Wednesday, January 28, 2015

The Flash - The Sound and the Fury


"The Sound and the Fury" introduces yet another of the Flash's (Grant Gustin) trademark villains when the Pied Piper comes to town. In an episode that all but confirms Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) as the Reverse-Flash given his use of super-speed and absorption of the Speed Force through futuristic technology, former Star Labs golden boy Hartley Rathaway (Andy Mientus) returns to Central City seeking vengeance on Wells who he blames for the accelerator explosion and everything which came after.

After tricking the Flash and Wells into returning him to Star Labs and imprisoning him in their makeshift prison, the Pied Piper plays out his role as a Trojan Horse allowing him to sew dissension among the ranks, force Wells to make a painful confession about the explosion, and steal quite a bit of data about the city's new hero making him far more dangerous. Barry's momentary distrust in Wells is put to rest by the scientist's public apology for the accident he was warned was possible, but Joe (Jesse L. Martin) is far from convinced they've learned all of Wells' dark secrets.

While the main story deals with the strain on the team because of the Pied Piper, the episode's B-story focuses on Iris' (Candice Patton) soul slowly being crushed by her new job at Central City Picture News by the jerk of a disinterested mentor (Roger Howarth) and her discovery that her connection to the Flash, and further stories about the Scarlet Speedster, are all that got her the job. The subplot is mostly forgettable, but the Piper (even without a pipe) is a welcome addition to the show given he's the smartest villain Barry has yet to cross paths with. And, it turns out, he's smart enough to have a final ace up his sleeve to arrange for his release while suggesting we may see more of Firestorm (Robbie Amell) in the near future.

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