Since its middling premiere, The Flash has been on an upward trajectory. Each successive week has brought a better effort, capping with last night’s “The Fury of Firestorm,” the season’s best outing and the best hour since last year’s phenomenal finale.
As expected, “The Fury of Firestorm” put focus on finding a suitable half for Dr. Stein, who has become unstable after losing Ronnie to the black hole. The search led the S.T.A.R. labs crew to two potential halves, Jefferson Jackson (Jax) and Henry Hewitt. If you’ve paid any attention to production news you know that Jax, played with a youthful vigor by Franz Drameh, is destined to become the Nuclear Man. But the hour did not do away with Hewitt once he failed to merge with Stein, instead smartly repositioning him within the fray. While this was not so much an episode of The Flash as Firestorm (a show that does not exist, but one I would watch the hell out of), Barry’s reduced role was only in the superhero department. He was still there as a friend to Stein and mentor to Jax, much in the same way Oliver mentored Barry last season. It worked because the writers did a commendable job building Jax as a likable, and well-rounded character in a short amount of time. By the episode’s second half, it was easy to root for Jax, after knowing the turmoil he’d been through.
Once Jax agreed to merge with Stein and become Firestorm, what unfolded was some of the best and most fun action of the year. Barry, who often confounds by not appropriately using his speed in battles, spent much of the main fight as a distraction. Much like The Flash does in the comics, he used his super speed to avoid his opponent, taunting them all the while. We were also, of course, treated to Firestorm in action for the first time since last season. The Flash has done impressive visual work from the beginning, but few things have ever looked as good as Firestorm jetting through the sky, a trail of flames in his wake. Drameh and Victor Garber also proved, in limited dialogue, they have decent chemistry, which bodes well for Legends of Tomorrow, the mid-season show that will see the two as featured players. The existence of that show also meant that the new Firestorm tandem could not stick around Central City, though I expect they will appear again soon. Stein’s absence from S.T.A.R. Labs will be noticeable. He has brought a great energy to the team this year, and offered useful guidance to Cisco and Barry. Still, the departure opens the door for a new, but familiar face. I am sticking with my prediction that Earth-2 Harrison Wells will be an ally to Team Flash this season, even after watching him dart through the shadows last night. My unwavering confidence is owed to the closing moments, which I dare not spoil. The added elbowroom will also allow Jay Garrick’s role to expand. Garrick was absent from “The Fury of Firestorm,” but I’d guess his inclusion was non-essential and he’ll return next week.