The Flash
Season 2 Episode 22: “Invincible”
Directed by Jesse Warn
Written by Brooke Roberts & David Kob
Starring Grant Gustin, Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh
Created by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns
The CW
Air Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 8:00pm

Last week on The Flash, Barry (Grant Gustin) was lost in the speed force after they tried to recreate the particle accelerator explosion, tasked with catching up with a dark shadow or leave without his powers. The speed force seems to be God, or midichlorians, or the origin of matter, or something omniscient. He was visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and… actually, the speed force just dressed up like his family to give him Joe-isms, while his real family tried to get him back through the vibes of Cisco (Carlos Valdes). The final tears came when his loving mom came and read him a childhood story, “The Runaway Dinosaur.” Barry caught the shadow – himself, as Iris (Candice Patton) reached for him through Cisco, and brought him home with his speed.

Spoilers below.

The Flash 2.22 “Invincible” review: The metas are trashing the city. It’s the “meta-pocalypse.” Barry is in super glass-half-full mode “We are not alone. We are never ever alone.” That speed force is better than Prozac. He thinks he is “invincible.”

Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) is back. And thinks they are doomed.

Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) slinks down the street and screams the windows off of Mercury Labs. Laurel Lance’s doppelgänger is not so heroic. Barry saves Dr. Tina McGee (Amanda Pays).

“Thank you Mr. Allen.” Cue shock. “I’m not stupid.”

Henry (John Wesley Shipp): “I don’t think we’ve ever met before.” (Yes you have! You were The Flash in 1990 and she was your love interest, Dr. Tina McGee!).

Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) stops a mugging, but the mugger is a meta. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) saves him and freaks about Wally putting himself in danger. He’s trying to prove his worth. Meanwhile, Jesse (Violett Beane) wants to test herself again to see if she’s a meta. Jesse QUick is coming. Don’t you worry. Joe asks Barry to talk to Wally… again.

Caitlin is hallucinating Zoom. That’s fun. She is losing it and scared of everything.

Barry is still weirdly chipper. The speed force changed his attitude at an almost dangerous level. His dad tries to talk to him. Barry says something mean.

Zoom sets The Flash signal on the CCPD building. Jay (Teddy Sears) called him to banter, and to convince Barry that they are the same.

“While you play the good little boy, I’ll be busy winning.”

Cisco is getting an unusually weird vibe. “Birds! Why? It’s like a Hitchcock movie in my head.”

Barry faces The Black Siren, and almost dies, until Wally shows up and saves him.

They figure out how to defeat the Earth-2 trespassers, and start talking.

Joe: “This is where I play stupid and you explain science.” Right there with ya Joe. It involves a tuning fork to send out a pulse for a “higher” frequency. No, I still don’t get it, but I’ll take their word for it. “Beats by Wells.” Good one Cisco. But how will they distract Black Siren before she topples more buildings?

“I think I just got the worst idea of all time.” Cisco and Caitlin dress up like their dead doppelgängers, and offer Black Siren the chance to be gods with them. Yep. The worst idea of all time. Except for the time you guys went to Earth-2, and changed the past, and believed in evil Wells, and…

Doppelgängers are mirror images and she tricks them, of course. But the plan works… for the most part. Zoom escapes through a portal, but Barry cleans up all the metas.

“My grandkids are gonna call me Papa.” Cutest line of the episode by best dad ever – Joe West.

“The speed force is with us.” And may the speed force be with you too. Time to date!

What a happy little family scene… Oh no… Right on schedule Cisco vibes the end of the world, and someone dies. Not cool, Flash.

I definitely enjoyed that. While this episode did not have as many jokes or my wonderful Cisco-isms, the dark Armageddon-y direction did not leave much room for that. I hope they can squash Zoom once and for all next week, and I actually hope it is Caitlin that does it. Or Wally. Or Jesse. I want the weakest one to take him down, like a David and Goliath thing.

The Flash season finale airs next Tuesday, May 24th at 8:00pm ET on The CW.

The CW’s synopsis:

The Flash
Invincible (Ep# 222)
KATIE CASSIDY GUEST STARS AS BLACK SIREN — After Zoom (guest star Teddy Sears) unleashes an army of Earth-2 meta-humans on Central City, Barry (Grant Gustin) is shaken when he sees their leader is the Black Canary’s Earth-2 doppelganger, the Black Siren (guest star Katie Cassidy). Meanwhile, Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) takes to the streets to help The Flash stop the meta-humans, which worries Joe (Jesse L. Martin). Iris (Candice Patton) and Henry (guest star John Wesley Shipp) are concerned about Barry taking on Zoom. Jesse Warn directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Brooke Roberts & David Kob (#222). Original airdate 5/17/2016.

Image Gallery

Video

The Flash | Invincible Scene | The CW

Caitlin may be free, but no one is safe on tonight’s new episode of The Flash at 8/7c!