With Wally gone and Savitar back, The Flash team will have to resort to desperate measures during next week's episode. This means Barry is going back into the Speed Force, which looks as if it will bring up some ghosts from the past. The last time Barry was trapped in the Speed Force he dealt with a lot of self-reflection. This time seems like it will be similar, but definitely a freakier than the first time. We got some fresh pics of who's back and why it's important. Check them out.
Eddie is back for the first time since Season 2 of The Flash. If you're scratching your head right now, you forgot about when Barry went back in time to attempt to learn how to beat Zoom and ran into Eddie before he would sacrifice himself to save the team. Now, we're running into Eddie in the Speed Force, and it's hard to say who or what is going on now. With Eobard Thawne alive again you have to wonder how Speed Force Eddie might feel about his sacrifice being in vain.
Given Eddie's past relationship with Iris, I'm sure we'll be hearing about some guilt related to that, as well. With Iris's life in the balance, you can bet the Speed Force will wrestle with Barry's emotions and the fact that Barry moved in on Iris not too long after Eddie's death. For those who always hoped to see the two come to blows over the love of Iris, this might be as good of an opportunity as you'll ever get, although this picture seems like the two are hashing it out over words instead.
Perhaps an even crazier return is Robbie Amell as Ronnie. Last we saw Ronnie was when we saw his doppelganger on Earth-2. Both versions of Ronnie are now dead, and judging from the costume, it's safe to say this is the Earth-1 Ronnie who sacrificed himself to save Central City by flinging himself into the Singularity. I'm guessing his appearance has something to do with Caitlyn's new meta situation.
Whatever is going on definitely involves Caitlyn as the trailer from next week's episode shows her holding a baby and singing to it. Ronnie's appearance might involve the life he could have had with Caitlyn had there been another way to stop the Singularity. Maybe he'll also have some tips on how Barry can help Caitlyn cope with her meta powers? Either way, I'm always jazzed to see Robbie Amell on the series--it sucks to see Caitlyn's struggle to find love post-Ronnie.
Leonard Snart is back and, as you might assume from his Legends Of Tomorrow ties, his timeline is a little convoluted. The last time we as an audience saw Snart was when he appeared in a flashback at the beginning of the episode that featured Mirror Master and Top. If we're going off The Flash timeline the last actual time he's been in the present would be when he teamed up with Barry to help take down The Trickster (Mark Hamill) and Weather Wizard when they attacked Central City. Spoiler alert if you don't watch Legends Of Tomorrow, Snart is now as dead as the rest of them.
So what beef could Snart have with Barry? That's a good question. The two left on somewhat amicable terms the last time they met, and he's been out of the series for a hot minute. My guess is that ghost Snart is going to be a general thorn in Barry's side as he struggles to find Wally in the Speed Force. He's really the only "villain" out of these returns, so if no one else fights Barry, it'll be him.
Jay Garrick is back, which I'm assuming means Barry ran into more trouble than he bargained for in the Speed Force. Last time we saw Jay he scolded Barry when he flubbed up the timeline, so it's possible Jay's keeping tabs on him and followed him into the Speed Force. Out of all the returning characters, Jay is the only one who is 100% alive, so I guess we should count on him to jump in and lend a hand if things get sketchy. Knowing how weird things got the last time Barry entered the Speed Force, I imagine they'll get sketchy quick.
Next Tuesday's episode, while spooky, could have a happy ending. Whatever happens in the Speed Force ultimately rolls into the big Supergirl and The Flash musical episode, so be prepared for two episodes of weirdness before Barry gets back into any Savitar mayhem. The Flash airs Tuesday's at 8 pm ET on The CW. I know waiting on these episodes can be a challenge, but more TV passes the time so check out our midseason premiere guide and find something new to dive into.
