Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Flash episode "Growing Pains." Read at your own risk!
The Flash just had Killer Frost arrested, and yet I can't stop thinking about how much I miss Harrison Wells. Hell, I even miss H.R. at this point, as annoying as he was, because there's just a massive void in The CW series ever since the Arrowverse show wrote off Tom Cavanagh's character.
It's a void that feels even bigger now that The Flash is heading into a two-week hiatus with the cliffhanger that Killer Frost could be sentenced to some hard time in Iron Heights. Except, I'm sure most fans have a huge hunch she's going to beat the case, especially given Kristen Kramer is an ally of The Flash in DC Comics. Beyond that, we saw Barry come to terms with the Speed Force's new mom-like attitude, and the two now feel prepared to take on the other Forces suspiciously absent from the latest episode.
All that bugged me, but not nearly as much as how the whole tone of The Flash has been off as of late. Characters in Season 7 aren't acting as they've acted in seasons past. This episode revealed to me that it's because The Flash is trying to add some comedy and levity that was often shouldered by Tom Cavanagh's versions of Wells, and the end result is uncomfortable. Grant Gustin's Barry is great for his awkwardness, unflinching optimism, and profound sadness, but humor is not his strong suit.
It's also not a great look on Iris, Joe, and as much as Cisco and Chester can have me in stitches, they rarely get to carry an episode like they recently did. As the weeks go on and Tom Cavanagh continues not to be a part of the cast, I can't help but feel like he was the glue that held The Flash together for so long.
That's an upsetting revelation for me because we're seven episodes into Season 7, and there has been no sign that the time-traveling Wells we met a few weeks ago is going to return. In fact, he kind of specifically said he wouldn't, though The Flash powers that be have confirmed Tom Cavanagh will return at some point in the season.
If it isn't clear reading this, I've grown impatient. Season 7 has felt off for a while now, and I couldn't exactly nail down the reason why. I feel more or less convinced that, without a Wells, things are just going to feel weird on The Flash for a while, and they may never feel normal again. That is unless we can get Tom Cavanagh back in action to try and mitigate all this weirdness if that's possible.
The Flash will return with new episodes on The CW Tuesday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'll be watching and hoping for Wells, and wondering when we might get our first look at a new and exciting character.
