The Flash 6x3 : Dead Man Running review

 Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it. 

We are now 3 episodes into The Flash's sixth season and as of right now it is absolutely stellar. This episode picks off more or less where last week's ended with the guy who Ramsey was getting Dark Matter off of waking up. We're brought to a warehouse where inside various gang member talk about the guy whose name is Mitch Romero. He hasn't returned at all and just as the gang is about to take the Dark Matter for themselves the power cuts to the entire building. One by one they are picked off by what is obviously Romero. The following day Barry is called to investigate the scene and brings along Killer Frost who is still trying to find her own purpose and meaning. They find Dark Matter vials / guns emptied at the scene. Barry asks who could've done this and Frost responds with ''Only a coward'' almost immediately the next thing we see is Killer Frost putting an ice pick to Ramsey's throat. Of course Caitlin knows that he was looking for Dark Matter during the premiere episode. Barry intervenes and apologizes to Ramsey who himself says that his lab was broken into and torn apart. After being questioned by Barry Ramsey says he got his Dark Matter from Ted Kord (Blue Beetle in the comics) and that he has been using to do research on HLA a disease that killed his mother and his slowly killing him. Barry ends up giving him the benefit of the doubt and after some more talking agrees to bring Ramsey to Star Labs to help with the Romero threat. Turns out Romero is feeding off of Dark Matter which in turn causes his anger levels to rise to super human levels. Frost & The Flash try to fight him but to no avail as he easily overpowers them. Speaking of Killer Frost her anger issues really come to light in this episode. Earlier Barry and Iris had warned everyone about the upcoming 'Crisis' he says they have 7 weeks to prepare and so they got to get to work and be ready. Frost's anger at the whole situation plays out beautifully throughout as she tries to find her purpose and helping Barry is something that she begins with. 

Y'know it wouldn't be an early episode in a season of The Flash if a new Harrison Wells wasn't introduced. And here is no different. Introducing Harrison Nash Wells an Indiana Jones type who arrives on Earth 1 looking for something he call Eternium. No idea what that is yet but he really wants it. Irish goes as far as use her taser on him but he soon wakes up and goes full on Batman using smoke to make his escape. Back at Star Labs Barry and Ramsey agree to work together to stop Romero. Something however doesn't sit right with Barry and after he says he has to go get something down stairs he watches from a distance as Ramsey steals 2 vials of Dark Matter. Ordering him to return them or else Ramsey ultimately does put them back but not before he criticizes Barry and his attitude towards death. Ramsey says he is not going to live checking off days on his calendar but instead focus on fighting to cure his illness and save countless other lives. Barry refutes by saying that he is living his days by checking days off his calendar as those around him are what make him strong. I really enjoyed this back and forth scene between what will become in time two enemies. Ramsey puts the vials of Dark Matter back where they belong and says that he will help Barry defeat Romero. But while out and Ramsey alone in Star Labs Romero returns and oddly seems to react to Ramsey's actions. When Ramsey turns his head so does Romero, when he moves his body Romero does etc. It's all insanely creepy as not seconds previous Romero was choking Ramsey with certain death about to follow. Barry arrives back in Star Labs and thanks to Frost's ingenious idea of overdosing Romero on Dark Matter he explodes and covers the entire pipeline area in black ooze / blood. The same substance that came out of Ramsey and it is this substance that Ramsey later deems vital to continuing his research. 

The episode comes to a close at Star Labs where Barry throws a birthday party for Killer Frost after she had earlier told him how she had never had one before. Inside Star Labs the party grows strong as Barry steps outside to reflect on everything. Iris and Frost step outside also. Not wanting to live with the lie of him perishing during the upcoming Crisis anymore Barry comes clean to everyone on the team and says that the only future possible for everyone is a one where he dies during the Crisis crossover event in December. I still can't imagine he will die given there will be more of this show to come after Crisis. But that being said I'm interested to see how he is saved and how it will change him going forward. The episode ends with Nash Wells who we see wandering the streets. Using the gauntlet on his arm he tracks the signal to a man hole cover which he takes off and looks down before saying that he's close. Close to what? I don't know but again I'm interested to find out. So we're officially 3 episodes into season 6 and to be honest I can't fault it so far. Ramsey Rosso is such a step up in terms of being a villain from the disappointing Cicada's. Barry's journey towards Crisis is compelling and Killer Frost's attempt to live a normal life is pretty cool too (pun intended) this episode was really enjoyable and a reminder that The Flash still has a lot to give in terms of storytelling and it's characters. 

★★★★