CWLove is in the air on The Flash!
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Barry (Grant Gustin) is finally going to get some lovin' that's actually returned, unlike his unrequited crush on Iris (Candice Patton)...get ready to meet his new love interest Linda Park, played by Malese Jow!
And even if you've been 'shipping the relationship between Barry and Iris, and have been holding out hope that she's going to break up with Eddie (Rick Cosnett) and develop deeper feelings for her BFF, you're still going to fall for Linda—and it's all because of her confidence.
"My first meeting with Barry, you can definitely tell who Linda is going to be in his life," Jow tells E! News. "She straight up spits game on him, bellying up to the bar. She gives him her number, and she definitely is the straight-forward, knows-what-she-wants type of woman, which is very exciting! It immediately brings Barry out of his shell, so it's fun to watch."
Jow explains that because of Linda's no-nonsense, outgoing personality, she's a great fit for Barry romance-wise.
"They hit it off right away and I think it's because each of them has what the other needs," Jow says. "Barry needs someone to bring him out of his comfort zone and she knows what she wants and is very vocal about it so there's not much that he has to guess about. With her, she gravitates towards Barry because he is who he is, he's charming and sweet and low key and goofy, so that is very charming to her. In a way, it's an opposites-attract sort of thing. It's really cute."
But what about Iris? Since Linda also works at Central City Picture News, a.k.a. Iris's new employer, Jow warns things might get complicated around the office between the two most important women in Barry's life.
"They're not close friends yet," Jow says. "Linda has been at Picture News for a while, and iris is still trying to get her footing there, so it's an interesting dynmanic. Linda is on the scene and immediately starts dating Barry, so it's interesting for Iris to watch and deal with her feelings for Barry as she watches their relationship unfold. Linda and Iris have a very complicated and interesting relationship because of that."
Watching Barry start to date someone else might even start stirring up some confusing feelings for Iris.
"It is so complicated, and Linda and Iris are both dealing with all of that," Jow says. "Barry was hopelessly pining for Iris, but Iris has her relationship with Eddie, but now that Linda comes onto the scene, she becomes an important part of Barry's life, and Iris has to deal with a lot of feelings that start coming out and surprising her. She's Barry's best friend and Linda's co-worker, so it becomes this love triangle of sorts."
And Eddie and Linda won't be kept in the dark about how Barry and Iris feel about each other.
"Barry and Iris would like to think that they can keep secrets," Jow says with a laugh. "But things become obvious and you can see a lot in their eyes and the subtle things they say. It unfolds and it's interesting to see how all these different characters deal with the truth when it does come out."
But what Jow is most looking forward to is finally getting to play a character who isn't in high school, unlike her past roles on The Vampire Diaries and Star-Crossed.
"I'm excited to finally play a more mature role that's a strong woman close to my age!" Jow says. "I'm almost 24 and people are used to see me playing a high schooler who is naïve. It's nice to play a character who knows who she is and what she wants. The Flash fans are blowing up my Twitter already so I'm excited to see their reaction after this episode!"
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.