  THE FLASH - SEASON 6.15:  "The Exorcism of Nash Wells"


Situations are picking up speed in the world of the Fastest Man Alive....HOWEVER...things are about to SLOW DOWN for Barry Allen.  The Speed Force is GONE.  Thawne is BACK, and inhabiting the body of Nash Wells.  And once he's free---he's got a mad-on for the Flash, and he's intent on ending Barry and his team once and for all.  And to make matters WORSE...he's got a new Mirror Master in Eva McCulloch, collecting items she needs in order to launch her own devious plan, and has a fake Iris running around, causing problems, and has now claimed Camilla as well.  Black Hole is still a threat to deal with---and there's not much Barry can do...except hope he, Caitlin, and Cisco can find a way for him to create his own Speed Force.  Time is running out for the Scarlet Speedster.


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Mirror, mirror, on the wall...what is the Mirror Master's grand plan of all?  Eva is talking to the duplicates of Iris and now Camilla that she's made.  She said Camilla wasn't part of the plan, but she had to act fast.  Right now, her main goal is to find a piece called a prismatic refractor that she created six years ago.  Both copycats are charged with finding this piece in order for her to fulfill her longterm plans.  Apparently, her husband, Joseph Carver, Mr. Black Hole himself, had sold it to Mercury Labs.  She makes them a copy of one, and says for them to replace the fake with the real one.  

Team Flash, meanwhile, is working on a way to help Barry manage what speed he has left before he's powerless.  Cisco and Caitlin have made him a watch that monitors his speed levels, and tells him to manage it carefully,  If he gets into the red, he'll burn off what he has left.  Nash wakes up in his cell down in the pipeline.  They wonder if it's HIM, or whether or not Thawne is playing possum.  

Joe's talking to Chief Singh about the possible leak in the department, that someone is on Carver's payroll.  Singh warns Joe that he just got the job as Captain, and not to go over Internal Affairs' heads.  Play it by the book.  If Carver has a mole, he's been able to make sure to botch any evidence taken, to make sure he evades criminal charges.  Joe just asks his boss to read the file on Carver.  

Back with Nash, and he finally fesses up to the team about seeing multiple Wells.  But Cisco doesn't think that's possible, because they're all dead.  However, with a brainwave scanner, Caitlin finds out that Nash has all of those Wells converged into his head.  There's no way to medically separate them, and Nash tells them about the gauntlet in his bag.  He tells Cisco to calibrate it, and he does, but winks at Barry before Cisco activates it.  Caitlin wants him to wait, but Cisco activates it, and it feedbacks on them.  Turns out, Thawne was playing them, and he races off.  Barry speeds to go find him, despite Caitlin's warning.  Barry  catches Eobard, as he's about to take off in the time sphere to go back in time and change events to ensure he gets his speed back, and kill Nora, then Barry.  Barry then is tempted to kill Thawne when Caitlin stops him, and tases Thawne, knocking him out.  

We see that they have Nash's body strapped down, and Caitlin wonders if Barry had planned on killing him, and he thought about it, but wasn't sure.  Caitlin feels that for them to get rid of Eobard out of Nash's body, Barry can't be there.  He's too emotionally wound up, and if he uses his speed in the tiniest amount, he'll drain himself more.  Caitlin urges Barry to leave, and he does.  

Cecile shows up, and has all the usual gimmicks used for an exorcism:  galric, a cross, holdy water, a ouija board.  Cisco tells her it's NOT that kind of exorcism.  He needs to use her pyschic powers to keep tabs on Nash, while he uses positive energy to get into Nash's mind to see what's going on.  We flash back to Earth 719 some 8 years ago, where Nash catches a young girl stealing his stuff.  He finds our her name is Maya, and that she says the valuable stuff he was looking for isn't as valuable as the red rock that was with it.  It was worth 3 times as much.  He gives her his hat, and tells her that when she goes back to her parents, that Nash Wells sent her.  She says she has no parents, and he asks if she'd like to learn what he does:  Archaeological Mythbusting.  She's interested.  Cecile can feel Nash's feelings about Maya, and she can see he is in a lot of pain.  Especially now that, in his head, he's dealing with Eobard Thawne.  

Fake Iris and Camilla are at Mercury Labs, talking to one of the techs about the refractor that they got from McCulloch Technologies, and they're acting like they're on a story, but they're really doing recon. While the lab tech goes to get Tina McGee (haven't heard Tina's name dropped in awhile), Fake Camilla does a scan, and finds the safe the refractor is in.  However, a new meta materializes on the scene, and is looking to make off with it herself.  Fake Iris then calls Barry ,and Caitlin says that SHE can handle it, and for Barry to stay put.  As Frost, she's over to Mercury Labs, where she takes on a new meta named Sunshine.  They begin to fight for the refractor, but Frost isn't holding up in battle so well, since Sunshine can counter her freeze powers.  Barry, sensing this, grabs some Velocity X from a secret compartment, takes it, and races over to help Frost out.  Frost warned him to stay put, and as he tries to handle Sunshine herself, his powers short out again.  He's down for the count, and Sunshine blasts Frost, taking her out as well.  Just as Sunshine's about to leave with the refractor, Joe and the CCPD show up, and she takes off.  

