REVIEW: ‘The Flash’ Season 7, Episode 5 – “Fear Me”

The Flash continues its newest arc with season 7, episode 5, “Fear Me.” In last week’s episode, Barry (Grant Gustin) and the rest of Team Flash were up against Abra Kadabra (David Dastmalchian), who returned to Central City to get revenge on Barry for not having died during Crisis. This inevitably caused Kadabra to lose his wife and son. Meanwhile, Iris (Candice Patton) was forced to deal with the trauma of being in the Mirrorverse. Plus, a new dangerous threat appeared at the end of the episode, which put all of Team Flash on notice.

In “Fear Me,” Psych (Ennis Esmer), a metahuman who has the power to make people see their worst fears, attacks Central City. Barry confronts him but quickly realizes that Psych is a more significant threat than he thought. Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) offers Barry help since she has been able to sense Psych’s attacks because of her powers. Meanwhile, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) conducts tests to get her and Frost back in the same body. Elsewhere, Joe (Jesse L. Martin) deals with Kristin Kramer’s arrival (Carmen Moore), a government employee who is conducting a secret operation. 

Fans of Joshua Williamson’s run of The Flash comics must have been excited with the introduction of Psych in “Fear Me.” In the comics, Psych has the power of the Sage Force. The Sage Force, much like the Speed Force, is a cosmic force of the multiverse that radically enhances the minds of its users and gives them psychic powers. With his introduction to The Flash, it could be assumed that the other Forces and their users will also be making it into the show. He is much more menacing in the show, primarily because of the decision to never have his character take the mask off. The way his powers work in the show also makes him a more significant threat since it’s not something that Team Flash can just deal with without making a plan. It will be interesting to see how much more time his character gets onscreen to fully develop how menacing he can be.

Much of “Fear Me” dealt with the fears that the members of Team Flash have. The nightmare sequences not only had a darker tone, but the scenes were also shown to be in a much darker color to emphasize the theme of fear. It was also incredible to see various horror elements being used in the nightmare sequences to make them scary. Moreover, these nightmare sequences also bring up the possibility of dealing with the trauma they caused in future episodes, notably with Frost and Barry, who seems to be the most affected by Psych’s attacks. Even though their characters have been around for several seasons, these new fears brought on by Psych could bring on new opportunities for character development. 

Cecile has been a part of The Flash for a few seasons now but hasn’t had many opportunities since season 4 to show how much she can contribute to the team. “Fear Me” gave her many opportunities to shine, and she excelled throughout the entire episode. While I’ve complained about too many characters getting more screen time than Barry in previous reviews, “Fear Me” found a way to still use multiple characters while not overshadowing anyone. Cecile is a character that I want to see more of, especially with how much she can do with her metahuman powers and the impact she can make with her work. 

Ultimately, “Fear Me” was an enjoyable episode that brought forth horror elements with its nightmare sequences. The episode found a great way to introduce Psych, who will undoubtedly play a bigger part in this new arc. The theme of fear throughout this episode sets up the possibilities for members of Team Flash to deal with the trauma that their nightmares brought up. Cecile was given a significant role in this episode, which was handled well and didn’t overshadow any other character. With the possibility of future episodes dealing with the different Forces and the casting news that dropped this week, fans of The Flash surely have many things to look forward to. 

The Flash season 7 airs new episodes every Tuesday on the CW Network.