ThisThe Flashreview contains spoilers.

Potential Energy should have really just been a middling villain of the week excursion.

Its enough that this one was damn good.

Its just a case of everything working together so well that it lifts the whole episode higher than expectations.

Stuff like Iris sitting down for coffee with Patty to discuss Barry and Pattys love life shouldnt be good.

It shouldnt be charming.

It should be all, I dunno, CW-y and now in a good way.

Like, in a CW from five years ago way or something.

But it wasnt like that at all.

There was definitely an element of that on display tonight.

Theres also an element of relief that Iris is no longer the one being lied to all the time.

And Patty has always felt like shes right on the cusp of putting it all together anyway, right?

So Barry should just frakkin tell her already, right?

Well, of course.

But when Harry Wells turns out to be the voice of reason, its tough.

Whats more, Ireallydidnt see Pattys departure coming.

Im curious to see if they actually stick with this for a chunk of the rest of the season.

Wrapped around all of this are the ongoing struggles between Joe and Wally West.

Wallys likely superheroic future aside, Im digging the way theyre doing all of this.

Other than Wallys love of fast cars, they arent beating us over the head about his possible future.

Instead, we have to give a damn about him first.

Because really, Joe has had it too easy so far this season.

Wally kinda has a point, too, at least in that teenage logic way.

Was this Ciscos best episode since Out of Time?

And with some neat visuals as a cherry on top.

But overall there was too much fun to be had for me to get worked up over anything.

If youve gotta do a disposable villain episode, this is how you do it.

Flash Facts!

They sure did give us the Turtle (or the Turtle Man) on this show.

So, the Turtle Man is actually the very first villain that Flash ever fought.

He appeared in Barrys first appearance inShowcase#4 in 1955.

He had no powers he was…just…really…slow and that confounded Flashs speed a little.

Look, the 50s were a simpler time, okay?

There was also an earlier Turtle, who fought Jay Garrick.

That Turtle…also didnt have these kinds of powers.

The Naydel Library was clearly a nod to the original Turtles co-creator.

I do this a lot because my mind is going.

Is this the first time weve had mention of Midway City on one of these shows?

Rating:

3.5 out of 5