*Yes, this review contains full spoilers. Go watch the episode and then come back here!*

"I'm only 25 and my drinking days are over."

Do you know what I really like about CW's The Flash? It's not the special effects or the world building -- although both are awesome -- it's how charming these characters can be and how enjoyable the tone is. This week's episode, "Plastique," had death, emotional drama, and introduced a man who will cast aside morals for "the greater good." Despite all of these heavier subjects, the episode still kept a smile on my face and had me completely absorbed in this fictional world.

The show's more uplifting atmosphere is put front and center right in the intro. It shows just how likable Grant Gustin is as the lead and his supporting cast -- Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow and Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon -- is quickly growing on me. We always see Flash racing around the city, so zooming in on a red dart as it flies through the air before striking a dart board was a clever change of pace. Cisco's especially lovable in this one as he's excited to conduct new tests and beyond awkward when he meets an attractive character. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. Please don't leave..." I'm pretty anxious to see how the guy will react if he ever gets powers. Seeing how enthusiastic and happy he is about this stuff means it would be so entertaining to watch him test his own abilities. And Caitlin's comment and then her follow-up remark about it making her sound like Felicity? Funny stuff and an organic way to remind us this also takes place in Arrow'suniverse. It's great to see the character opening up more and showing more personality instead of remaining guarded and *ahem* cold. Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

Barry doesn't get a chance to use his super speed to knock around goons or anything like that in this episode, but just because he isn't punching evil fools doesn't mean he's not putting his awesome powers to use! This episode pushes him harder than ever before and watching him overcome these challenges is some seriously thrilling and exciting stuff. The way it's shot works so well, giving us just a sample of the special effects without ever holding onto a close up for too long and they used slow motion at just the right time. Plus, it was cool to see him use his ability in a new way to change his voice. Sure, Iris West (Candice Patton) should have been able to recognize the voice -- and not to mention his face -- after such a long conversation, but it's a minor gripe. This stuff happens all the time in comics and over in Arrow, after all. Anyway, the point is this episode had a bunch of fun pushing Barry's speed and it was a very amusing and well-shot experience. Predictable, sure, but still a good time and will make you want to cheer.

West family drama, you're relentless, aren't you? I'm glad Iris was wise enough to call Barry out on his absurdity and I understand why Joe (Jesse L. Martin) wants his daughter away from all of this craziness, but man, that was getting a little forced at times, wasn't it? I have other critiques about the drama -- we'll get to that in a bit -- but it also worked very well in a few spots. Having Joe reveal he knows Barry loves his daughter was an amazing moment. Both actors pulled off the awkwardness of that scene perfectly and I loved every second of it. It was refreshing to see that after Joe was so aggressive about wanting to make Barry disprove the Flash's existence to Iris. You know, even though she saw him in person. Talk about a tough assignment.

As you can tell by the episode's title, this one introduces Bette Sans Souci, a.k.a. Plastique (Kelly Frye). They put forward a really strong effort to make us care about the character, but our time with her is limited and many of us were confident we wouldn't be seeing more of her past this episode anyway (one of the officially released pictures showed Flash holding her body...), so it's a little tough to feel really emotionally invested when her arc is moving so quickly. None of the scenes were bad and they got the message across just fine, but it just wasn't as gripping or as emotional as the other drama going on. That said, her powers did look quite cool when they were put to use and they obviously forced Barry to push himself, so that's a win. However, her introduction did bring in another character -- one who will more than likely be a reoccurring role. General Wade Eiling (Clancy Brown) is a great addition to the show. The villain-of-the-week approach was one of the show's few weak points (the villains lacked depth and felt like they were just there for some spectacle), so it's terrific to see they're switching up the formula and focusing on really building this world while also throwing in a new face. Now we have Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) seemingly forming the Rogues, Eiling apparently putting S.T.A.R. Labs on his radar, and Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is still killing it as the big bad. Oh, and that cliffhanger? Pure fan service. I really hope that's not just a tease and they have firm plans to use this character in the not-so-distant future. Speaking of future, I couldn't help but smirk when Wells said, "That technology hasn't been invented yet."

Eiling's introduction allowed Cavanagh to really step up his devious performance. Usually we only get a sample or two of his true nature, but this story had him bluntly threatening a powerful general and coldly turning an emotionally injured person into a weapon. I'm beginning to really love disliking this guy. Several of this show's arcs are interesting and have me wondering how they'll play out, but this one is really capturing my attention. Cavanagh's doing an excellent job with the role.

