When King Shark showed up at the end of an episode of “The Flash” earlier this season, viewers went nuts, now he’s back and sharpening his teeth for our hero. Meet me after the jump for jaws vs. speed with my thoughts on “King Shark!”
King Shark
In the comics, King Shark first emerged as a villain in the Superboy comics of the 1990s. His origins suggest either a savage mutation of man and shark or the son of the actual Hawaiian shark god. Huge, bestial, and murderous, he’s one of the few super-villains to leave dead superheroes in his wake. King Shark is bad news.
On television, King Shark is one of the Earth-Two metahumans sent by Zoom to kill the Flash, and a, wait for it, victim of the particle accelerator. In their first encounter, the creature nearly killed both Patty Spivot and the Flash before being dispatched by the high tech weaponry of the Earth-Two Harrison Wells. We learn in this episode King Shark was handed over to A.R.G.U.S. for study and imprisonment.
Scars
We open however seconds after we left off in our last episode with the final breach being closed to Earth-Two. As it snapped shut we all saw Zoom’s hand burst through Jay’s chest and pull him back to Earth-Two. Caitlin is shattered of course, losing her second love in a row. But she’s not the only one affected by the events of the last two episodes.
Wells proposes a Fight Club option to deal with what happened on Earth-Two. Don’t talk about it, don’t tell anyone about it. No mention of being married to Iris, Joe being dead, and especially Caitlin becoming the evil Killer Frost. Of course that cat doesn’t stay in the bag long, and Caitlin being moody and snapping at Cisco has more than one person worried. She’s acting cold.
Shark Hunt
When King Shark escapes from A.R.G.U.S., still with a murder on for Barry, John Diggle and Lyla from “Arrow” come calling to warn him. Barry’s happy for the diversion from his Earth-Two troubles, and Team Flash jumps at the chance to join the shark hunt. Unfortunately he finds Barry before Barry can find King Shark.
The monster drops in on the Wests at home, tearing the roof off the sucker in a terrific CGI scene. It only gets better as Barry changes to the Flash and leads the shark into the street. This is CGI well worth it. This scene along with the finale on the water are just amazing, some of the best of the series.
The Wests
There’s a growing subplot of Wally and Barry failing at bonding as brothers. It feels like the showrunners are trying to shoehorn Wally into this series no matter who likes it or not. Maybe if Wally gets doused in electrified chemicals and gets a red and yellow costume he and Barry will have more in common.
One thing is sure, the inclusion of Wally has seemed to make the West family more cohesive and stronger. And is it just me or are they running out of cold puns for Caitlin and speed puns for Wally? And speaking of Caitlin, the Killer Frost revelation seems to have made her stronger as well.
In Memory of Jay Garrick
And speaking of stronger, I liked the end with Barry vowing to return to Earth-Two and defeating Zoom. It restored my faith in Barry as a real hero, like the character in the beloeved Flash comics of my youth. I loved Jay’s helmet being put on display, perhaps the first exhibit in a Flash museum.
Meanwhile on Earth-Two, we get the revelation we’ve all been waiting for… the identity of Zoom. Moments after the end of the last episode Zoom drops the body of Jay on the floor in front of the cell of the tapping man. He then takes off his mask to reveal Jay Garrick! But if that’s Jay, who’s the guy we’ve been thinking was Jay all this time? Is Zoom the Jay Garrick from yet another Earth? Well, it does make sense if Hunter Zolomon is his Earth-One doppelganger. And is the tapping man Wally? Questions, questions…
Next: We have wait for March 22 for “Trajectory” and… a female speedster? Could it be Jesse Quick?
Caitlin razzing Cisco? … priceless! 🙂