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Warning: this review contains full spoilers for The Flash: Season 6, Episode 14! If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's our review for Season 6, Episode 13. [poilib element="accentDivider"] It would seem the common thread with The Flash these past few weeks is catching up with old friends. Episode 13 brought back Gorilla Grodd for his obligatory once-a-year visit, and now Episode 14 ushers in the return of Cisco Ramon and two popular speedsters. As much as the series seems to be juggling a bit more than it can realistically handle at the moment, it's definitely giving fans plenty of reason to stay invested as the post-Crisis status quo becomes clearer. "Death of the Speed Force" contains what is probably the most significant bit of Crisis fallout so far. No longer content to screw with the Arrowverse timeline, now Barry has managed to poison the entire Speed Force. To death, even. That's one way to ramp up the tension as the season gets deeper into Mirror Master/Black Hole/Reverse-Flash territory. As if it weren't bad enough Team Flash is facing dire threats from multiple angles, suddenly Flash's speed has become a finite resource. It helps set the tone for the final couple months of Season 6, while also addressing that ever-pressing concern of how a hero who can move fast enough to freeze time and breach dimensions can be challenged physically. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-flash-death-of-the-speed-force-photos&captions=true"] One of the big takeaways from "Death of the Speed Force" is the series really seems to be leaning into the mythology introduced by the current Flash and Justice League comics. The series already pulled from the work of The Flash writer Joshua Williamson with villains like Godspeed and Bloodwork, and now we seem to be getting into the idea of the multiple cosmic Forces in competition with the Speed Force. The introduction of Turtle II seems to tease the eventual reveal of the Still Force, which probably means the Strength Force and Sage Force aren't far behind. Again, this seems like a lot to impose upon a season that has plenty of moving parts already, but the hope is that we're seeing setup for Season 7 rather than something intended to pay off immediately. The same goes for the return of Eobard Thawne. It's good to see Nash's role in the series veer in such an unexpected direction (and one that moves away from the father/daughter angle), but it's not as if Season 6 really needs Thawne on top of everything else playing out. For now, it's enough to watch Tom Cavanagh have fun playing one version of Wells hiding in the skin of another. Over the long term, I hope he doesn't wind up overwhelming the current Mirror Master conflict. While this episode sets plenty of interesting wheels in motion, it really shines thanks to the return of Keiynan Lonsdale's Wally West. It certainly doesn't hurt that the opening sequence pays visual homage to one of the absolute best Geoff Johns-penned Flash moments: [caption id="attachment_2316658" align="aligncenter" width="925"]
DC Universe Rebirth #1 art by Phil Jimenez. (Image Credit: DC)[/caption] It's a shame the Arrowverse's Wally has never grown into the critical mainstay character he is in the comics, especially since he was such a fun presence during his brief time on Legends of Tomorrow. The upside, at least, is that we've seen Wally evolve and grow quite a bit over the past couple years. This episode really cements that evolution, using Barry and Joe to highlight just how far Wally has come from the lonely, angry young man he was back in Season 2. He's a calm, self-assured Buddhist able to tap into the Speed Force in ways even Barry could never imagine. Lonsdale himself has always seemed to have mixed feelings about the role and his commitment to the Arrowverse, and I like to think this episode is about both actor and character making peace with their place in the universe. Episode 14 plays nicely on the ever-shifting Barry/Wally dynamic. There's a real sense of brotherly camaraderie, yet not so much that it prevents Wally from lashing out when he comes to grips with the extent of the damage Barry inadvertently caused. This episode doesn't entirely connect in terms of the emotional impact of the Speed Force's destruction. The scene where Barry relives his mother's death
yet again is a tad melodramatic given that this is an anthropomorphize'd Speed Force being we're talking about. Thankfully, Wally's presence helps ground the story and provide the emotional punch that scene lacks. "Death of the Speed Force" plays out like a fond farewell to a character who never quite got his due. If this is the last we see of Wally, it's not a bad way to go. But certainly, the potential is still there for more Wally adventures should Lonsdale choose to return. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/10/the-5-superpowers-that-ranked-the-highest-power-ranking"] It's also great having Cisco back in the fold after a brief hiatus. I still wish the series would give us a better idea of what Cisco's role is meant to be going forward and if he's being gradually phased out. Regardless, his entrance scene is hilarious, and it seems only fitting for Cisco to be on-hand to witness the return of Eobard Thawne. In many ways, I'm more excited to see what Thawne's presence means for Cisco than Barry. So let's hope Carlos Valdes isn't going anywhere for a while. Dealing with Brandon Routh's departure from Legends of Tomorrow next week is going to be hard enough...
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DC Universe Rebirth #1 art by Phil Jimenez. (Image Credit: DC)[/caption] It's a shame the Arrowverse's Wally has never grown into the critical mainstay character he is in the comics, especially since he was such a fun presence during his brief time on Legends of Tomorrow. The upside, at least, is that we've seen Wally evolve and grow quite a bit over the past couple years. This episode really cements that evolution, using Barry and Joe to highlight just how far Wally has come from the lonely, angry young man he was back in Season 2. He's a calm, self-assured Buddhist able to tap into the Speed Force in ways even Barry could never imagine. Lonsdale himself has always seemed to have mixed feelings about the role and his commitment to the Arrowverse, and I like to think this episode is about both actor and character making peace with their place in the universe. Episode 14 plays nicely on the ever-shifting Barry/Wally dynamic. There's a real sense of brotherly camaraderie, yet not so much that it prevents Wally from lashing out when he comes to grips with the extent of the damage Barry inadvertently caused. This episode doesn't entirely connect in terms of the emotional impact of the Speed Force's destruction. The scene where Barry relives his mother's death yet again is a tad melodramatic given that this is an anthropomorphize'd Speed Force being we're talking about. Thankfully, Wally's presence helps ground the story and provide the emotional punch that scene lacks. "Death of the Speed Force" plays out like a fond farewell to a character who never quite got his due. If this is the last we see of Wally, it's not a bad way to go. But certainly, the potential is still there for more Wally adventures should Lonsdale choose to return. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/10/the-5-superpowers-that-ranked-the-highest-power-ranking"] It's also great having Cisco back in the fold after a brief hiatus. I still wish the series would give us a better idea of what Cisco's role is meant to be going forward and if he's being gradually phased out. Regardless, his entrance scene is hilarious, and it seems only fitting for Cisco to be on-hand to witness the return of Eobard Thawne. In many ways, I'm more excited to see what Thawne's presence means for Cisco than Barry. So let's hope Carlos Valdes isn't going anywhere for a while. Dealing with Brandon Routh's departure from Legends of Tomorrow next week is going to be hard enough...
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