Last week, I posted about the premiere of The Flash season nine. Episode one set the table for a promising season. But, in episode two, “Hear No Evil,” they served us Bagel Bites. Don’t get wrong, I love Bagel Bites, but there’s a promise you make when you put two forks and a steak knife in front of me.
That said, The Flash gave us answers to episode one’s cliffhangers. Episode one left us with something very weird going with Caitlin and something very evil going on with the Red Death. I’m happy we got some clarity, but I’m not sure what to make of where this season is headed.
The Third Snow Sister
Mark and Caitlins’ plan to save Killer Frost backfired. Since when did we start trusting Mark with science? Regardless, when Caitlin entered the CRC machine, neither her nor Frost returned. Instead, a third snow sister left the machine in Caitlin’s body, which I guess we were supposed to have realized by the blue streaks in Danielle Panabaker’s hair? The third sister went by the name Snow for most of the episode, but by the end her character is known as “Khione,” the Greek goddess of snow referenced in Dr. Thomas Snow’s notebooks.
Team Flash spent most of the episode trying to save Caitlin. Or so they thought. Mark only cared about saving Frost and manipulated Khione into thinking she wanted the same. This became a problem once Barry examined Thomas’s notebooks and realized the team couldn’t save both Caitlin and Frost.
The team voted on which person to save. The results were wild. Allegra voted to save Frost, reasoning that doing so honored Caitlin’s choice to save Frost when she entered the machine. Chuck voted to save Caitlin for a couple reasons. For one, Chuck is against resurrecting the dead after Deathstorm brought his dad back to life. Also, the science made more sense for bringing back Caitlin, and we trust Runk with the science. Iris voted for Frost and said, “she has her reasons.” I audibly gasped. What did Caitlin do to Iris? Iris said later that she didn’t choose Frost the first time, but I’m not buying it. Though Barry said he needed more time to think, Mark obviously voted for Frost to secure the majority.
After the vote, Khione walked into the room. Awkward. Khione sounded like an eight-year-old child whose parents just told her they’re getting divorced. A lot of puppy dog eyes and asking if it’s her fault. Khione is lucky that Barry-A is a softy because ultimately Team Flash let Khione decide who gets saved. Unsurprisingly, Khione chose herself – you’ll fit right in here in America, Khione.
We learned a lot about Khione in the episode. She is not a doctor nor an ice-powered meta. She can’t dance, though she’s got better moves than Barry. Her cadence is strange. She both asks too many questions and acts like she knows everything. She’s a good listener, curious, and funny. She likes nature. She’s a big hugger. But, most of all, she likes herself, so she’s doing better than a lot of people.
Red Death is Free
The Red Death storyline is heading in the right direction. The Red Death employed the Fiddler to steal Hartley’s sonic gauntlets. She failed the first time, making the Red Death extra red and deathy. But the Fiddler succeeded the second time with the help of Captain Boomerang. At the end of the episode, the Red Death used Hartley’s gauntlets to free himself from a vibrational phase and we got a clear look at the suit. The Red Death looks menacing. Against my better judgment, I have high expectations.
Side Plots
I can sum up the side plots quickly. Things are still weird between Allegra and Chuck since they kissed. There’s hope for Chuck because Allegra asked him to dance at the end.
Joe is still trying to convince Cecile to leave Central City. If I were Joe, I would be careful. It’s only a matter of time before Cecile uses her powers and learns that Joe doesn’t want to leave Central City to keep his family safe, he is just sick of fighting supervillains. Can you blame him?
Next Week
Episode three is called “Rogues of War.” I like the sound of that. The Flash may have taken a step back this week, but I have a feeling we’re taking two steps forward next week.
