What I’m Watching: The Flash

The Flash: Season 4, Episode 18 “Lose Yourself” (B+)

I really keep thinking that we’re close to the end of the season here based on where the story is going, but, while nearly every other CW show is signing off early, we still have a full five episodes in season four, with a fifth season commissioned a few weeks ago. The events of this episode make defeating DeVoe seem less likely to happen, especially not without any more casualties. Barry managed to convince Ralph that he was better off being Ralph the hero than killing DeVoe in order to keep everyone else safe, and while the only other casualty so far has been Killer Frost, which may not be a permanent loss, Ralph himself was the victim of his own humanity. He and Barry were both so proud that he had found a way to capture DeVoe without killing him, and then, tragically, DeVoe killed him. With no more victims left to kill, DeVoe is going to wear Ralph’s face for the rest of his existence, which will be strange to see, but he also gets the advantage of being able to transform back into his real body, which should be enough to compel Marlize not to rebel, which is pretty much the only way Team Flash will have a leg up in this fight. The way she spoke to Iris when they were fighting doesn’t indicate that she’s at all close to defecting. Harry took himself out of commission trying to use the thinking cap too much, and everyone is going to be considerably worse for wear now that they’re mourning the loss of their newest friend.