Back at the lab, Caitlin is resting, but she's down for awhile.  Barry feels stupid and blames himself.  He tells Joe that he trie to use the Velocity X, but it didn't work on him.  Barry gives him and update on what's happening with Thawne, and Joe tells him that he needs to watch using his speed.  Barry wonders who Sunshine is, and Fake Iris comes in, saying that she's a former soldier and DoD agent named Millie Rawlins, and she can bend light to her will.  Joe that shows them that HE has the refractor, and Fake Iris suggests they keep it at STAR Labs, and it will be safe there.  Barry says that's not a good idea, and Joe says that it's going to ARGUS, and until they claim it, he's holding onto it.  Barry feels helpless, and takes off.  Joe has to actually urge Fake Iris to go talk to him.  This is NOT lost on Joe.  

Barry needed time to think, and Fake Iris puts on the act, and gives him the pep talk.  She says that Barry himself is the hero, not the Flash.  It's like he feels that he can't do anything unless he's the Flash.  Metas have limits.  She urges him to use his abilities as Barry Allen to stop the bad guys.  He then realizes how he can beat Sunshine.  He takes off to go talk to Joe, and Fake Iris calls Fake Camilla, and lets her know where the refractor is.

Thawne is still taunting Nash over Maya's death, making sure to let him know it was his fault.  Meanwhile, Cecile is feeling all of Thawne's hate, but all of Nash's pain, and it's too much to bear.  She can't hang in, and Eobard starts to push through, but Cisco manages to slap some meta cuffs on him to stop him temporarily, which Eobard lets him know about.  He tells him he WILL take over Nash's body, and when that happens...Nash is gone.

Singh meets up with Joe, and agrees with him.  He read the file, and realizes that they need to keep this mole case in house.  Just then, Sunshine materializes, and wants the refractor.  The officers, Joe and Singh try to fight her off, but she takes them out  except for Joe. He manages to pass along the refractor to Barry, who takes off running, making her chase him.  He races up to his lab and locks the door.  Sunshine burns through the lock,and walks into his lab looking for him.  Then, all the windows have metal shutters slam down, causing the light to be taken out of the lab.  With the lab dark, Sunshine can't use her powers.  The police manage to get guns on her, and they arrest her, ending her threat.  ARGUS gets the refractor, and Singh and Joe realize that Sunshine, with her powers, might've been the mole they've been looking for.  Either way, they have her in order to start building their case against Carver.

Cisco and Cecile talk about what will happen to ALL of the Wells if they don't get rid of Eobard---they'll be in a living hell.  As Cisco rummages through Nash's stuff, the polaroid of him and Maya falls out.  Cecile figures out that Nash is feeling grief over losing Maya, and Thawne is using that negative energy to power himself AND to take over Nash's body.  Nash needs to work through his remorse and sadness in order to save himself.  Barry comes back with an idea.  To use the brain connecters they used for The Thinker in order to get into Nash's head, and help him.  They arrive in Nash's head, and while Cisco tries to urge Nash to deal with his guilt and fight back, Barry is holding guard, and not allowing Thawne to get to Nash.  Thawne takes this time to goad Barry again, so that he'll use his speed.  Telling Barry that he wasted the time he had with Nora, and that Thawne taught her all she knew about the Speed Force, and that he was a terrible father.  Barry starts to lose it in the real world, but Cecile talks him down.  Barry eventually calms himself, and says he won't let Eobard egg him on anymore.  Cisco tells Nash, who's hearing Maya's voice, to go through the tunnel, and face his guilt.  Deal with it.  So, we see that it's Earth 13, and he's watching her get to another prize, which he told her was the ultimate goal.  He manages to procure what they're looking for, but she took her harness off, and she slips and falls.  She's hanging on by one hand, and Nash is frozen, not sure what to do.  His current self is telling her to let the prize go, but he cannot be heard.  History plays out, and she falls to her death.  Nash comes back, and he accepts the blame for her falling.  He finally lets out his grief.  Seeing this, Barry tells Thawne that he can't feed off Nash's pain anymore.  He tells Thawne that metas have limits...but people don't.  Thawne then is exorcised from Nash...with his essence and red lighting expelled from Nash's body into the sky....then dissipates.  Nash wakes up, but he's okay...however, he's now finally facing the pain.

