The Flash Season 2 Episode 11 Review: The Reverse Flash Returns

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Wow. Did that Hunter Zolomon scene have any meaning? Because if so...WOW.

All I want to do is kind of vibe out over the possibilities of that Hunter Zolomon scene from The Flash Season 2 Episode 11, because Jay Garrick has really been such a disappointment as a character overall.

But, there was a little bit more going on, including timey wimey stuff, so we'll get to it all. I'm just a sucker for WOW moments, you know?

First up, let's talk about the West family.

Now we know whey they weren't looking all that happy in the photographs for this installment. Francine is taking her leave of this earth. Of course, there's always a spare on Earth 2! (Oh come on...)

Iris needed to tell her mother she had forgiven her, and she did that. I sincerely hope there was more to it than the tiny conversation we saw, because if she merely forgave her after sharing she wished she had come back into their lives sooner and ran off, well, she probably should have stuck around a little longer. After all, there's no going back.

Iris also finally got to talk about losing Eddie. It took a while, but the timing of it was right, as she was trying to get Wally to understand what a blessing it is to have the opportunity to say goodbye when you have the chance, because she didn't get it with Eddie and had so much left unsaid.

Goodbyes were the theme, I suppose, as Patty was still hanging around, trying to get Barry to first ask her to stay, which he didn't, and second, admit he was the Flash, which he didn't. But, that wasn't good enough for her, so she made a false call for help and Barry and the Flash gave her another goodbye on the train.

That was great, and Shantel VanSanten got an opportunity to cry and all that fun stuff, but it was indicative of what I didn't like about Patty as a character.

Earlier, Joe and Barry were BSing over Patty discovering Barry was the Flash and Barry was almost late saving Tina McGee from Reverse Flash. Then Patty made the false Flash call. What if there had been a real Flash call right there in the lab and he had to miss it by a millisecond because she cried wolf just to see if he was really the Flash?

Yes, she bugged me that much. While I didn't like what I thought was her goodbye all that much during The Flash Season 2 Episode 10, I also didn't need her to hang around continuing to cause problems, either.

Yet something tells me she'll be back.

I'm kind of sad to learn that Harry really did take the Turtle's brain matter for his own nefarious purposes, or probably to give to Zoom to help him slow down everyone around him so he can defeat the Flash. I even mentioned Zoom was known to have that quality. {{forehead slap}} 

Harry and Cisco are getting closer and closer, though, and the idea something was going to happen to him as a result of Reverse Flash being back was really freaking Harry out. 

Initially it seemed like he might know what was going on with Cisco, the nosebleeds, etc., and I wanted to tie them into the vibe goggles Harry made for Cisco. Because...nefarious. After learning about Turtle's brain, I was not feeling all that generous toward Harry. But when Harry saw Cisco on the bed, man. He shot into action.

Didn't Harry earlier tell everyone not to talk to Eobard lest they muck with the timeline? And both Cisco and Barry felt the need to go down to the holding cell and make themselves feel better by getting some of their feelings about the dude they once knew off of their chests. Did that help rip the timeline a bit more?

I have a feeling it did. But I also think Harry knew it was going to be impossible for them not to do it, because he had been experiencing their ire by virtue of wearing the same skin, so if the real Eobard was available, there was no way they'd be able to sit back and let things ride.

The way Harry explained the time thing with the circles on the clear board? Yeah, I didn't get it at all. I mean, I got that, but not being protected in the speed force. But as soon as Eobard told Harry he must be someone important and Harry said he was of no significance? Another wow moment.

It really was the beginning of Reverse Flash's origin story. Being in that time, their present, with all the Reverse Flash terror behind them and making the decision to let him go is what gives him the very idea to come back and incorporate all of them into his future which is their past in the first place! Talk about a mind frak.

Which leads me to Jay Garrick. He can't get a cellular implant (or whatever) from his Earth 1 doppelganger because Jay's DNA was altered in his accident. But he did find his doppelganger, whose name is Hunter Zolomon. In the comics, that's one of the Zooms. Eobard Thawne was called Professor Zoom. 

But there is a Wally back story and all kinds of other stuff, so I haven't been reading too much into Zoom. But that doesn't mean this was just a passing thing, either. Did Teddy Sears really sign on to be a version of The Flash who isn't fast? Who is just a sweet, dull love interest for Caitlin? 

Or did Sears sign on to be a sweet, dull love interest for Caitlin, a slow former speedster and a really speedy and nasty bad guy? I'm willing to buy into the this particular theory. 

What say you on all things "The Reverse Flash Returns"? Have your say in the comments, and don't forget to check in later this week for the latest Flash Round Table.

You can always watch The Flash online to catch up anytime if you've missed anything, too!

The Reverse Flash Returns Review

Editor Rating: 4.25 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (43 Votes)

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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The Flash Season 2 Episode 11 Quotes

Flash: You died!
Reverse Flash: Good to know. And guess what Flash? I know what time period you're from. And that means that very soon, you will die.

Harry: What did you see?
Cisco: Reverse Flash. He's here.