'The Flash' Recap: 'Subject 9'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

You always know when a particular plotline on a television show is becoming completely worth your while when you drop everything to watch the series to see what happens next and that’s basically where I am right now when it comes to The Flash. Because whatever Clifford DeVoe is up to has started to become incredibly fascinating since at the moment he’s in the midst of a literal power grab when it comes to the bus Metas, and the sheer excitement of seeing what this madman will do next had me ready and raring to go when last night’s episode of the show, ‘Subject 9’, hit the airwaves. 
 
But while this episode could have been a fairly by the numbers affair with Team Flash racing against the clock to save a Bus Meta from DeVoe, this particular tale ended up being a fairly intense and dark affair, thanks in large part to the fact that both sides are desperate to put an end to this whole cat and mouse game in general, and that’s leading to mistakes on both sides, and all of these newfound complications came about by way of the introduction of Izzy Bowen, an up and coming country singer armed with sonic powers who more or less turned everyone’s world upside down.
 
Because it turns out this young woman’s powers are so strong that she is able to hurt DeVoe during a brief encounter with The Thinker and her raw ability inspires Barry to go above and beyond with Izzy and bring her into the fold at S.T.A.R. Labs so he can train her to help defeat this awful villain and his tutelage of this burgeoning Meta more or less ends in complete and utter disaster. Because Barry pushes her to her breaking point, forcing her to walk away and that uncomfortable moment served as a fine lesson for Barry when it comes to leadership and the move also rattled Ralph to his core because of his newfound romantic feelings toward Izzy.
 
But I made mention of the fact that there were mistakes on both sides and that includes the Thinker. Because DeVoe’s quest to get these powers as quickly as possible, since Becky’s body was falling apart far quicker than anticipated, is forcing DeVoe to act on impulse rather than thought leading to that first unfortunate encounter with Izzy and considering how angry DeVoe is starting to become when things don’t go his way, one has to wonder if more mistakes are on the horizon for him. But despite his missteps, he was eventually triumphant in getting his hands on Izzy, and that led to the darkest moment of the night, because poor Ralph had to watch his newfound love, die right in front of him.
 
So yeah, that’s how this one ends, with The Thinker once again triumphant and right now, DeVoe looks downright unstoppable, and while I’m enjoying the fact that DeVoe’s master plan is still slowly being revealed, I’m starting to wonder, if part of his grand scheme…involves taking over Barry. Because if the Bus Metas and their dark matter wear down the body he inhabits, a Speedster with accelerated healing may be the answer to his problems. Time will tell of course, but in the meantime, this show is delivering some top-notch storytelling and I’m dying to see where this arc is headed next…

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