The entire point of "the Streaker" meeting Iris was to warn her about the dangers; to let her know he isn't the only metahuman in the city and many others aren't exactly good people. Somehow, he avoided telling her this, so it kind of defeats the purpose of the entire conversation. Yes, her talking about Barry was a curve ball and maybe he thought he needed to solve this problem as Barry, but he certainly dodged telling her the critical thing for quite some time, didn't he? Also, I really don't know how I feel about Barry telling Iris they can't see one another because of her blog. My immediate reaction was negative and it felt like he overreacted big time. You can't put this aside as you remain friends -- friends who agree not to talk about "the Streak" with one another -- and wait to see what the future holds? But, on the other hand, I kind of understand where he's coming from. Being with her is hard enough as is -- to be so close to someone you love but feeling like it'll never go beyond a friendship -- and now he's bearing the emotional weight of Plastique's death as well. Maybe he thinks removing the "will we ever be together?" dilemma from his daily routine will ease the journey just a little bit? And perhaps he thinks distancing himself will protect her even more. But, given the teaser for next week's episode, I wouldn't be surprised if this subject comes up sooner rather than later. I was so happy to see Barry say Iris should know the truth, so it was disappointing when he didn't follow through with that. I couldn't have been the only one wanting to scream, "TELL HER, DUDE," right? It was so great to think the show would avoid dragging this out, but then it held back the big reveal and I can't help but feel like it was a bit disappointing the way that turned out. Part of me was really hoping they'd avoid taking this very familiar path. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how long they keep this going until the truth is finally revealed.

Minor gripes: We've seen Barry react to bullets before in this show, so it was surprising he didn't do anything the first time Plastique was shot. You'd think he'd be able to respond since he was facing the window when it was struck, but instead he just kind of stood there. Also, why'd he remove his mask the second time she was shot?

"Plastique" is yet another very enjoyable episode of CW's The Flash. The leads all do a more than adequate job with their performances (Gustin and Cavanagh really stood out here) and it's just so much fun watching Flash push his limits. The drama was a bit of a mixed bag in this episode, but the good definitely outweighs the bad and they leave us on a note that's such an enormous teaser for comic fans. The Flash has sped away from its villain-of-the-week formula and the future looks very, very bright for this show. It's full of potential and such a good time.

I kept picturing Lex when Brown spoke.

And Caitlin totally sounded like Felicity when she got flustered.

A Great review! The cliffhanger was pretty crazy on this episode. Joe West continues to deliver heart warming scenes as the father figure. Dr. Wells seems to be straddling the line much less now after this episode. He is still killing it as a mysterious character, but I do hope he straddles the anti-hero line a little longer (and I hope he ends up being an antihero). I am starting to think he is a combination of Pariah and Hunter Zolomon (Zoom). This episode starts pointing to the later at the end. I thought Iris was displayed pretty well this episode. The visuals on this show are excellent.

I personally didn't like the whole "I can't get drunk gambit". I get it most young adults go out to get drunk, but not everyone does. While it was humorous, it didn't seem quite in line with barry's character (even though this barry allen is a barry/wally hybrid). It might be more a personal gripe, since I don't believe in getting drunk. While it was a minor gripe against this episode but I'm still really enjoying the show.

@the_stegman: Totally agree. I love Clancy Brown.

Man this show is great. It doesn't have that freshman slump like Arrow and Shield did.

You could even say...

it started off running?

@the_stegman said:

I may have to watch if Clancy Brown is in this

What if that wasn't a tease at the end and more of a hint of who he might be?

Pretty good episode.

That thing with Barry vibrating his vocal cords was awesome! But you know the least he could've done was tell Iris that he prefers to be called the Flash to the Streak (does he prefer it? Idk, he basically called himself the Flash at the end of the pilot)

I like this show a little more each episode, and I already liked it to begin with. Backin' up Gregg here, it's the supporting cast that makes the show. I'm especially fond of Jesse L. Martin, Tom Cavanagh and Carlos Valdez (ready to see Vibe shake things up). I was bummed that Plastique died. Not only was it a crappy death scene, but I was hoping to see her show up in the Suicide Squad over in Arrow.

@longbowhunter: They dropped the ball with Plastique. They could have had her arrested and have Waller show up and take her from Eiling, putting her in the Squad.

So when does Caitlin turn to Killer Frost and Cisco turn to Vibe? hehehehehe, And I'm already thinking that Dr. Wells is really Eobard Thawne in disguise.

This was my favorite episode so far.

This show never seems to disappoint, CW has a hit here

I agree, nice review u

@the_stegman: I know, right?

Anyone else think harrison wells could be flash?

i'm bummed they didn't Bill Bixby Plastique, could of reintroduced her and Gen. Elling at a later day. Honestly that whole death thing happened a bit too fast for me, like they went through the logical necessary steps to get to teh cool stuff, robbing said cool stuff of any emotional weight.

"Plastique" maybe in the lower end of the overall goodness Flash has produced because of it. It's an OK episode that felt rushed. Still some solid warm heart earnesty which is just the way to my heart.

