'The Flash' Season 6 Episode 5: Not just a fatherly figure, Joe West is also a great binding force for the team
There has been a strong surge of emotion in the sixth season of 'The Flash' as Barry Allen and his team struggle to come to terms with his eventual death or disappearance during the 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'. Despite the dark tone, there have been several powerful conversations about faith, moving on, healing and holding on to the elusive drug called hope.
Some of the hard-hitting dialogues and scenes have come from Joe West (Jesse Martin), who has formed a part of the moving core of the team. In the fourth episode titled 'There Will Be Blood', Joe tearfully confesses to Barry that he fears losing him. The conversation begins with Joe talking about how Ramsey Russo (Sendhil Ramamurthy) got away, and can now kill more people with his newfound blood-based powers.
The dialogues slowly descend into how he cannot comprehend why, that after saving so many people, that Barry has to die himself. How is this fair, he wonders. How is this is the reward for all the good that he's done? “Without you, I would of– I would have lost our family a long time ago,” West tells Barry. “And this is what you get for saving the world, over and over again? How is that right?”
This scene between Joe and Barry shows the strong relationship between the two that has developed over the seasons. When the actor Jesse Martin had to leave the show for a while, 'The Flash' lacked appeal and was almost lackluster, without their father-figure in the foreground. Yet, he's back in time for the goodbyes and the heart-rending farewells. In the latest episode, when trapped underground, Joe gives a long speech on how he had full faith in his team to come and find them, a hope that baffles Nash. Joe's fatherly wisdom and gutting speeches never fail to make an impact.
The character is one of the most layered on the show and provides the much-required gravitas to intense scenes in the show. Apart from this, it also shows how Joe is the binding force for the team, and how his presence is of great comfort to his own team members as shown when Ralph comes to rescue him. He had utmost conviction that someone would find them and save them. Joe seems to symbolize hope and healing for his team.
It will be interesting to see what will happen to Joe during 'The Crisis On Infinite Earths'.
