TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Flash Season 01 Episode 14: Fallout

Let me be clear right off. This is my new favorite episode of Flash so far. And no, I don’t mean just because of the last two minutes…though they were epic!!! No, “Fallout” was great from front to back in both story and characters. Doing a fantastic job of bringing Firestorm to life truly, and showing what his existence has done to the people closest to him.

I noted last week in my review that it was oh so obvious that Ronnie and Dr. Marcus Stein were still alive. This theory was proven in literally the first minute. As the nuclear (that was somehow not…) explosion actually was able to separate them into Ronnie and Marcus. And while it would’ve been easy to do a whole “Oh, you’re back, let’s celebrate!” thing (though they did in a small way), we got a much more personal look into Ronnie, Marcus, Caitlin, and Clarissa, showing how the literal fallout of them being themselves again.

For me, a guy who knows about Firestorm and the many incarnations he’s taken over the years, I really enjoyed the back and forth banter between Marcus and Ronnie. The point of Firestorm in a way was to have two individuals who were totally different come together to be a hero. That was truly the case here, as Marcus talked about how he was grateful his mind was in control and not Ronnie’s, while Ronnie noted he’d probably be better at the physical stuff over Marcus. That really dug into who this character is, both in the show and in the comics.

I also liked how the connection between them didn’t fade when they were separated. That actually is something new to my knowledge. And also gives a rather interesting plotpoint to delve into later on.

The other “couple” that shined was Ronnie and Caitlin, who were finally and truly back together. It was very believable that Ronnie wanted to leave Central City because of what happened. Especially when he noted how he didn’t “want to lose another year” because of Star Labs. To my joy though, Caitlin got to show her growth by saying she enjoys helping people like they do now. It’s a new purpose, one she wouldn’t have done pre-Barry.

But of course, nothing can be happy-go-lucky anymore…enter the return of General Eiling. It was great to see him back. I’ve seen notes that Eiling is kind of simple-minded. And in a way he is, but the thing you have to remember is, not every character has to be deep to be effective. Eiling is not only a man of action, he’s cunning. He knows the power of information just much as he knows the power of power itself. Why else would he not reveal to the world who Barry Allen is? Exactly.

Also, he showed his smarts as a soldier, more or less beating Barry not once, but twice, without physically hitting him. That’s smarts. The real highlight here though was the true and emphatic birth of Firestorm. I truly enjoyed how it was because they accepted being Firestorm that made him the hero we know he can be, instead of the monster of two minds. The effects for both the combining and separating of Firestorm were top notch in my opinion, and I REALLY hope he comes back soon to team up with Flash.

Oh yeah, this is Barry’s show isn’t it? Let’s talk about him a little…

Barry, via Joe, found out about his inevitable trip into the past. What this set into motion was the gears for a major change-up on the Flashpoint scale. Anyone who read the comics or saw the movie will know what I mean. I enjoyed how Barry was disheartened by what he found out, as he realized that despite (at least his first) effort to save his mom, he failed. Which is actually what Reverse Flash said in the mid-season finale, “It is your destiny to fail”. Yet Barry, being Barry, turned it around and now uses it as motivation to try and save her, and beat Reverse Flash.

Iris actually had a nice little subplot in “Fallout”, which is great, cause she REALLY needed to redeem herself from last episode. It was honestly really small, but it has the potential to lead to some big things, and I for one honestly can’t wait to see where it leads her.

Ok…the last two minutes…OH MY GOSH!!!!!

First, Wells revealed himself IN THE REVERSE FLASH OUTFIT to Eiling. Then…”Not God…Grodd…”, oh that sent chills up my spine. And we got a true good look at Grodd for real this time! What really made this scene special though was the fact that it appears Grodd and Wells have an alliance going on. Where that will lead is anyone’s guess, but it’s going to be fun.

If there was one bad thing about this episode, it was that it was so good…and now we have to wait a month until the next episode! WHY?!?!!

In the end though, “Fallout” delivered on virtually every aspect imaginable. A new hero is born, two villains are slowly rising from the shadows, and things are racing towards what must be an epic conclusion. See you in a month, be back in a Flash!