This week’s episode of The Flash gets right into things, doesn’t it? After Ramsey showed up in Ralph’s office at the end of last week’s episode, the show knew it couldn’t open with anything else. Still, I wasn’t expecting a fight scene like this. Ralph is usually the comic relief. Even his action scenes often consist of slapstick. This one was different.
Elongated Man vs. Bloodwork turned out to be an exciting, flashy affair with both characters throwing cars at each other and just barely dodging blows. It’s a great showcase of his powers and how has he not had a fight scene like this before now? Ramsey shoots some blood darts into Elongated Man, then rips them back out. He leaves him dying on the street, and not even his metahuman healing is working.
Barry’s able to save his friend by phasing a blood transfusion into his body. Ralph’s stretchy skin wouldn’t let any needles through. Also, Barry’s a universal donor. Convenient! Ralph begins to recover, but that procedure does a number on Barry. When he returns home, he sees Ramsey in his living room. Barry tries to attack him, but passes right through his body. At first, it seems like just a nightmare. Then the speed force contacts Barry in the form of his mother. When Barry performed that blood transfusion, a tiny cell of Ramsey’s blood still inside Ralph infected Barry. He actually collapsed when he got home. This is all taking place in Barry’s head as the Ramsey cell tries to take control of his body.
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Sendhil Ramamurthy as Ramsey Rosso. (Photo Credit: Katie Yu / The CW)
The problem with most dream stories is that dreams are inherently devoid of tension. They can only ever be symbolic because we know that nothing in them really matters. This episode avoids that problem by having the dream represent a very real struggle taking place inside Barry’s body. That allows the episode to get as experimental and nightmarish as it wants, and have those images be just as effective as if they were really happening.
The Thanksgiving dinner scene is especially chilling. Barry’s friends are laughing with each other like normal, but something about it feels wrong. That’s when Ramsey comes in with a casserole. When he cuts into it, a disgusting black goo comes out. Suddenly, all of Barry’s friends are oozing it from their mouths. That’s way more disturbing than I’m used to seeing from this show. Any CW show, really.
This is the tensest I’ve ever felt watching The Flash. The episode is just that well-done. Its title is “The Last Temptation of Barry Allen,” and that’s more than just a Scorsese reference. Ramsey keeps offering him exactly what he wants: To survive the Crisis. He shows him what his life could be if he accepts the blood and survives. Barry resists, believing Ramsey to be lying. When the Speedforce tells him that Ramsey’s technically speaking the truth, Barry loses his resolve. Yep, after everything he’s gone through this season, the obvious bad guy promises him life in exchange for his free will and he’s like, “maybe.” Damn it, Barry.
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Jesse L. Martin as Captain Joe West. (Photo Credit: Katie Yu / The CW)
We’ve gone nearly the whole half-season without Barry doing something stupid. Guess we were due. The show uses his dilemma to great effect, though. We’re not just watching Barry make a bad choice. We’re watching Cisco run to get a serum that will slow the infection, right as Ramsey’s close to taking him over. It’s a huge relief when he gets there, but Barry’s internal battle isn’t over yet. He’s still being pulled in different directions by Ramsey and the Speedforce. When he wakes up in S.T.A.R. Labs, we still don’t know what choice he’s made. That leads to possibly the creepiest scene of the whole series.
After nearly five and a half seasons, we know Barry Allen. Grant Gustin’s goofy earnestness is what made us fall for the show so hard after two seasons of Arrow. So when he regains consciousness and somethings…off, we feel it. He’s eerily silent and precise as he works at the lab’s computer. On what, we’re not quite sure.
When Iris tries to talk to him, it only gets weirder. The scene is silent except for the dialog. The whole thing is just off-putting somehow. Iris confirms what we’ve been suspecting: That’s not Barry. Even knowing what was coming, Barry turning around to reveal a Ramsey blood face was a well-executed jump scare. Now The Flash is working with Bloodwork. As worrying as that final image is, this is such a classic comic book cliffhanger to leave us with. This show has always respected the source material, and that’s why it’s been so much fun.
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Michelle Harrison as Nora Allen. (Photo Credit: Katie Yu / The CW)
The Flash is setting up a huge battle next week. It at least wants to get Ramsey’s story to a satisfying stopping point before “Crisis on Infinite Earths” happens. This episode did a fantastic job, with each scene ratcheting up the dread. Barry made the selfish choice and the rest of his team now has to fight The Flash next week.
The main story was so good, it really made the B-plot feel pointless. It involved Iris tracking down a story about the people controlling Allegra’s sister. They find a lead, but that’s really about it. There’s clearly an interesting story here, but the episode just doesn’t have time for it. It stops before it ever gets going.
Maybe the rest of it will be addressed in the second part next week, but it’s hard to get invested with everything else going on. If nothing else, it led to Allegra convincing Iris to finally write her “Flash Disappears in Crisis” story. That was a well-done quiet, emotional scene. Yeah, it’s corny, but when Barry is giving into a blood demon, I want a little corny.
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
Previously on The Flash:
- The Flash Season 6 Episode 6 Recap
- The Flash Season 6 Episode 5 Recap
- The Flash Season 6 Episode 4 Recap
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