‘The Flash’: “Magenta” Spoiler Recap/Review

The Flash returns with another solid episode that’s all about embracing who you are. Things get started with Barry and Iris going on their first date. The two try to drown out the rest of the world and focus on each other but soon it becomes clear there are some things about themselves they just can’t ignore. It’s not long before they get interrupted by not only a burglary next door to the restaurant they’re dining in but an emergency call from Cisco as well.

Turns out it’s not an emergency. Just Wells and Jesse arriving through a breach from Earth-Two with a new problem: Jesse is now a speedster and she’s eager to become a superhero. Wells is terrified, understandably so, and he’ll do whatever has to be done to convince her not to use her powers.

Last year when Wells recreated the particle accelerator explosion — in order to give Barry back his powers — we saw both Jesse and Wally knocked down by the blast. We’ve been waiting to see what, if any, effect this would have on the both of them. In the Flashpoint timeline, we got Wally as a full-fledged Kid Flash, but it wasn’t until tonight that we saw what the effect the explosion had on them in the Earth One/Earth Two timeline was. While Jesse is quick, Wally is still the same. Or is he? This episode definitely gave us some hope that his power could still manifest but my guess is that Dr. Alchemy will actually give him his speed like he had in Flashpoint. He seemed pretty alarmed when Magenta mentioned Dr. Alchemy speaking to her in her dreams. Almost as if he has been hearing the same voice as well.

The villain of the week Frankie Kane A.K.A. Magenta is an abused foster child who now has the ability to control metal thanks to Dr. Alchemy. After her jerk of a foster father bothers her for the last time, Magenta sends a lamp post through her living room window — striking him in his chest.

It isn’t long before Julian Albert figures out the truth about Frankie and exposes her as a metahuman.

Joey King as Magenta in The Flash. (The CW)

After nearly killing Julian —  followed by a bit of an implausible escape from The Flash, Magenta goes full Magneto and picks up a tanker to drop on top of the hospital where her foster father is receiving care for his injuries. Lucky for Barry, Iris is there questioning Frankie’s father about his foster daughter.

Barry races to the hospital to stop Magenta from dropping the tanker. He uses his speed to create a wind tunnel but it’s not enough. Barry can’t stop the tanker from falling and take down Magenta at the same time. Wells has struggled to fight the inevitable the entire episode but he finally embraces Jesse’s destiny and speaks the same inspiring words Eobard Thawne spoke to Barry to give him the push he needed to find the strength within himself in order to become a hero. Run Jesse, run.

When I first saw the trailer for this episode and saw Wells repeating that line, my first thought was that they are really starting to wear this line out. But in the context of the episode, not only did the line work, it was inspiring thanks to Tom Cavanaugh’s performance.

Jesse came to Barry’s aid making it possible for him to confront Magenta. While we didn’t get a climactic showdown between her and Barry, what was great about this confrontation was that it showed the kind of hero Barry truly is. Magenta is clearly a misunderstood and troubled teenager who needs somebody to care for her. Rather than using his speed and his fists, Barry was able to defeat Magenta with kindness. It was refreshing to see Magenta taken in by Team Flash as they extended their support to her instead of tossing her in a metahuman cell at Iron Heights like every other villain. Magenta seems like she could make a return later as an ally.

In an episode that was all about embracing your powers, it also showed the person who you are outside of those powers is equally as strong and important. The writers tend to focus on three major things when crafting the story each week: heart, humor, and heroics. Tonight proved the heart is equally as important as the heroics. Unfortunately for such a strong episode, it lacked the humor that made past seasons so much fun. Cisco is going through a tough time and it’s understandable but hopefully, he heals some more soon because I very much miss his clever quips and how much fun he had being a part of Team Flash. His bad attitude sticks out like a sore thumb and could become exhausting if it lasts too much longer. Other than that it was a great episode that continued to show just how much Barry has grown in the three years since he began fighting crime.

7.8 – GOOD

‘Star Wars Rebels’: “Hera’s Heroes” Spoiler Review

Grand Admiral Thrawn fans rejoice! The brilliant villain is featured heavily this week as he catches Hera when she attempts to retrieve a family heirloom from her home on a now Imperial occupied Ryloth.

The episode titled “Hera’s Heroes” kicks off with Cham Syndullah being pursued by a pair of Scout Troopers on speeder bikes right as the Ghost swoops in to rescue him. It’s a fun chase scene that ends hilariously after a Scout Trooper manages to board the Ghost just after Cham makes his way up the ramp to safety. Now surrounded by the rebels, Zeb asks “You didn’t think that through did you?”.

Zeb has been oddly quiet during this season so far. It was nice to have him in the mix even if we only got a quick line or two.

Cham managed to escape barely with his life. Unfortunately, there was a family heirloom that was left behind which belonged to Hera’s mother and she’s not leaving Ryloth without it. Luckily the rebels just acquired the uniform of a Scout Trooper they can use to infiltrate her old home.

Outside of the Syndullah home, a crashed Y-Wing lays in the dirt. Hera reveals this is where she first retrieved Chopper from after it was downed during the Clone Wars. Not much is known about the little punk of a droid but after seeing him depressed as he gazed upon the Y-Wing, it seems like his bad attitude might just be a cover for a painful past spent in battle.

ENTER THRAWN. My favorite thing about him in this episode was that no matter how terrifying he was, the Grand Admiral was equally polite and respectful. Thrawn says one especially interesting line before he leaves Captain Slavin to deal with the rebels. He tells him he must continue conducting an unknown experiment. I think the experiment is actually what is unfolding on Ryloth. Thrawn is not just one, but a few steps ahead of the rebels. I think he knew Hera was coming and was using this as an opportunity to get to know her face to face. Thrawn most certainly recognized Hera the instant he laid eyes on her outside her father’s office, almost like he was waiting for her.

Captain Slavin then sets up a prisoner exchange. He’ll let Hera and Ezra go as long as he turns himself in. Thrawn returns to his ship and watches over the exchange knowing full well Hera isn’t going down without a fight. Hera makes the choice to sacrifice her old family home so that her new family can survive. Thrawn holds back and deliberately lets the rebels escape, not just because he respects the victory they’ve earned for themselves — but he knows how important this band of rebels is to the rebellion and he’s playing the long game.

This week was a step up from the smaller episode that came before it. Overall it was great and gave us the Thrawn we have been waiting to see. The Grand Admiral is taking his time, doing his research and analyzing our beloved heroes so he can inflict the most damage possible on them and the Rebel Alliance. The heroes definitely have their work cut out for them this year.

4/5 – GREAT