Warning: Full spoilers for The Flash, Season 5, episode 10, “The Flash & the Furious” follow.
The Flash’s recent 100th episode may have been somewhat underwhelming, but it did at least lay the groundwork for a much more compelling story direction in the remainder of Season 5. Unfortunately, that episode’s refusal to wrap up the Cicada storyline right then and there also made it clear the writers aren’t in any hurry to take full advantage of Eobard Thawne’s return. First we have to slog through more “meta of the week” episodes before getting to the good stuff.
The best that can be said for the return of Joslyn Jackam/Weather Witch is that there was an earnest attempt made to bring depth and nuance to a very underdeveloped villain. The problem, though, is that the show pulled a complete 180. One episode Joslyn is trying to callously murder her father, the next she’s deeply remorseful and desperate for a second chance. Can you really blame Nora for wanting to throw her back in prison and be done with it? This episode counts on viewers have an emotional attachment to the character that hasn’t been earned. The whole “can villains ever be made to change?” angle still worked, just not as well as it might have.