TV Review: The Flash “Plastique”

By Justin Carter

It’s fairly easy to make friends. You find something both of you have in common, you talk and laugh, then things progress to the point where it feels like they’ve been a part of your life since forever. At the same time, it also means that you could lose that friend over anything, because once you’ve known someone for years, all it takes is that one screw-up to get you two to stop talking.

Barry learns as much with one important woman in his life, and another who could have been just as important. This week’s meta-human, Bette Sans Souci, was a veteran of the Second Gulf War and home from Afghanistan the night of the particle accelerator explosion. It left her with the ability to touch anything and turn it into an explosive. Being the first meta-human Team Flash has encountered that didn’t want to kill someone, Barry thinks that she can be a useful addition to the team, overlooking the fact that there’s no real upside to someone who can touch anything and turn it into a grenade. Optimism is what gets heroes out of bed in the morning, but realistically, Bette wouldn’t settle for living a life in S.T.A.R. Labs as some assistant or having to wear gloves. Wells may goad her into killing General Eiling, but it’s a choice that’s all hers, even if she regrets it as she dies in Barry’s arms.

The other woman is, of course, Iris. She’s making more and more blog posts about The Streak, and has finally added her name to her posts, which can obviously put her in danger when the next meta-human comes looking for Barry. Joe is rightfully concerned about her being put in danger, leading Barry to talk to her twice, both as himself and as The Streak. Talking to her as the Streak is the most eye-opening, as it reveals that Iris is so determined to know more about him because he could solve the murder of Barry’s mother. It’s a nice moment, but somewhat underlined by Barry later on telling Iris that he can’t be around her while she’s blogging about his alter ego. It’s possible that this’ll finally lead to something interesting happening with her without making her feel like she’s needed on the show because it also has Barry Allen.

Not making friends is Harrison Wells, at least with Clancy Brown’s General Eiling. About a decade ago, Eiling came to Wells hoping to develop a way for his soldiers to gain the ability to read minds. It’s heavily hinted that these tests involved Wells’ gorilla Grodd, who Eiling tried to take into his custody, and the ramifications of a destroyed cage are pretty big. Eiling leaves the episode without winding up dead, despite Wells’ intentions, so he’ll hopefully be sticking around for a while. But if and when Grodd shows up into the show as fans know and love, there’s a good chance neither man will be safe from his wrath.

Additional Notes

• Barry learns that he can’t get drunk. He also vibrates his vocal chords so Iris can’t recognize his voice, and damn if that isn’t cool.

• “He’s so hot…I mean, genetically.” Smooth, Caitlin.

• Bette blows up Barry’s uniform, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. How convenient.

• I honestly think you could remove Eddie from the show and no one would notice. They’ve done nothing with him so far.

Joe knows that Barry is in love with Iris, and thank god, because otherwise I would’ve questioned his abilities as a detective. Jesse L. Martin’s face was one of the highlights of this episode for sure.