REVIEW: The Flash, S3 Ep20 – I Know Who You Are

Twenty episodes into the third season and now we finally know who Savitar truly is, but is the big reveal of Savitar’s secret identity worth the wait? “I Know Who You Are” follows Barry’s trip to the future last week, in which he learned he requires the assistance of a Dr. Tracy Brand in finding a way of stopping and trapping Savitar. While his trip to the future didn’t provide any knowledge as to who Savitar is, events in “I Know Who You Are” lead to Barry having a sudden epiphany.

Caitlin goes full Killer Frost

Before we get into this week’s big reveal, let’s get into the actual meat of the episode, which was very Killer Frost focused. After going full Killer Frost at the end of the episode “Abra Kadabra,” Caitlin seeks out Savitar in order to help him in his crusade. She even learns Savitar’s true identity before the rest of Team Flash, which seemingly persuaded her in helping him even more. I have some thoughts about that, but I’ll go into them more later. For now, I will say that this latest predicament involving Killer Frost made for a very fun and satisfying episode as far as sheer entertainment is concerned.

“I Know Who You Are” contained some fun super hero on super villain action as Caitlin chases Team Flash and Dr. Brand while surfing on ice through Central City. Cisco gets some time to shine as Vibe towards the end when he has a final battle with Caitlin, pushing through his reluctance to fight her in the beginning. Cisco being afraid of losing control of his powers and killing Caitlin plays a big role in this episode, and shows how much he really cares about his friend, further cementing the familial relationship they have. Seeing Cisco take her down at the episode’s climax without killing her was a very satisfying way to end the final bout.

Joe’s relationship status with Cecile winds up becoming stronger than it was before by the end of this week’s episode, but only after we are required to see him go through the same relationship issues we’ve seen other characters on these shows (including Arrow) go through countless times. Basically, he was afraid to go further in his relationship with Cecile due to the risks involved in his lifestyle with Team Flash. I’m glad this issue was quickly resolved, and he and Cecile are still together with all of their cards on table by the episode’s end.

Now let’s talk about that big reveal. Savitar’s secret identity is a theory that has been floating around out there, and honestly this isn’t the first time this concept has been explored. After realizing Savitar knows pretty much everything about Barry and Team Flash, down to the point where he can guess exactly what Barry will say to Caitlin to turn her around, Barry figures out that Savitar is himself from the future. Back in 2014, the concept of an evil version of Barry from the future was toyed with in the pages of The Flash comic series published DC and written by Van Jensen and Robert Venditti. The version we see on television is much different both in appearance and motive from the version fans have sen on the page.

Barry figures out the truth

As of right now we don’t know why Barry Allen from the future decided to come back in time as an evil speedster, but it’s certainly shocking to think that something so wrong could have happened to Barry to make him justify killing Iris West. The twist itself may not be the most shocking, once we’re able to put the pieces together ourselves, but I’m definitely interested in seeing the reason why this happened. Something that still perplexes me though is Caitlin’s sudden devotion to Savitar, or Future Flash, once she found out his true identity. What about learning that Savitar is Barry from the future would make Caitlin want to join his side even more, unless she was always willing to join him and learning his identity was just a plus? I’m hoping The Flash explores Caitlin’s thought process in upcoming episodes as well.

Overall, “I Know Who You Are” was a very satisfying addition to The Flash‘s soon-to-be concluded third season, though it leaves us with more questions than we had going in. Hopefully next week’s episode, “Cause and Effect,” can shed some light. Check out The CW’s official trailer for “Cause and Effect” below and feel free to let us know what you thought about “I Know Who You Are” in the comments.