Speedsters like to hide behind secret identities on The Flash. Eobard Thawne and Hunter Zolomon hid behind names as they made Barry’s (Grant Gustin) life hell. But Savitar isn’t hiding behind any name. In “The Wrath of Savitar,” Team Flash learns their nemesis is hiding within the Speed Force, plotting his escape by preying on the fears of everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs to break free. He succeeds, ensuring the future where he kills Iris (Candace Patton) is right on schedule.
In the process, two of Savitar’s fateful prophecies come true.
“One shall betray you” and “One will suffer a fate worse than death,” Savitar warned when he was trying to lure Team Flash into his trap. These prophecies have been, for the most part, forgotten in favor of a plot thread that’s much easier to remember: future events Team Flash have been trying to stop from happening like the invasion of Earth-2’s gorillas and the return of Killer Frost, the evil ego of Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker). But the gorilla thing happened, and Killer Frost is all but inevitable, which means Savitar’s foreboding prophecies have started to come up again.
But the prophecies make their return in The Flash as “The Wrath of Savitar” wraps up two of them (Jesse) quick. “One shall betray you” comes true when Caitlin reveals she kept a piece of the Philosopher’s Stone — a key to Savitar’s escape — hoping she can use it to cure herself of her Killer Frost identity.
“One will suffer a fate worse than death,” comes true as well. While Team Flash have been grooming Wally West (Keiyan Lonsdale) to be fast enough to save Iris, they were playing right into Savitar’s hand. As it turns out, Savitar planned to turn Wally into a speedster all along in order to kidnap him. Savitar succeeds, and Wally becomes a prisoner of the Speed Force, taking Savitar’s place.
The end of “The Wrath of Savitar” is as bleak as it gets. Wally West is suffering in the Speed Force, the team’s trust in Caitlin is compromised, Barry gets stabbed in the chest, and Iris returns Barry’s engagement ring. Last week, Barry proposed to Iris not because he loves her (although he does), but because Barry knew Iris wasn’t engaged in the future where she is killed by Savitar. Barry took every measure he could to ensure that the future will be different, but all he’s been doing is making it come true.
The Flash airs Tuesdays on The CW.
