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FLASH SPOILER Review: Episode 3×22- “Infantino Street”

The Flash (3×22) – “Infantino
Street”
Written by:         Grainne Godfree
Directed by:       Michael
A Allowitz
This week’s episode literally starts with a ticking clock. Why,
because we’re exactly 24-hours from Iris’ death and it seems like all of Team
Flash is stumped to one level or another on how to avoid it.  Barry tries to comfort Iris but that seems to
work so poorly that she records a message for Barry to see later.  We’ll get back to that later.
The next morning they have a lead, Cisco has found the energy
signature from the Dominator weapon in ARGUS HQ.  Unfortunately, Lyla can’t let the power
source out in the open.  After all, Barry’s
so reckless with his power that he’s accidently gender swapped her kid so he
can’t be trusted with this tech.
Barry decides that he’ll just speed right in and take but Cisco
reveals that ARGUS has power dampeners so they’ll have to plan a heist.  So it’s time to travel through time some more
(because that’s worked so well for the Team so far) and recruit Captain Cold
from Siberia in 1892.
Leonard’s happy to help, if only to make Barry miserable.  The team is, understandably, wary.  After all, not only are they working with
Captain Cold but Barry had to time travel some more to arrange the team-up.  This just seems like a really bad idea but
Barry points out that they’re out of time and alternatives so the Team backs
off.
Over at Savitar’s lair, he’s repairing the suit after his fight
with Barry last week and Caitlin tries to talk to him about murdering
Iris.  She points that for all his “I am
a God” bluster he was once Barry Allen and he’d be murdering the woman he
loves.  Savitar basically says “nuh-uh”
and after Savitar gets a memory flash of Barry’s plan the matter is dropped.
At STAR Labs, Leonard is putting together the heist plan but
first Barry asks Joe to take Iris away and not to tell him because of obvious
reasons.  So with Wally’s help, he takes
her to Earth-2 to hide.  While they’re
there, Iris and Joe have a heart-to-heart after the pair confess some things
they kept from each other over the years. 
Iris then gives Joe the engagement ring so Barry can get it back if the
worst happens.
Back on Earth One, Barry and Snart head into ARGUS with Barry
using HR’s disguise tech to pose as Lyla. 
They almost get past security with a fake ID and retinal scan but when
the men ask for the day’s password they have to improvise.  Barry takes down the guards the two men make
their way into the HQ.
Down in the
lower levels they first find Grodd’s cell then some cells that at one time held
probably held Waller’s Suicide Squad (including a Wonder Woman Easter Egg) and
lastly the Dominator Weapon. 
Unfortunately, the door is equipped with a super-duper lock but while Cisco
tells how super-duper it is Leonard cracks it.
But there’s
a problem, ARGUS recruited a guard for the weapon and his name is…
Wait!
Sorry!  His name is King Shark.  So now we see the real reason Barry brought
in Captain Cold.  Quite frankly they
could have got this far with just about anyone (even HR) but if they needed to
stack up a body count all of the Team Flash would have balked so Barry
recruited someone who wouldn’t mind.
But there’s
a bit of a twist, Snart knows a thing or two about sharks so he knows that
Great Whites are somewhat warm blooded and if they lower the temperature enough
he’ll pass out.  They use a power cell
from the Cold Gun and King Shark takes a power nap.  We get a quick little scene that I’m sure
please the HR/Tracy shippers but only really served to give Anne Dudek a way to
stick around next season if they want to bring her back then it’s back to the
A-plot.  Snart’s plan works like a charm
and after quick meta-joke using another Jaws reference Barry gets the power
source.
The problem
is that triggers the alarm and shuts the vault door.  Only Barry is able to get out in time but
Barry remembers he’s supposed to be a hero he has Cisco hack the vault to help
get Snart out.  This gives Lyla plenty of
time to show up with her guards.  Lyla
decides that she can trust Barry with the power source after all and lets them
go. 
