‘The Flash’ Midseason Finale On The CW: What To Watch For In This Pivotal ‘Flash’ Episode
As awesome as last week’s Flash episode was – incorporating characters from all of the other shows in the four show CW superhero crossover – this week’s upcoming Flash midseason finale looks like it’s going to be pretty cool as well. In addition to the usual cast of characters on the Flash, the trailer and leaked photos make it clear that other fan two favorites are also coming back.
In the trailer, Flash is returning – after his interdimensional and outer space adventures – to dealing with the big bad of the current season, Savitar. Named after the Hindu god of motion, this frightening CGI character seems to believe that he actually is a God. And the way he dragged helpless Barry around in a previous episode, he might as well be.
Given the tough spot he’s in, it’s not surprising that Flash and crew decide they need the help and consultation of a more experienced speedster. In this case, it’s Jay Garrick of Earth 3. Of course, it’s always a bit awkward when this version of Jay shows up since he’s the doppelgänger for Barry’s dead father Henry.
But given the sound advice he offered to Barry early on in the season about not fooling around with the timeline – again – it’s reasonable for them to turn to him for a bit of sage elder Flash advice and assistance.
But if the set photos are any indication, when Barry pops over to Earth three he’ll have to lend a hand with another iconic character from previous seasons, the Trickster. Yes, Mark Hamill is apparently coming back to reprise the role of the Trickster once again.
The Earth 3 version of the Trickster is apparently going to be an odd blend of the usual Trickster and DC’s Joker. Aside from the fact that they’ll want this version of the character to be a little bit different just for storytelling purposes, most fans of DC television will know there’s another excellent reason for doing this.
In the minds of many DC fans, Mark Hamill’s version of the Joker in the various animated series and games was far and away the best. As awesome as Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker was, for an entire generation of DC fans the definitive Joker – and especially the definitive Joker laugh – was Mark Hamill’s.
And in an even better overlap of past and present DC television series, Mark Hamill also played the Trickster on the 1990s Flash series. He starred alongside John Wesley Shipp as the Flash, who currently plays the Jay Garrick version of the Flash from Earth 3. Those are some deep references.
Barry needs to recruit all the heroes he knows to combat an alien threat! Stream #DCWeek's #TheFlash! https://t.co/l7T2e0D5se pic.twitter.com/oBeClLG56z
— DC (@DCOfficial) December 4, 2016
According to ComicBook.com, Shipp himself has suggested that he intends to play the Flash in the episode as though he’s simply the 90s version of the character, but much older and more experienced. Seeing him interact again with Mark Hamill’s Trickster/Joker should result in almost debilitating nerdgasms among fans.
Whether this interaction – and Barry’s assistance with corralling the Trickster – is actually going to take up a big part of the episode is questionable. It could be that Barry will lend Jay a quick hand in dealing with whatever inevitable bombs – the Trickster always uses bombs – have been distributed on Earth 3, with Barry and Jay then popping back to Earth 1 for most of the episode.
After all, the big bad of this season is Savitar, not the Trickster. So they should naturally focus in the Flash midseason finale on the principal problem they’ll be facing for the rest of this season. But the trailer makes clear that even with Jay’s help, it’s not going to be easy going for Barry and company.
[Featured Image by The CW]
