TV Review: "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen" Parts 1 and 2

"License to Elongate" ended with Ralph being attacked by Dr. Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy). The first part of "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen" kicks in with a spectacular fight pitting Ralph against Ramsey that almost looked like an Infantino fight scene come to life. Sadly, Ramsey infects Ralph, which means Barry (Grant Gustin) has to do a blood transfusion to save him. This cures Ralph, though sending him off to a "secure medical facility" for the rest of the story.

However, the transfusion exposed Barry to Rosso's infection, which he has to fight as he enters feverish hallucinations. (Ralph is back for some of these.) Grant Gustin proves himself to be an acting powerhouse as hallucinations of Ramsey tempt Barry of the possibilities of if he accepts the infection, while the Speed Force takes the form of his mother Nora (Michelle Harrison), encouraging him to fight it.

Meanwhile, Allegra (Kayla Compton) confronts Iris (Candice Patton) with the fact that she knows Barry is the Flash as they track down a series of crimes seemingly committed by Allegra's cousin Esperanza (Alexa Barajas).

Part Two opened with Central City facing a disaster as Bloodwork infects more people, aided by the turned Barry. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) scrambles to get together a cure while Iris attempts to help Barry fight the infection. Meanwhile, Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) and Allegra take on the hordes of people Bloodwork has infected.

Ralph sadly did not appear in Part 2, which was focusing on how Team Flash would be able to make the tough calls without Barry. This is likely why we got a Ralph-centric episode just before this one. I was hoping that Ralph would return near the end as it's confirmed that he will be in the crossover beginning next week.

Overall, the midseason finale was a good ending for the Bloodwork storyline, with Team Flash showing they can step up to the challenge when it presents itself. Just wish Ralph had played a bigger part. I typically don't review episodes in which Ralph doesn't appear, but reviewing Part 1 without Part 2 would be a little weird.

Tune in next week for a review of the first three parts of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Viewers in the US may view both parts of "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen" at no charge during a limited availability window on the CW website and app. With the current licensing agreement, the entire sixth season of The Flash will be available on Netflix by June 2020. Digital versions of the episodes may be purchased on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Google Play and other retailers of digital video content. Blu-Ray and DVD copies of the season are expected to be available for sale in or by September, 2020.

Non-US viewers should check their local listings, the websites of the channels that air The Flash, and digital video retailers.