The Flash episode “Don’t Run” aired 5 December 2017.
It’s the midseason finale! ‘Tis the season for cliffhangers. The Flash certainly left us with a cliffhanger no one saw coming. In an episode with many twists and turns, “Don’t Run” was a good pre-holiday treat, although not the nicest one.
Westallen interrupted…again
Poor Barry and Iris. First their wedding – twice! – now their honeymoon. In a deleted scene, Ralph accidentally triggers Panic Mode in Star Labs when he tries to watch Netflix. The lovebirds rush back, flip flops and all, and Iris goes off. She’s probably sick of people interrupting her couple time with Barry. She seemed to be slightly bitter about how Felicity interrupted them saying ‘I do’. (Side note: Pure Fandom discussed the double wedding in our Crisis on Earth X roundtable – check it out!)
Watch the hilarious scene below:
Caitlin works a Christmas miracle
Killer Frost’s popularity has skyrocketed. She has her own holiday-themed drink, and is apparently really wild company, except Caitlin can’t remember that. When Ralph rubs some of her whackier Frost behaviour in her face one too many times, Caitlin seeks solace at Jitters. There, she confides in Harry how she feels about people liking Killer Frost more than Caitlin Snow.
Their warm moment is broken when Amunet attacks the coffee joint and nabs Caitlin, strapping a power-dampening wristband on her. Amunet takes Caitlin to an old hospital. Amunet found a bus metahuman but got a shrapnel wedged under his jaw while apprehending him. She demands Caitlin perform surgery to save the meta’s life – and her own. Miraculously, the meta, Dominic Lance’s healing keeps him alive and allows him to talk and move while the shrapnel is still stuck in his neck. Caitlin figures out Dominic’s power is telepathy. They try to escape with Dominic sensing the guards’ thoughts, but are caught.
Surprisingly, Amunet is the one who gives Caitlin her needed confidence boost. She reminds Caitlin that her capabilities are beyond just being Killer Frost – she is also smart and resourceful. Caitlin takes this to heart and tricks Amunet by releasing anaesthetic gas on the metas and her henchmen. Cisco and Ralph show up right on time to hold Amunet off, and all four metas breach back to Star Labs.
Personally, this has to be my favourite Caitlin episode. Killer Frost is all the hype, occasionally to the point of being overhyped. As such, it was great to see Caitlin just be Caitlin.
The Cliff who stole Christmas
Meanwhile, DeVoe snatched Barry off the street and held him in his lair. There is something about the lair – is it a manifestation of DeVoe’s thought? Cisco is unable to vibe it. In the lair, a force field-like barrier prevents Barry from leaving. I don’t understand the point of the kidnapping, though Clifford tells Barry to “learn to lose once in a while.” That sounds foreboding.
Eventually, Barry manages to escape the barrier by vibrating faster than Clifford’s eyes can perceive. I’m not sure how it works – does Clifford just need to think Barry is no longer in the barrier? Either way, they wind up grappling in the air above Central City. Clifford’s floating chair can teleport. They both end up free-falling in the river, but Barry is saved because of the suit’s new floatation mode! Clifford and chair crash into the river and cannot be found…
But it’s only the midseason finale, so of course he doesn’t die. Instead, he and Marlize hire Amunet to apprehend Dominic again. Dominic’s telepathy allows Clifford to take over his body. He then leaves his former Clifford DeVoe body in Barry’s apartment, stabbed to death. The episode ends with Barry’s arrest, as Barry tells himself, “Don’t run.”
What the heck?! At least he, unlike some people, didn’t interrupt Barry’s wedding. He even waited for Barry and Iris to conclude their honeymoon, and congratulated them. That counts for something, right? He also gifted us a reprise of “This house is bitchin’.”
Harry’s pep talks
Harry was very much a side character this week, but he was a grounding force for others. When Caitlin was down, he assured her that he very much preferred Caitlin to her evil doppelgänger. He accompanied Joe to confront DeVoe about Barry’s kidnapping. He gave Iris a much needed reality check in team management.
With both Barry and Caitlin kidnapped, Iris was faced with a tough decision. The Star Labs satellites did not have the power to track them both. Cisco’s powers were out of commission after he was hurt trying to vibe Barry in DeVoe’s lair. Iris insisted on trying to find them both, which put stress on Cisco, who took it out on Ralph. (To be fair, it was Ralph’s fault that Caitlin ran out and was taken by Amunet.) Harry told Iris that as team leader, she had to be realistic. Iris eventually figured that Caitlin would need their help more.
There were also 2 interesting callbacks to season 1. First, Clifford taking Dominic’s body harkens back to Eobard Thawne taking over Harrison Wells’. Second, this:
Side notes:
- What is bacon soda?
- Mick Rory stole a lifetime’s supply of toasters then returned them and gave Barry and Iris the store credit.
- Amunet is the most entertaining Grinch ever.
- Barry showing off his wedding ring to Marlize…my heart
- Barry and Marlize’s conversation in the lair seems to be setting up a married couple showdown
- WHERE IS WALLY?
- Cisco made Gypsy’s naughty-cube list.
- I wonder how Marlize really feels about her husband now inhibiting another body.
- At the end, Clifford tells Marlize that they will bring “the enlightenment”. What is this, exactly?
How did you feel about the Flash midseason finale? Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter (@Pure_Fandom and @ellenlakeHg), or on Facebook.
Look back at the first half of season 4 in the Flash zone!
(featured image: the CW)
