The Flash – Season 8 Episode 17
“Keep It Dark”
The Flash tests Allegra’s leadership skills in a high-risk situation as Barry deals with a new Speedster in town.
Speedsters are abundant in this show. No matter how often the writers promise to give Barry different challenges to overcome they always come back to the well of Speedsters. In fairness, this isn’t uncommon in superhero stories as the quickest way to create a villain for a hero is to put them up against someone with their powers but with the opposite values. Countless examples of this can be found but some rely more heavily on it than others. Last season ended with Team Flash dealing with multiple Godspeeds and Eobard Thawne is a constant threat that periodically shows up to cause trouble.

Another day, another transparent board
Not all Speedsters are a threat but the track record means that it’s more prudent to assume that they are until proven otherwise. The episode introduces the idea of a Speedster stealing tech from one of the Labs that seem to make things only for others to steal which sets Barry down the path of getting to the bottom of it. His immediate assumption is that Thawne somehow has his powers back and is up to his old tricks; an uncharacteristically logical conclusion on Barry’s part considering most of these problems lead back to him eventually. It seems an unlikely prospect because his speed was removed at their last encounter but it’s better safe than sorry and it’s reasonable to be concerned that Thawne may still have a few tricks up his sleeve.
His suspicion leads him to an extended conversation with Thawne who is incarcerated on Lian Yu; a prison once home to Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. It’s an effective place to lock someone up as even if they escape they have nowhere to go. That wouldn’t be true if Thawne had his speed but when depowered an isolated island is an extra layer of protection.
The conversation leads Barry to the very obvious conclusion that the fire was an accident due to a newly powered Speedster not being in control of their abilities. There is still the question over the stolen tech but Thawne leads Barry down the thought process that ends with him concluding that there was no malicious intent. It’s very much a waste of Thawne as Barry should have been able to figure it out himself but even in the worst episodes, it’s good to see Tom Cavanagh chew scenery as his take on Eobard Thawne. Much of what is said has been said on several occasions but the venom in Thawne’s voice as he declares his hatred for Barry is gripping. The casual taunting at his inability to see the obvious is brilliantly delivered and it all acts as a strong reminder of a well developed antagonistic relationship that is so often let down by the overall quality of the show.

He’s still here
This interaction sets up Thawne having a plan that he is currently keeping to himself. The knowing smile after Barry leaves confirms he was in full control of this conversation and that Barry did something that played right into his hands. It’s unknown what that is and the answer will likely make no sense but Thawne’s reaction suggests that Barry coming to him was part of some sort of long term plan that will facilitate his escape and the return of his powers. Thawne chooses his words carefully in order to get under Barry’s skin by doing things like reminding him of the role he took on in Barry’s life and how that relationship was poisoned by his true intentions. He takes delight in remembering Barry’s suffering following the truth becoming known and knows he can throw Barry off-balance by reminding him of this. The episode is definitely better for having the characters interact though it always hangs over the conversation that it doesn’t need to take place.
Barry’s encounter with Meena Dhawan (Kausar Mohammed); the mysterious new Speedster is fairly well done. He comes across as seasoned and knowledgeable in their interaction. Stopping her by constantly outrunning her to prove that he’s a lot faster than she is and that attempting to best him is futile was a really nice touch. Barry rarely makes intelligent decisions when approaching problems and this is an example of Barry as he should be with his experience level. Meena realises how pointless it is to try to escape and talks to him instead which results in Barry offering to mentor her. Notably, he brings up the mentor he had which suggests that Thawne successfully got to him in the way he wanted to in a subtle way. Judging by prior examples of Barry attempting to mentor other heroes, the expected progression is that he makes basic mistakes that create frustration before learning a lesson about leadership and teaching that he has learned many times before resolving that specific tension. If the version of Barry present in this one interaction is carried into the training then that would be a pleasant change.
The main plot is a test of Allegra’s leadership skills following Lydia coming to her for help when the gang she was once a member of starts gunning for her. This allows for the return of Dr. Light and Sunshine who are now running this gang and act as the antagonists for this plot. The setup is very simple; Allegra sets up a scenario where Lydia is able to tell her story so that the gang can be brought down but the Citizen offices are placed under siege by Dr. Light and Sunshine who are fixated on silencing Lydia through any means necessary.

Charge of the Light Brigade
In theory, this is the perfect opportunity to develop Allegra’s authority being questioned by those she has been put in charge of and the hatred that has formed as a result of it. The presence of Taylor would seem to set up a furthering of her plan to bring Allegra down as she pledged in an earlier episode with Vanya (Lindy Booth) and Aariz (Shayan Bayat) ideally placed to support either Taylor or Allegra. Taylor’s vendetta against Allegra does come into play but in a very limited way and it’s neatly resolved once Allegra outs her abilities and saves their lives.
Setups like this are frustrating on The Flash because the better story can be seen in the one that is actually being told. This was the perfect opportunity for tension to be created through the external threat of the two villains imminently breaking through their defences and the internal threat of the other reporters not trusting Allegra.
It does come up that protecting Lydia isn’t worth their lives but it’s quickly overcome and dismissed to the point that it barely has any impact. There is some doubt over Allegra’s ability to navigate this situation and questions over why she is so committed to protecting Lydia but it’s a glancing exploration of these potential character conflicts that culminates in full trust being extended once Allegra is open with them about her powers.
This is yet another example of taking something that had potential and resolving it unrealistically quickly. The very normal problem of being hated by someone you manage and them pledging to do everything they can to bring you down is something that could have bubbled along in the background of many episodes with moves and countermoves adding to it. The Flash has a big problem with showcasing the characters having normal lives that create conflicts with their responsibilities in Team Flash. It’s something that has largely been dropped with Kramer knowing Barry’s secret, Iris running her own media company and the other characters working only for Team Flash so Allegra was the last possible character with a potential tether to a more traditional existence. There was lots of potential associated with Allegra and Taylor being at odds with one another with details such as her criminal record becoming known -something that is raised and dropped in this episode- and accusations of favouritism lobbied at her due to Iris putting her in the position of authority despite her lack of qualifications. Instead, it’s all neatly wrapped up as a background element of this episode, therefore, removing a compelling potential ongoing conflict that could be a plot unique to Allegra.

