The Flash dealt out another filler episode, much to our dismay but was it better than The Flash Season 7 Episode 13?
Unfortunately, The Flash Season 7 Episode 14 was no more successful than its predecessor.
Ultraviolet returned, and Allegra was convinced that she could redeem her cousin thanks to Barry’s influence. However, all that was accomplished was digging up the past and rehashing old storylines that we thought were long forgotten.
Allegra was the star of the hour, as was her troubled relationship with Ultraviolet — AKA Esperanza.
Her boss’s husband inspired her to change Esperanza’s heart and bring her over to the good side. After all, it is in Team Flash’s nature to never give up on people.
To them, everyone is redeemable.
Barry: …I’m zooping Iris away for a little vacation. Actually, it was Chester’s idea. You remember?
Chester: Can’t forget. As much as I’d like to.
Allegra followed her heart, even when everyone else, namely Sue, told her to throw in the towel.
Allegra has learned so much from this team and has grown exponentially, and she finally got the chance to show it all off. It’s unfortunate, though, that her time to shine came during a dull episode.
Esperanza and Black Hole, if we’re honest, are so last season. And with the previous episode not contributing much to The Flash Season 7‘s overarching story, “Rayo de Luz” felt like another punch to the gut.
Things have slowed down immensely over at S.T.A.R. Labs since the Forces storyline wrapped up. And instead of introducing the next Graphic Novel, the show is bringing back old villains.
Thankfully, it seems as if they are finally going to get to the back half of this season on The Flash Season 7 Episode 15, but, sadly, an Allegra-focused hour was wasted on an old story.
If they could have somehow incorporated Esperanza into whatever the show’s new direction is, perhaps with Kristen Kramer’s military story, then this episode could have been successful.
Allegra and Esperanza have a very complicated relationship, and they never resolved their issues after Joseph Carver was taken down.
It makes sense that she would return and that Allegra would want to make amends with her. But, the way that their reconciliation was done just felt repetitive.
Allegra: …I can still save Esperanza.
Sue: You want to save her?
Allegra: Yeah! You know, like Barry does with the bad guys. I mean, not so much save her, but redeem her, I guess.
The story didn’t feel fresh, nor did it have the emotional impact that it had the potential of having.
Their reunion did not feel deserved, especially after the way that Esperanza treated Allegra when she was trying to train her.
We do not believe that Esperanza has changed. On the contrary, we sympathize with her because she was used as a lab rat and a weapon. And we feel bad for Allegra because we know how much her cousin meant to her growing up.
Allegra has always been an interesting character with the potential for great development. But she has often been regulated to the background of this show. She has been due for an episode like this.
Kayla Compton was fantastic this hour as she poured her heart into this story just as Allegra did to save Esperanza. This just proved that she should get more screen time going forward.
As we mentioned above, though, Allegra deserved better.
On a positive note, it’s amazing that she has finally reached the full potential of her powers. She might be one of the strongest metahumans on Team Flash now that she has gone supernova.
This hopefully means that we’ll be seeing a lot more of her on the field fighting alongside Barry and Frost.
The other highlight of this episode was seeing Allegra and Chester’s relationship blossom.
The show has hinted that the two of them might like one another more than friends, but we hadn’t seen them together enough to get excited about a potential romance.
Chester: To start off this R&R, why don’t you guys join me in a little bit of D&D? Frost, if you’re free, I could use a Chaotic Good Ice Sorcerer to help me slay the Bog Beast of Balladok.
Frost: I’m gonna have to take a pass.
Now, it’s clear that they share chemistry and would make a great couple.
Chester is a dork, and Allegra is the “cool” girl. It’s a classic case of opposites attract, and we would happily watch a scene of them playing Dungeons and Dragons together.
The other story of “Rayo de Luz” featured Joe continuing his investigation into Kristen Kramer. However, it took an unexpected turn when she asked him for help in her own investigation.
Joe has flip-flopped on his stance on Kramer all season, just like we have. One day, he thinks she’s a bad cop. The next day, he believes that she is a good cop with good intentions.
Finally, we appear to have gotten a straight answer regarding Kramer’s villain status.
She hates metahumans, but that apparently does not make her the bad guy on this show.
Back in Kramer’s military days, a mission went south because of a guy named Adam Kreyke. He was like a brother to her, but he turned his back on his unit and was a part of an ambush that left most of them killed.
Kramer was the only survivor, and she has tried and failed to track down Adam for the past six years.
She needs Joe’s help to find him, and there’s no doubt that the two of them will be able to. They are the city’s best detectives, after all.
You are a good man, Joe West. You forget everything that’s in that folder. Your heart’s always been your best compass, right? So, trust it. Trust your heart. It’ll show you what’s right.
Cecile
This side story has to fit into Team Flash’s upcoming major woes somehow. Otherwise, it would be too random and illogical.
It’ll be interesting to see where the show goes from here and how all of these storylines will merge to create big problems for Barry and the rest of the gang. Let’s hope it can only get better from here.
What did you think, The Flash Fanatics?
Were you disappointed by this episode? Do you like Chester and Allegra together? Do you trust that Chillblaine has turned over a new leaf?
And are you excited to see Godspeed again?
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch The Flash online right here via TV Fanatic!
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
Sarah Little is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.