What I’m Watching: The Flash

The Flash: Season 1, Episode 19 “Who Is Harrison Wells?” (B+)

This is a strange title for this episode given the fact that the origins of Harrison Wells only make up about a third of the episode. That said, our friends have come very close to the truth, as they realize that the site of his car accident has something to do with time travel and that he has a newspaper in his secret room with a headline about the Flash from 2024. It’s hard to believe that he doesn’t have a camera either at his door or near the secret room in Star Labs, but I guess he just feels a sense of security given that he’s so much more advanced than everyone around him. Additionally, it seems likely that he inherited some humanity from Wells and that he has grown to care about Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry even if his initial motivations were purely malicious. I guess Barry has been doing some appearing on “Arrow” in addition to some of that show’s characters stopping by here, as evidenced by Laurel’s knowledge of his identity. She definitely wasn’t the Black Canary yet back when I watched that show, but it was a treat to see Cisco get so excited about helping her with a part of her suit. Joe bonding with her father was undoubtedly very cathartic. There isn’t much that’s cooler than a shapeshifter, and Hannibal served as a fantastic nemesis for this hour. Kissing Caitlin was one highlight, but I think cycling through his many stolen faces after Barry gave him the serum was the strongest moment.