The Flash Season 5: 5 Ups & 2 Downs From ‘Failure Is An Orphan’

4. Real Talk

In the midst of all the metahuman madness and time-traveling triumphs, it's easy to forget that these characters are supposed to be real people and, although they may not always give off this impression, that means talking, feeling and acting like real people. This is why Iris' arc proved to be this week's most engaging.

Heartbroken that the impending end of the Cicada saga meant that her daughter would be heading back to the future sooner than she expected, Iris' emotional journey brought a pleasant change-of-pace to the episode's otherwise urgent approach. Though there was also urgency in her actions, illustrated through her desperate attempts to spend some time with Nora before she left, her story was much more subtle than everything else and paved the way for some really touching moments.

Clashing with Nora's desires to solve everything immediately, Iris eventually made her daughter see that these recent developments meant she would be losing her soon. Moreover, she made her realise that she won't experience time quite like a time-traveling speedster would and, as a result, would ultimately have to wait decades until the present-day Nora is fully grown like the one stood before her. It was a heartfelt conversation that reminded us of the strong familial tone of the show's glory days and solidified the West-Allens as the heart of the show.

It's nice to stop the madness every once in a while and just spend a moment or two with the characters as they open up and tell us how they feel, and that's exactly what we got here.

Speaking of which...