The Flash (TV Series) The Reverse-Flash Returns (2016) User Reviews

Closure along with new things

[SpoodermanDerp · 10/10 · 27 January 2016]

"The Reverse-Flash returns" is easily one of the best Flash episodes in Season 2 so far, it's exciting, intriguing, mind boggling and heartbreaking. It opens up to numerous new crucial plot points to this season's structure and at the same time back tracks a bit to deal with some closure brought about by the first season.

So let's go about what was generally excellent in this episode, the episode was more layered with sub plots and narratives that were previously shown in past episodes, however what was so great about how this episode dealt with them is that they gave them definitive development and necessity to the plot of the show. The Iris' mom subplot became much more relevant because of the now introduced Wally West and her illness, and the episode was more balanced in terms of giving the right attention to which narrative they should follow. The Patty and Barry narrative was officially given an absolute closure that shows how much Barry has developed, and it shows how much they have giving him a sense of closure with the Reverse Flash story line which may have seem to be a little rushed at start, however it picked up it's pace with handy (even though obvious) exposition for the audience and an intriguing plot element with complicated timey wimey things once again. We are also introduced to future set ups and hints that is sure to keep fans speculating and discussing which the show is really known for doing much like in the first season with Harrison Wells. All these exciting elements handled well were great and it was refreshing to see new elements thrown in that finally kick start this season to many possible outcomes all pointing towards Zoom. If the Flash continues to create episodes like these more often than not, then the show will sure be able to have a sense of balance that the audience will grow to like as each episode passes by.

Verdict: 9.7/10

Amazing

[idontquit-20930 · 10/10 · 26 January 2016]

This Episode was screaming so many comic book easter eggs. From cisco's vibe glasses, to Eobards back-story about loving Barry the legend.

Im Glad to say Barry is finally fast enough to stop RF. Does that mean Barry has gotten a little faster? Of Course. However, he has a long way to stopping zoom.

And then the best part...

Hunter Zolomon's Reveal

i was screaming when Jay's doppleganger pointed out his doppleganger. And his is named Hunter Zolomon. For those who don't read comics..

Hunter Zolomon is Zoom in the comics

Does that mean Hunter Zolomon is Zoom in the TV show? I think its the best theory we now currently have.

PS: Barry phasing through the wall was Awesome

This is what the Flash should be!

[igorivanovic · 10/10 · 27 January 2016]

BEST Episode of Flash so far! This is what Flash should be! So accurate, precise, right to original comics from 60's! That's that atmosphere and Flash is finally hero for real comics rules! And time traveling theories with whole explaining what relay was legacy of season one...oh my...better then Terminator theories, predestination 2014, looper 2013, X-men days of future past, time before time 1979, H.G.Wells Time machine 1960, twilight zone episodes, and best one-Back to the future...do I have to go on? Summary: if you haven't read original comics just watch with time traveling enjoyment, and if you are JUST ENJOY THIS EPISODE! ....and I expect nothing lees from now for the rest of show~! (and I can't wait to see the Flash traveling to future to Eobard's time!

Full On Vibe Mode

[ThomasDrufke · 10/10 · 26 January 2016]

I tune into Flash every week for quite a few reasons but mostly because I'm a huge nerd and I love superheroes. While this episode brought back a huge villain from season 1, dropped a possible major clue for the villain this season, and even had Cisco fully realizing his powers, my favorite part of the episode was the human drama we got between our characters. I said it from the beginning but I believe Patty Spivot is the best thing about season 2, and for me, tonight proved that even more. Heck, I even liked Iris this episode.

We've had a week to think about the cliffhanger involving both Patty leaving and Reverse Flash somehow being back in play, and I think both sides of the episode worked extremely well tonight. We opened the episode as Barry took down a runaway truck which actually looked surprisingly good considering it was filmed in daylight so there wasn't a ton of room for error. Taking down the truck didn't really have much to do with the plot of tonight's episode at all, but it was a nice touch to what is probably my favorite episode of the season. The crew then found Turtle *surprise surprise* dead down in the Star Labs lair. I've always enjoyed watching Wells play dumb around the team whatever the case may be and tonight proved no different. The man is always one step ahead of everyone else, that is, except Zoom.

Speaking of Zoom, we may have just found out his real identity, Hunter Zolomon. I won't pretend to know a ton about the Flash' comics, but I do know that Zolomon is a speedster and the third Reverse Flash at one point so the reveal that he is Jay Garrick's earth 1 doppelganger was an interesting while not all that shocking of a twist. I still believe there is something Garrick is hiding, I just don't know what.

