Now that Barry’s out of jail on The Flash, he’s able to focus on more pressing things, like the “permanent” leave of absence from his work at the CCPD. The fastest man alive is never more relatable than when drastic changes in his professional life make him a total grouch to everyone around him.
Defeating DeVoe becomes his new full-time job, which really stresses him out. Thankfully, by episode’s end finds a loose partnership with Ralph. Barry Allen: Private Investigator.
This newest episode, “Subject 9” introduces yet another new bus meta into the mix. Izzy Bowen is a rising country music star who’s wicked on the fiddle, but she got even better when she acquired sonic powers that outclass anything we’ve seen from any Black Canary cry we’ve seen before.
Her powers are “musical” … sort of. Team Flash explains the science of it as a projection of sound waves of “molecular shrapnel.” But rather than localized out of her mouth like all the Black Canaries we’ve met before, Izzy can channel it from anywhere. She can even concentrate it using her fiddle!
Miranda MacDougall as Izzy Bowin on 'The Flash'
It’s totally rad, especially if you’re a country music fan who’s always wanted a meta-human more your style.
We also find out that all of the additional dark matter generated from the powers DeVoe absorbed from the imprisoned meta-humans last episode cause his “host” to deteriorate. That’s why he left the body of telepath Dominic Lanse to take over Becky Sharpe, but then the process was much slower. Now that he’s got six powersets crowding her body, it’s breaking down even faster.
Izzy’s powers further accelerate the deterioration process, and after she takes him down temporarily, Barry just sees a short-sighted win. This causes Barry to be really hard on her, immediately forcing her into the training room to gain control over her powers. But it’s too much too soon and she inevitably acts rashly and spurs on a disastrous confrontation with DeVoe.
These days, DeVoe hangs out in Becky Sharpe's body, but it doesn't last very long.
Spoilers: Izzy dies, and Ralph’s terribly mad about it because he was falling in love with her.
The Flash has become a show in which The Thinker hops from body to body and each bus meta has to do their own impression of the original DeVoe. It’s interesting to see. Sugar Lyn Beard and Kendrick Sampson — Becky and Dominic — have put up convincing performances so far, and Miranda MacDougall does fair enough once Izzy’s body is taken over.
But they all sort of pale in comparison to Neil Sandilands, who played the original DeVoe. He was incredibly engaging while he lasted, and Season 4’s undeniable high point was “Therefore I Am,” the episode that focused mostly on his backstory.
We’re bound to see DeVoe hop again and again through at least three more bodies.
In the meantime, at least Barry gets to be a superhero full-time and a P.I. during the day.
The Flash airs Wednesdays on The CW at 9 p.m. Eastern.