Allegra’s time to shine
Dr. Light and Sunshine are underwhelming antagonists as always. They never rise to the occasion of being a significant enough threat and they overcome the defences so easily that it’s unclear why they didn’t do what they did in the first place. They are also defeated easily which does allow Allegra to be fully confident in her powers and ability to manage the situation. The trouble is that the lessons she learns in this episode are ones she has learned before under different circumstances. She has previously questioned her leadership skills and embraced the opportunity to prove herself and on another occasion, she was able to rise to her full potential where her powers are concerned so none of what she experiences here is in any way new.
The next hurdle for her to overcome will be having a more public presence on Team Flash. A meta with light powers is mentioned as being noted as working with the Flash but nothing is known about her. All photos are obscured by light and no knowledge has crept into the public consciousness. This is surprising considering how many times the fleeing masses have seen her so it stands to reason that at least one would register a basic description of her. Allegra is reluctant to have a public presence and she’s safe from having that forced on her for now by her colleagues promising to keep her secret but she’s encouraged to consider how sustainable that is and think about how else she could help people. It’s an interesting prospect on a conceptual level but it’s unlikely to be explored in a way that lives up to that potential.
Caitlin’s appearance via video message at the end of the episode updates the team on her plan to go away for a while to deal with her grief. This follows Barry’s destruction of her work in the previous episode; something Joe mentions without fully taking him to task on it. Caitlin doesn’t return Barry’s calls because Barry destroyed her research and then left without trying to get through to her. It was a fundamentally terrible decision on his part but the show is treating it as if he did her a favour. Fallible characters are more interesting and Barry making a mistake that sends Caitlin down a dark path has the potential to be a dramatically interesting story. It’s likely that Caitlin isn’t being honest about why she’s disappearing for a while but it’s difficult to invest in any of it because the show fails to commit to painting characters in a less than flattering light for the purposes of compelling dramatic storytelling.

I promise I know what I’m doing
Verdict
An uneven episode that contains some strong individual moments making use of long-running connections but ultimately falls into the trap of repetitive storytelling that fails to live up to obvious potential. Barry’s extended conversation with Eobard Thawne is good in the same way that most of them are good. Tom Cavanagh’s performance is excellent and the way he manipulates Barry into playing into his hands works well. His plan remains unknown but it’s clear that he has one and that Barry has fallen into whatever trap he has set. The conversation itself doesn’t need to take place as Barry learns nothing he couldn’t have worked out by himself but as an individual interaction, it’s a strong one. Barry’s encounter with Meena is fairly well done. He comes across as seasoned and knowledgeable in their interaction. Stopping her by constantly outrunning her was a nice touch and then approaching her on a personal level to offer her help was a really intelligent decision. Notably, he brings up the mentor he had which suggests that Thawne successfully got to him in the way he wanted to in a subtle way.
The main plot is a test of Allegra’s leadership skills with Dr. Light and Sunshine returning as antagonists. In theory, this is the perfect opportunity to develop Allegra’s authority being questioned by those she has been put in charge of. The presence of Taylor would seem to set up a furthering of the plan to bring Allegra down with Vanya and Aariz ideally placed to support one of them. Taylor’s vendetta against Allegra does come into play but in a very limited way and it’s neatly resolved once Allegra outs her abilities and saves their lives. Setups like this are frustrating on The Flash because the better story can be seen in the one that is actually being told. This was the perfect opportunity for tension to be created through the external threat of the two villains imminently breaking through their defences and the internal threat of the other reporters not trusting Allegra. It does come up that protecting Lydia isn’t worth their lives but it’s quickly overcome and dismissed to the point that it barely has any impact. There is some doubt over Allegra’s ability to navigate this situation and questions over why she is so committed to protecting Lydia but it’s a glancing exploration of these potential character conflicts that culminates in full trust being extended once Allegra is open with them about her powers. Dr. Light and Sunshine are underwhelming antagonists as always. They never rise to the occasion of being a significant enough threat and they overcome the defences so easily that it’s unclear why they didn’t do what they did in the first place. They are also defeated easily which facilitates Allegra learning lessons that she has already learned. The next suggested hurdle is her becoming a more public presence with a suggested risk to her current anonymity. As with everything else, this receives glancing coverage. Caitlin’s appearance via video message at the end of the episode updates the team on her plan to go away for a while to deal with her grief. This follows Barry’s destruction of her work in the previous episode; something Joe mentions without fully taking him to task on it. Fallible characters are more interesting and Barry making a mistake that sends Caitlin down a dark path has the potential to be a dramatically interesting story. It’s likely that Caitlin isn’t being honest about why she’s disappearing for a while but it’s difficult to invest in any of it because the show fails to commit to painting characters in a less than flattering light for the purposes of compelling dramatic storytelling.
Overall
-
6/10
Summary
Kneel Before…
- the engaging Barry/Thawne interaction
- Tom Cavanagh’s scenery-chewing performance
- the indication that Thawne has some sort of plan
- Barry coming across as seasoned and knowledgeable in his encounter with Meena
- touching on Allegra being less than accepted as a boss
Rise Against…
- no need for the Barry/Thawne interaction to happen based on how it’s set up
- glancing coverage of the potential in the Allegra plot
- Allegra learning lessons she should already know
- Barry not being taken to task for his handling of the Caitlin situation
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