The Flash: Godspeed review S5 E18
Godspeed was largely a retread episode providing a different angle on everything we’ve already learned about Nora.
It’s not so much that this was a bad episode just highly unnecessary considering there’s only four episodes left this season.
To recap, Team Flash learned Nora has been working with Thawne and Barry puts her on time out. Barry understandably is pissed, but the rest of Team Flash comes to her defense.
They’re so pro-Nora they dismiss Sherloque for withholding his suspicions for so long. Team Flash is full of hypocrites as keeping secrets is how they’re built. At least Sherloque calls them out for misplaced anger.
Ralph suggests reading her diary, which cues up an extended 2049 flashback. Nora and her CCPD partner, Lia, discover a thief is stealing various chemicals. They get a big clue with a surveillance camera capturing white lightning, which they determine is a speedster they name Godspeed.
Godspeed’s costume looks great. When the Arrowverse costume designers want to they can really deliver terrific comic to the small screen translations.
In fleeing with another element, Godspeed zaps her with lightning, which knocked out her speed inhibitor. This episode is oddly timed. So much of this season has been centered around Nora so a dedicated origin episode feels pointless.
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She realizes the only way to catch a villainous speedster is to talk to a villainous speedster and she visits Thawne, who quickly figures out she’s a speedster.
Lia tells Nora about the power dampener and Nora realizes Iris did it. We already know all of this and it feels like a long stall job. In their next encounter Godspeed kills Leah to make it personal.
At this point, Iris wants to give Nora a second chance and let’s her out to hear the rest of the story. Barry isn’t feeling it though, but allows Nora to finish explaining how she realizes Godspeed is trying to create a version of Velocity 9 to retain his powers.
That’s not as interesting a backstory of the character as he appeared in the comic, but it’s too much to ask the writers to build up another strong Rogue when they struggle to get the classics right. With Thawne’s help via death row inmate phone chats (really??), Nora is able to take down Godspeed.
Thawne asks what she really knows about the Flash, prompting her to go to the Flash Museum and uncover the secret lair Thawne mentioned. Gideon has no worry about spoiler warnings and tells XS that Barry was The Flash. Jessica Parker Kennedy did a great job conveying Nora’s shock and grief at this big reveal. It’s too bad this lacks the impact it would have had 10 episodes ago.
Barry wants the room with Nora. He’s mad she kept going back to Thawne when she could have learned from him. As a result he still can’t trust her. He sends her back home and basically tells her don’t come around here no more no more no more.
Barry visits Thawne and is all too happy to see his arch-rival has 10 minutes left before his execution. That’s cold Barry.
Godspeed was OK with the debut of one of the great new Rogues, but the episode felt like rehashing long since established plot points with Nora. The biggest development was Barry still had no sympathy. It’ll be interesting to see the fallout of his decision with Team Flash in particular Iris.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Photo Credit: The CW