The Flash returned from its mini hiatus and is now all new up until its Season Finale; but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This week Felicity and Ray headed to Central City for a quick break from the Starling City madness. Although it seems the madness has followed them to Central City as the Bug-Eyed Bandit amasses an army – of Bee puns – and the rewritten past begins to show its ugly head again. So let’s take a closer look at this week’s episode of The Flash titled “All Star Team Up”.

An “All Star Team Up” In Small Doses:

With Felicity and Ray joining for this week’s episode of The Flash, it’s not exactly hard to figure out why this episode was called “All Star Team Up”; but the title doesn’t end there. This whole episode showed us new team ups and friendships form, such as the blossoming bromance between Cisco and Palmer. Seeing these two ‘science bros’ get excited over science, tech and all things genius was amazing and could help bridge Cisco into his own ‘self-made hero’ route. Though what “All Star Team Up” really did was set the stage for more all star team ups.

Even though this episode is over, the rest of this season of The Flash is littered with other Arrow crossovers. In the season trailer we saw shots of Captain Lance working with Joe, Laurel chatting with Cisco, and even the Flash joined by Oliver (in Dark Archer/ League attire) and Firestorm. For all intents and purposes, the remainder of this season should be called ‘All Star Team Up’. Though it’s not just Arrow and The Flash casts that are teaming up as we now find Barry bringing Cisco and Caitlin into the fold of Anti-Wells Operations.

Aye Yi Y-Iris West – Once Again Not Honest With Herself:

This episode Eddie found it hard lying to Iris, and Iris was clearly not happy about the idea of him keeping something from her. Though it was the lengths Iris went to that once again made us facepalm over what she was becoming. We understand that Iris and Barry are supposed to end up together; but achieving this is making us hate Iris – and feel really bad for Eddie.

For starters, when Iris berated Eddie at dinner and asked if she was the reason they weren’t having a good evening … she kind of was. Though the real WTF moment when Iris leaves Eddie with an ultimatum – tell her the secret or she’s breaking up with him. Iris revealed to Barry that she was afraid he was cheating on her, to which Barry shot down, defended Eddie’s character and then compared it to when her father would come home and not talk about his day.

Barry told Iris that the reason Eddie wasn’t telling her something was because it was just the darkness of the job that men of the law wish to keep from their loved ones. Yes, this isn’t the full truth; but coming from a trusted friend – and someone who owes Eddie nothing as far as Iris sees it – Iris should at least consider it. Instead, she tells Eddie that she doesn’t care and still wants to know or else. Are Iris’s concerns about honesty valid? Yes, but the way she’s going about it is far to short sighted and just screams that there is a larger issue at play here than just one lie. Then again, maybe she’s just starting to realize Eddie isn’t the one for her and wants a way out … again.

Visions Of a Parallel Life – The Past & Future Come Calling:

Ever since Barry traveled back in time, it seemed as though everything was fixed. Of course we quickly realized that everyone’s individual fates were just transferred to someone else; but not it seems as though the past – or alternate future – has come calling. This episode showed up how Cisco is starting to get visions of that alternate reality where Wells killed him. Whether he’s the only one or Wells is getting these too remains to be seen; but this is already enough for Cisco to collaborate Barry’s accusations and wonder if there is indeed more to this whole thing.

Though the parallels don’t end there as we see many plot points in this episode begin to shift the way of the alternate future. While on the subject of Cisco, he takes a bee for Palmer and almost dies. It’s important to note that in the alternate future Cisco is killed by Reverse Flash vibrating his hand into some kind of thunder spear-hand, while in this future Cisco is saved by Flash vibrating his hands into a thunder palm (acting like a deliberator). Though it’s not just Cisco who is slowly making moves towards his alternate future self.

Iris’s relationship with Eddie is clearly on the outs, but we can see certain moments where Iris’s affection for Barry slowly starts to shine through. For example, when Barry is actually defending Eddie, Iris is shocked. The man who confessed love for her – twice – is now defending the person standing in his way. Whether Iris sees this as Barry ‘getting over her’ or as him truly just be a stand up guy who cares, this definitely begins to show that another change is coming in their relationship.

