The Flash Season 2: 7 Ups And 5 Downs From 'Versus Zoom'

8. Not Killing Barry

The Flash Jay Cisco ups downs
The CW

Sure, if Barry Allen was killed off then it would be difficult at this point to see how The CW’s The Flash could carry on. Granted, Jesse Quick is out there somewhere, Wally West is now a semi-regular part of the show, but neither are ready to become speedsters just yet. Regardless, it felt absolutely senseless that Zoom didn’t kill Barry Allen when he had the chance at the end of Versus Zoom.

Ever since debuting at the start of Season 2, we’ve constantly seen how Zoom is an utter b*stard who doesn’t care about anyone. His simple target is to get Barry’s speed up, steal said speed, and then kill Barry.

In this latest episode, Zoom finally succeeds in the first two. Then, with his hand around the throat of a powerless Barry Allen, the heartless, clinical Zoom instead opts to let his rival live due to some soppy words from Caitlin Snow.

Again, this was something that just felt like total BS. If put in this position, Zoom would’ve unquestionably killed Barry. Instead, the problem here falls on the writers, for they shouldn't have written this villain into such a position.

I suppose the good thing is that it’s not like Barry’s going to become a threat to Zoom again by getting his speed back at any point…

Now for what the episode got right...

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.