CWLet's all let out one big sigh of relief together now. 1...2...3...ahhhhhh. Yeah, that's much better.
After watching Iris West (Candice Patton) get pushed aside and kept in the dark about so many things all season long on The Flash, tonight's episode, "The Trap," saw the intrepid reporter strike out on her own to finally get answers—answers about Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh), S.T.A.R. Labs, all the bizarre happenings in Central City, as well as the identity of The Flash himself—and it was like a giant weight had been lifted off the show.
This was the episode we've been waiting for: to see Iris transform from being a reactive damsel in distress, constantly in need of "protection" from all the male authority figures in her life, to becoming a proactive hero in her own right, working to uncover the truth and do something about it. It was everything we wanted and more!
Of course, the entire episode was epic and finally caught back up to where the alternate timeline that Barry (Grant Gustin) previously stopped, but all throughout the hour we couldn't stop cheering for Iris. She was most definitely the MVP of the night!
Here are the top five reasons why we were all about Iris during "The Trap," and why we can't wait to see what she does next:
5. First of all, let's all give some major props to Candice Patton for her equal parts emotional, nuanced and real performances in tonight's episode! Girl totally killed it. Whether it was during the flashbacks to when Barry was in his coma and Iris was at his bedside, or when the Reverse Flash was hurting Eddie (Rick Cosnett), or she finally realized her BFF is the Flash, she stole every scene she was in.
4. As proud, card-carrying members of the WestAllen 'shipping contingent, this entire episode was a total win. We now know she's going to marry Barry—the byline on the future Flash article was Iris West-Allen! Mazel tov indeed! Plus, the fact that we now know Joe (Jesse L. Martin) is a WestAllen shipper was just icing on the cake. Dad knows best! (But let's all not think too much about how Joe is both a father to Barry and Iris, technically making them like siblings...nope, forget we even said that. Just nope.)
3. Iris' dedication to her career and her ambitions to find the truth outweigh her personal feelings, because even though she figured out Wells and his particle accelerator are to blame for all the metahumans, she knows (or at least, thinks she knows) how Barry feels about his mentor…and the fact that she can separate her ambitions and personal feelings to confront her friend is impressive as hell. Who run the world? Iris!
2. And let's take a second to appreciate the fact that Iris was all proactive in all her realizations tonight. She came to the conclusion about Wells and the metahumans on her own, using her own sleuthing skills to get there. She figured out that Barry is the Flash, not because he chose or deigned to reveal his secret identity but because she felt the same electric shock when he touched her hand that she felt when she touched his hand back in the hospital when he was in a coma. No more reactive Iris! This girl seeks out her own knowledge! Oh yeahhhh!
1. And most importantly, when the Reverse Flash was about to strike her down with his vibrating hand to kill her on the bridge after hurting Eddie, instead of cowering away from certain death, she stood up to him and never wavered. That bravery is downright inspiring.
Iris West, we are your biggest fans. Be our best friend please?
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m.