The Flash Round Table: Patty's Prolonged Farewell
Carissa Pavlica
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We're chatting about The Flash Season 2 Episode 11 on the latest round table, including the Reverse Flash's origin story, Eddie's sacrifice in light of Eobard's return, Patty's farewell, Wells secretive nature and the potential bombshell of Hunter Zolomon on Earth 1.
Join TV Fanatics Hank Otero, Allison Nichols and Carissa Pavlica as well as Andy Behbakht of The Flash Podcast as they break it all down. Join in the discussion and share it with your friends!
What did you think of the Reverse Flash's origin story?
Andy: It was nice to see a lot of the comics origin come into play and really give us a classic Eobard. Heck, Matt Letscher who plays him looks almost exactly like him from the comics! Thawne was the highlight of the episode and I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of him.
Hank: I'll be honest, it was just a'ight for me. Might have been better to leave good enough alone. Sure it was fun to see Eobard again, but the Reverse Flash was so crucial to the The Flash Season 1, he just felt like a villain of the week here. What was more interesting to me was hearing that Jay's Earth 1 doppelgänger is Hunter Zolomon (aka the second Reverse Flash in the comics). Is Hunter actually Zoom? We'll find out soon enough.
Allison: It's weird because even though they called it an Origin story, it kinda wasn't. Sorry, but Reverse Flash already had a vendetta before traveling back to Barry's time. I did enjoy seeing the power shift where Team Flash knew more than Reverse Flash, and it was interesting to see what his first impressions of everyone were. I'm also kinda mind blown by Hank's comic knowledge that he just dropped. I'm intrigued.
Carissa: I thought the idea that Thawne saw knew to use Harry's skin to create STAR Labs and get to know all of the young scientists and foster all of those relationships, that he learned WHEN Barry was in time from Barry's future and went back to his past with knowledge of him as a young man was really cool. Guess it was just me!
How do you feel knowing Eddie's sacrifice was for nothing?
Andy: I'm not sure honestly. I mean, if Eobard somehow manages to change the timeline in Season 1, who knows, maybe Eddie will come back at some point.
Hank: I don't think Eddie's sacrifice was for nothing, because according to Harry's explanation this was Eobard's first visit in his timeline. Therefore, the events we witnessed in the finale will play out exactly the same way. Eddie's death means the end of Eobard Thawne. Am I making sense? If I'm totally off, someone please let me know. That's my interpretation of the Reverse Flash twist.
Allison: I'm with Hank. Eddie did kill Eobard, it just hadn't happened yet in Eobard's timeline. I also really loved seeing Harry explain how Eobard was alive. I have really enjoyed him being the mentor, and it brings me back to the days when we all thought Wells was a super nice guy.
Carissa: It seems to me we're in a time loop, which I didn't think happened. In Barry's future, Eobard should have been gone because Eddie never had children, therefore there was no Eobard. So it was all too confusing to me. Nothing Eddie did mattered if any given moment in time Eobard would still be alive. Nothing we do means anything then. Kind of annoying.
What did you think of Patty's farewell?
Andy: Very mixed. I hated that she tricked Barry to come to her rescue at the end, just to get to prove that she was right. But also I found Barry's cold shoulder at the start of the episode a bit too much because he had the chance to tell her and even admit to her when she had figured it out. But then again, Patty should have just accepted that he wouldn't tell her and just move on to her studies.
Honestly, as I have been thinking more about this since Tuesday, I am just glad that their romance is over and that she has left Central City. If they ever bring her back, hopefully they will put her to better use and not just as a love interest because while I don't hate the character, she just didn't work for me the way she was written here.
Hank: I'm with Andy, I didn't like the way Patty went about it at all. Proving herself right was more important than respecting Barry's decision not to share his secret. While I thought the two were cute together, I'm also glad the relationship is over. Patty's farewell was a disappointment overall.
Allison: I'm so happy she tricked him. Barry was an idiot when he told her that he wasn't the Flash. It was a dumb move and it came across like he didn't trust Patty enough. She already knew, and yet Barry still denied it. I mean I get that maybe he didn't tell her because he didn't want him being the Flash to be the reason why she stayed, but she still deserved to know.
Patty tricking Barry allowed her that moment of peace, knowing that she was right, and it allowed for an emotional farewell. I'm going to miss her. I wish she wasn't leaving in the first place. She brought a lot to the show and not just as Barry's love interest.
Carissa: Sorry, Patty didn't deserve anything, not anymore than any other person. It's Barry's right to tell who he wants when he wants. Being tricked was cheap. And maybe outed on the train? Hey everyone! The Flash's name is Barry! I'm glad she's gone.
Wells definitely didn't tell anyone about taking Turtle's brain matter. Thoughts?
Andy: Well, it's Wells we are talking about – of course he wouldn't tell anyone, not yet anyway. I have to wait and see where this is going before I know how I feel about it, I just don't want another evil Wells, that's all.
Hank: I think Harry's endgame is more important than anything else. As I mentioned in last week's round table, he's not a team player. I'm not sure he's evil, like last season, but Harry's definitely got his own agenda. I'm not sure where this arc is going yet, but I'm curious to find out.
Allison: I'm curious. I can't decide if Harry is trying to secretly help Zoom steal Barry's speed or if he has something else he's cooking up where he is going to double cross Zoom.
Carissa: I can still understand why he's a tad upset nobody is as worried about Zoom as he is, but I wish he was more forthcoming about that fact. It could lead to misunderstandings down the road. I just like him and want him happy and with friends, something we didn't see with Harrison.
The Jay Garrick/Hunter Zolomon drop was pretty big news. What do you make of it?
Andy: I'm thrilled, but also a little let down as well as confused – if they don't end up doing anything with Hunter Zolomon on Earth-1, then I will honestly be irritated that they even made Earth-1's Jay into Hunter. There must be a reason for this change, and I hope we learn about it sooner rather than later.
Hank: I got ahead of myself with this one. As I mentioned above, I'm excited about the name-drop, and I can't imagine they would throw it out there for nothing. There's a good chance Hunter Zolomon is Zoom. Sure, it's all a bit confusing, but that's part of the fun. I want answers already!!!
Allison: I know nothing about the comics, so the name drop meant nothing to me. I was admiring Hunter's fancy get up, but that's all I really took from the scene.
Carissa: It has to mean something. If Hunter isn't Zoom, he's going to play into this somehow. I just cannot buy the coincidence nor the fact Teddy Sears is doing practically nothing as Jay Garrick. This guy is hot and athletic. Get him in the game already! Good, bad, or both. We're ready.
Coming up on The Flash Season 2 Episode 12 Iris finds herself in danger when she looks into Wally's racing habit. Check out photos now!
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.
