The Heat Is On!!!

Central City

!!SPOILER ALERT!!  If you didn’t watch The Flash last night, stop reading NOW!!

Last night’s episode of The Flash turned the heat up to nuclear with a deeper look into the life of Firestorm.  One of the most unique things about Firestorm in the comics is that he has always been a pairing of two individuals, one body and two minds.  Thankfully the producers of The Flash kept that particular bit about Firestorm alive in this live action incarnation.

This time around, Firestorm features the body of Ronnie Raymond (portrayed by Robbie Amell) and the mind of Martin Stein (Victor Garber).  These two characters were part of the original character and, much like in that version, the pair have quite the identity crisis in the beginning.  Of course, viewers weren’t made aware of this pairing until last week, when the Pied Piper (Andy Mientus) revealed security footage to Cisco (Carlos Valdes), showing him how the two men became one during the particle accelerator accident at S.T.A.R. Labs.

In last night’s episode, we learn that Firestorm (both men inside of his mind) struggled to find his identity for a long time, with Stein apparently managing to control Raymond’s body for the most part.  Stein tries to contact his wife who is afraid of him and calls the police when he tries to convince her that he really is her husband even though he is in a different body.  The revelation of his internal struggle also shows why Ronnie/Martin told Cisco and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) to stop looking for him in a previous episode.

Once Firestorm is convinced that the Flash and the crew at S.T.A.R. Labs are trying to help him, he agrees to join them at the lab.  After some hard convincing from Caitlin, Dr. Wells decides to use his tachyon belt (part of the Reverse Flash’s suit, but Wells does not reveal his true identity) in an attempt to split the two men apart.  However, when Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh) reveals that Firestorm could destroy everyone in the city (by exploding) if the atoms of the two men continue to struggle against each other causing Ronnie/Martin to go nuclear, Firestorm leaves the city in order to protect everyone from him.

Flash and Caitlin race to save Firestorm and attach the device to him, but Firestorm still goes nuclear.  Whether or not he survives is not revealed, but his explosion draws the attention of an old government foe we’ve seen in previous episodes.

Now, that might seem hot enough for most fans of The Flash, but the show turned things up even hotter with the revelation that one of the two men that are present during the death of Barry Allen’s mother is actually a future version of Barry Allen!  This is revealed when Cisco reluctantly runs blood tests on blood found at Barry’s old home while he’s out helping Joe West (Jesse L. Martin).  Joe believes that Wells has something to do with Barry’s mother’s death, and he convinces Cisco to play detective for a day.

BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE!!!  To make the whole situation even hotter, the show introduces Chase Masterson in a guest role as Sherry, the lady who currently lives in Barry’s old home.  Her spot on the show was brief but both steamy and humorous.  Her interaction with Jesse L. Martin and Carlos Valdes was a real highlight of the show and I hope beyond all hope that she returns again!

I had the great pleasure of meeting Chase Masterson a few years ago at a small convention in Lake Charles, LA.  Not only was she amazingly beautiful, she was fun to interact with as well.  She also sang some wonderful tunes in a small concert for convention goers.  I picked up a copy of one of her CDs and an autographed photo as well.  She’s on a very short list of people that I would love to meet again at a convention!  I hope she does return to The Flash very soon!

Oh, and one more thing.  Old flames and new flames heated up as Iris (Candice Patton) squared off against Barry’s (Grant Gustin) new flame, Linda (Malese Jow), when she “kinda, sorta” mentioned that Barry used to have a thing for her.

This series is definitely getting better as it goes.  The show has an excellent balance between humor, action, and drama.  Characters are developing quickly but not so fast that their changes don’t make sense.  The Flash has set the pace for future comic-based television shows, and it shows no signs of slowing down!

Thanks for reading!!!  Let me know what you think of the show in the comments section!