It’s not gonna be a fast process and he’ll certainly still have issues that’ll continue to linger, but generally speaking, I definitely think this’ll be the start of a genuine healing process for Jeff. While I still question the show’s decision to jump ahead a full year this season, it’s at least good that they’re addressing it more, particularly in how Lynn called out Jeff for not having come close to moving on from Henderson’s death. It’s clear that more than enough time has passed where that process should’ve started already, so this is definitely well overdue. I certainly hope that getting back in the suit and working to end the war between the 100 and the Kobra Cartel will give him a sense of clarity that he hasn’t had for a while, despite his earlier claims to the contrary. While I don’t expect this last season to wrap up every single thread, I’m still confident that it can leave Jeff and his family in a mostly good place, and after seeing all the suffering they’ve gone through, that’s really all you can ask for
Seeing Laura Kariuki take over as Jen after more than 3 seasons w/ China is definitely gonna take plenty of getting used to, but I think this is a pretty clever way to continue Jen’s story while accommodating for China’s exit. We’ve known that Lightning’s powers have been pretty unstable ever since they started manifesting, so the idea that something like this could happen was always a looming risk. I feel like this isn’t something we’ve really seen before, so it definitely stands out, and it can also serve a large purpose for the story and certain characters’ arcs. We now know that Jen won’t ever go back to the ionosphere again since she came about as close as possible to dying, and as some people here suggested last week, it could even serve as a wake-up call to Lynn that could finally snap her out of her addictive cycle for good. Hell, it’s possible that if Jeff didn’t have an objectively necessary reason for putting on the Black Lightning suit again, he might’ve waited even longer before going back out and making a proper return as Freeland’s hero. And it’s great that Jen will still presumably be around for the rest of the season, as I had been preparing for her to be gone when China exited. This may be Kariuki’s 1st TV role, but I’m excited to see how she handles the role throughout the rest of the series
While I definitely understand arguments against why this works, I’m almost willing to throw them all aside and just fully embrace how unbelievably awesome this scene was! My jaw practically hit the floor when I realized what was about to happen, and seeing Frost spark up w/ lightning and use her ice powers in tandem w/ her newfound speed was just 1 of the most purely fun moments this show’s produced in quite a while, maybe even ever, and that’s saying a lot. But while I didn’t think about potential plot holes while I was watching the scene, I did start seeing arguments online for why, by the show’s established rules so far, this shouldn’t work. The main one is that, by all accounts, Velocity X has been shown to be a speed enhancer for existing speedsters, as opposed to Velocity 9, which did have the power to give speed to people w/out it. I can also appreciate the interpretation that since cold and speed’s opposing natures have been highlighted several times on the show, Frost shouldn’t have been able to use the 2 powers simultaneously. That said, I’m so invested in this moment that I’m more than willing to try and come up w/ counterarguments
As far as Velocity X goes, while it was mostly used as a way to boost Barry’s speed, I initially forgot that it was initially created as a way to stop Turtle 2 by speeding her up and thus negating her ability to slow everything down. Turtle 2’s not a speedster but it still had an effect on her, so why not Frost as well? As for the whole cold vs. speed argument, I feel like that would be more valid if Frost had turned into a speedster permanently as opposed to just a few minutes. While the Velocity drugs certainly have some very nasty side effects when they’re used for too long, it doesn’t seem like it permanently affects your powers, body, DNA, etc. I’d agree that a meta probably couldn’t have both cold and speed powers permanently, but since the speed caused by the Velocity is really only surface-level, I feel like that’s enough for the 2 things to coexist for just a bit
Considering that I’ve been wanting to see more of Earth-1 Wells since season 1, I do think this tradeoff is worth the price, even if there’s certainly gonna be plenty twists regarding this return. Even though Barry’s decision to destroy the artificial Speed Force could be seen as throwing the Wells’ sacrifice away, I’m not really sure it would’ve been better to leave it be. In that moment of clarity where his emotions sprung back, he could clearly see the damage it was doing to his mind, and thus to everyone else. Had he left in intact, he likely would’ve done even more damage since his emotionless state would’ve certainly returned quickly and probably permanently. Since I doubt there was a traditional off switch for a device so complex, this seems like it could’ve been the only real move to make. Of course this now leaves him w/ no speed at all and an unconscious team to take on an even further unhinged Eva looking to create more mirror replicas like her, but that just makes the rebound potential even greater. Considering that the team seems to be at its lowest point, you can really see how this would’ve served as the lead-in to the true season 6 finale where we see them just before their greatest triumph. And if the Wells they only thought they knew all those years ago can play a part in their victory, then it’s all the better
Since this is the CW and they love their relationship drama, I’m predicting that it probably won’t be long before Jordan and Sarah get together. But even if that’s the more likely scenario, I still think it’d be better if they just stayed friends. Don’t get me wrong, I really like seeing them together and hope they continue to bond over the course of the season. But despite the fact that we’ve gotten a little more away from this sort of move as TV’s continued to develop and grow, it’s still an incredibly obvious move. Granted, it’d hardly be the worst relationship in the world, but I still worry that such a decision could take away from further meaningful development for both characters if the focus on them becomes their romance. This was a pretty good episode for both Jordan and Sarah, and I just don’t want to see their arcs potentially get derailed because there just has to be a new romance. One of the unique things about this show is that we already have an endgame romance in Clark and Lois, and we’re getting to see them having already been married w/ kids for years, which is rare for the Arrowverse. As far as romance goes, that’s really where the focus should continue to be