TV Review: The Flash - Season 2 Episode 22 "Invincible"

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

EPISODE 22: "Invincible"

SYNOPSIS: After Zoom unleashes an army of Earth-2 meta-humans onCentral City, Barry is shaken when he sees their leader is the Black Canary's Earth-2 doppelgänger, the Black Siren. Meanwhile,Wally takes to the streets to help The Flash stop the meta-humans, which worries Joe. Iris and Henry are concerned about Barry taking on Zoom.

REVIEW: There are filler episodes of The Flash and there are great episodes of The Flash but occassionally there are episodes that feature a bit of both. Tonight's episode, the penultimate of the second season, managed to serve as a placeholder between Barry's big Speed Force resurrection last week and the big finale next week. With Zoom revealing dozens of Earth-2 metahumans last week, Barry was guaranteed to have his hands full for the foreseeable future, but that future ends up only being one episode. Still, this episode evolved past the generic villain of the week by delivering several staggering moments including the shocking scene that ended this episode and will change Barry Allen forever.

Feeling invincible and positive after his communion with the Speed Force, Barry Allen is convinced the so-called Meta-pocalypse plaguing Central City will end with the heroes saving the day. The rest of the team is confused by Barry's optimism and try to talk some sense into him. Joe is concerned because Wally is involving himself with stoping the metahumans while Caitlyn is having post-traumatic visions of Zoom coming for her. Jesse is continually testing herself to see if her connection to the Dark Matter will manifest as superpowers. Even Cisco keeps having vague vibes of dead birds in an undisclosed urban location. While everyone is dealing with their own issues, someone with superpowered vocal cords brings down Mercury Labs. With the team searching for the culprit, it turns out to be Laurel Lance. Since Laurel is dead, this is her Earth-2 doppleganger, a villainous metahuman calling herself Black Siren. Barry is taken aback at seeing his deceased friend back to life but she manages to get away.

Meeting with Zoom, Black Siren reveals she is the lone Earth-2 villain still able to help Zoom. Jay questions why she is not continuing to destroy buildings as a part of his plan to keep Barry at bay while his true motives come together. Black Siren obliges and heads to a populated apartment complex to bring it down. With Cisco's metahuman alert triggering on Black Siren's location, Barry has to decide between saving the residents of the building or executing Cisco and Harrison Well's plan: to create a barrier around Central City while a machine transmits a sound wave linked to the frequency of the Earth-2 people which will knock them out. Cisco and Caitlyn dress as Killer Frost and Reverb to keep Black Siren from using her powers long enough for Barry to get the barrier up but she sees through it when she notices Cisco is right-handed while Reverb was left-handed. The wave is initiated which begins taking everyone down, including Zoom, but he manages to escape through a portal back to Earth-2. Jesse's protective headphones begin to falter so Wells gives her his, knocking him unconscious.

The plan seemed to have worked while also showing us the sensitive side of our various characters. Barry's positive nature seems to have prevailed despite the obstacles in his way. Earlier in the episode, Barry met with Wally to try and dissuade him from playing hero, but Barry sees himself and a lot of Joe in him and realizes Wally is destined to be a hero and lets him continue on his way. Caitlyn's PTSD may have more influential repercussions to the next season, but I think the coolest moment was the introduction of Henry Allen and Dr. Christina McGee. While both actors have appeared on the show since last year, this is the first time they have shared screen time and what appears to be a burgeoning romance. Fans of the original 1990 series will appreciate the reunion of John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays who played Barry Allen and Christina McGee on that version of the DC Comics speedster.

With Black Siren and the villains all stopped and Zoom back on Earth-2, it seemed like the episode would end on a positive note with all of our characters gathered for a family dinner and a chance for Dr. McGee and Henry Allen to kindle a relationship. Even Barry finally asked Iris to go out with him and she agreed. Joe told Wally he was proud of his heroics and Jesse flirted with Wally, too. Everything was perfect. But, even for a show as lighthearted as The Flash, that could not last. About to eat, Cisco vibes and realizes the dead birds were an omen that leads to a vision of Earth-2 Central City splitting in half. Unsure what it means, the party is further interrupted by Zoom who takes Henry Allen. Barry follows which reveals to Wally for the first time that his adoptive brother is actually The Flash. Back at Barry's childhood home, Jay/Zoom holds Henry and we all know what is going to happen. Henry tells Barry he loves him despite Barry's pleas with Zoom. Before anything can be done, Zoom thrusts his hand into Henry's chest, killing him.

A powerful ending to an episode crammed with some major developments for this show, we have a lot going on here: Wally now knows that Barry is The Flash, Iris and Barry are a couple, and Barry's father is dead. I loved seeing John Wesley Shipp on this series and was just beginning to get excited about an expanded role for him. With Henry Allen dead, Barry may plummet into a depression that could have major ramifications going into season three. Barry's parents were always his anchor and with both of them gone, what will he have to drive him next year? This could easily turn Barry into a villain arc which may be a cool direction to take this show, forcing Wally to become the hero to bring Barry back from the dark side of the Speed Force. Regardless, this episode did feel a bit of a waste for Katie Cassidy's guest role as Laurel Lance, but everything else was damn good and sets up one hell of a finale next week.

FINAL VERDICT: