- Title: The Flash – Trajectory
- wiki: link
Even with Zoom temporarily blocked from returning to their Earth, Barry (Grant Gustin) continues to push himself to increase his speed. The sudden appearance of a new speedster in town who is faster than the Fastest Man Alive forces Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) to reveal the existence of the Earth-2 speed drug Velocity 9 which a fellow scientist has reverse-engineered to become the criminal Trajectory (Allison Paige).
The announcement of a female speedster in Central City made me suspect that we were going to see Jesse Quick for the first time. That’s not the case, but “Trajectory” does line-up a possible origin for the female speedster. Although since Jesse (Violett Beane) leaves town at the end of the episode I’m guessing it will be awhile before we see her don her own pair of tights. The major takeaway from the episode isn’t the new villain (who literally runs herself to death) but what her appearance reveals. The blue lightning surrounding her, along with Cisco‘s (Carlos Valdes) vibes, allow the team to identify two crucial aspects of the season’s big bad: the villain’s identity and the reason he is so desperate to steal Barry’s speed.
“Trajectory” isn’t a bad story but its purpose seems to more about setting up future moments than giving us an intriguing villain. The scientist’s split-personality isn’t explained (is that an effect of Velocity 9)? And Jesse’s exit, so quick after attempting to integrate her into the group, seems a bit odd. The group’s awkward night out shows just how both she and Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) are still largely disconnected from the core group of characters. I’m unsure how her leaving can help solve that issue. I’m also not sold on Iris‘ (Candice Patton) new office romance (Tone Bell) whose distrust of the Flash tells us immediately he’s never going to be a serious suitor.
