Flash 1.11

The Sound and the Fury

Dr. Wells gets attacked at home by someone from his past, Hartley Rathaway. Wells isn't injured in the attack but lots of glass is shattered. It turns out that Rathaway is using some sort of sonic technology as a weapon. Rathaway used to be a protege of Dr. Wells but they had a falling out, ostensibly over the reactor which gave so many people their powers, including Barry, but it is hinted that there may be other reasons. Rathaway warned Wells that the reactor was unsafe but Wells insisted on proceding with it.

Rathaway and Cisco have a past too. They butted heads from the first day that Cisco started working at STAR Labs. Their relationship is still just as contentious now as it was when they first met. Rathaway names himself the Pied Piper which annoys Cisco who claims that he gives out the names, but then admits that it isn't a bad choice.

There is something about the way that Rathaway acts in the flashbacks that along with other things that are said lead me to wonder if he had a romantic relationship with Dr. Wells. It may not have been something that lasted but he is gay and does act a bit like a spurned lover.

Rathaway allows himself to be captured by the Flash during their first encounter. After they have locked him up he breaks out and breaks into STAR Labs computer system. The information he stole allows him to augment his sonic weaponry to make it much more dangerous to the Flash. In their final battle it is only thanks to the intervention of Dr. Wells that the Flash survives.

Iris, away from the fighting, gets a job at Central City Picture News. She wants to distance herself from her blog about the Flash but it quickly becomes clear that her editor wants her to write stories about Flash. She is paired with a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter who at least as first seems annoyed that he has to help her learn the ropes.

Joe doesn't play a big part in this episode but towards the end he talks to Eddie about investigating Dr. Wells. He thinks that there is something suspicious about the man, especially how he survived the attack on his home unscathed despite being confined to a wheelchair. Eddie seems eager to help Joe in this project. I think I am starting to see now how Eddie will become the Reverse Flash.

There are lots of little nuggets of information dropped in this episode in addition to the ones mentioned above. Dr. Wells uses his speed powers but they only work briefly. In the reveal at the end of the episode he is seen trying to augment them using a device. Rathaway tells Cisco at the end of the episode that he knows what happened to and where to find Ronnie Raymond.

I really liked this episode.