Well I was certainly way off the mark in thinking that Tyler might’ve been the Crows’ mole. Seeing that Robles was the mole was surprising, but not in a particularly effective way. I didn’t realize that he had actually made a few brief appearances prior to this episode, but his impact was so minimal that it felt like we were being introduced to him this time around. It’s a low-risk move since he didn’t have any sort of character to be invested in beforehand, but that hardly means the entire reveal was bad.
Having Tommy Elliott be the one behind Lucius’ murder was a much more interesting development, and I feel like this is a thread that could play a bigger role in season 2. I’ve always been fascinated by his obsession with/hatred of Bruce, and that’s a dynamic that could not only be developed more next season, but could also be something that transfers over to Kate in Bruce’s absence. My big question now is how Tommy managed to start covering his tracks the way he has when he’s been locked up since early this season. Granted, it’d hardly be the first time a villain has managed to get things done from w/in a facility like Arkham, but I’m also wondering if maybe he’s working w/ someone else. Maybe Safiyah?
For one thing, it certainly seems like Earth-Prime Bruce already has a fair amount in common w/ Earth-99 Bruce (aside from the obvious), as the Arrowverse seems determined to portray Batman in an even darker tone than usual. While I understand that this move was made most likely to give Kate more assurance that she’s not completely compromised after killing Cartwright, I can’t help but wonder if this means a potentially villainous turn for Bruce when he shows up. Specifically, I keep thinking back to how The Flash name-dropped Red Death last season. I know it may be a stretch, but if Bruce returns and manages to acquire speed powers, it could provide an epic opportunity for a crossover between Kate and Barry, two characters who have barely had any interactions so far.
I think we will technically be seeing Ramsey in season 7, but mostly because the 1st episode or 2 will end up being the actual season 6 finale. I wouldn’t put it past the show to have him continue to play a role in the upcoming season, given their history of establishing villains in the prior season, but I still feel like he’d be better served not serving much of a role after Black Hole. He’s been a decent villain and Sendhil Ramamurthy has given a really good performance throughout the season, but I just don’t think he’s made enough of an impact to justify sticking around for longer than a season (though admittedly that may also be fueled by the fact that I just don’t like his name. “Bloodwork” is just too innocuous a word to be the name of a really intimidating, scary villain.)
I would definitely go w/ the latter in this case. While I appreciate the show’s efforts to connect w/ people focused on reading the modern comics, it really feels like they’ve been putting too much focus on that material as opposed to material from the decades that made Flash an icon. Ever since late last season and all the elements they’ve introduced – Godspeed, Bloodwork, Black Hole, Joseph Carver, etc. – they seem to be treating Joshua Williamson’s Flash run as this modern-day masterpiece that will stand the test of time. While I do think Williamson’s a decent writer, I really haven’t been too impressed w/ most of his work on the title, and I certainly don’t think it deserves this much attention, especially this quickly afterwards.
At this rate, season 7 may be about the reckoning of the different forces, and they may even tackle Paradox after that. It just feels way too soon to be adapting so many of these characters/storylines, especially when there are still decades worth of stories that have either never or barely been explored on the show.
If there was any doubt about her ability beforehand, this episode really put that to rest. Constantine’s magical skills were obviously needed to find the ring, but it was Zari’s quick thinking and totem wielding that ultimately proved to be the difference maker, as their skill sets really complemented each other. I just love how this season has been able to effectively re-introduce Zari to the team and develop her skills, but in a way that’s unique to this version and isn’t just trying to re-make her into the exact same character we knew. She’s certainly closer to that now, but her status as an influencer and insecurities tied to that are all still very much a part of who she is. It’s been an unexpected journey, but I think Zari is well on her way to becoming my favorite character of the season.
Well we pretty much know most of them won’t trust her right away, but I’m hoping that this unexpected development will be a key part of Astra’s redemption. Given that she was the one to offer Astra a chance to come back, I could see Ava being the one person who tries to advocate for her, albeit cautiously since she was already betrayed before. And since it looks like Sara’s gonna be w/out her vision temporarily, I could see Ava amusingly trying to hide Astra from her for a while. I’d imagine that Constantine will be conflicted about the move, at least at the start, but given that he’s truly trying to help her, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come around to Astra being on the team, especially considering the immense threat that Charlie’s sisters pose.
I also just want to commend the show for its portrayal of Astra so far. They’ve managed to take a character who had mostly been used as a plot device and an example to further John’s guilt, and actually flesh her out into a real, interesting person. Not only does this make the season inherently better, but it also adds a lot more weight to John’s failure to save her all those years ago.
