The Flash returns after the annual crossover event with its Mid-Season Finale.  Amunet looks set to return.  What will she need with Caitlin?  What will DeVoe blame Barry for?  Will fans get an interesting cliffhanger to make us want to come back?  Read on to find out:

Caitlin vs. Killer — The episode begins with decorating for the holidays.  As Cisco, Wells, and Dibny all argue over the tree decorating, they let it slip to Caitlin that they enjoy hanging out with Killer Frost, and even have some inside jokes.  Wells could tell that Caitlin was hurt, so he meets with her to help calm her anxiety, when holiday-ready Amunet shows up complete with green lipstick and a Santa hat…Anyways, Amunet needs Caitlin, not Frost, in order to remove a piece of metal she lodged into a meta’s neck (Dominic Lanse — who is a character with extraordinary intellect by copying the intellect of others in the comics).

Lanse is depicted as a telepath/intellect who gained his powers from the bus incident.  As Caitlin and the meta try to escape, Amunet obviously stops them.  Movies and shows are only as strong as their villains.  If the antagonist is strong, the story usually is as well.  A villain brings a different type of intrigue to the viewers.  This is what is lacking.  DeVoe and Amunet are not strong villains.  There isn’t much draw that they bring. Cisco and Dibny come to the aid of Caitlin and Lanse.

DeVoe’s Illness — DeVoe is atrophying at an accelerated rate, which is clearly weighing on him.  I will say that it is sad to see his slow demise.  DeVoe attacks Barry as he is walking with Iris with some attachments from his chair which honestly looked like Doctor Octopus’ mechanical tentacles.  So he pretty much has Professor X’s chair with Doc Oc’s tentacles…original.  In trying to locate Barry, DeVoe has put in some type of mental defense so that Cisco cannot find him. It seems if at this point DeVoe is jealous of Barry’s life and he wants to teach him that there is no such thing as a happy ending.

I am hoping there is more to his motivation than this, because if his plot really comes down to jealousy and bitterness, it will be weak route, but I am assuming it will go the route that they want to study Barry in order to find how he can heal so quickly, which is what DeVoe would want to obtain.  Joe shows up to the door, so DeVoe changes quicker than The Flash in order to get the door. Flash tricks DeVoe’s declining body by vibrating quicker than the eye can see, but DeVoe teleports them to the middle of the city, above the buildings, for a battle that ends with them both crashing and falling into a body of water when DeVoe mashes a bunch of buttons on his chair like an NES controller.

The twist comes at the end when viewers find out that DeVoe essentially transferred his mind into the body of Lanse in order to have a new body.  This seems to be his reasoning for making the other metas.  What should he do with his old body?  Well, he sets up a murder scene in Barry and Iris’ apartment with a knife that was sent as a wedding gift.  This could be interesting, but we find ourselves with another recycled story.  Barry could have easily cleaned up the entire scene and escaped before the police came in.  He is the fastest man alive…, yet he decided not to run and “sacrifice” himself.  Have we seen this before?  Barry giving himself up leaving the team to work on their own and find a way to get him back?  Sounds like the end of almost every season so far.  Oh, and being framed for a murder he didn’t commit is a good idea…kind of like his father’s storyline.

Mr. and Mrs. Allen —  As they go through their wedding gifts, a subtle, bitter statement was dropped that surprised me.  While mentioning that the espresso maker from Oliver and Felicty was not on the registry, Iris replies with, “Neither was getting married during our wedding.”  Nice jab there!  For as close as Iris and Felicity have been this season I was surprised to hear her say this, but I also feel that it was what most of the audience was thinking!

Now, the part I didn’t like was when Wells once again confirmed that Iris is the team leader…How? Why?  It. Doesn’t. Make. Sense.  Aside from being Barry’s voice of reason, what other qualities does she bring compared to three different scientists, a forensic scientist, a former detective, and a police detective who all have powers (aside from Wells and Joe).  What is her resume?  Jitters barista, online blogger, dissertation theft victim.  Yes, sounds extremely credible.  Carry on captain.  Wells giving her the ultimatum to choose between Barry and Cisco/Dibny still seems placed to merely try to justify her as “leader”, which could filled with more interesting story lines.

Cisco and Dibny — I did enjoy the interactions between these two.  Cisco’s annoyance of Dibny was fun to watch. Cisco’s present from Gypsy was funny as well.

Well, did tonight’s episode make you excited to come back after the break, or are you glad to get a break from The Flash?  Personally, the twist was fine, but still lacks originality.  He looks possibly forced to choose to reveal his identity as The Flash, just like situations Oliver has been in before.  Did you enjoy the new reveal of DeVoe? Do you think the second half of the season will improve, if so, how?  Leave your thoughts in the usual spot, and thanks for reading!

The Flash returns on Tuesday, January 16 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

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