TV Review: THE FLASH: Season 2, Episode 5: The Darkness and the Light [The CW]

The CW’s The Flash The Darkness and the Light TV Show Review. The Flash: Season 2, Episode 5: The Darkness and the Light had Team Flash facing a big obstacle from out in the open. Despite not following up from King Shark’s appearance during the last episode, this installment was still satisfying to say the least. The episode brought in some new participants into the game and went a little dark in some corners while balancing it with some romance and comedic scenes.

Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) made his return to The Flash, but it turns out that he’s the Dr. Wells from Earth Two. It was rather surprising to see that Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) hasn’t reacted much after seeing the face of his fallen foe who caused him so much grief since his arrival. So seeing that anger disappears from him was a bit of a shock, making us wonder if there was some missing scene where the two of them buried the hatchet. However, the episode did pick up in due time after a while.

Watching that opening sequence with a quick glance into Earth Two was a grand way to start off the episode. It was so cool to see the big differences between both worlds when it comes to the design and style. By looking at Earth Two, you can immediately tell how so far advanced they are and it was a much friendlier place until Zoon entered the picture.

The highlight of the episode really had to go to Tom Cavanagh’s triumphant return to the show. We have to give it to Cavanagh for giving a great performance to a character that he has already played, but giving it a different personality. While Earth One’s Wells was serene and devious, Earth Two’s version is uptight, insulting, and doesn’t care who he pisses off. However, we did see some glimpses of Wells the teacher – the man who taught Barry how to harness his speed and live up to his full potential in helping others.

Not everyone was happy to see Wells return, including Joe West (Jesse L. Martin), Iris West (Candice Patton), and his arch rival Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears). Speaking of Jay, we end up learning so much about Jay from Wells as we find out what kind of man Jay really is. He may be courageous and noble, he’s also shown as this hero who also fears over someone like Zoom and has regretted not being able to stop him.

Through all the drama that Wells brought, the episode also introduced to us another villain with a recognizable face in the form of Doctor Light. It turned out that Doctor Light just so happens to be the Earth Two version of Linda Park (Malese Jow), the ex-flame of Barry. Unlike the villains this season who were underdeveloped, Doctor Light was pretty clear in what she wanted. She didn’t want to be a villain for the fun of it, she just wanted to kill her doppelganger and hide from Zoom. The fight scene between Light and Barry was one of the best we’ve seen, especially when Barry learned how to use the Speed Mirage. It’s surprising that the series decided to go a different route with the female version of Doctor Light. Originally named Kimiyo Hoshi, the show’s version uses Linda Park as her real identity. It may be a change from the source material, but it works. It definitely gives Linda a larger role in the Zoom arc as we head into next week’s episode.

The episode also gave us a fitting introduction to Kendra Saunders (Ciara Renee) after spotting her during the freshman finale. We don’t get enough information out of her besides being a potential love interest for Cisco (Carlos Valdes), but it’s sufficient for now. There was some other developments in the romantic front, like Barry’s first date with Patty (Shantel VanSanten) which was hilarious and sweet. We almost got a kiss from Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Jay as the latter revealed his vulnerable side to her. It was all some great subplots to balance the darker elements of the show.

Overall, the biggest draw we can take from ‘The Darkness and the Light’ was Harrison Wells’ return, which has to be the best things to come out of season two. It was great to see Wells back in action, even though this version is different but it works. The episode also had some assistance from the new take on Doctor Light and the use of romantic comedy elements to avoid the show from going too dark. It was disappointing that we didn’t get our conclusion with King Shark, but the episode managed to help us move on from that.

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