Out of Time sees the introduction of a new Weather Wizard, the culmination of all the WestAllen BS and a shocking death! Woof!

Mark Mardon, criminal brother of the Weather Wizard from the first episode returns to seek vengeance against Joe, who seems rather non-plussed at the idea of a metahuman hitman. That said, I think Joe is bordering on the wrong side of zealousness in this episode. He doesn’t give a fuck about Mardon or his beef, he’s a scumbag just like his brother and that’s that. I’m not saying that Mardon deserves any sympathy but it’s odd to see Joe so cavalier about it. He manages to collar Joe, lure Barry and Iris to the water front and then unleash a tsunami on Central City. He shows a much higher degree of control of his powers compared to his brother but that may be the year(?) since Barry first suited up or because, as the flashback shows, Mark shows more control in general compared to Clyde.

I’m sure the West Allen shippers are going to be happy as Barry and Iris finally share a kiss! Yaaaaay… Yeah, I don’t care. I’m sorry but it’s not going to stick so why should I? At least it will give the shippers something to talk about for the next couple weeks but the real consequence of this action is BARRY BREAKING TIME. He runs so fast to counter the tsunami that he jumps back in time and becomes the “speed mirage” that he saw earlier in the episode! WHOA! That’s freaking awesome and means that most of the events of this episode will probably be good news for Cisco.

Welp, there’s no way I can apologise for THAT. Nope, no walking that one back. Damn. Yup, Wells is Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash. But I found this entire scene so intense and brutal that it’s the best part of the season so far. Seriously, Tom Cavanagh and Carlos Valdes deserve some sort of award for their performances. Thawne has been stranded in this era for 15 years and while he wanted to kill Barry, Nora died in his stead so Wells has been training Barry, pushing him to eventually help him return to his own time. It’s an obvious revelation but ultimately, it’s the details that matter. Wells is not happy to kill Cisco, he doesn’t even smile. Just a solemn apology, some reassurance that their friendship and respect was genuine and an explanation that, from Wells’ perspective, Cisco has been dead for years. It’s chilling, scary and an utter delight to watch and makes this episode the highlight for sure.

Flash Fact: Carlos Valdes’ tears in this scene were not scripted, it happened naturally as they acted out the scene. Give that man an Emmy!

With Barry’s arrival in the past and the events seemingly changed for the better, how will karma come to bite our Scarlet Speedster’s ass next week? Will Cisco’s death or Barry and Iris’s kiss stick or will the return of Captain Cold and Heat Wave bring something more gruesome? We’ll find out next time in Rogue Time.