It's good to have the CW shows back. All 4 shows ended with a great fall mid-season finale and it seems like they are picking up right where they left off. While this episode of Flash took a little bit to really get going, the direction the back half of this season is heading will make for a different exciting run of episodes.
I've already made my voice loud about how indifferent I feel about Wally as a character, and having him officially join the team as a speedster made me even more nervous. Then, Barry not trusting him for absolutely zero reason? I thought we were in for some misplaced dramatic tension between the two. Luckily, those worries were pushed to the side as Barry assured Wally that his actions towards him were solely because of what happens to Iris in the future (hence him wanting to change the way Plunder got taken down). I'm sure this won't be the last time the two speedsters have their differences in the field, but at least this one turned out to be nothing at all.
Something I also found refreshing was just how quick Barry chose to tell Iris and Team Flash about his future vision. Of course, they chose not to tell Joe (don't we all know what happens when you don't tell your parents about something. i.e. Laurel-Quentin), but it was a big step to at least include most of Team Flash in on Barry's trip to the future. Speaking of which, special shout-out to Candice Patton, whom I have been critical of in the past, for delivering a wonderful performance tonight. I'm not sure I could have imagined her having a more fitting reaction to finding out about her death.
It sets up an interesting premise for the rest of the season as the team is looking to fix all of the headlines seen on the news that day in May. On one hand, it's frustrating because I know ultimately Barry is going to have to learn yet another lesson about not changing timelines. On the other hand, I love the refreshing direction these next set of episodes are taking. It's like Flash's own version of Minority Report, and that seems like a more interesting approach than the usual villain-of-the-week approach that most CW seasons have taken.
What does this mean for Caitlin and her inevitable transition into Killer Frost? Or Julian and his inclusion into Team Flash? Is it also safe to assume he will also transition back into Alchemy? Will the STAR Labs Museum still get shut down? Does Wally take Iris place in dying at the hands of Savitar after all? All questions still worth asking, and it doesn't seem like the show will answer them any time soon. Let's forget about the useless Plunder and look forward to whoever the heck is tracking down H.R. Wells next week. Disjointed at first, but tonight's episode turned out nicely, delivering an exciting and surprisingly poignant story.
+Refreshing direction
+The less secrets the better
+Wally didn't really bother me
-Plunder didn't really do much
8.2/10