Because of its family-friendly nature and unabashed optimism, The Flash is a show constantly in danger of falling into afternoon special territory. It usually balances out its potentially preachy delivery of themes with organic, consistent characterization. Unfortunately, this was not the case with “Trajectory,” which came off like “a very special episode of The Flash.” Subtitle: Don’t do drugs, kids. Moral: If you do drugs, you’ll evaporate out of existence.
There was even one scene involving Harry and Barry with dialogue that had to be pulled from an afternoon special on steroids. “If the game is already rigged, why can’t I level the playing field?” Barry whines to Wells. “You wanna take a shortcut? Remember this: you lose a chunk of your humanity every time you compromise your values,” Harry responds. They might as well be in a high school locker room, Barry wearing a letterman jacket and Harry with a whistle around his neck and a clipboard in his hand.
I can see what the show was trying to do with this plotline. Eliza Harmon — a.k.a. Trajectory — is not only an incarnation of Barry’s temptation to use the Velocity-9 to improve his speed (an internal conflict that might have worked better if we hadn’t already seen Barry struggle with this very dilemma before), but a flashing blue clue to catch Team Flash up to where the audience has been since the episode before the hiatus. Hey, Eliza sure did turn mean once she started taking Velocity-9. Hey, you know who else took V-9? Jay. Hey, you don’t think Jay and Zoom might be same person, do you? Cisco, why don’t you double check that for us. This all happened in one, talky scene consisting of Team Flash standing around, putting the pieces together. Not very narratively thrilling, was it?
It’s always tricky when the audience learns something before the characters do, but that disparity in information can be used to create some pretty great dramatic tension. It’s what The Flash did so well last season with Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne. Here, the characters catching-up feels clunky and wasteful. The Flash either should have let the characters find out about Zoom’s true identity at the same time we did, or use that information to create suspense. Otherwise, you get a placeholder episode like this one, which feels like water-treading for the sake of water-treading, a mid-season network pattern that The Flash is generally far too savvy to fall prey to.
Though “Trajectory” mostly avoided the question of Zoom/Jay until its very end, the show did have some fun dropping some major hints about the Zoom/Jay connection to us loyal viewers. (OK, so there was a bit of dramatic irony at play): “Don’t be like me. Be like Jay,” Harry ironically tells Barry; the story is of a well-intentioned scientist who falls prey to speed drugs and pays a high price: her humanity; Iris’ insistence that “not every hero is a fraud,” when we know of at least one who is. When Team Flash finally put the pieces together, the moment falls with a bit of a thud. Not only does the audience already know that Jay is Zoom, but The Flash never sold Jay’s integration into the team in the same way it did Harrison Wells.
Despite the lackluster execution of the episode as a whole, Allison Paige was great as Trajectory/Eliza. It was a shame The Flash didn’t let us get to know this character a little bit better, or explore her character motivation a little more. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde bit is a classic formula and, in many ways, Trajectory felt like the most millennial villain The Flash has ever done. An overworked, underpaid perfectionist who becomes addicted to a speed drug because she’s trying to fulfill all of her responsibilities? That’s a compelling character origin story — not to mention a relatable one for many young people. Hopefully, Trajectory didn’t run herself completely out of existence and we will see her again.
Another major subplot of the episode came in the relationship between Jesse and Harry. Again, this felt a bit cliche and underbaked to me. If I could retire the Overprotective Dad Trope, I would. Protecting your child is not the same thing as holding her hostage. It’s not cool that Jesse had to ask Harry’s permission to even leave S.T.A.R. Labs. Or that he basically tagged her with a metahuman watch before he would release her from her basically Inescapable Daughter Cube. That being said, Jesse’s insistence that Harry not try to save her when Trajectory has her at gunpoint falls flat. I can understand Jesse not wanting her dad to murder people for her, but giving Eliza some V-9 in exchange for Jesse’s life seems like an acceptable, moral exchange.
Sadly, Jesse pulls a Henry Allen at the end of the episode, leaving her willing, loving support system to escape into a world completely alien to her only weeks after escaping from a traumatizing, months-long kidnapping situation. Sure, Flash. I’m just going to pretend Jesse and Henry are having a Connect Four tournament somewhere. (Or, you know, Jesse is off turning into a lady speedster, a result of that dose of V-9 Trajectory shot her up with.)
Finally, we had the Iris’ workplace drama. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to see Iris in the office, but could we maybe have an Iris West, Ace Reporter subplot that isn’t all about her boss abusing his position of authority to trick Iris into going on a date with him? In the context of the episode, Scott’s crush on Iris is treated as an awkward, but ultimately innocent misunderstanding, but, in the real world, this would be a very creepy situation. Scott should not assume that Iris’ invitation to coffee is her asking him out on a date. Why would that be his first thought when they have only ever had a professional relationship? If The Flash wants to sell me on this dynamic, it’s going to have to try a hell of a lot harder, and address the inappropriateness of Scott, the boss, hitting on Iris, his employee, head on.
