The Flash season 4, episode 6 review: When Harry Met Harry…

Reviewing the latest episode of The Flash.

The latest episode of The Flash, “When Harry Met Harry…,” opens with Barry and Dibny getting coffee, then getting mugged. The situation resolves itself in humorous fashion as we become familiar with Dibny’s Plastic Man powers. Barry talks to Dibny about the point of their Hero-ing, which helps set the tone for the episode.

Next, DeVoe is seen in his lab arguing with his assistant about Team Flash getting too close to DeVoe’s identity. Defoe isn’t worried and assures his assistant that she shouldn’t be either.

We then find Team Flash in the Cortex at S.T.A.R. Labs, still investigating DeVoe’s identity. Harry mentions that he has friends who might be able to help (based on the episode’s title, it’s obvious who these friends might be). Meanwhile, Caitlin suggests hypnosis might help Dibny remember details from the dark matter-bus incident.

Barry, Iris and Dibny all make a trip to the hypnotherapist. While there, Ralph recalls a woman wearing a Bison-emblazoned jacket. Following Ralph’s trip to hypnotherapy, a woman is seen stalking a man in a parking lot and the man is attacked.

Joe and Barry arrive on the crime scene and are stunned to find that their lead suspect maybe a stone statue. Back at the lab, Harry introduces Cisco to some alternate-Earth Harrison Wells via holoprojector. Cisco chides Harry for not making friends with people other than himself. After dubbing the gathered alt-Harrys “The Council of Wells”, Cisco is shooed away.

*In the council is a German Wells, Playboy Wells and Mad Max Wells (“There was a Cisco on my Earth once, he was delicious”)

In the Cortex, Caitlin checks the sample of the stone cat that Barry and Joe brought back and reveals that while the stone is ordinary, it has been manipulated by dark matter energy. Caitlin explains that the meta is able to take over animate objects through a subconscious link or ‘telekinetic puppeteering’.  With Caitlin’s explanation through, Joe reveals that the victim of the attack is a seller of Native American artifacts, giving the team a lead.

Barry and Dibny suit, preparing to intercept the meta at her next target. Cisco introduces Dibny to his new Plastic Man suit and Dibny is left unimpressed. Elsewhere a private collector meets with the mysterious ‘Buffalo’ woman from earlier. She explains that she is Lakota Sioux and that she is angry that this private collector has defiled her people’s artifacts.

Calling herself the Black Bison, she attacks the man with a suit of armor from his collection and steals a piece of a Sioux necklace from one of his cases. The Flash and Plastic Man show up and deal with the suit of armor, and the Black Bison books it during the brawl. Dibny criticizes Barry for being more concerned with the victim then apprehending the meta.

At the lab, the team analyzes the situation and realize that the Black Bison can only control effigies. They also dig deeper into the Black Bison’s background. Prior to the dark matter-bus incident, the Black Bison was a teacher turned social activist (with criminal charges). Dibny and Barry discuss their differences in approaching their roles as heroes.

Cisco walks in on the Council of Wells and gets an eyeful. Harry mentions that the Council has made no progress on discovering who DeVoe is (they spent a whole day arguing where to start). Once Harry has had enough, he kicks the Council out, determined to find out who DeVoe is on his own.

Iris informs the group that the last piece of the necklace Black Bison is looking for is currently being transported. As the Black Bison uses a caveman statute to rob the armored truck, The Flash and Plastic Man arrive. While the Flash takes on the caveman, Dibny attempts to stop the Black Bison. He makes the choice to stop Black Bison rather than help people endangered during the scuffle, and a little girl gets hurt.

At the hospital, Barry and Dibny learn that the little girl is going to recover. Dibny looks shaken and walks off when Barry attempts to confront him. Cisco meets with Harry at the lab and discusses Harry’s problems with the Council (and himself). Cisco coaches Harry into giving the Council another shot. Harry apologizes to the Council of Wells and they get back to the DeVoe investigation.

Barry meets Dibny at his office and they talk about the duty of heroes. Dibny mentions that his career as a P.I. allowed him to not care, he had no concern for his clients, “Now I have to care about a whole city”. Barry reassures Dibny about the pressures of being a hero.

Black Bison is being locked up at the CCPD, but uses a tactical dummy to escape (clever bit here, liked the twist on effigy with this). Team Flash meets in the Cortex, noting that the Black Bison will probably try to steal the necklace, now that it’s been put all together at the Central City Museum.

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The Flash and Plastic Man arrive at the museum where Black Bison animates a T-Rex skeleton to fight the duo. Plastic Man, having learned his lesson, disengages with the Black Bison in order to save a security guard about to be attacked by the T-Rex (Night at the Museum this isn’t). The Flash apprehends the Black Bison while Plastic Man holds off the T-Rex.

*One of the best lines of the night was Dibny’s “For the Love of Jeff Goldblum” while he was fighting the T-Rex skeleton.

Barry and Dibny are in the Cortex following Black Bison’s detention at Iron Heights Prison, Dibny reveals that he sent the necklace back to the Sioux people. Barry is surprised by Dibny’s decision to send the necklace to the Sioux and Dibny mentions that he thinks the Sioux have been through enough.

Dibny visits the little girl in the hospital for a feel good scene, though Dibny making balloon animals out of his hands was a little odd (sweet, but odd). The Council of Wells gives Team Flash their most accurate theory on who DeVoe is. The whole of Team Flash head to DeVoe’s listed address to confront him and are surprised by what they find.

The Good

Tom Cavanagh is a delight as he gets to play three (new) alternate Wells in “When Harry Met Harry…”. It seems he revels in the opportunity. Mad Max-inspired Wells 2.0 was my personal favorite.

Ralph Dibny had a lot of Hero-ing up to do with this episode and Hartley Sawyer kept pace. It was nice to see growth for plastic man, as well as some good coaching from Barry

*Coach Flash is much better than Coach Arrow (Oliver Queen could take some pointers).

Black Bison is a great Rogue to add to The Flash’s gallery. An interesting power combined with compelling motivation.

The Bad

Tonight’s episode lacked a little bit of urgency, the stakes didn’t feel as high as the past few weeks.

While I liked that the writers seemed to put some thought behind the Black Bison storyline, it was executed poorly. I enjoyed the Black Bison’s  teacher-turned-activist background and her dedication to the Sioux people, but in the end, she was still a criminal. It felt wrong that the two white superheroes were the ones doing right by the Sioux while Black Bison was jailed for trying to do the same. Perhaps it was an attempt at commentary but I think it’s going to leave a bad taste in many people’s mouths. I’m hoping there’s room to rectify this misstep later in the season/series.

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The Grade

This episode of The Flash gets 3 out of 5 stars.