Review: On 'The Flash,' Barry isn't "Invincible" as Zoom takes control

Last night's penultimate hour of The Flash's second season was quite the episode, setting the stage for a massive finale and yet finding a way to be mostly self-contained and deal with a "metapocalypse" as Zoom attempted to take control of Central City.

Many have had frustrations over this season's underwhelming attempts to emulate the critical success attained by the first season by providing a near-carbon-copy of the Reverse Flash story, but in "Invincible," The Flash took hold of the season and tried to do something differently. Yet, much of the hour instead used elements from Arrow's sophomore season to propel itself forward, and while that's not a bad thing, the frequent similarities aren't ideal, much as they may have worked for each show in the previous two years.

Bringing in an unimaginable amount of metahumans to wreak havoc on Central City evokes memories of Slade Wilson's effort to destroy Starling City using an army of Mirakuru-powered Deathstrokes. That plot worked then and it mostly worked here*, but the real fight isn't with the metahumans. It's with Zoom, and so the real fun began once they were dispatched with and he and Barry continued their one-on-one war, both mentally and physically.

* I say mostly worked because while it did prove an effective problem for Barry to deal with, it only further delayed the battle between him and Zoom that has been pushed to the side for weeks. That issue was less noticeable in Arrow, given Slade's murder of Moira three episodes from the end, and that he had been revealed as an adversary to the team a handful of episodes prior to when The Flash did it with Jay/Zoom, thus allowing it more time to build.

In hindsight, killing Henry makes all the sense in the world. As "Versus Zoom" established, the two speedsters aren't dissimilar, save for one crucial twist: Barry didn't actually witness his mother's murder and so didn't become the serial killer that Hunter Zoloman did. While this isn't going to turn Barry into a villainous psychopath, it will crush him entirely, especially after only just getting Henry back from his several month stay in the middle of nowhere. That Arrow comparison can return again; much like Oliver crumbled to an emotional mess fully prepared to turn himself over to Slade after his mother died, Barry's optimism - which reached astronomical levels here after his trip into the speedforce - is likely to be almost entirely erased. And while that lack of light has been a major criticism over the season, putting Barry into this position creates plenty of opportunities for some great character work.

Some good character work, too, with Wally, despite its similarity to Arrow's arc with Roy in late season one/early season two. Trying to turn him into a hero is considerably better than continuing to have him continue to keep his life secret from Joe and make snide remarks towards Barry for being Joe's non-biological son as he spent the first part of his life not knowing his father. By the end of "Invincible," Wally finally discovered the truth about the Flash and while that may well be only briefly touched upon in what is likely to be a busy finale, season three will undoubtedly explore a new relationship between the pair.

A strong episode on the whole, and I'm happy we'll finally be getting to the final showdown next week.

Some other thoughts on the hour:

• Using the recently-departed-from-Arrow Katie Cassidy as Earth-2 metahuman Black Siren was a fun choice, though added very little to the episode beyond giving the Flarrowverse another, likely final, look at Cassidy. Of course, leaving her alive means the door is open for a return, but nothing definitive to expect as yet.
• Barry, as the Flash, spoke to Captain Singh from just a few feet away without blurring his face as he did earlier when in the car with Wally, leaving only his mask to prevent being recognised. It's not quite Clark Kent keeping his identity secret with a simple pair of glasses, but it's still pretty unbelievable.
• Caitlin is going through a rough time after returning to STAR Labs having been let go by Zoom, seeing him in places he's not. While she does a pretty good Killer Frost impression, the show would be best served not resolving her PTSD through turning her into a villain.
• Cisco Vibed Earth-2 splitting in half - literally. Is that a vision of the future or the present?

What did everyone think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.