Tonight’s The Flash is written by one of my favourite Smallville writers, Bryan Q. Miller, who has written some of my favourite episode of that show like “Hex” and the Season 11 comic books.

Getting to Know You

Joe is showing Wally around the precinct in an attempt to spend some time with him. Wally scoffs after Captain Singh calls him a great detective and Iris cuts the tension by suggesting a family dinner consisting of Chinese takeout (with Barry too) at Casa West. But when the dinner comes, Wally is a no show.

We see how Wally is spending his time at Central City and that is speed racing. Wally wins his race and the crowd seems to chant Kid Flash. Joe is at the race and Wally doesn’t want to hear a lecture. Joe says that what Wally is doing is illegal. Wally isn’t having none of it and says he street races to earn money for his mom. Joe offers to lend Wally the money but he refuses and states that he is the man of his family.

Later, Wally comes by Joe’s to pick up a sweater. Joe apologizes for trying to force an instant father-son bond and the two seem to be making steps at a relationship as Wally sits down for dinner with Joe.

 

Hitting a Rough Patch

The episode opens with Barry waking up from a nightware of Zoom kidnapping then killing Patty.

Patty seeks Iris out to get her advice on why Barry is being so guarded when he doesn’t have to be. Iris advises that Patty should tell Barry that he can be open with her.

Iris also advises Barry to tell Patty that he is the Flash if he really cares about her. Barry says he will and Cisco gives him some support. However, Harry advises Barry not too because Zoom will take away people close to him.

For more on this see “The Turtle”

The Turtle

So the metahuman of the week is the Turtle (Battlestar Galactica’s Aaron Douglas) someone that Cisco has been chasing for awhile but Barry is unaware. The Turtle slows down time to steal objects of personal value to people. Cisco believes that Team Flash can use the Turtle to steal Zoom’s speed – an idea that greatly intrigues Harry.

Team Flash figure the Turtle was former thief Russell Glosson who stopped thieving after the particle accelerator explosion. Barry figures that the Turtle’s next target is a diamond that is being returned to its family. The press conference is at the precinct and the Flash is there to stop the Turtle. The Turtle does stop time and the Flash becomes trapped in his wave of slowness and the Turtle gets away.

The Turtle’s next targer is a painting that is being shown at Central City Museum (in reality it is the Vancouver Art Gallery). Jay and Caitlin are there as is Barry who asked Patty to the event in hopes of telling her he is the Flash. Outside is Cisco and Harry, who tells the former how Zoom got his nickname: Zoom set a trap for the CCPD on Earth-2 and killed 14 officers but left one alive to tell the tell. The office recalled seeing blue lightning zooming around. Later that night Zoom killed the officer.

As Barry is about to tell Patty the truth, he spots the Turtle and abandons her to become the Flash. Patty sees the Turtle steal the painting and pulls her gun but the Turtle slows down time and sees the Flash come for him. The Flash manages to make some movement within the slowness but the Turtle shoots the chandelier and the Flash manages to save Patty just before it crashes on her.

Later on, Barry visits a very pissed off Patty. Patty wants them to get closer and doesn’t think Barry wants that and asks him to leave. The Turtle arrives at Patty’s door step and kidnaps her as she is someone that Flash clearly cares about.

Patty is taken to Naylor Library where the Turtle has kept everything he stole. Also there is the embalmed body of his ex-wife and the Turtle is going to the same to Patty. Barry arrives at Patty’s to talk to her again but sees that the Turtle has her.

Team Flash figures out that the Turtle is at the Naylor Library (closed since the particle accelerator explosion). At first, the Turtle stops the Flash and punches him. The Flash’s second attempt, he manages to knock the Turtle out and Patty thanks the Flash, whoever he is.

Barry goes the precinct seemingly ready to tell Patty the truth. Instead, Patty drops a bombshell on him. Patty is leaving Central City for Midway City University to attend its Forensic Scientist program, a career path she was on before her father’s murder. Patty leaves a stunned Barry behind. I really hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Shantel VanSanten is gone from The Flash; I thought she and Grant Gustin had great chemistry. But I guess the show needs to pave the way for an eventually WestAllen pairing.

The Turtle is now in the pipeline prison and Harry goes to his cell, extracts blood via his nose and I am not quite sure if the Turtle is dead or not but sure looks like it.

Elsewhere…

Caitlin and Jay have definitely gotten closer. After the events at the museum, the two share a glass of champagne and Caitlin takes the opportunity to test Jay’s DNA to see if she can help him get his speed back. Unfortunately, Caitlin learns that Jay is really sick and wished Jay had told her because she let herself get close to him after losing Ronnie and doesn’t want to lose him. The two decide to work together to stop Zoom and get his speed back to cure whatever he has.

Coda

We are in a quiet street at night and look who arrives but the Reverse Flash aka Eobard Thawne, who asks Gideon where they are.