The Flash Season 4 Episode 7: 'Therefore I Am' Review

The Origins of the Thinker

Okay, is he really a villain? After watching this episode, that's the foremost question on my mind. I mean, he obviously is, but then what makes him so? All about him seems to be about doing good and imparting knowledge, and to be fair, he actually hasn't hurt anyone yet. So, what's going on?

The episode begins from where the last left off, after Joe and Barry knock at the door of Clifford Devoe's house and are welcomed by a respectable looking couple. After a brief discussion with Clifford and his wife, Barry and Joe are left more confused than ever, and the entire team decides to do a little more investigation. As expected, they come up with nothing --the Devoes seem to be as normal as they appear.

Barry, however, is far from convinced. Although everyone else asks him to drop it, he becomes slightly obsessed, stealing one of Clifford's mug for Cisco to vibe and going as far as breaking and entering into the Devoe's home when that yields nothing. This doesn't go well either. Mrs Devoe goes to the police and reports the incident to Captain Singh, asking for a restraining order and showing a picture of Barry in their house as proof. Still, Barry isn't convinced and finally, he goes against the order and confronts Clifford Devoe in his lecture hall, where Devoe reveals everything --everything-- because he knows that, no matter what, neither Barry nor his team can out-think him.

Meanwhile, in flashback scenes, we see how Devoe cones to be the Thinker. He starts off ordinary --smart, but ordinary. A professor of history at Central City University, frustrated by his inability to pass along as much knowledge as he wants to his students. He designs a device --his thinking cap, that should be able to expand his mind and capacity to teach, and his ever loving and doting wife, also a lecturer at the University but of physics and mechanics, helps him build it. Except there's one problem --the energy needed to power such a device is unimaginable.

The Devoes soon come up with a simple solution --to draw power from the particle accelerator they already know quite well will fail and most likely explode. They make their way to the press conference that Harrison Wells gives before the acceletator is turned on and wait for the event, Clifford putting on the cap as soon as it's time.

However, it doesn't go as planned.

The cap is charged by the dark matter and energy in the air, but as it reaches 100% power, Clifford is hit by a bolt of lightning, imbuing him with super thinking capacity and all the knowledge in the world. At first, they are thrilled --it's everything they were trying to achieve! But soon they discover that his body is just not strong enough for his mind, and will deteriorate in less than two years, forcing his wife, the Mechanic, to build him a device through which his brain can be directly (literally directly) charged, and his thinking powered.

The episode ends with the team believing Barry at last, but deciding to leave the whole thing for a later day. Afterall, next week, the Flash is getting married.

What did you think? Is 'The Thinker' anything like you imagined? Let's know in the comments!

Are you ready for this year's crossover?

Next week, the Arrowverse returns with a two-day, four-show crossover titled 'Crisis on Earth-X' airing next Monday and Tuesday on the CW, 8pm ET!

Image source: Cinemablend

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