By Jahkotta Lewis
Wow, just wow. The past two episodes of The Flash have really brought into question whether or not Candice Patton’s time on the show has come to an end. Between the filler episode that was “Cause and Effect” and “Infantino Street,” it really does seem like the season finale coming up on May 23 is going to be emotional as hell.
Major Spoilers! Major Spoilers!
O.K. So here’s the deal: Iris West’s death seems inevitable. She knows it, and deep down, Team Flash knows it too. Hell, viewers even know it! That’s why “Cause and Effect” felt like it was meant to soften the impending blow that’s sure to come on the 22nd episode titled, “Infantino Street.”
“Cause and Effect” had a simple enough premise; prevent Savitar from learning of Barry’s plans by doing some squirrely memory loss stuff to his brain. That way, Savitar wouldn’t have access to Barry’s memories and thus wouldn’t always be two steps ahead. The idea seems good in theory, but its execution, not so much. Cisco, as brilliant as he is, isn’t a neurological expert and somehow erases all of Barry’s memories. The accident gives rise to Bart; a dopey, happy, sweet, and doe-eyed version of our scarlet speedster who brings the twinkle back to Iris’ eye. From checking his skin color to see if he is black like his ‘brother” Wally, to sharing sweet kisses with Iris, the dark and serious Barry of Season Three is momentarily forgotten as the episode played out. And Iris liked it.
The whole purpose for “Cause and Effect” was to provide Iris with relief, to temporarily give her the relationship she deserves. Instead of brooding over her impending doom, she got to share laughs with Barry, talks about their childhood, shares a little passion (kisses guys, just kisses) and just has time to feel normal and fiancée-ish. As cute as it was to watch Candice Patton and Grant Gustin work their chemistry on the screen, it just seemed like the episode was working on providing Iris with a sort of goodbye episode. Which brings us to “Infantino Street.”
03 x 22 “Infantino Street.”
Take a deep breath. O.K., are you sitting? Do you have a hanky readily available? Are you ready? Iris West dies in this episode. That’s right, after trying to save her the entire season, Savitar wins and impales Iris in front of Barry, her friends, and her family. Everything Team Flash had tried to do this season to save her just didn’t pan out, and as hard as Barry (he got his memory back thanks to Cisco and Killer Frost last episode), tried, he couldn’t save her from himself. Turns out that the Speed Force Bazooka was a piece of shit and was easily neutralized with Savitar’s Philosopher’s Stone. Why this works is never explained; it just does. What is known is Barry’s time remnant doesn’t play around, and it was shocking to see him kill Iris without hesitation. Even Killer Frost seemed shook that Savitar was willing to kill Iris so willingly, but she’s still not being a good friend, instead spending the episode entrenched in an off-screen battle with Cisco and his vibe powers.
The last-ditch effort to save Iris brought back everyone’s favorite thief, Leonard Snart, who helps Barry break into ARGUS to steal some Dominator tech. The tech consists of an energy source with enough juice to power the piece of shit Speed Force Bazooka that was meant to stop Savitar. The whole break-in scene tests Barry as there is a moment between Snart and King Shark where Barry could have gotten away with the tech Scott free. Instead, he stays behind to save Snart, resulting in their capture. Lyla (she oversees ARGUS and is part of the Arrowverse) ends up releasing the two along with the Dominator technology though she had some reservations about Barry because of the whole Flash Point issue.
The rest of the episode had some interesting moments, especially regarding HR who feels terrible because he’s responsible for Savitar capturing Iris. There’s a moment in the episode where HR has a strange conversation with Cisco as if he has some self-sacrificial plans. With the face-morphing tech HR has in possession from his Earth, it seemed likely that he had some sort of plan to save Iris. But alas, Iris spends the last moments of the episode limp and lifeless in Barry’s arms.
Is Iris really dead, though? If you haven’t read the comic books about The Flash, you might want to stop reading now. If you’re feeling brave enough, scroll down [comic book spoiler].
It’s very likely that Iris is going to die at some point on the show because she dies in The Flash comic books. She dies after several years of marriage to Barry and is murdered by Professor Zoom. However, in the comic book, her parents used experimental time travel technology to capture her life force and they put it into a new body that looks exactly like her old one. She’s reunited with Barry and they have children; Don and Dawn. Though the show doesn’t exactly follow canon, it seems likely that even if Iris really is dead in “Infantino Street,” she’ll be back in some shape or form to have the twins. Her story isn’t over yet, and judging from leaked set photos from the finale, this tangled web between Savitar, Barry, and Iris isn’t quite done.
Highlights of the Episode:
- Leonard Snart and his sassiness.
- HR Wells and his guilt.
- Moments between Joe and Iris West
- Killer Frost’s moment of empathy.
Catch the season finale of The Flash Tuesday, May 23th on the CW!
Jahkotta Lewis is a professional archaeologist, an amateur astronomer, and an aspiring writer. When she is not documenting Pacific Island archaeology, she spends her days hiking through native forests, spelunking within the depths of an active volcano, and watching/reading all things fantasy and science fiction. Follow her on Twitter @jahkotta