The team then goes over what happened, and they find that while Thawne was expelled from Nash's body, the lighting wasn't destroyed, so he's still out there, though there is no current trace of negative tachyons in the atomsphere.  There's also no trace of Thawne in Nash's body, henceforth he's okay.  Nash is packing up, ready to take off, when Cisco tells him that all the other Nash's are now a part of him permanently.  He'll have to accept that, but he's grateful for all they did.  Cisco gives him the picture of him and Maya.  He says that even though Allegra looks like Maya, she should still make amends with her.  He feels it's a bit too late for that.  But Cisco tells him that when he met Harry, and all the other Wells...they always got off on the wrong foot.  But when he REALLY got to know them, they became his friends.  He should do that with Allegra.  Cisco takes off, and Harry reminds Nash that he's right.  Nash tries to answer, but Harry is gone.  He knows he's going to have to get used to that.  And thus, he takes off.

Barry and Caitlin talk, and they make up.  He apologizes for not listening to her.  Cisco still wonders how they can create a Speed Force.  And Caitlin wonders whether or not it will be bad.  Barry tells them that when he was in Nash's head, and Thawne was goading him, that Thawne reminded him about Nora, and that he taught her how to create a speed force.  Barry said their Speed Force will be different.  He shows them Nora's diary.  They can use that in order to learn how to create a Speed Force.  

Fake Iris and Camilla report back to Eva.  They somehow managed to get the real refractor for her.  She comments how it is her husband could forget all about her, but wanted to make use of her toys.  She then says to make sure to stick to the plan...she's that much closer to her liberation.  


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This wasn't a bad episode in terms of storyline driven plot.  We're starting to see the finish line of the season on the horizon (even though we're getting a hiccup in the airing of these shows due to this virus crap that's halting EVERYTHING down), but for how, we will review until we have nothing TO review.  And this episode gave us a few more tidbits.

This installment focused primarily and Nash having to deal with this guilt and remorse over not being able to save his "daughter", Maya.  He had taken her in, and had been the only parent she really had, and to lose her was devestating, but since he couldn't and didn't really save her, he shouldered the blame.  Now we finally understood why it was he was so attatched to Allegra.  However, he had buried his guilt and shame (though it was on full display when he was Pariah during CRISIS).  Thawne used that to his advantage, since he draws on negative energy to power himself.  Once he managed to consume all of Nash's, he could take over, and begin his plan to kill Team Flash.  Thankfully, with the help of Cecile, and some old tech...Barry and Cisco managed to fend off Thawne, and get Nash to accept his blame and guilt...own it...and come to terms with it.  We also now understand WHY he had been seeing every other version of Wells in his head...it's because they are now all a part of HIM.  He is now the living amalgamation of every other Wells we've experienced.  This is going to be interesting down the road, and hoping it's a plot device that can be put to good use.  It'll make him that much more interesting a character.  Plus...I think we DO wanna see him finally have that chat with Allegra.

The second aspect of this episode focused on yet another piece of Mirror Master's plan (yes, I'm calling Eva that---because THAT IS WHO SHE IS!), and it seems that Carver had the same idea as Eva---getting this piece.  Though Carver had sold it to Mercury Labs, he was going to have it stolen back, so he---as the Black Hole--could continue to build his organization.  Sunshine was just another villain of the week---but glad we got to see Barry Allen use his WITS instead of his speed to solve a problem.  Frustrates me sometimes at how stupid Barry comes off as, even though he's a scientist by nature.  He should KNOW these things instinctively, and shouldn't have to struggle THIS hard to defeat a villain...either as himself OR the Flash.  But I guess that's how the writers wanna create drama.  

It seems as though Fake Iris' ruse is beginning to crack.  Wally told Joe to be conscious of Iris...he said she didn't seem right.  Joe is now aware after watching Fake Iris not even pay attention to Barry's plight over his issue.  It struck him as odd that HE had to nudge her to go and talk to her "husband".  Even though she put on the fake loving wife part, and gave him the pep talk he needed...she still slipped up.  And that's going to backfire on her...and back to Eva.  I think with having created a Fake Camilla...and her own preoccupation with her plan, and hiding it from the real Iris...Eva is slipping.  Her concentration is straining, and she's going to finally get exposed.  Hopefully soon.  Even Iris is going to have to figure this all out.  And with Camilla now in that same universe, they're BOUND to meet up, and when that happens, Eva's exposed.  But how Iris and Camilla can combat that is not known.  It just puts Barry in danger...and Cisco too...in a lesser extent.  I'm curious to see if Cisco himself notices something off about Camilla.  

Allegra was absent again for the 2nd episode, as was Ralph.  Not sure what Allegra's issue is, unless she's hiding from Nash, but I'm under the impression that Ralph is still tracking Sue. No Chester this episode either.  And, we DID get a bit of BOTH Caitlin AND Frost...so that was cool.  And always awesome when we can get Cecile involved.  

Another good episode, and looking forward to seeing just when in the hell Eva has planned for Central City once she escapes the mirror universe.  

Okay, kids---that's all for now.  Be sure to subscribe, comment, and let everyone know about this little joint on the web.

Until next time...Keep On Running!



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