The three-week hiatus has finally come to a close. Expecting a speed joke? Some would say the reverse as that wait was dreadful. The Flash is finally back on The CW! This weeks article will focus on episode fourteen of season four, “Subject 9.” The bus metahuman story arch is slowly coming to a close. With just nine episodes left this season, DeVoe’s massive plan begins to further unfold by the second. The fight for Barry’s freedom may be over, but his battle with DeVoe has only hit its climax.

Recap

A prison break ensued at Iron Heights before Amunet could capture the warden’s apprehended metahumans that Barry and company previously had sentenced there. DeVoe cornered Barry and the four escapees before they could leave Iron Heights. With Barry powerless, he could not run fast enough to save the three criminals and Becky Sharp, Lady Luck, from DeVoe’s grasps. Ralph Dibny discovered his shapeshifting powers, the ability used to fool the judge into thinking that Clifford DeVoe had actually survived.

Review Episode 4X14 “SUBJECT 9”

The episode started off with a big change in Barry’s life. After four seasons, Captain Singh made the decision that Barry would have to disengage from forensics for a while. What could be his long-lasting departure from the Central City Police Department, Barry Allen accepted the request. Over the last four seasons, the CCPD has scorned Barry for constantly being late and never showing up for work, even though he was single-handedly solving almost every metahuman case the department received. We rarely see the inner forensic scientist of Barry anymore. Ralph Dibny gave Barry the idea of becoming a private investigator at the end of the episode. Does Barry even need a day job though after all the money and property he inherited from the death of the original Dr. Wells? I’m sure we will see him solving many cases with his forensics knowledge in the future, but I do not expect Barry to return to the police force anytime soon.

Subject metahuman nine, Izzy Bowin, is the fiddler with a canary on top. When DC has a character that lacks relevancy, The Flash writers swoop in with a way to mix things up. Isaac Bowin was the metahuman thief who only had two appearances in the comics. Izzy, on the other hand, is the complete opposite, and for the better. Rather than dragging around a carbon copy of a character from the forties, the newest Bowin is a country singer who is certainly not interested in being a hero nor villain. The stuck-up acoustic violin player was seen as an outcast and uncooperative rebel. Izzy will be guaranteed to be back for more, but not in the way you’re expecting after initially seeing her. Devoe now conceals seven of the metahuman powers he has come across. The dampener that Savitar referred to in season three, did not show a favorable outcome for Izzy as DeVoe’s powers inherited from the episode two villain Kilg%re proved a new challenge for Team Flash. The continual debate on how Barry will manage to defeat DeVoe closes off another possibility as we now have a good idea of what will and will not work against him. Barry needed to run faster in order to defeat his three previous speedster antagonists, but even Barry at his fastest can not still defeat The Thinker. Also, as someone who personally strongly dislikes country music, it’s good to see some of my favorite show writers share the same opinion as they tore the genre apart for a short while.

The hallway of Star Labs is my least favorite location in all of The Flash. It’s the place where many conversations are concluded. The absolute laziest excuse to privately talk was seen stabbed at several times tonight. The counter for the number of times that hallway has been used as an excuse to talk to someone is higher then the number of times Barry has messed up. This cold abyss resonates with some of the shows best and worst moments. It’s so refreshing to see the writers finally begin to find ways around this route and take stabs at their repeating mistakes.

The hallway has recently been replaced with Cisco’s lab for two particular characters. Harry and Cecile finally shared a small amount of screen time together as they managed to cope with each other’s issues. While Cecile may be able to read the minds of every human within her perimeter, it has been shown as a weakness to her. Cecile’s and Mrs. DeVoe’s story further fuels the superpower regret plot. Mrs. DeVoe has shown great remorse for her actions. Many viewers have been questioning if she will turn against her dearest husband. She is already deep in a pond of blood so I doubt that the character will pull a three sixty at this point. The Mechanic has been seeing a decline in screen time. The villain’s build ups for The Flash have always been satisfying and absorbing to watch. The Mechanic has unseen potential. Her rise to the top over the past few episodes better not be wasted as a plot device to defeating this season’s adversary.

Overall this was a exceptional and satisfying episode. The best part about season four has been the amount of screen time shared by both the protagonist and antagonist. Ever since the death of the Reverse Flash, Barry and his yearly foe rarely share an equal amount of time to take the spotlight. Viewers want to see more of the villain’s point of view. Besides “a movie is only as good as its villain,” and to that I say that season four has certainly been a treat to both casual and major comic book fans. Season four continues to reshape the previous mistakes of the show while creating what Might be the best-modernized villain in the Arrowverse since Adrian Chase and Hunter Zolomon.

Legends Of Tomorrow

For those of you not watching Legends of Tomorrow, then here’s another reason to watch this adrenaline rushing humorous spin-off. Wally West is now joining the Legends along with previous captain Rip Hunter at his side. If season one has pushed you away from the series then I highly recommend you give it a second chance except for start at season two, as that’s where its tone took a massive turn and became the acclaimed show it is today.

Next Week’s Teaser

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