The Flash is hands down the best superhero show on TV. It seems like every week is better than the previous and it has not let up yet. “Out of Time” begins with a flashback to the first episode, indicating that things are going to come full circle. The first scene from the pilot episode is revisited from a different perspective. At the end of that episode, Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) killed the younger brother, Clyde Mardon played again by Chad Rook, who developed a god complex and had become homicidal. The older and more experienced Weather Wizard goes on warpath after recovering from his injuries, seeking revenge against West for gunning down his brother. Which sets up a series of reveals that will propel the show through the season finale and into next year. Let’s go over the most monumental Points of the episode, “Out of Time.”

 

The Reveal

 

The Flash had its “Luke, I’m your father” moment and it was a huge payoff. Harrison Wells’  real name is Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash from the future, who has been stuck in the past for fifteen years. He was the one who killed Barry’s mother accidentally during an attempt to murder The Flash himself. Clearly the season is building to a retelling of those events. We know that the night of her death, a speedster picked up young Barry and took him out of harms way. It is safe to assume Eobard was attempting to kill the adult Barry, since killing him as a child would prevent him from existing.

Also Eobard revealed the true potential of the Flash’s powers. Up until this point running fast was the end game for the Flash’s skillset, until Barry recently discovered that time travel is possible. Eobard showed Cisco that he could move so fast he can mirror himself and phase through solid matter. Which he demonstrated when he effortlessly stopped Cisco’s heart from beating. It will be interesting to see how Barry learns these new tricks, because he will clearly need them to defeat the superior Thawne.

 

The Time Paradox

 

The first thing to keep in mind once the episode ended is that everything that happened after Barry saw himself running, has not happened yet. Iris never confessed her feelings for Barry, however he knows it happened. The Weather Wizard has not yet kidnapped Joe, which will certainly be where Barry’s focus will remain. The most fun part however is that Harrison Wells has not revealed his identity or killed Cisco. There was a rift in the time continuum, so things will now play out differently. It is smart writing. The stakes are raised for the viewer because we have more information than all of the characters.

Barry will have one primary focus at the beginning of next week’s episode. Initially stopping Mardon from causing the tidal wave, will draw his attention away from confiding in Caitlyn and Cisco about Wells. Which ultimately led to Cisco’s investigation and his tragic death. A new series of events has happened that will be excruciating for the viewer to watch, since they have been supplied with so much more info than the characters.

Another issue that is unexplained is where Allen’s younger self disappeared to when he traveled one day back in time. It could be that in this version of time travel, only one individual can exist at the same moment. However, he was in the same room as his himself when his mother was killed, so perhaps there is a different explanation.

 

The Iris West Paradox

 

Next week should begin an interesting paradox as Barry knows that Iris has feelings for him, but her confession came in the future under a different set of circumstances. It will likely cause him to become embolden and only infuriate Eddie Thawne even further. Eddie shares the last name with Eobard because that is his future descendant. And the rift between the Thawnes and Allens, will be born over the course of the next few episodes.

The conversation that Barry had with Joe in the car becomes extremely telling. He told Joe that at moments he feels that Iris has romantic feelings for him. Since she is in a relationship Joe wisely advised that “unless she feels the same way” all he can do is to “hold on to those moments.” Barry now has the confirmation and will be compelled to explore it further, which will inevitability escalate tensions with Eddie. The natural way the timeline should have unfolded has been altered and could have surprising consequences. If you have seen Project Almanac, you know the new rule in time-travel science fiction is never go back to pursue a romance. It might not end well.

“Out of Time,” may have also marked the birth of a new Reverse Flash. Confused? It isn’t clear how he will obtain his powers, Eddie is clearly jealous of Allen both in and out of the costume and will covet his power. Before Iris realized that she had feelings for Barry, her obsession with tracking down the Flash already made Eddie feel threatened. What better way to win her affection than to become what she is clearly attracted to. It is hard to imagine that we will see it happen this season, but it is his destiny to battle the Flash in a super-powered love triangle.

 

The Death of Cisco

 

This moment really showed how evil Wells, or Eobard, truly is. He mentioned that he looked at Cisco like a son, then proceeded to cause a heart attack or literally tear his heart out. Throughout the season they have shown the admiration that Cisco has for Wells. Early in the episode, Wells prods Cisco about his family life. Cisco admits that it is so bad that he would prefer to essentially live at S.T.A.R. labs. It is not uncommon for comic book characters to come back from the dead, however the death and ultimate resurrection of Cisco was handled masterfully. Even though it effectively hasn’t happened yet, it showed the depth of heart in Cisco and how merciless Wells truly is. It raises the stakes because we now know that no one is safe around the manipulative genius as he gets closer to his endgame. 

The viewers have already seen how bad things could potentially get, however now everything will play out much differently. This was a monumental episode and we will be able to look back at this point to see when the show kicked into another gear.

What did you think of “Out of Time?” How do you think the rules of The Flash’s time travelling will be defined? What do you predict for the end of the season? Let us know on the comment boards below, , , , and Reddit!