The Flash Review: Liberation (Season 6 Episode 17)
Barry finally clues into the truth on The Flash Season 6 Episode 17, “Liberation,” building a conspiracy vision board worthy of a True Detective episode to prove that the Iris he’s been living with is not his wife.
This moment has been a long time coming and is, in all honesty a massive relief. Because as fun as it’s been to watch Mirror Iris behave the way we wish real Iris would — telling Barry about himself, grasping her own agency with both hands, taking risks, being bold — the idea that no one would notice these differences was getting harder and harder to swallow.
The twist of having Mirror Iris accuse Barry of being an imposter was unexpected, and generally entertaining, as was the twist that saw Eva finally freed but left real Iris still trapped.
The entire mirror storyline is rich and interesting enough that it’s honestly a shame that the coronavirus-induced shut down means we won’t get to see this arc brought to a proper end.
Now that Eva’s free in the real world, it feels as though it’s just getting started, but with just two episodes to go in this now-truncated season, it feels like there’s no way to do her character justice.
Her talk with real Iris about how convinced she is that she became stronger once she realized that it wasn’t her love for her husband that gave her strength, but her faith in herself was so good. (As was Iris’ pointed jab that no matter what she says, Eva still feels something for the man that locked her in the mirror.
Eva’s such a complex villain, and maybe the only The Flash baddie other than Eobard Thawne whose presence I’d like to see more of and not less.
Candice Patton is clearly having the time of her life this week in her dual roles, throwing herself into real Iris’ emotional declaration through the mirror to Barry and her mirror self’s take on an Arrowverse version of a T-1000 with equal gusto.
The dagger arms! I can’t!
Given that Barry doesn’t have his speed and no version of Iris really knows anything about hand-to-hand combat, The Flash still manages to pull off a fairly entertaining fight sequence. Not because the choreography is anything the show hasn’t done before, but because its use of Iris’ unique mirror abilities — especially the bit with the shards — was so darn creative.
Mirror Iris’s weird Kelly Taylor-esque “I choose me” moment with Barry at the end was…well, weird on multiple levels. I get what the show was going for, that Mirror Iris had developed an identity of her own outside of Eva’s control. (She’s a real girl, y’all!)
But, unfortunately, The Flash really hasn’t spent enough time on the concept of the mirror clones — we don’t understand how their connection to Eva works on even the most basic levels, which means we have no idea how much the concept of free will or agency can even apply to them.
(Why do they all call her mother? How did she create them? How connected are they to the people they “mirror”? These are all things we still don’t, and will probably never, know.)
RIP, Mirror Iris, though — you were spunky and said some things that needed saying. Here’s hoping your real self can learn from you. Just maybe without the homicidal tendencies.
Stray Thoughts and Observations
- How many mirrors do Barry and Iris own?!?!
- Props to The Flash for keeping the news of Sendhil Ramamurthy’s brief return to the show under wraps — it was nice to see him again and Eva’s interest in Bloodwork was a deft way to tie both halves of Season 6 together.
- Ugh, I really could have done without the overly saccharine ballad playing over the final West-Allen separation scene. It was like a bad 90s music video.
- The weird B plot with Caitlin’s “ice coma” was largely useless and felt like it was completely tacked on to the rest of the episode, but I’m so starved for Killer Frost and/or Caitlin content that I will drink the sand. (I’m also looking forward to seeing Caitlin’s mom again. Snow Pack forever!)
- Congratulations to Danielle Panabaker on the birth of her first child, by the way, whose impending presence was so clearly being hidden by the giant throw blanket in this episode.
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.