The Flash Season 6 Episode 11 Recap: “Love is a Battlefield”

The Flash Season 6 Episode 11
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Candice Patton as Iris West – Allen in ‘The Flash’ season 6 Episode 11 (Photo: Michael Courtney © 2020 The CW Network, LLC)

“So much for date night,” says Iris (Candice Patton) to Barry (Grant Gustin) as their Valentine’s Day dinner is interrupted and ruined by an old foe in season six episode 11 of The CW’s The Flash.

The episode picks up right where the show left off with Iris pulling herself up off the floor of McCullock Tech Industries after having been pulled into a mirror. She hears footsteps and quickly exits.

The next morning Iris surprises Barry with pancakes celebrating Valentine’s Day a few days early. Barry’s surprised the pancakes are actually edible because Iris has always been a terrible cook. They make reservations to have a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner for later that night in case there’s an emergency on February 14th.

Frost (Danielle Panabaker) visits Allegra (Kayla Compton) and decides to be her life coach and help Allegra get back together with her ex, Emerson. She encourages her to go to Jitters and see him.

At their pre-Valentine’s Day dinner, Barry’s surprised to learn Iris knows how to speak Italian to the waiter, which she says she picked up doing a story a while back. Their dinner date is interrupted and cut short when Amunet Black (Katee Sackhoff) enters and steals a case from a patron. Barry tries to arrest her, something Amunet finds humorous. She warns him that if he or his team gets in her way, she will reveal his secret identity…The Flash.

Iris pushes for Barry to let her go. After talking to the police, Iris tells Barry they should take on Amunet but do it the way she does it when being an investigative reporter.

Frost and Allegra head to Jitters where they spot Emerson being very friendly with another girl. Frost urges her to talk to him but Allegra gets upset and walks out.

Iris visits a bar known to attract the underworld to get info on Amunet and her plan. Barry’s nervous and waiting out in the S.T.A.R. Labs van listening in. Iris, dressed as a tough biker chick, asks the bartender about Amunet which raises his suspicions. She knocks out his bouncer by smashing a beer bottle on his head and the bartender gives her a note about Amunet’s next target. It’s another tech company called Ivo Lab. Barry warns her she’s being reckless and taking unnecessary chances, but Iris is happy with the results.

Barry and Iris go to Ivo Lab and find Amunet and Goldface (Damion Poitier) facing off over a piece of tech. They watch as the ex-couple quarrel over issues during their relationship. Barry realizes they are up against a gang war. Amunet and Goldface start to fight using their meta powers and end up pinning a security guard. Barry quick speeds and phases the guard to safety without Amulet or Goldface seeing him. During the fight, Iris steals the tech Amunet and Goldface are fighting over.

Back at their apartment, Barry and Iris get into an argument over how to stop Amunet and Goldface. Barry says they should lay low but Iris wants to offer up the tech to Amunet to try to stop her by getting close to whatever deal she’s trying to make. Barry again thinks his reporter wife is being reckless. Iris yells at Barry about how she has grown and he refuses to see it, that she can’t be his damsel in distress anymore, and grabs the tech and leaves.

Nash (Tom Cavanagh) shows up at Allegra’s apartment looking to give her something and finds Frost pouting. She tells him how she messed up with Allegra and her ex and that she was only trying to help. Nash explains Allegra sees things as black and white and Frost needs to help her see shades of grey and to not give up.

Iris finds Amulet and warms her she’s figured out her plan with the new tech. It seems the tech will be able to harvest the pollen of a rare flower that blooms once every 25 years. When the pollen is heated up, it creates a telekinetic drug. Amunet doubts Iris when she says she wants in but when Iris says she wants to use the drug on Barry to help save their marriage, Amunet buys it and agrees to team up.

Barry speaks with Joe (Jesse L. Martin) about Amunet and Goldface, telling him about the changes in Iris. Barry fears they’re growing apart but Joe tells him they’re still growing as people. As long as they love and respect each other, their foundation will always be strong.

Frost visits Allegra and apologizes. Allegra lays out details of her relationship with Emerson, admitting she ghosted him because she was afraid of how he would react when he found out she’s a meta. Frost encourages her to reconnect and be honest with him and to stop assuming she knows exactly how it will play out. Allegra agrees.

The Flash Season 6 Episode 11
Katee Sackhoff as Amunet Black in season 6 episode 11 (Photo: Katie Yu © 2020 The CW Network)

Amulet, her gang, and Iris arrive at the flower’s location only to find Goldface is already there with his gang. They start fighting and insulting one another again. Their gangs begin shooting at each other and The Flash speeds in and moves Iris to a safe spot. He then speeds around and takes down all the goons amid their crossfire.

The Flash tries to talk to Amunet and Goldface, telling them it’s obvious they still have intense feelings for each other and they need to listen to each other. Goldface isn’t having it and uses the gold in The Flash’s suit to blast him across the room. Iris tells The Flash to destroy the flower. He shoots a mini lightning bolt and destroys the flower. The pollen surrounds Amunet and Goldface and they hear their true thoughts about each other and reveal they’re still crazy for each other.

At Jitters, Allegra tells Frost she met up with Emerson and it went well. They’re going to be friends and Frost is happy for her. Just after Allegra leaves, Nash shows up meeting Frost who thanks him for his good advice that helped Allegra. “Almost parental,” says Frost who also tells Nash if he ever wants to talk she’s a very good listener. Frost leaves, and Nash looks at Allegra talking to Emerson. He turns to call after Frost and sees a Harrison Wells wearing glasses in a black shirt looking at him. A few patrons walk by blocking his view of the man and then he’s gone. (Is the Reverse Flash back again in the form of Wells?!)

In the episode’s final scene, Barry and Iris makeup back at their loft and hug. During the hug Iris looks into a full-length mirror and it’s revealed that the real Iris, Barry’s Iris, is trapped on the other side of the glass. She pounds her fists yelling, “Get away from him! Barry! That’s not me! She’s not me! Barry!”

The Flash Season 6 Episode 11 Review:

Silly and overly cute, episode 11 titled “War is a Battlefield” is nothing more than a filler episode that gets painfully goofy and ridiculous to the point of being camp, which the show has never been. The spotlight is once again put on Iris making her the star of the episode and practically sidelining Barry almost completely. The episodes that bench Barry to make room for Iris or other supporting characters to be the lead are always the least exciting and entertaining of the series. So far, this is the worst episode of season six. It’s skippable except for the last two scenes that reveal Iris trapped in a mirror dimension and the possible return of The Reverse Flash in Harrison Wells form.

GRADE: C-