‘The Flash’: 3 Burning Questions About Season 6 Episode 17 ‘Liberation’
The Flash Season 6 Episode 17, titled “Liberation,” helped set the stage and prime the players for what’s to come at the end of the season. Team Flash remained disconnected as they have for most of the season, and their separate missions opened doors to new possibilities and threats. “Liberation” revealed truths, but it also spurred further questions. With that in mind, here are a few things to ponder until the next episode of The Flash.
[Spoiler warning: This article contains details about The Flash Season 6 Episode 17.]
1. Why didn’t Cecile sense that Mirror Iris wasn’t Iris?
In “Liberation,” Barry finally figures out that Mirror Iris is a fake. Although he’s not privy to all the details of who or what she is, he’s convinced that she’s not his wife. Barry lets Cecile in on his theory, and although she is skeptical, the legal eagle humors him.
Back at STAR Labs, Barry lures Mirror Iris to a meeting with him, Cecile, and Nash. He uses a device to detect the imposter’s true nature, but she turns the tables with the help of Eva from inside the Mirrorverse. In a twist, Barry is “exposed” as the imposter and thrown in the clink at STAR Labs.
Later, Mirror Iris continues to spin her web of lies, and Cecile’s telepathic metahuman abilities kick in (finally), and she senses something is off. She hightails it down to the pipeline to free Barry.
“You are Barry. I know it in my heart. And I’m willing to bet my life on it. Now go get Iris back,” she says to Barry with that special Cecile sass that fans have grown to adore.
But why didn’t her powers help her sniff out Iris’ double during the last six episodes? Does Eva imbue the mirror doubles with some kind of meta blocker? This glaring detail deserves an explanation in the coming episodes.
2. Will Barry get his super speed back during ‘The Flash’ Season 6?
“I need my speed back, my lightning, all my powers if I’m gonna save her,” says Barry, “I know in my heart that the real Iris is out there somewhere waiting for me to find her. I won’t let her down.”
Barry’s powers have been fading since the death of the Speed Force, and he has been desperate to regain his full abilities, especially now that he knows he has been living with an imposter, and the real Iris is in danger. Hence, the big brains at STAR Labs have been working with him to build an artificial Speed Force.
Fans can rest assured that The Flash will definitely succeed based on what the show’s executive producer, Eric Wallace, told CBR in an interview. Wallace said, “Barry has to get his speed back at some point. I mean, the show is called The Flash.”
The question of when remains top of mind. Wallace confirmed to CBR that season 6 will be cut short with just 19 episodes instead of the planned 22-episode season arc due to the production shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Will Barry recapture his speed before the end of the abbreviated season, or will his powers continue to dwindle until after season 7 kicks off?
3. Where has Eva McCulloch stashed the real Kamilla and Police Commissioner Singh?
In season 6 episode 16, “So Long and Goodnight,” fans learned that Eva McCulloch, aka the Mirror Master, had not only abducted Iris and Kamilla, but she had also snatched Commissioner Singh. His mirror replica has been living in the real world along with Mirror Iris and Mirror Kamilla, doing Eva’s bidding.
“All that matters is Eva’s will,” says Mirror Iris in this week’s episode. Meanwhile, the real Iris has gotten wise to Eva’s evil plan and vows to find Kamilla and Singh.
Have they been under lock and key this entire time? If so, can Iris hope to find and rescue them in the vast Mirrorverse? Will their hair and makeup be as flawless as Mrs. West-Allen’s still is after weeks of captivity? Can the three allies escape their Mirror prison by the big finale?
These and more questions loom, but it remains to be seen which threads will be tied up this season and what will linger until season 7.
Read more: Every Arrowverse Series Ranked and ‘The Flash’ is Not No. 1