They show the actual Apes !

@longbowhunter: Did she really die? unless she gets her head cut off she isn't dead

Reverse flash

Did anyone else catch the only subtle Captain Atom reference? With Plastique dead, Captain Atom is sure to be mad! They killed his love interest!

I caught that also. To bad we never see him.

Two things got me on this episode. They killed of Plastique. I know it's minor but alcohol can't be above 200 proof since 2 proof = 1% alc./volume. So the alcohol of 500 proof means it was 250% alc./volume? How is that possible? A man who can run 600 mph make more sense.

My biggest gripe with this episode was Cisco. Everything with him on the show has seemed forced so far. And his "crush" on Plastique was no exception. That who side of the plot felt completely shoehorned onto the episode, and didn't receive nearly enough attention to be meaningful. I sincerely hope they do something with the character soon, because the bits we seen of him thusfar have been less than endearing, in my opinion.

Other gripes I had with the episode include Barry's poor handling of the situation with Iris, not caring at all about Plastique, Barry revealing his identity to Plastique so quickly, Plastique's death with the cliche unfinished last words, and the continuous ambiguity surrounding Wells which doesn't really seem to be going anywhere anytime soon and is just being used to give us cliffhangers.

Aside for those little things though, I enjoyed the episode. Most of the characters are endearing. And it was nice to see them all out drinking in the beginning. That's one of those character moments that you don't always get to see on these kinds of TV shows: all of the characters hanging out. It was nice.

I'm glad they're finally doing something with Iris, and I feel that this is a plot I can get behind. But at the same time, they didn't do enough with it yet. She comes across as stupid-stubborn at times where the blog is concerned. I'm hoping they correct this in future episodes. Let us get behind her idealism, and the fact that she's aware that there is danger in what she's doing, but that she doesn't care. I want to respect her as a character who knows the risks of what she's doing, and doesn't care what other people say. The seeds of that are there now, but I really want to see more of it.

The General was interesting enough. I feel like it'd be good to see him again in the future.

But one thing that stood out to me in this episode more than others is that I don't like the organization of Flash's team. Them working out of STARR Labs like this just isn't really appealing to me. I'm hoping that Barry learns of Wells' more sinister side sooner rather than later, and that he begins working more independently. Sure, Cisco and Caitlin can still be involved, but I don't like them working out of STARR Labs and under Wells' leadership.

Grodd tease was very fun.

7.5/10 from me. Good episode. There were some things I didn't like, and some things that I need to see more of in future episodes before I can form a more solid opinion.

@captainmarvel4ever: you totally should, this is effortlessly the best superhero show on air

Oh that tease at the end made me so very very very happy.

I really hope Eiling is a doorway for some other characters *cough*Captain Atom*coughcough*, because the way they're portraying him would make it so easy. I'm a little disappointed that they killed off Plastique so quickly, as I was looking forward to her joining the Suicide Squad (and possibly reuniting the Task Force X of Justice League Unlimited).

Love the show, but I have a couple questions:

Why is Barry hiding the Flash's existence again? Shouldn't they consider telling the citizens of Central City that there's an unknown number of potentially dangerous people running around?

Wouldn't making the Flash's existence known to the public really help his dad's case? (the account of seeing the man in the lightning won't be written off as nonsense)

It just seems like the writers are just going through the motions of keeping the superhero a secret or having a secret identity without really getting into the 'why' of it all. But whatevs, the show's still a ton of fun.

great episode, i love this episode. pastique is pretty hot !

Remember rule #1 of comics - no body, no death.

All we saw was an explosion. Since a body was never found who's not to say she won't at some time reintegrate herself in a similar fashion as the Human Bomb, even conscientiously?

@feedonatreefrog: I don't know why Barry is keeping Flash a secret, didn't Oliver say in the premiere that Barry could be a symbol of hope for the city? If anything, Barry should reveal that he's helping people.

I can´t believe that they are planning to use Grodd I thought that he was just an easter egg, a cool reference a nothing more not that they were going to make him important, I loved how they showed how is he going to develop his telepathic abilities.

@the_stegman: One could argue that they want to keep Flash a secret for the same reason that Clark was kept a secret in MOS, but the show hasn't gotten into any of this yet, which is strange considering how much drama/plot is centred around his secret. Perhaps that's coming next episode, where apparently he gets thrust into the public eye.

But it seems this issue really should have come right at the beginning. His whole life has been about trying to prove the impossible to prove his father's innocence, and now he can literally show everyone, and he isn't for some reason.

Ah well. At least it's a fun show!

