The Flash Recap: "Plastique"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

I have to give The Flash some major credit.  This is a show that could have easily slipped into the world of silly camp, much like its predecessor from the 1990's.  Instead we have been given a show that is filled with fun moments, and many thought provoking moments and solid character development.  This week's episode was no exception, in fact it was a show filled with some heavy moments and some ugly surprises, so let's get right into recapping "Plastique".

Last night we met Bette Sans Souci, a former United States Soldier who was badly wounded in Afghanistan and on the night S.T.A.R. Labs changed the world, she was given new life as a Meta Human...that can turn anything she touches into an explosive.  Of course Barry is on the case, until the mysterious General Wade Eiling comes into town to find her.  He takes over the case from Central City P.D. and of course, the good General wants her around for an opportunity to save lives.  Of course this being a comic book show we all know that means he wants her to kill people at his leisure and thankfully Barry and his friends are having none of that and try to help Bette deal with her new powers. 

As they deal with that, Barry has another problem on his hands. The lovely Iris has continued writing about "The Streak" and has even attached her name to the articles (thanks to an off the cuff suggestion from Barry) leading Barry and Joe on a mission to get her to stop for her own safety.  Of course, nothing either man does dissuades her from her quest to tell the world about this miracle, leading to what appears to be a temporary break friendship wise for Barry and Iris.  But before that moment arrived, Wells gave Bette one hell of an idea...to put down the General once and for all. It was a bone chilling moment that led to Bette's demise and helped further reveal the checkered past between Wells and Eiling.  

If anything, Harrison Wells is becoming scarier every single week.  One minute, like in the final moments of this episode with Grodd, he seems like a compassionate man, then we have that eerie scene with Bette, with a haunting twinkle in his eye as he motivates her to murder the General and it's not like we haven't seen that twinkle before earlier this season when Wells took matters into his own hands with a knife.  His actions every week leave me wondering, is he a super villain waiting to happen or is he genuinely out there to protect Barry? Even then...he sure goes about keeping him safe in the weirdest of fashion.  

But outside of that, this was a pretty awesome episode through and through, and a brainy one at that.  Between Barry's choice to continue to confront the woman he loves to keep her safe, to the implications of how scary this new world really is for both Meta Humans and the people that are witness to their abilities this show is firing on all cylinders.  I love the realism that's coming to the table every week and I'm definitely hooked.  Until next time...

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