Barry drops
Snart back off in the past and Snart gives him a bit of advice.  Barry’s trying to beat Savitar at his game
but he should be trying to beat Savitar at Barry’s game.  Oh, do you mean perhaps using the powers of
goodness and hope to heal Savitar’s broken spirit thereby repairing time and
stopping Flashpoint from further damaging the time-space continuum?  That’s just crazy enough to work.
Barry
returns to STAR Labs and tells the gang the good news so HR says it’s time to
party and what better way to do that than by bringing Iris, Joe and Wally back
from Earth-2…
Did I say
Barry? I meant Savitar. Way to go, HR! 
On Earth-2,
Savitar makes quick work of Wally’s knee but Joe and Iris try to talk him down
but Savitar is pretty committed to his ascension so he takes Iris and leaves
before Barry can arrive.
Well!  They have less than an hour, Savitar has Iris
and even with super hearing Wally’s out of commission so all they have left is
what they started with.  Barry has to go
to Infantino Street and try to stop Savitar from killing Iris.  HR is heart-broken because of his mistake but
Cisco lets him know that after all this time he’s finally figured out what HR
brings to the team.  He figures out a way
to come through when they need it the most. 
He leaves HR to hold down STAR Labs… But HR seems to be pretty
transfixed by that piece of Savitar’s armor that they have.
Meanwhile,
Cisco has another vision of his fight with Killer Frost in the forest and he
knows that he has to find her and bring her home.  He goes with Barry’s blessing.  Which brings us back to where we always knew
we’d be, the park on Infantino Street. 
Savitar and Flash finally face off and Barry after the Speed Force
Bazooka not only fails but gives Savitar the Philosopher’s Stone, Savitar has
Barry exactly where he wants him.
Barry tries
to stop him and we finally learn what Iris’ message for him was from the
opening.  She recites marriage vows and
lets him know that no matter what she will love him forever… 
Barry isn’t
fast enough.
Wow…  That was quite the ride, I guess I wasn’t
expecting them to play the scene out even if I probably should have.  The theme this season has been Barry’s failures
and his inability to accept them so it would make sense that after all this
work trying to avoid this fate that he’s unable to.  But there’s still a lot to unanswered
questions that we’ll get to at the end.
It was good
seeing Captain Cold again after all this time but it just serves to annoy me
that one of my favorite Flash Rogues was essentially taken off the table thanks
to Legends.  It’s also not that
surprising that ARGUS was an Easter Egg fest, teasing amongst other things; a
return of the CW Suicide Squad, the return of Grodd and that the presence of
Cheetah means the CW-Verse might have a Wonder Woman. 
(Whether the CW-Verse
should ever meet her or the rest of the Trinity is another question that the
answer for is: No.)
Lastly, I
have to hand it to the producers.  I can’t
speak for anyone else since the biggest result of my work schedule is that to
protect my reviews I’ve pretty much divorced myself from the fan community but
I’ve felt for most of this season that the cast and crew were treading on worn
out ground but the last two episodes have picked things up considerably and I’ve
even been surprised a couple times.  So I’m
pretty excited to see how this wraps up on Tuesday.
TL; DR-
Really, really good episode with a lot of meat for us to take on in the finale.
Things We Learned
This Week:
1)     
Savitar has taken numerous steps to prevent him
from being re-imprisoned in the Speed Force.
2)     
Cisco and Caitlin have squared in a fight he’s
seen in visions since he learned of her powers and may potentially cost him his
hands.
3)     
Barry has not only failed to save Iris but
potentially handed Savitar the key to his apotheosis in the Philosopher’s Stone.
4)     
ARGUS is still operating secret prison
facilities.
Unanswered
Questions:
1)      Will
Cisco stop Caitlin or will she cripple him in their fight?
2)      Is
Lyla planning to put together another Suicide Squad?
3)      Is
there a Wonder Woman?
4)      What
about her would-be boyfriend in Gotham City?
5)      What
was HR thinking when he looked at that piece of Savitar’s armor?
6)      Can
Savitar be stopped?
7)      Can
Iris still be saved?

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