There is no way that they can regulate the Flash and his abilities. One scene he will be breaking barriers, the next he will be a step to slow. That's just the way it is going to have to be. Otherwise, the show would be devoid of tension, and drama, and well, everything

Other than that, I really didn't like the scene with Iris, nor that whole arc really. Realistically there would likely be a MILLION blogs on the streak. At the very least, Just think of all the people he saved in the burning building, all of them would obviously be talking about it. So why in the world would anyone just target Iris' blog? Also, The streak begs her not to write about him, then Barry begs her not to write about the Streak... Hmmm. I know, I know, its a show.

@sachmoo: Same deal with Flash or any speedster in the comics. Or a lot of superpowers in general.

Anyone else think Wells has some sort of mind control abilities? He seemed to sway Plastique pretty quick...

@alkusanagi: If Wells had mind control abilities, I don't think he would have had to stab Stagg earlier in the season. It seems like it would be easier to just turn all of his enemies into allies.

My guess is that he's ultimately just trying to keep the past on course to make sure Barry Allen is prepared for Crisis in the future. He was able to convince Plastique because Plastique was already on the fence about whether or not he was dangerous.

Though I guess it's more likely that the writers were just playing fast and loose.

I really like the small thing like Barry blurring his face, because clearly you'd recoginize his face even with the mask (I'm looking at you Oli) and how his fast metabolism doesn't get him drunk.

The only stuff I don't like about the show is the CW part that wants to make a teenage drama out of every situation. I'm still not over the fact that Felicity was his crush when he first appeared on Arrow and they match perfectly but the CW rather have him fall for the girl he can't have and have this stupid tension for the entire season ultimately leading to him still not getting the girl (looking at you again Oli).

@sbyrstall: I like the way you think, sir.

I'm thinking the same thing....I think that Eddie Thawne might be a red herring...while we're all waiting for him to become Zoom there's already a Professor Zoom present in the series

Cisco is growing on me.

The Streak isn't a great code name.lol

I love Flash's "vibrating vocal cords" trick. Probably better for his throat than Bruce Wayne's gravel-gargling. "I'm not wearing hockey pads!"

Damn, I was really expecting Bette to get recruited by Amanda Waller at the end of the episode

Worked for the Jay Garrick stand-in in the Justice League cartoon

The guy they casted as General Eiling would make the PERFECT Shaggy Man. Excellent decision team.

Completely agree with Thawne as a red herring but this is the comics and stranger things have happened. The ultimate twist? He really is reverse flash and wells is zoom because they are working together! In the Geoff Johns story,Thawne was a wackadoo from the 25th century who hated Barry Allen so much he went back in time to ruin his life (every bad moment from Barry's past ended up being the result of Thawne: Mom, broken arm, etc). Maybe they are both playing the long game?

Let's get real about Wells here:

The pilot episode showed Wells looking at a newspaper article that read Flash ends the crisis. Barry sacrificed himself to end the infinite crisis in the comics. This leads me to believe that Wells is a GOOD GUY. He's pulling a Batman here. Don't tell anybody the truth because it will prevent the end result from playing out the way it's intended. Any knowledge of the plan will derail it. This is why he's going to be all cloak and dagger about Barry when his endgame, his ultimate plan is to keep Barry alive and well so he can fulfill his destiny and end the upcoming crisis. Wells will use the whole greater good thing which will be shot down by Barry "cuz you lied to me!" and because "we're heroes, there's always another way". The only mystery here is will Barry forgive him or not and that will be the answer to whether he's good or bad. Barry's a Blue Lantern guys...all will be well ;)

If the particle accelerator is the catalyst to activating the meta gene in people then how are Caitlin and Cisco going to get their powers? Caitlin's Villain's month issue had her become victim of some accident at some polar base in the north pole. Just curious to see what second explosion/incident will happen to activate a second wave of metas.

I don't think Wells is Zoom, since Zoom hates Barry and would just end him before he became Flash if he wanted. I know there's the whole "he exists to make Barry a better hero" but I just don't see that fitting here at least right now.

Not Barry Allen Flash lol. Maybe a future Flash if anything.

@fallingcliffs: why not? He could be Barry who travels back in time due to the crisis and he wants to train his younger self to be more ruthless and better at using his powers so he will be ready for the crisis which he failed

Well you never said which Flash, there's lots of Flash's especially in the future. I think if the older Barry would be kind of dumb I mean for one he looks nothing like Barry(unless he had some kind of surgery) and his alter ego doesn't strike me as Barry. Plot wise it's possible I guess with the future crisis and all that but I just think it's unlikely. Guess we'll find out though in time!

@amazingwebhead:

Plastique being in Suicide Squad would've been amazing!

Oh! I didn't know Jay Garrick had that name. Cool Cool.

It wasn't actually Garrick, just one of those "in everything but name" versions of the character