“Grief is a complex emotion that, as you know, deals on its own terms. There is no practice makes perfect.”
Team Flash is reeling.
Not only have they lost Ralph to Devoe but Caitin’s frosty alter ego is nowhere to be seen and, thanks to using dark matter in conjunction with the thinking cap, Harry’s intelligence is rapidly degrading. If there ever was a time to call for a Hail Mary, it’s now because Devoe’s in full control as he marches toward his ultimate goal: the Enlightenment.
There isn’t much to the A story this week: using his knowledge of facts and extrapolations of probability, Devoe convinces Barry and the team that he’s after Neil Borman, aka Fallout. While he is after the radioactive meta, it’s not to possess his power, rather it’s for them to act, thus moving Borman to an ARGUS facility Devoe has access to. While everyone is still in the dark about his ultimate goal, even the inclusion of Leo Snart (from Earth-X) and a psychopathic Siren X do not deter his scheming and ultimately Borman ends up right where Devoe wants him.
There is a moment though where, despite his masterful orchestrations, Devoe is shocked that Borman is taken from him and it’s all because Barry didn’t see Siren X coming. Alas, the emotional heart of “Fury Rogue” is Barry’s distraction. His refusal to acknowledge Ralph’s death is obvious to Iris and their psychologist but it’s when Snart crosses over that the depth of Barry’s pain and denial is put at the forefront. Snart understands the pain of losing those under his command and the feelings of failure those losses bring about. But, as Dr. Finkle tells Barry, there’s no real way someone gets used to losing those close to him or her: embracing the grief, allowing it to run its course (pun!) is the only way to heal. Similar to his previous alter ego, Snart is relentless but such dogged determination is what Barry needs. It’s the effort to hold back his grief that nearly gives Siren X the chance to destroy the city by making Borman go critical. It’s only when Barry embraces the pain that he can move forward.
Whereas emotion plays a major part in Barry turning the corner, the lack of emotion seems more and more as if it will be the major component in Devoe’s downfall. Though he appreciates Marlize at his side, Devoe’s condescension regarding her part in his magnum opus is driving a wedge between the two. In a moment the appease him (and maybe spark the emotional connection they had shared prior to Devoe’s transformation) Marlize adorns her husband’s favorite dress. His patronizing response—“Again, you thought. Which led you to this trivial notion” is the most dismissive he’s been of her to date. But even as he rages at Barry’s inability to stop Siren X, thus temporarily halting Devoe’s plan, her point about facts and figures being unable to gauge how a person feels is summarily dismissed when his plan gets back on track. That final dismissal of Marlize as a person looks as if it is the ultimate wedge between the two—a wedge that will cause Devoe to lose his greatest supporter and, ultimately be his downfall.
Using a wonderful play on an outstanding movie, “Fury Rogue” is the tipping point of season 4 as all the individual threads yet to be trimmed rush towards the climax. There have been ups and downs but one thing is clear: Team Flash will have to furiously work together as they attempt to outwit Devoe. It helps that there’s a soon-to-be ally in Marlize they don’t even know they have. The ball’s in her court now and everyone knows what they say about a woman scorned…double that when the woman is a genius not appreciated.
Flash Facts
- After Devoe’s “melt” command last week, Killer Frost disappeared and Caitlin feared her alter ego was gone for good. That notion is put to bed when the scientist discovers Frost anomalies still present in her DNA. But with no dark matter in her system, Caitlin will need to find a way to revive her killer side.
- As his intelligence degrades, Harry seems to be channeling his inner H.R. It’s a horrible realization for anyone to realize their faculties are fading away but for someone like Harry Wells, a man whose entire identity is his intelligence, it must be even worse. More to the point, he believes that sans his genius, he’s a useless cog in the Team Flash machine. Cisco disabuses his friend of that belief in a showing of faith and friendship that by working together they can help Harry. But first, he will have to come clean with the rest of the team.
- It was a welcome surprise seeing Katie Cassidy’s Siren X in screen once more. Compared to other iterations of the Canary, her power levels were out of the park. It was curious that, while they stopped her, there was no mention as to her whereabouts. Does that mean she’ll make a return or was that nothing more than an editing hiccup? My hopes are that it’s the former because Siren X every bit the bad ass.