Upping The Ante Atom … Phrasing!

Sorry Olicity fans; but Ray and Felicity are adorable sometimes and I could never put my finger on why – until this episode. From their unintentional double entendres to their giddiness for tech, they are basically the same person. Though things got even more appropriate – or inappropriate – when Felicity admitted that dating Palmer was like dating Barry in Oliver’s body, which is surprisingly true. Oliver might have the body but he doesn’t have the openness to love or light that Barry has. Palmer is basically their fusion and that provides Felicity with a great romantic choice; but are they really in each other’s future?

Last episode of Arrow made it seem as though they are going to have an ‘end’ point; but whereas Felicity might not necessarily be in his future, this episode gave us something that is: shrinkage – Oh no, now I’m making double entendres too. What I mean to say is that this episode provided Ray with much more than just a solution to his suits circuitry problems; but rather began convincing him that reducing the size of his suit might be his best option.

He saw how wells Brie’s Bee-bots worked and now has a sample of their cutting edge tech for his own use. Additionally, he already has nanobot tech as we learned from last episode of Arrow. This is all pushing him to becoming less of a standard Ironman-esque armored suit hero and closer to the Atom we know and love from the comics. All this ground work has to be laid soon because rumor has it the new Arrow/The Flash spinoff series will actually be called The Atom. So much like how Barry made the jump to his own series, I’m sure Ray’s own spin-off series will pick up after him finally achieving … *thinks carefully about the wording* … the ability to shrink down to microscopic levels.

In A Flash – Easter Eggs, Quotes & More:

• “Bees, why did it have to be bees” Nice Indiana Jones reference Cisco
• “Don’t run into a lake, they’ll wait to sting you when you come out” This actually came true by episodes end as one Bee hid in Atom’s suit and tried to sting him after he took it off after diving into the water.
• “Is that a bird …. it’s a plane … it’s my boyfriend” This little Caitlin/Cisco/Felicity moment is a fun little twist on the intro exclain for Superman – whom Brandon Routh (Ray Palmer) played in Superman Returns
• “What is it with billionairs being superheroes”. Seriously though, take your pick: Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, but this is clearly about Oliver Queen.
• The Walking Dead‘s Emily Kinney joined this week’s cast as the Bug-Eyed Bandit Brie Larvan
• Bee Puns
  • Felicity “BEE careful”… really?
  • “Flight of the Bumblebee” played while Brie was summoning her Bees after the group realized they were robots
  • Brie offers to “Buzz” herself into Mercury Labs
• So let me get this straight. Ray Palmer bought out a company and now he bought a restaurant for the evening … Quick, let’s see what else we can get him to buy! 😀
• When Wells asks Doctor McGee if she has another Tachyon Particle, he isn’t really joking – and Barry knows it. As we know, Wells set his time table back by using his to make the Splicer for Firestorm, which means he’s still in need of one.
• Can we just take a moment to appreciate how awesome Felicity was this episode? Besides her red dress, here’s some incredible quote:
  • “Allow me! Mommy has been away from the keyboard for far too long”
  • “She’s good! She’s like the nemesis… I’ve never had a nemesis before… I kind of like it!”
• When Felicity tells Ray that he should get ready for an incoming attack, he responds “I have the technology”, which is a reference to the opening of The Six Million Dollar Man
• When Barry thanks Felicity for her advice and she that she didn’t even have to charge him 5 Cents, that is a reference to Charlie Brown and how Lucy would always charge 5 Cents for advice. (Thank you Wendy on FB for pointing this out)

Next week’s episode of The Flash will bring our heroes to the return of the scene of the crime from 15 years ago – not Barry’s mother’s death – but the death of Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan. It seems as though Wells’ secret is about to be unveiled; but how will Caitlin take it? Cisco is on Barry’s side; but we saw how in the alternate future he offered to help his former mentor before he was killed. Now he of course knows better, but would Caitlin make a similar offer?

Stay tuned for these and the answers to so much more! I hope you enjoyed this ‘Closer Look’ and be sure to Follow Me On Facebook for the next ‘Closer Look’.