A massive step forward was made in the mid-season finale of The Flash this year. Characters were developed emotionally , fun was had, Mark Hamill‘s treatment of the Trickster was on-song, Star Wars easter eggs abounded, Wally West was introduced, and Zoom looms over everything.

I loved this episode, it had everything you could hope for and setup the season return perfectly. The emotional development of the charcaters late in the season, especially Barry, Patty, Iris and Joe, really drove the show forward and made fans invest more in the Flash then they had previously. It is a move that the writers will hopefully apply to other characters, and a move that will hopefully lead to  a deeper darker Flash in seasons to come.

That being said the mid-season finale had the right amount of fun and quirkiness. The awkward romantic interactions between Caitlin Snow and Jay Garrick, and the running commentary by Cisco on the awkwardness a highlight.

Mark Hamill also delivered a brilliant Trickster to TV audiences. It did have tinge of video game Joker (well maybe more than tinge) but it was still entertaining and menacing. I did note that the explosive devices he created looked more than a little like the Combat Remote from Star Wars, and/or the Thermal Detonator from Return of the Jedi. Maybe its just me but I thought it was a fun Mark Hamill Star Wars wink.

Finally, Zoom is about to up his game in the later half of season 2 in his quest to steal The Flash’s speed with the assistance of Earth#2’s Harrison Wells.

There are going to twists and turns as Zoom works to inspire Barry to go faster than he ever has in the second half of the season and made me consider how this image of the “Black Flash” seen many months ago could fit into these Zoom story lines.

There are other questions to be asked also:

• How does Wally West (the third Flash) fit into the story line, is it a signal of the end for Barry Allen? Is he the third Flash at all on Earth #1?
• Did Zoom send Wally and Francine West from Earth #2 to Earth #1 to get close to Joe and Barry? We have seen how he has manipulated family members with Harrison Wells.
• In that case is Jay Garrick in danger as the Flash from Earth#1?
• We know there is a multi-verse how many flashes could appear?
• Does Velocity 6, 9 or 10 comeback into play?

The Flash returns on January 19, around the same time as Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow. I don’t know why CW do these mid-season breaks as all the seem to do us drag down audience numbersin the long-term.

I can’t wait for it start again. Hurry up already!