But, really, why can’t Iris ever have a real reporter storyline? Aren’t there any suspicious chemical spills in Central City Iris could be investigating or something? Or, better yet, maybe The Flash could have had Iris use her investigative reporter skills to put the pieces together re: Jay/Zoom? Just spitballing here.
If there was one thing that absolutely worked in this episode it was Dr. Caitlin Snow. After basically one-and-a-half seasons of mostly only giving Caitlin story arcs when it comes to her doomed love life, The Flash let Caitlin take center stage in this episode — and it was great. Caitlin was guilty about letting the V-9 formula get out, but didn’t turn into an Oliver Queen about it. She got a female friend, even if she wasn’t allowed to keep her. She communicated Team Flash’s joy over having Jesse as part of the team, and broke it down on the dance floor with Cisco. If you were wondering, I would be cool with even more Caitlin-centric episodes, show.
Rating: ★★★ Good - Saved by Dr. Snow
Miscellanea:
“If you don’t feel ready, you probably shouldn’t do it.” Unlike Tweedledee and Tweedle-Cisco, Caitlin is 100 percent OK with Barry not trying to jump a ravine. She’s lost multiple boyfriends to heroism. If someone isn’t directly in danger, why risk it, you know?
“Why’d you have to bring those drones along, Cisco? Oh, I don’t know. You’re welcome everyone.” Can we talk about the ever-increasing presence of drones both in real life and on TV? Have you guys seen Allegiant? (Probably not, huh?)
Beyonce is a senator on Earth-2. Think she would consider running for president of Earth-1?
“Well, he’s not a red splat on the side of the mountain.” Team Flash’s bar for success has gotten kind of low…
“Yeah, I picked it. I don’t go out much. It had four stars on Yelp.” Barry was pretty annoying this episode, but his lack of Central City club cred was both endearing and on point.
This whole episode could have been Barry trying to explain his relationship to Wally to people and I might have liked it better. Also, can we talk about how the metahuman watch detector went off in proximity to Wally?! Yeah, that happened.
“Would you excuse me? I’d just have to go powder my… watch.” Why did Jesse have to leave?!
“Promise me if we ever do get married, you will not do that dance at our wedding.” Whoa, Iris. You can’t just go throwing out casual future marriage references like that. Think of poor Barry’s heart.
“I wonder what our married doppelgangers are doing right now?” “Probably the Earth-2 equivalent of Netflix and chill.” Nope, no equivalent. Netflix and chill exists on all Earths of the multiverse.
“A lady speedster, it only took us two years, but we finally got there. A question for science: was she good-looking?” Ugh, Cisco. I expect better.
“Fame will do that to you. I guess some people can’t handle the limelight.” Eliza’s explanation for The Flash supposedly turning into a petty criminal.
“Wow, how very Law and Order of you, Caitlin.” This comment served to a) immediately ingratiate Eliza to me, b) appreciate The Flash’s patience in waiting so long to reference Jesse L. Martin’s other show, and c) kind of make we wish for a Law and Order: Central City spinoff about Joe and Caitlin.
Did anyone else notice Jesse staring at Jay’s helmet a few scenes before the big reveal? Do you think she knew more about Zoom’s true identity than she let on?
Eliza’s split personality as a result of V-9 seems to shed some light on the question mark that is Zoom/Jay. We’ve theorized before that Zoom could be a part of Jay’s personality. Can V-9 literally make a speedster split into multiple versions of themselves? Is that what happened to Trajectory when she seemingly ran out of existence?
S.T.A.R. Labs really needs to invest in a security system. (Editor’s Note: seriously, it’s ridiculous!)
“Everything that you do and everything that you have done for me, it’s so dark, and you don’t even see it.” Maybe I’ve lived in the age of TV anti-heroes for too long, but Harry’s actions don’t really seem that dark to me.
“Villains gonna vill.” Best The Flash line ever? Best The Flash line ever.
Would Barry using his super speed to save people from the bridge make it collapse faster? Discuss.
“Not every hero is a fraud. It’s OK to believe in them.” Sing it, Iris. (Also, despite the Creeper Boss storyline, Iris being vulnerable despite everything she’s been through and how complicated her life has become is pretty great. Vulnerability=strength.)
“You find Jesse?” “She went out.” They’re gonna figure it out, Harry.
“Zoom is dying. That’s why he wants your speed. He’s dying and he need a cure.” This makes for a compelling character motivation, but why hasn’t Zoom tried to force Team Flash into coming up with a more permanent cure than Barry’s speed? Or is Barry’s speed a permanent cure? It just seems like a kind of inefficient way to vill, if one’s goal is to cure an illness, not to just make people cry.
