The Flash Review: The Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen (Season 8 Episode 16)

The Flash Season 8 Episode 16, “The Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen,” starts as a goofy filler episode but ends with a lot of heart. Quick chuckles descend into tears as we see Barry age rapidly due to a device made by Dr. Orloff.

As the episode begins, Barry zooms around town saving civilians and capturing bad guys in record time. All the while, he keeps up with a lively Dungeon and Dragons session hosted by Chester. This is nothing new for The Flash. 

After all, Barry is the one with all the time in the world. Being able to run, think, and even heal in a fraction of a minute, means nothing is too costly to divide up. His attention span does not need to be monitored because his abilities allow him to fill every second of the day with as much activity as he can muster.

I can imagine how easy this has to be to take for granted. Who cares if you read a book with a crappy ending — it only took a moment. Oops, you lost hundreds of dollars at the casino, oh well, you can make up the money in a blink of an eye.

Seriously, these things could affect your way of thinking in a real negative manner. It makes you wonder how Barry keeps such a positive outlook on life.

Unfortunately for Barry,  everything begins to catch up with him after being hit with gamma rays from Dr. Orloff’s device. These rays age Barry drastically, giving him arthritis, diminished reflexes, and memory loss. 

At first, we get some laughs at Barry as he fails at phasing, costing him a Star labs coffee cup. No big deal, right? That is just one of his superpowers. But wait, now he is having trouble connecting with the Speed Force.

After a couple of super speed blunders, Barry gets the hang of things as long as he maxes out at Mach 10. Plenty fast for any of us, but a real loss for the fastest man alive. 

As these differences become apparent to Barry and the rest of Team Flash, the mood begins to change. Aging isn’t as beautiful as some people would like you to believe. 

Barry: I forgot where I was.

Aging means accepting that you can’t do everything the way you used to. It is a rough and tumble kind of road that easily breaks your spirit. 

Barry refuses to accept it.

Each time Dr. Orloff shows up with his devious device, Barry wants to be the first one on the scene taking the hits for the team and keeping them out of harm’s way. But the reality of the matter is that if Barry keeps using his speed he’ll continue to age rapidly. In defiant stubbornness, Barry will not accept the help he desperately needs.

It isn’t until Cecile sees Barry lost and confused in the halls of Star labs that everyone can see how much this is truly affecting him. 

I’d be a liar if I didn’t tell you I had tears in my eyes during this scene. Barry stops by a wall, leans into it, and tries to figure out what he is doing. It’s a damn shame.

Cecile takes the occasion to speak to Barry about her grandmother, a woman who had an undiluted spark for life. She was also a woman who never feared aging. She knew life only held so many moments, and she had to embrace them to live the life she wanted to live.

This is what we all need to realize, holding onto the past and things we were once able to do won’t help us achieve anything. The time to do those things has passed. Instead, we need to grasp the things we can still do — living our lives to our fullest with the abilities we still have. 

As the good book says: “For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die.” When these seasons pass, we need to learn to come to terms with them. 

Elsewhere in the episode, Joe West struggles with feeling similar to Barry. Retirement has been rough on Joe, and he hasn’t yet faced the reality of his new life. It isn’t until Chief David Singh walks in the door that he is forced to take a look at where he is at.

Joe has taken on many projects in his newfound free time. Many of them have fallen flat, leaving Joe frustrated. He can’t understand why he always feels like time is chasing him. 

Through discussion, Joe and David connect the dots of old cases they tackled together. Joe was always reluctant to accept the new way of doing things. Things only worked out when Joe decided to truly let go.

That is what he needs to do now, and it is something we need to do also.

This brings the theme full circle. Let go of the past, and embrace the present. 

Things may have been great last year, truly the best time of our lives, but if we only look back to that moment, we will miss what is right in front of our faces.

There are still many adventures to have in this life. Don’t miss out on them because you are busy reminiscing.

What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Did it make you laugh or cry? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Flash airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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