As goes the start of most episodes of The Flash these days (or like, always) Wally, Jesse, and Barry are testing their speed. And, would you look at that?! Wally’s become JUST fast enough to save Iris from Savitar. Amazing! Wonderful! .
..Oh wait, this isn’t the Season Finale. There’s a hitch. Wally is seeing things. Things, like Savitar.
She Said Yes
On a happier note, back at Star Labs, Barry and Iris announce they’re engaged to the team. Joe looks none too pleased by it at first, but he soon comes around and tells Barry and Iris that he’s full of “joy” for them…ish. He pulls Barry to the side and asks his adoptive son why didn’t ask his permission. for Iris’ hand in marriage. Barry admits that it was a spontaneous decision. *Ominous music plays*
Anyway, Wally’s getting the crap beat out of him by Savitar, but no one else can see him. It’s kind of a bizarre thing to deal with, so Barry takes him back to Star Labs to get looked at. Caitlin checks Wally out but he says he feels fine. He explains to the team that he thought that Savitar was just in his head at first, so he didn’t say anything anyone about it. Barry gets on his case for not revealing this sooner because it’s Iris’ life on the line. being about “Iris’ life.” In fact, because of his reluctance to tell the team what was going on, Barry tells him he’s “out.” Which is way harsh. Poor Wally.
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They (and by they, I mean Caitlin) convince Julian (Oh, by the way– Julian’s back!) to let them get into his brain to figure out the Savitar situation. Savitar speaks through him and reveals that he’s been trapped in a prison in the future. Barry asks why they’re enemies– and Savitar says they have to be. That only one of them can live. Savitar proclaims, quite eerily, that it was always “him” that was Barry’s match, not Zoom or Thawne. Barry asks him when they meet and he says soon. Declares that Barry didn’t “make” him but that he made his own “greatness.”
Savitar turns his attention towards Iris and calls her out on being afraid even though she’s pretending she isn’t. He tells her he’s sorry she has to die, but that it’s either him or her. Then, he tells Barry that despite the loss he’s already suffered, he’ll never get over Iris’ death.
It’s also revealed that the philosopher’s stone isn’t gone. Barry goes to find it (or another one), but it was a trick. Savitar is way ahead of him, as told by a loyal follower, who then suggests he move up the wedding. Jerk. Once he gets back to Star Labs, Julian tells Barry he’s never heard of another box or stone, that there’s only one.
The Turning Point
Wally and H.R. enlist Cisco to vibe Wally to Iris’ death scene so that he can figure things out since he’s slowing down. He goes, subjects himself to emotional torture because he’s the cutest and best brother ever, and notices that she’s not wearing her engagement ring when Barry holds her body in his arms.
Continuing to prove that he’s the best and cutest brother, Wally confronts Barry about the WestAllen engagement and demands that he tell Iris the real reason he proposed. Iris puts two and two together once it’s revealed she didn’t have a ring on in the future and she figures out Barry did it to try and change the outcome. Iris brings up how fast she and Barry have moved with both moving in and getting engaged and admits this is what she’s been afraid of all along– Barry acting rash because of her fate.
On the subject of strained relationships, Caitlin confesses to Julian that she has the stone and is the one who “betrayed everyone.” She then brings it to Barry. He asks why she’d risk it and she says she thought it might help rid her of her powers. After all, it is only a piece of the stone. Barry seems more understanding than Julian, who can hardly look at her and isn’t really down to hear her explanations.
Fulfilling the “West men are the best men” mantra I’ve spoken into the universe, Joe shows up at the apartment to see how Iris is handling her engagement woes. He understands that she’s upset, but reminds her that Barry loves her. He also explains that she is the person who knows what’s good for her. His only caveat is that while this may be complicated, with the kind of love Barry and Iris have and the kind of life they live, their love should stay simple. Preach, Joe.
The Showdown
Julian agrees to channel Savitar once again so that the team can get a hit on him. Back in creep mode and under the Savitar influence, he threatens Barry relentlessly. They unplug him when Cisco gets a hit, but it turns out that the hit spans the whole city.
At the West abode, Wally tells Jesse he feels like Savitar has some kind of hold on him. Plus, he’s feeling the weight of being Iris’ savior. Which as never more apparent than when his mom suddenly pops up, telling him he’s “not alone.” Jesse is freaked out because Wally is falling apart, talking to thin air, as his “mom” is telling him how proud she is of him. It’s all heartbreaking and emotional until Wally’s mother tells him he needs to stop trying and that he’s not fast enough to save Iris and never will be. He quickly realizes it’s Savitar messing with him and he’s right. Savitar comes through and tells him that everyone he loves is going to die.
Somehow, Savitar terrorizing poor Wally isn’t the only major blow of the episode.Case in point, Barry shows up to the loft after getting Iris’ message, and things are… tense. Iris tell him she’s not mad at him and that she totally gets why he proposed. But, that isn’t where she ends the conversation. She tells him she said yes because she loves him more than anything and she wants to be his wife and she thought that he was asking out of love not fear.
*Clutches heart* She goes on to say that Barry’s spur-of-the-moment, fear driven proposal has tainted them. She explains that she wants to be his wife, not someone he’s trying to save for the rest of eternity. Ouch, but you go, girl. Tell ’em.
It’s not all bad, though. The word “epiphany” triggers an epiphany in Barry. He realizes he put Savitar in the speed force– its why only speedsters can see him. This realization comes a moment too late, though. Jesse tells the team that Wally ran off to get Savitar and they find out that he took the piece of the philosopher’s stone (just what Savitar needs to escape the speed force) along with him.
Savitar and Wally face off. He tells Wally he gave him his speed, basically saying he owns him. Wally goes to attack but then gets sucked into the speed force vortex with him. Savitar then crawls out and announces that he’s free.
Savitar tells Barry that Wally took his place in the speed force and that he’s trapped there. He also reveals that Flashpoint started all of this (AKA it’s Barry’s fault) and Wally played right into his trap. Barry and Savitar go at it and the villain gets the upper hand. Being the evil meanie that he is, Savitar stabs Barry but won’t kill him until he watches Iris die.
As if that wasn’t enough, after Barry gets stitched up and comes to after his surgery, not only is Wally still most definitely gone, but so is Iris’ ring.
HollywoodLifers, where do you think WestAllen stands? And how do we get Wally back?!