Photo courtesy of The CW. Spoilers for The Flash Canon Universe!
There was no Clifford or Marlize DeVoe in the eleventh episode of The Flash. Instead, we got some family drama provided by The Trickster’s (Mark Hamil) son and ex-girlfriend; some Ralph Dibny growing pains; as well as a peek into Barry and Iris’ life now that Barry is incarcerated. There was also a possible Easter Egg reveal that suggests the arrival of one of the Tornado Twins, specifically Dawn Allen! It would appear that she is keeping tabs on both her parents and Team Flash. Exciting, right? All the clues are there, but before I get into the meat of those clues, let’s go over the highlights of “The Elongated Knight Rises.”
Barry is Adjusting to Prison Life.
It’s hard being a superhero in prison. Barry Allen wanders around Iron Heights Penitentiary trying to figure out his place in his new world. He spends his days mopping halls, looks forward to his daily visits with Iris West through thick prison glass, and tries to keep out of trouble. He doesn’t have any friends in prison, which isn’t surprising having formerly worked in law enforcement. Yet, when a group of violent inmates attempt to intimidate him, a hulking older inmate by the name of Big Sir (this reminds me of the nicknames my mom’s family would give each other) steps in and protects Barry. Confused as to why this stranger would stand up for him, Barry discovers that his father, Henry Allen, once saved Big Sir by performing an emergency appendectomy. When Big Sir is jumped by the same violent inmates that were after Barry, Barry returns the favor in Flash form and saves his new friend from getting beaten to death. Having easily defeated his foes in prison, Barry finally feels like he can do some good in Iron Heights as its impromptu superhero.
Trickster Jr. is Back and So is His Mama
While in prison, Barry runs into Axel Walker/Trickster Jr. though the supervillain is broken out of jail with the help of some bad pudding and his mom, Zoey Clark/Prank. With Axel reunited with his mother, Central City falls prey to his old villainous shenanigans and it’s up to Ralph Dibny to put his pride, ego, and fears aside as Central City’s newest superhero.
Dibny’s inflated sense of self-worth gets the best of him, and after a run in with some trickster acid that proves that he isn’t as indestructible as previously theorized, Dibny attempts to break Barry out of jail. Having realized that his new line of work could result in his demise, Dibny begs Barry to save the city from the Trickster and Prank’s schemes. Barry gives Dibny a pretty good pep talk, and the stretchy hero, outfitted in a new and smart superhero suit, takes on meta-acid to save teammates Caitlin Snow and Cisco. In the end, Dibny overcomes his fear of failure and death, and saves his friends, leaving a somewhat humbler character.
Was that Dawn Allen in the Final Scenes of the Episode?!
Actress Jessica Parker Kennedy (Black Sails) has made two guest appearances on The Flash. The first appearance was during Barry and Iris’ Nazi thwarted wedding where she briefly spoke to Barry before chaos ensued. The second time is in this episode when she appears in its closing scenes at Jitters. She helps out a squabbling Dibny and Cisco — they don’t have money to pay for their celebratory — and ends the episode by writing in a journal.
But here’s the thing, she writes in Force code! You know, all those weird symbols that baffled Cisco when Barry first exited the Speed Force incoherent and confused. This is a huge hint, as to her identity as Dawn Allen. I mean, who else would know those symbols except for someone Barry (from the future?) trusted, someone with the ability to travel through time, someone who might need a means to communicate about temporal events in a safe and encrypted manner.
For those that have read the comics, it’s known that Barry and Iris have twins; Don and Dawn. It’s also known that they have their father’s abilities, meaning they could travel into the past to interact with their parents. Jessica’s character fits this bill, not only because of her knowledge of Speed Force code, but because, well, just look at her! She’s clearly Iris and Barry’s daughter. She’s goofy and awkward like Barry and totally looks like Iris West (excellent casting- she could totally be Iris’ grown daughter!).
Additionally, she appeared to recognize Cisco and Dibny, delving into a brief conversation that was very Barry Allen like. Besides, doesn’t it seem a little too coincidental that she always pops up and has these cute and short interactions with Team Flash? Something is going on and I guarantee it has something to do with the Allens and the Speed Force. All I know is that Jessica’s character is totally channeling some Dawn Allen vibes and I love it. Hopefully, her true identity is revealed by the end of the season. If she is Dawn Allen, I think it would be rad if she and Iris West worked together to free Barry from prison. Now, that would be an episode.
Flashy Observations
- Cisco Ramon isn’t giving any cookies to Ralph Dibny for good behavior. I appreciate Cisco’s candor and ability to guide Dibny without ignoring his bad behavior or cheerleading behavior that should be typical of a decent human being. This is why Cisco is the GOAT in my eyes (dreamy sigh).
- The prison scenes with Barry were entertaining, and the interactions between Big Sir and Barry seemed like a tribute to the late Henry Allen.
- That scene between Iris and Barry where he phases his hand through the glass that separates them from touching during their visits – I’m crying, they love each other so much.
- Jessica Kennedy’s character could be (and hopefully is) Dawn Allen. I can’t get over how much the actress resembles Barry and Iris. Great casting!
The Flash airs Tuesdays on The CW.
Her being Dawn Allen opens up so many story possibilities. I also like a little bit of essentially-legacy casting as the actress played the role of Plastique in Smallville.