The Flash 8x18 : The Man in the Yellow Tie review

 

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

At the end of last weeks episode of The Flash we were introduced to a new speedster. This weeks episode opens with her narrating, her name is Meena Dhawan and unlike The Flash her speed is totally artificial. Each time she powers up she has under 4 minutes. She is training with The Flash that is until she hits him with her lightning which knocks Flash right out stopping him in his tracks. Her speed and lightning is a lot different to his and it's something that needs to be worked on. We're with Cecil next as she is depositing money at a bank when 3 criminals burst into the bank with weapons. Everyone stands down except Cecil who gets a serious power bump here. Her powers now include her being able to transfer other people's emotions from them to another person. Her eyes glow with power as she manages to defuse the situation just as police officers arrive on the scene. Back at Star Labs and Chester informs her that her power levels are off the charts, Cecil compares this change in power to when her and Joe's daughter was born which okay makes a little more sense than not explaining it. Chester soon asks Barry about going to Fast Track Labs to see Meena's generator that she uses to power herself. So Barry goes to see Meena telling her that he is a friend of The Flash. He is brought into her lab and sees the generator that she uses which is like a big dome like device that once she steps inside she gets a jolt of power. Meena says she has had someone helping her and in walks none other than Eobard Thawne in a lab coat wearing a yellow tie given the title of this episode. 

Barry almost instantly takes Eobard off to the side and basically threatens him. Eobard doesn't know what Barry is even on about and for the time being it remains that way. After this encounter Barry again goes to see Harrison Wells Eobard whom is still in containment on Lian Yu. Wells doesn't believe Barry at first but when Barry talks about Eobard with Meena being from another timeline we get flashbacks to the Reverse Flash that came from the Flashpoint timeline and when he fought the Legends way back in season 2 of that show. Could Eobard be one of these versions?? it all sounds a bit confusing I know but at the end it does sort of make sense. As Barry leaves Wells none other than John Diggle walks into the cell area with the Green Lantern ring in hand it still in it's cube case refusing to open. Wells says he can help, but can he?? in-fact he can and thanks to Wells Diggle manages to open the cosmic cube and what he sees is something he dreads. He almost instantly says no to the power which leads to the entire cube evaporating into nothingness. Wells is pretty annoyed by John's decision here as he deemed himself worthy for the power. Honestly this scene just felt so shoehorned in and Diggle just blatantly refusing the Green Lantern ring was disappointing as we've gotten so many teases towards it actually happening. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. 

The episode draws to a close as we're back at Fast Track Labs and get a lot more info on this version of Eobard. As it so happens he and Meena are partners. Both in the business sense and in a physical sense. They're very much an item as Eobard confesses to Barry. But things take a sinister turn when Meena steps into her generator and fuses with the power inside that is not just regular lightning it is fueled by the Negative Speedforce which immediately turns Meena into a Reverse-Flash like entity. A race is on between her and The Flash throughout the city as lightning strikes hit the streets. Eobard goes along with Chester and Alegra in a van as they monitor the situation. When The Flash gets hit with more of Meena's lighting he is knocked out like earlier in the episode. This is when Eobard steps in and manages to talk Meena out of her Reverse-Flash like state saving her in the process. We're back at Fast Track Labs again and things look to be all alright for now at least. Chester reveals that he contacted none other than Ray Palmer about Eobard and he sends a message to Team Flash. The messages includes Ray telling everyone that this version of Eobard may infact be from the Legends of Tomorrow episode where Eobard was protecting a fixed point in time. He was killed but could time wraiths have saved him and placed him in this timeline to be with Meena?? it's possible as this is what Ray says as the episode fades out. But it's not over yet as we got two more things to go over. Firstly is Caitlin who is seen talking to Chillblaine. He wants her back to work on bringing back Frost to which Caitlin is against. That is until Chillblaine pulls up a plan to bring her back which raises Caitlin's interest tenfold. The other big detail is far more important as we're back with Wells again who is in his cell thinking back of all the time he was as the Reverse-Flash. He is interrupted by none other than Dion (Still Force) who tells him that his destiny has come and it is to be fulfilled. An interesting little twist for sure and that's how the episode ended. Honestly this was a good episode if a bit flawed. The Eobard Thawne stuff was great, like really great. Everything else? not so much. It's yet another solid episode in  what is turning out to be just a solid season and nothing more. 2 episodes now remain this season and it's a two part episode so hopefully that will be exciting and end the season on a high. 

★★★