The Flash Review: Love is a Battlefield (Season 6 Episode 11)
Valentine’s Day comes early on The Flash Season 6 Episode 11, “Love is a Battlefield,” a slightly silly, but oddly adorable hour that makes up for its fluffy center with a major twist at the end.
After the heaviness and tension of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” it’s nice to see the show have some fun again, and indulge in some of the humor and whimsy that makes The Flash special. This isn’t going to go down as an all-time great episode, but it’s much more entertaining than last week’s dull “Marathon” slog.
The return of Amunet Black is exactly what you expect, and if you loved Katee Sackhoff’s extremely over the top scenery chewing performance before, then there’s a lot to enjoy here. That her plot is really about reuniting with her lost love rather than world domination is a nice change, and actually gave her character a heretofore unexplored level of depth.
(I always sort of loved her friendship with Killer Frost, and I honestly wouldn’t mind it if the show went back to that a bit.)
Elsewhere, Frost tries to play matchmaker for Allegra and her ex-boyfriend, a plot that fizzles a bit just because The Flash hasn’t really given us much chance to know this character yet. Why should we care if she gets back with her ex, another character we don’t know?
But Frost’s unashamed embrace of Valentine’s Day is kind of adorable, and her budding friendship with Allegra isn’t the worst idea. It’s nice to see her have some relationships separate and apart from Caitlin’s and Allegra’s cynicism is a nice mesh with hers.
The twist at the end of “Love is a Battlefield” shouldn’t necessarily come as a shock to anyone who was paying attention last week — we never saw how Iris got out of the mirror dimension after all, and as much as I’ve enjoyed her slowly growing confidence and leadership this season, her sudden shift into a character that knocks out dudes with bottles to the face is really weird.
But, that said. The idea of centering the back half of Season 6 on Iris — or multiple versions thereof — feels like a story that’s been long overdue. Even if one (?) of the Irises isn’t our Iris.
(Though let’s be real, our Iris could take some tips from this proactive and more independent version who feels much more like a partner in Barry’s crime-fighting lifestyle. Let’s hope that will somehow be possible when this story shakes out.)
There’s potential for real depth here beyond the surface silliness of the West-Allens not getting to properly celebrate Valentine’s Day. The idea that Iris has grown and changed in the wake of “Crisis” is one that’s worth exploring — her comment that she spent most of the buildup to that event preparing herself for life without him is a fair, and illuminating one.
It’s not fair to ask her to go back to the person she was before all that happened, no matter how much she loves her husband.
This conflict — regardless of the whole mirror clone thing — is one that feels organic and necessary, and here’s hoping The Flash doesn’t table it all once “real” Iris returns from wherever she is.
Stray Thoughts and Observations
- Does anyone find it utterly hilarious that Barry’s so taken aback by the thought of Amunet outing his secret identity, given the fact that he so freely shares his secret self with half the town already?
- Loved loved loved Killer Frost’s lame effort at a baseball cap “disguise”, in which her striking white hair is still extremely visible while she’s hanging out in a location that literally has a drink named after her.
- Well, I guess Allegra is this Harrison Wells’ version of Jessie Quick? To be honest, I don’t super mind this (inevitable) twist, as it means that some of his weird actions pre-“Crisis” have an explanation that isn’t “he’s a creeper”.
What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Lacy Baugher
Lacy is a pop culture enthusiast and television critic who loves period dramas, epic fantasy, space adventures, and the female characters everyone says you're supposed to hate. Ninth Doctor enthusiast, Aziraphale girlie, and cat lady, she's a member of the Television Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes-approved. Find her at LacyMB on all platforms.