What I’m Watching: The Flash

The Flash: Season 5, Episode 10 “The Flash and the Furious” (B+)

We’re almost halfway into this season, and I’m glad at least to see that we’re not dealing with a villain like DeVoe who just gets more and more unstoppable every episode. Instead, Caitlin and Cisco believe they’ve come up with a way to defeat Cicada, though it has larger implications for what it means to have powers. That, to me, is one of the most appealing aspects of this aging show, having all of its characters reflect on what their powers do for and to them. Caitlin and Killer Frost are open to exploring Cisco being able to get rid of his abilities, but only in a certain way. Nora and Barry, meanwhile, are exploring the definition of a hero and the need to believe that people can change. It was Nora not buying Jocelyn’s story about not being a villain like her father that allowed her to be corrupted by Silver Ghost, but when she changed her mind and opened up, she was able to get through and convince Jocelyn to come back to the good side. That self-realization was an important step for the continually bratty Nora, who always thinks she knows best. As usual, it’s members of the team not talking to each other that’s going to be their undoing, as Sherloque is starting to put together the fact that Nora is keeping something big from everyone else. The confirmation at the start of the episode that the Wells Nora was talking to in the future is Eobard Thawne is intriguing, and I’m curious to learn how he came to be in this more penitent position.