It’s not the powers that make a hero, it’s what’s on the inside that matters most. Yes, that may sound extremely cheesy, but it’s something that Barry Allen will have to learn in tonight’s episode of The Flash titled “Power Outage.” When a new metahuman drains Barry of his super speed, Team Flash will have to work quickly to reverse the effects, while Iris and Joe will deal with their own dangerous problem. Check out the electric preview below!
The villain of this episode is Farooq, a.k.a. Blackout, a metahuman who can harness electricity. Farooq’s only appearance in the comics was in the 2011 alternate reality story Flashpoint, where he was recruited into a team of heroes by Cyborg to defeat Aquaman and Wonder Woman, whose forces were at war with each other in Europe. Since hardly any personal details were revealed about him in the miniseries, The Flash writers essentially have free reign with the character in the TV show. Judging from the preview, it sounds like Farooq is an electricity vampire, unable to fight his craving for more energy. He will eventually make his way to S.T.A.R. Labs to confront Harrison Wells, who he blames for his accident, and it’s up to a powerless Barry and Team Flash to take down the energized metahuman.
Meanwhile, Iris and Eddie will have to deal William Tockman, who has taken the Central City Precinct hostage. Tockman, a.k.a. The Clock King, showed up on last season on Arrow in “Time of Death” as a meticulous and calculating bank robber who was stealing money to pay for his sister’s medical expenses. Considering that he was suffering from a terminal disease, it’s unclear why he feels the need to hold up a police station. While it’s possible Barry will get his powers back just in time to save everyone, the official episode description says that Eddie has “a trick up his sleeve.” Perhaps it will be Detective Handsome that saves the day this time, leading me to wonder if he’s been holding back on us.
It’s a common comic book trope for superheroes to lose their powers, whether it’s temporary or permanent. Make no mistake, this probably won’t be the last time the writers take away Barry’s abilities. Going off similar TV stories, this power loss will also likely happen when Iris starts to wonder if Barry is the Flash, and when he can’t use his super speed, she won’t suspect him anymore. It’s a convenient, but effective way of diverting attention away, although I doubt Barry will want to make a habit of losing his powers just to make the trail go cold.
If you’re still looking for incentive to watch tonight’s episode, remember that it will also include an extended look at next week’s first half of the crossover between Arrow and The Flash titled “Flash vs. Arrow.” The Emerald Archer vs. The Scarlet Speedster! Yeah, it’s going to be huge.
