The Flash Season 3 Episode 15 recap: Savitar is back

Team Flash is maybe ready to confront this season's Big Bad — and is also very much not prepared. Cue the in-fighting.

Savitar, the ancient robot speed god from the future, is finally back to torment our heroes directly, instead of via prophecy, and the show is better for it. We've been building up enough Team Flash sidekicks to declare war on multiple universes, so bringing everyone back together to face an obvious adversary is a good rallying cry.

Julian is back in the mix and using the device that allows Savitar to take control of his body. Why did they build this device? For reasons! Again, the lead Slytherin talking and having the Saw doll's voice come out is, like, super creepy and awful. The Philosopher's Stone isn't around anymore, but that doesn't seem to faze an evil god with infinity on his side.

H.R. and Kid Flash have formed the kind of symbiotic bond on par with a scientist and his flying Flame Friend. This leaves me concerned about what happens when Kid Flash outgrows his mentor -- a man with only one purpose left on this Earth and no ability to return home. Cisco takes Kid Flash on a quick vibed journey into the future to watch his sister die, which is an event that's becoming old hat for everyone involved, except Iris. Joe is being Very Joe about the whole thing, offering "aw shucks" Dadisms and coffee.

Then, for some reason, Team Flash decides it would be a good idea to open the Savitar box and do more Human Ouija stuff with Julian. Obviously, not the best idea.

But that's not the point of this episode. Someone is in Wally's head and it's probably Savitar. He's suffering from emotional and physical trauma, which Team Flash seems uninclined to believe for some reason, despite the fact Barry is the only one who can see Savitar the rest of the time. Then, Savitar sucks Wally into a portal and our Big Bad is back in the game.

After spending the season setting up a rivalry between these two, you're just going to suck Wally into an inter-dimensional death? Nah, brah.

Savitar and Barry go at it, leaving a swordy spike inside Flash's chest. But the real swordy spike thing in a chest is in Joe, metaphorically, for losing a son and feeling quite bad about it. Luckily, we cut away before seeing if The Kid was actually torn asunder, so there's a 100 percent chance this isn't the last we've seen of Wally The Otherrunfastman. Savitar hems and haws but still isn't anywhere near where this show needs its Big Bad to be. Perhaps giving us the backstory of "Future Bad Comes Back Terminator Style Because He Loses To Future Flash" yet again wasn't the most compelling call. Also, how good is Future Barry at actually defeating people? Because it seems like everyone is coming to Present Day for a second chance. How "defeated" are you if you actually just get way more dangerous?

Anyway, this week's big theme seems to be Good People Pushed To Doing Bad, which is also the entire third season arc -- and kinda the third season arc of a lot of TV. We're pushing some of these Milquetoast Metas to make big boy choices, and there's still enough time left in the season's back-end for cool nonsense to take place. Let's see who can grow as a character and who the show is ready to kill off.

Not that anyone ever goes away in a multi-dimensional show. I look forward to Barry romancing Earth-7's Iris as their game starts over yet again. For now, this Iris has agreed to marry Barry, even though he's quite obviously just trying to change the timeline: a thing he used to be great at doing by accident and now can't seem to manifest.

All in all, it was an hour of reminding us what's at stake and lining up how the team will give it their all in the face of impossible odds. Sure, Barry got a spiky thing through the body, but per usual The Runfastman could magic it away. The show seems much more excited, and rightfully so, about next week's Supergirl crossover musical extravaganza -- which will almost certainly be the last burst of fun before the season starts wrapping up.

Pretty bummed The CW isn't including Rachel Bloom in this musical episode, but maybe writing in West Covina into the DC Universe would be too much. (Last minute breaking news: Bloom did pen a song for this episode, so, oh wow, I'm super into this.)

Join us next time for what will almost certainly be the highlight of the season, because what comic book nerd doesn't also love musical theater?