Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't seen the most recent episode of The Flash.
Fans of The Flash are used to waiting around for new episodes, but having the show not around tonight is especially rough. Not because it's Valentine's Day, but because we know Gorilla City is coming! We also know that Wally West and Jesse Wells won't be journeying to the City of the Apes with the others, so when actor Keiynan Lonsdale recently spoke with CinemaBlend, I asked what Kid Flash and Jesse Quick would be getting into. Surprisingly, his response was perfectly suited for a Valentine's Day episode.
We're going to be dealing with a few different things. First of all, we have to deal with our relationship and what that is and what it means. We have to deal with the fact that Wally is a speedster now, and how does Jesse feel about that? So there's a lot of that dynamic to play through. And then we obviously have to deal with protecting Central City...So it's sort of a tough one for us, because our priorities are sort of mixed up. But at the end of the day, part of being a superhero is you have to remember that that is the job.
I mean, I don't think anyone should go giving Iris an invite to the West-Wells wedding yet - especially if that wedding would be planned for any time after Savitar supposedly takes her out of the equation - but it sounds like Wally and Jesse won't move too slowly in developing their relationship now that Jesse is back on Earth-1. Not the most likely of situations from which big romances can develop, since her father was taken captive to a mysterious city by a sentient and telepathic gorilla, but who among us can say we have acted impulsively in the face of mounting stress?
Wally and Jesse hooking up wouldn't be completely out of the blue, of course, since they definitely bonded during last season, especially after Barry accidentally speed-dusted them into metahumanity. But it's not like they could just jump into each other's arms and know that everything would be cool for the rest of their lives. Things are...different for them.
When I asked Keiynan Lonsdale if Wally and Jesse's relationship will hinder their abilities as heroes, he mentioned those differences being a factor.
I don't think it gets in the way at all, but I think it could affect the balance of what we have. Relationships are difficult already. Long-distance relationships are difficult. And when someone's on a different Earth...[laughs] And then you add in the mixture of powers and this huge responsibility for these young people, and it weighs a lot on both of them.
Interestingly enough, the recently released synopsis for the second half of the Gorilla Grodd two-parter states that Jesse will make a permanent-for-now move to Earth-1 for Wally. So such troublesome long-distance relationships might be a thing of the past for Kid Flash and Jesse Quick. At least until someone goes back into that past and messes with everything. As they do. I just hope this show doesn't make Wally choose between saving Iris and saving Jesse at some point. I'd have asked that to Keiynan Lonsdale if I thought I could handle his answer without hollering my own thoughts.
The Flash returns to The CW next Tuesday, February 21, for our first trip to Gorilla City, but hopefully not the last. Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is happening on the small screen.
