The fastest man alive is about to go really slow when he encounters a metahuman that can slow down time. A villain known only as the “Turtle” is on the loose in Central City stealing anything of personal value to its citizens. When he comes across what Barry loves the most the Flash must use more than speed to overcome an opponent who has the ability to take what he cares for away.
The Positives
This episode was a real unique take on the Flash. I loved the addition of a villain who has the ability to take Barry’s speed. It’s an interesting spin especially with characters like Zoom and Reverse Flash around. I have to admit I questioned exactly how the Turtle’s powers would be used in this episode when I read the synopsis, however as usual the CGI guys at the Flash don’t disappoint. I loved the final showdown between the Turtle and the Flash because in that scene we really get to see Turtle’s abilities shine here. Aside from the CGI and conflicts between our hero and villain the personal relationships have really picked up as well. The introduction of Wally is a real good treat we were given a few episodes back and in this episode we find out he’s come to Central City for his own personal reasons–and it has nothing to do with Iris and Joe. I loved how Joe and Wally clash because of Joe not being around during Wally’s childhood. It builds a great story between the family of three and I hope to see some words exchanged between Iris and Wally eventually. Wally is dealing with a lot and its obvious he has the characteristics of becoming a true hero–it just needs time to come out.
The Negatives
My only complaint about this episode is the departure of Detective Patty Spivot. I’ve become a real fan of her character since her introduction on the Flash and I hate to see her go. Not to spoil too much about the exact reason behind her leaving but I really feel sorry for Barry in this instance. I hope that Patty returns to us soon in future episodes or that maybe she shows up again as a love interest but Patty was a great addition to the show and she complimented Barry’s character perfectly.
The Verdict
I thought “Potential Energy” was a great episode. With all the speedsters we have running around it’s actually refreshing to see someone have the power to slow all that speed down!! It was an interesting take on the growth of the Flash as a character and I hope that Turtle makes a return to us in the future. Wally’s clash with his father Joe was pretty good, and I hope that we see more conflict between Wally and Iris. Wally comes off as pretty angry with Joe and I hope this is fully explored in future episodes. I must say I’ve grown attached to the lives of the characters of the Flash–and that’s a clear sign of a great show!
