Welcome to another season, “The Flash” fans! I know I’ve missed this show!
“The Flash” season six episode one, titled “Into the Void,” is a slower premiere compared to their other premieres so far. It picks up 10 seconds after the devastating season five finale. Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris (Candice Patton) rush to the Cortex as they notice a glitch and turns out it’s coming from the Time Vault. When they make it inside again the last video message of Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) messes up in the hard drive and disappears. It was already heartbreaking enough to have to lose her, and now her final message to them is gone too.
We jump four months into the future as Barry continues to play race with Godspeed. Surprisingly, this is a faux Godspeed! It doesn’t even know how to articulate any words when Barry asks him why he’s in Central City. This one makes a weird noise, and we then learn that the faux Godspeed isn’t the first one Team Flash has been dealing with all summer; it’s their fourth. Now that’s weird! They don’t go into more detail on that but we may get more info about that later in the season.
As they save that mystery for later, it’s time for a Team Flash summertime BBQ over at Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Cecile’s (Danielle Nicolet) place and, yes, there is mac and cheese! Let me tell you, this whole BBQ scene is probably my favorite part of this episode. The gang are all happy and relaxed. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) brings along Camila (Kamilla Hwang), which is nice to see. He’s done with Vibe for now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy his presence and his new normal. I know we usually see them together at holiday parties and such in the house, but seeing them all outside enjoying themselves in the daylight with beautiful scenery is a sight I’d like to see more of when it comes to their hangouts. Barry talks about how he’s trying to find his new work-life balance. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), Barry and Cisco are working on a new project to better advance Barry’s powers and it’s called the M.A.C (mental augmentation chamber).
Their table conversation gets a bit somber when Barry and Iris talk about how they are dealing with the loss of Nora. Their loss is a different type of loss, and it’s hard on them. You can tell they are both dealing with their grieving process differently. Barry works on distracting himself with work but Iris is still holding onto that void. Even though they know they will see Nora again, it won’t be the same one they grew to know and love on this earth, which especially tugs at Iris the most. They break down their grief in an emotional way later in the episode. I think the premiere does a good job at showing us how this loss of theirs is affecting them. Not only that, but Grant Gustin and Candice Patton deliver an emotional performance when they discuss their grief.
Later on, Iris goes in search of Nora’s jacket that was in a box Joe accidentally threw out. When she goes in to retrieve it, an unforeseeable black hole approaches her and she loses the jacket to it, which breaks her heart even more. Seeing Iris’s devastation when she loses the jacket is sad to see. But this also means Team Flash has a new problem to solve, and the first person that wants to jump at it is Barry, because it’s his way of distracting himself in his work.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to the big bad of this season (for the first half anyway): Dr. Ramsay Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy), aka ‘Bloodwork.’ Caitlin is there for her former colleague and friend when he gives a moving speech at his mother’s funeral. After the funeral, Ramsay suggests they meet for coffee to catch up, and realizes something different about him. He reveals that his speech was a lie, because he believes his mother was a coward for taking the easy way out with her battle with cancer. He’s also been diagnosed with terminal cancer. However, Caitlin then figures out that this ‘catch-up’ he insisted on is because he had an agenda in mind. He wants to use dark matter to cure himself (and any disease really) but Caitlin refuses. This sets in stone his attitude of “I’ll do it myself,” which is alarming to hear. He gets a hold of it one way or another and he rids himself of the cancer cells, which also turns him into what we all are waiting for. Bloodwork is born! I didn’t think we would get to see him transfer to it right in the premiere, so it definitely took me by surprise.
Oh yes, back to that black hole: turns out it was created by this guy named Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight), an overly energetic scientist that accidentally opens a black hole in a garage. He’s not connected to the black hole but his consciousness is the one that controls it! Crazy, right? Barry and the team work to stop this black hole from growing even bigger. They get creative using computer tech from Nora’s gauntlet, and he goes into the void, plus other complicated things. During that moment comes a delightful one when Cisco plays Queen’s “Flash Theme,” which is kind of the highlight of the premiere if you ask me. It was perfect for that moment and it does get you pumped. I love how “The Flash” knows how to mesh lightheartedness and seriousness and balance that together on the show. Barry saves Chester and he also retrieves Nora’s jacket for Iris as a surprise. Barry goes into a black hole to get a jacket for his wife. Is there anything this man wouldn’t do for her? Their love is also one of my favorite things about this show.
Lastly, The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) appears to Barry and Iris in the Time Vault, and that’s not good. Whenever he shows up it also means it’s time for a chilling conversation of what’s next in regards to the Crisis on Infinite Earths that awaits everyone. He reveals that The Flash must die in the crisis and that throws them both off. It’s not simple this time, Barry. He came for Oliver in the season seven finale of “Arrow” to alert him of his sacrifice (the one that Barry has no idea of), and now he’s making his rounds to “The Flash.” The thought of The Flash’s disappearance now begins.
Anything you’re hoping for in the next episode? Did any of those things you “expected” from the other article happen? (this is how we can link that one here to milk it), etc.
What did you think of “The Flash” season six premiere? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. “The Flash” airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Featured image credit: The CW
Shadia Omer is an entertainment writer, pop-culture enthusiast, and an aspiring TV writer. She’s based in San Diego, CA but will always rep being from Houston, TX instead. She watches way too much TV for her own good. With her passion for the TV/entertainment industry, Shadia is working to change the American-Muslim narratives on TV, pushing for authentic and inclusion representation in the media. When she’s not writing, obsessing over her love for pizza and traveling, you can find her on Twitter tweeting about her favorite shows one tweet at a time.