WARNING! SPOILERS!

The latest episode of The Flash was probably the most disappointing one yet, aside from that major twist ending, which I’ll get too later. It seemed pretty much entirely focused on setting up the next CW spinoff, Legends of Tomorrow, introducing a new character to the cast of The Flash who would later show up on the series, as well as dealing with a subplot around the return of Iris’ mother that seems inevitable as though it’s leading to the introduction of Wally West.

The search for the new Firestorm partner of Professor Stein was an interesting approach. Seeing as Robbie Amell looks unlikely to return to his role as Firestorm (maybe moving onto more movie projects?) A new character needed to fill the role especially as Jason Rusch (another character from the comics) was introduced last season. In stepped Franz Drameh’s Jefferson Jackson (“Jax” for short) who audiences might remember from Joe Cornish’s awesome 2011 movie, Attack the Block. It didn’t take us long to introduce the new character as we learned more about him and who he was via flashbacks. It was a decent, likeable performance from the new character that already makes him a strong replacement for Robbie Amell. His eventual decision to team up with Stein helped advance him on his goal of achieving greatness, and worked well.

The episode’s villain, as usual, was bland and forgettable, and another weak moment of course came when the storyline focused on Iris’ mother, and Francine’s return. It would have been okay if we hadn’t seen this before on Arrow, but here, it feels poorly developed and weak, even if Iris’ confrontation with her provided a welcome change from her being embraced with open arms.

By far and away the best thing about “The Fury of Firestorm” was the ending sequence where Barry was going to date Patty as The Flash only to be interrupted by King Shark in a tense, and electrifying ending to the series and brings King Shark to life on screen in a fantastic way. I’d never have imagined seeing King Shark on screen in a live action adaptation, but in his brief appearance alone, it already looks like he’s on the right track. Especially when you consider that the show handled Gorilla Grodd just as well last time out. But what was perhaps even better about the ending was that it allowed us to be reunited with Harrison Wells, who because he saved Barry, is presumably the Harrison Wells of Earth 2 and maybe not evil. After it was mentioned that Tom Cavanagh was sticking around for more of The Flash in Season 2, I wondered what his role might be, but now it looks as though we’re heading in a clearer direction. It should certainly be interesting to see how well Barry and the STAR Labs team handle his return next week, as things shape up to be interesting indeed.

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