FLASH SPOILER Review: Episode 8×05- “Armageddon, Part 5”

The Flash (08×05)- “Armageddon, Part 5″

Written by:         Kristen Kim

Directed by:       Menhaj Huda

So we return to The West Home and more importantly Barry returns to find Joe alive and well (and wearing a hat inside which I don’t know why I fixated on that.)  Barry gives Joe a very quick synopsis but before they can digest any of that they find someone else is alive and well in the West Home: Damien Darhk. (Damien is also wearing a hat inside. Several people’s mothers really fell down on the job here.)

The trio quickly come to the conclusion that Damien’s link to the Time Stone Barry used to Crtl+Z the timeline swept him up in its wake and he hopes as it settles into place he will return to the void in favor of his daughter’s return to the land of the living.  Barry gives the Time Stone back to Damien so he can figure out why that hasn’t happened already.

Across town at the Police Station, Reverse Flash arrives to create a big scene which brings Barry running in to confront him.  Also arriving on the scene is Mia Queen aka Future Green Arrow. She’s searching for her missing brother and believes that Reverse Flash might be responsible. Surprisingly, Thawne isn’t the culprit. In fact, he’s only there to publically ask for Barry’s help to save him from being erased from the Timeline.

Back at STAR Labs, the Team catches Mia and each other up on what’s happened so far while Chester fanboys a little over Mia

(I can’t say that I blame him) and begin to debate on if they’re going to help Thawne to live. Barry lets them know that his use of the Time Stone will, in fact, leave Thawne no back doors back into reality.

Mia ask the very reasonable question of “Why are you guys going to save him at all?” before she storms off.  When Iris comes to talk to her she learns that Mia’s been searching for her brother since he’s been missing for two years.  The two argue a little more and Mia storms off.

Down in the Speed Lab, Caitlin has figured out that Thawne has about two hours before he’s gone and while he’s confident that even if the others resist she won’t let him die because of who she is but Caitlin has a surprise for him: She’s more than happy to let him die since she’s spent the last eight years hating him.

Things are starting to look a little bleak, Eobard.

Barry goes to talk with Eobard and asks the question we’ve all been wondering since the Pilot: What could Barry have possibly done to earn this much hatred?

Eobard explains that two hundred years from now Eobard unlocks the key to speeds even Barry hadn’t unlock and planned to use it to save the world. Barry arrives in pursuit of someone and stops the threat to the world before Eobard can and he vows revenge.

Perfectly understandable and not at all crazy.

So now that Barry’s in the middle of a moral crisis it’s the perfect time for Despero to return and make with the threats. “Let Thawne die or I make you die.”

The team meets up to decide and it seems that while Iris, Caitlin and Barry are pretty much fine with Thawne dying Cecile, Chester and Allegra are very much not and neither is Joe and he’s pretty furious about it.  He believes if you’re going to be a hero and someone comes to you to save them you have an obligation to at least try.  He’s even figured out that Barry knows how to do it. By cutting him off from the Negative Speed Force.

So they know how and they know they can and they’re morally obligated to do so, looks like Despero is going to have to make good on his threat.  He takes Barry away to fight and then sicks a mind whammied Mia on the team.

Across town, Barry reveals that he believes that while Despero’s story of his world being destroyed by a despot the key detail is that Despero was the despot.  So not it’s fight time.  Flash vs Despero, and just so the others don’t feel left out: Mia vs Team Flash.

Both fights quickly come to a stale mate but while Iris and Cecile use the “Power of Friendship card to snap Mia out of her mental trance, Despero decides the best way to make sure Earth survives is to use the Flame of Pytar to destroy Central City.

So the team is literally down to a matter of minutes to save Thawne and stop Despero it’s time for either a miracle or an upgrade. Chester takes option two and gives Barry a pair of snazzy new boots:

And his own spin on the traditional Team Flash battle cry of “Run Boss. Run.”

Barry uses his speed to defuse and disperse the flame of Pytar, sending Despero off in defeat but not without a “Next Time, Gadget.”

Still the day isn’t completely saved so Barry returns to STAR Labs and gives Thawne his own taste of the old Darth Sidious treatment.  Welcome to life in the slow lane, Eobard. Consider the day saved.

Which means it’s time to party at an empty nightclub because it’s 2021.  Everyone gets a moment or two; Iris gives Mia a lead on her missing brother and Mia lets her know she’s going to try to reconnect with her mother.  Chester and Allegra do the awkward romance thing with intentional help from Frost and unintentional help from Barry. 

Meanwhile Joe and Darhk have a Dad to Dad talk ending with Damien handing Joe the Time Stone before he disappears into the great beyond but not before he has a moment with his daughter, Nora.  Nora is left behind in the club in his place.

Lastly, gives the team a “Great Job keeping the world from blowing up” Toast and that’s how things end.

Well, except for one last moment at the Police Station where beneath the notice of two passing officers Nora and Bart pay tribute to the Shining by suddenly appearing in a “Happy New Year 2014” Picture.

So that’s all she wrote on Armageddon.  This was good.  Both the episode and the arc as a whole. The fight scenes were fun, the character stuff was damned good (Especially from the heavy hitters, Matter Cavanagh and Gustin but Danielle Panabaker and Neal McDonough were really great too.) and the story they told felt complete while leaving threads to pick up on and even teasing what’s next.

I was really happy with this and if they can keep this up in the next arc I think we can safely consider this a return to form writing wise.

I definitely like the idea of short arcs, four to six episodes stories might be the perfect way to keep the long form, twenty-two episode season television series going in the age of binge streaming.

I ended season seven with this: “I still believe in this show and I still think they can deliver next season but they will have to put in the work to do it, here’s hoping that’s what they do.”

I think my hope is being rewarded. I won’t claim this is the best the shows ever been but they’ve got their feet under them, the cast doesn’t seem checked out they seem to have figured out the writing so the best very could be yet to come.  Time will tell if this is positive foreshadowing or not we’ll find out starting with “Impulsive Excessive Disorder.”

Things We Learned:

1. Thawne has been cut off from the Negative Speed Force and taken into ARGUS custody.
2. However, he has made it clear he will not give up his quest for revenge.
3. Mia has a lead on the disappearance of her brother, Michael.
4. Damien Darhk successfully sacrificed his existence for his daughter’s.
5. Despero was defeated and seemingly left 2021 behind.

Questions:

1. Has Despero permanently lost his connection to the Flame of Pytar?
2. Will he return with or without that power?
3. Will Thawne return as a threat?
4. Aside from giving Barry his most comic compliant suit yet, what do his new boots do?
5. What did Nora and Bart do in 2014 that has seemingly changed the past?
6. What happened to Mia’s brother the night he disappeared?