'The Flash' Recap: 'I Know Who You Are'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

It's been a wild and powerful third season for The Flash, one that has forced Barry to finally accept his role as the savior of Central City and perhaps what's truly made this season so rewarding and so intriguing is that nothing has come easy for anyone this year, because the characters have been challenged like never before.

Everyone has had to earn every victory and every smile this season and that has led to some of the finest episodes the series has ever put together and last night's story, 'I Know Who You Are' gets to join that pantheon of excellent episodes because this fast paced and tense tale brought together the best elements that season three has had to offer, and it also just so happened to deliver the moment we've all been waiting for, the reveal of Savitar's true identity. 

But what made this tale so wonderful, was its humanity. Because everyone in this episode was working toward saving someone they love and that gave this story a certain sense of beauty I've never quite seen on the show and all of it came together by an unexpected glue...Doctor Tracy Brand. She was the mission this go round since she held the key to trapping Savitar in the future and everyone banded to together to make sure that neither he, nor Killer Frost came near her and it was simply wonderful and heartbreaking to see everyone come together...and struggle mightily with the fact that their close friend in Caitlin Snow more or less embraced evil by teaming up with Savitar. 

In fact her willingness to do so, nearly broke Cisco, driving him to the point where he was deathly afraid of even using his powers against her since there was the remote chance that he could potentially harm her and he wasn't the only one worried that someone could get hurt. Joe nearly broke it off with Cecile to spare her the wild life he lives by hanging with team Flash and H.R. took quite the liking to Tracy Brand to the point where he took on the role of surrogate protector. But while all of this was engaging to watch...all of it was overshadowed by the penultimate moment when a light switched on in Barry's head and he came to realize that there's a reason that Savitar knows every single step that Barry is going to take...because Savitar IS Barry Allen.

Yes, you read that right, The God of Speed is nothing more than Barry Allen from the future, a Barry who is disfigured and damaged beyond repair emotionally and when all is said and done, I truly did not see this coming. It always seemed as though Savitar was someone close to Barry that turned for whatever reason, but despite the surprise that comes with this...it makes sense. That darker Barry we saw eight years in the future clearly ends up suffering more pain somewhere along the line and feels a strong need to punish himself to ensure that pain continues and well, this sets up quite the showdown because not only will Barry need to become faster, he will need to figure out how to become a better man so that such a monster never comes into existence. Either way, just like that, ​The Flash went to some meta and deep places and this revelation just made the season finale and everything that leads up to it, all the more intriguing.  Until next time. 

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