The Reverse Flash that we saw, is that of another timeline, or at least that's what they attempted to explain to us. I feel like sometimes with the Flash you just have to push aside logic and just accept it for being an incredible superhero show. So however it happened, the Eobard Thawne Reverse Flash made his way back to earth-1. I really enjoyed this half throw back to last year but also half glimpse into the future (presumably next season) of the show. It kind of felt like the season 3 Arrow episode when Deathstroke came back with that ominous feeling of what may be ahead for our hero. The idea that Barry just had to accept that Thawne would eventually find Barry in the future while also accepting that his relationship with Patty may have to be sacrificed was a good parallel for the show to make. Some things you just can't change.

I also loved the focus on Cisco AKA Vibe this week. His scenes with Harry are always great but that's often all Cisco gets to do. His life hanging in the balance because of the strange relationship him and Thawne have gave the episode an extra layer of emotional gravitas it needed. And Cisco saying "bye Felicia" to Reverse Flash was yet another great pop culture reference in the long list for Cisco's character, not to mention the reference to Romeo and Juliet as well.

But now onto what may be the biggest question mark people have after the episode: Is Patty coming back? I think so. I've enjoyed every moment between these two this season, perhaps even more so than the Olicity relationship over on Arrow. I don't think Barry has a better match, but I digress. Their relationship seemed (for now) to come to an end. If by some stupid reason Patty doesn't ever come back, I think the show handled the goodbye correctly. It's hard to believe Patty never knew about Barry working with Star Labs, I guess that goes to show you how much he didn't communicate enough to her. I'm also glad that they decided on having Patty figure out that Barry was the Flash was on her own, even if it was weeks overdue. It was really bittersweet to watch Barry finally acknowledge who he was on the train at the end, but it was just as difficult to watch him not admit to her he was the Flash earlier on, even when she said she would stay. But in full, the drama between them felt very natural and was way better than anything Iris and Barry ever had put together.

With that said, I also liked Iris' moments with her brother and her mom, even if that did feel a little shoehorned into this episode. We got a big reveal, a fantastic back and forth between hero and villain throughout, and some surprisingly heartfelt and bittersweet relationship drama. Well done Flash, well done.

+Thawne is back

+Focus on Cisco

+Good moments with the West family

+Patty finds out on her own

+Bittersweet moments with Patty and Barry

+Zolomon....Zoom?

10/10

The Man in Yellow Returns

[cobi-80620 · 27 January 2016]

Absolutely loved this episode! The feeling of watching this show and this episode as it brings us back and explains a lot of the reasons behind season 1. It also manages to throw in new things for the season's future.

Eobard Thawne is here, in the present, for the first time. But it's not the time where he goes back in time to kill Barry's mom, no this is an early version of Reverse-Flash. What I love the most about this episode is that it show us a lot of the reasons behind Thawne's actions (in the form of Wells) in season 1. From creating the wormhole by building the particle accelerator to him knowing about Cisco's powers. He got to know about him killing The Flash's mother and that he himself dies sometime in his future. Maybe just maybe that is why he recorded the confession? Just a guess of mine.

The other part that was great was Cisco and him going full Vibe mode. It's been very vague how his powers work, finally we got to know why they come into act. But like he said himself, he shouldn't keep doing it. Although, I'm not buying Harry's explanation that the blood was caused by them keeping Reverse-Flash from going to the future. It looked awesome seeing them two run beside each other inside the particle accelerator. Which BTW is how Thawne knew it would work.

Patty leaving is both good and bad. I liked them two interact with each other and they seemed almost perfect, almost. However, it got annoying when Barry wanted to tell her last episode but didn't and then refused to admit it when Patty found out in this episode. Perhaps this not a final goodbye.

Lastly some few things. Turtle, they find him dead and then don't mention him ever again. I would have at least thought they would be more serious and concerned about this. Their one plan of beating Zoom just died and no one but Jay seems to care? Speaking of Jay, his doppelganger, Hunter Zolomon. Been reading some stuff from Flash comics and I know in there Zoom's alias is Hunter Zolomon. Zoom on the show is from Earth-2, so he can't be Zoom unless Jay is lying and is actually creating a speed-mirage to fool Caitlin. I doubt that but Jay could still be lying about something. Zoom's identity is probably not going to be revealed until the last couple of episodes. Hopefully it will make sense in the end.

All in all, amazing episode and I'm really looking forward to next week when we get to meet the next new meta-human, Tar-Pit!

