The Flash S2x02 “The Flash of Two Worlds”

WARNING! SPOILERS!

Now that’s more like it, Flash. Any fans of the mythology and comics likely loved this episode just as much as I did, and the way that it introduced the concept of parallel Earths into the series was fantastic. It even recreated a famous comic cover on screen, which was just an exciting moment for comic fans as when Arrow had Ollie use a boxing glove arrow to land a blow in a fight. It was a fun throwback to the comics that this show isn’t afraid to do, confirming its status as the show that isn’t afraid to use as much source material as possible, kicking life into the multiverse and exploring Jay Garrick’s own Central City, which had distinctive echoes of the future setting of Continuum.

The Sand Demon was the antagonist of the episode and again he fell victim to the whole cheap, forgettable villain of the week role that has dogged the series (and Arrow, for a while), feeling so similar to Marvel’s Sandman they were pretty much unrecognizable. We had Professor Zoom send Sand Demon into Earth 1, the world where Barry Allen is The Flash, and give him one mission. Kill The Flash, and return home. Zoom’s one goal, as explained by Jay Garrick, is to make sure he is the fastest man alive in every universe, even if there are a significant number of them. He’s not above getting other villains to do his dirty handiwork, no doubt saving the biggest threat (himself), for last.

The episode also seemed notable for introducing (or developing) two new characters who will presumably become a significant part of The Flash going forward. Patty Spivot wants in on the Metahuman action and wants to join the Anti-Metahuman task force in Central City. Despite the fact that most shows would use this as an opportunity to make Patty loathe all Metahumans (including The Flash), and create some conflict there and whilst she doesn’t view them all in the highest regard, she does apparently have a soft spot for The Flash, and it looks like the show is going to play up the whole romance angle between the two characters further down the line, possibly creating a love triangle with Iris.

Something else that veers more towards the romance stuff that regular viewers of the CW network have no doubt come to expect, is the Caitlin Snow/Jay Garrick development that seems to be blossoming. It felt kind of out of place here even if it was mostly played up for comedic effect, almost feeling a little too soon like when we saw Ronnie Raymond die in the premiere. Again, time will tell whether this leads to anything, but for now the romance angle is one of the least interesting elements of the show, which is something that Arrow also has the same problem with.

Jay Garrick’s character was a nice addition to the series. Yes, we haven’t seen him use the speed force yet and it was a nice decision by the writers to depower him outside of his own Earth to keep things interesting, but the character easily fit in well with the extremely likeable cast members that the show has to offer, with Jay working nicely together with Caitlin and Cisco, who also discovered a hint at his progression towards becoming Vibe this week.

We got a fantastic cameo at the end featuring the welcome return of Harrison Wells, who, despite being in another universe, was a reminder that he’s out there somewhere, and although we’re not entirely sure just how evil this Wells is, the more Tom Cavanagh we have on the show the better because the actor has simply been one of the best additions to the series.

In conclusion then, The Flash of Two Worlds was a return to form that the series needed after a fairly underwhelming return. Despite a couple of quibbles it was something that fans of the comics will love, and sees Season 2 heading in a strong direction going forward, teasing the possibility of greater things to come in terms of the multiverse.

The Flash returns next Tuesday at 8pm on the CW.