Flash - S02E11 The Reverse-Flash Returns

[j_forbesy · 9/10 · 28 January 2016]

Following on from the comfortable platform laid down by last weeks episode, this episode brought back what made this series one of the best of TV at the current moment. This episode brought the mood back to season one, with The Reverse Flash becoming the main villain for the episode. While did very little throughout the episode, it was good to see the real Eobard Thawne on the screen.

The main focus of this episode was The Reverse Flash. For many who haven't seen the episode might wonder how it is possible to how he is still alive, and after the episode I was still a bit confused. I eventually had to look up how it was done and once I understood how it happened made the who scenario really cool. This Thawne is not the Wells Thawne, this one is before he kills Barry's mother. As it is explained, Thawne travelled back in time twice. The first time is to this time period which takes place in this episode. The second time he returns to the past is when he kills Barry's mother. So this episode, as far as Thawne's timeline, comes before the Barry's mother is murdered. I really enjoyed how they played around with the timeline in this episode. Team Flash catch Thawne and plan to keep him captive but are forced to let him go. By not letting Thawne return to the future, everything that happened in Season 1 would not of happened. They use Cisco's powers to represent how it effects, as they show Cisco fading away.

The other major thing that I really liked how they did was revealing to Patty that Barry is The Flash. Patty uses her detective skills to pitch a strong case to Joe that she thinks Barry is The Flash. Joe being the bad liar he is, denies but Patty knows the truth. She then smartly tricks Barry into thinking she is in trouble. With this The Flash suddenly shows up to her aid. She reveals its a trap to see if The Flash would show up. At that point Barry knows he is caught out and stops his blurred face so that she can see it is really him. They have really built up to this moment and even though it does not directly come from Barry, I thought it was nicely done. Patty does not appear mad but instead revealed that she finally know Barry's secret.

A sub plot that has been taking place through this story is Caitlin trying to save Jay from his sickness. During this episode she decides that she should find the Earth 1 Jay and take healthy cells from him. However this doesn't go to plan as there is no Jay Garrick on Earth 1. Jay later reveals that there is in fact a Hunter Zolomon, who is Jay's Earth 1 match. He explains that this Jay was adopted as a child and therefore has a different name. For those who don't know, this is perhaps the biggest clue to who Zoom is. In the comics, Hunter Zolomon is Zoom. For this to work, Zoom would have to be Earth 1 Jay Garrick. This would mean that at some point earlier in the series there must have been a gateway between Earth 1 and 2.

This episode brought Flash back to what we are use to, by far it was the best episode of this season.

9/10 - See more reviews at https://thenotsonerdynerd.wordpress.com/

Super episode

[fennec-39192 · 8/10 · 17 May 2021]

I really liked his run in with Barry and their little fight. Barry surprisingly won that fight hands down. Otherwise I found the explanation of his appearance quite complicated to understand but logical,all the time paradoxes it brings are interesting. Pyis after a paradox took place and Ida's cisco appeared Barry opened a rift with reverse flash and sent him to the future. The exploration of cisco's abilites with the glasses are super cool. The fact that Patty knows Barry is flash is more than logical but disappointing to see the character leave. I really like Wally west as well as the relationship he starts to build with iris. On jay's side it is impossible to save him from his double.

Felt unnecessary

[okraievskyi · 8/10 · 11 September 2022]

This was a pretty good episode with Eobard returning, and I liked that this episode basically revealed his origin story to us. However, it did feel kinda unnececcary and fillery. Like, I mean, I don't think it'll have impact in future episodes and it felt weirdly out of place in this Zoom storyline. The character development was pretty cool, especially with Barry and Patty, and Jay and Caitlin. Cisco's storyline is also very interesting. But yeah, for such an important episode, not much to say here. I will say one thing though, the CGI during the dramatic Cisco scene was awesome. Overall, can't wait for more episodes, and while this one wasn't super important, I had fun with it.

Ranking/Reviewing every Flash episode: Reverse Flash Returns

[lbramson · 9/10 · 11 June 2023]

Team Flash learn that the Reverse Flash is still alive. This episode is just a classic example of Flash done right! I love the Reverse Flash and his return was something special...until it became every season. Despite how many times he came back, the novelty of this episode hasn't worn off. I especially love the fact that this is a pre-2000 Reverse Flash who isn't hellbent on killing Barry, he just wants to get back to the future, turning into an awesome climax to finish this episode off! The Reverse Flash returns is a fun episode and one of the best of the season so far!

9.4/10-Great! Almost Amazing.