Why ‘The Flash’ Should Introduce Charlie Snow in Season 5

Ron Robbins
TV Arrowverse
TV Arrowverse The CW

A recent tweet from Susan Walters confirms that she is returning to The Flash this season. And while that is very exciting, it is not entirely surprising that Caitlin Snow’s mother will be back in action. Season 5 promises to peel away the many layers of Caitlin and where she came from.

Caitlin Snow’s upcoming journey will be tied to Season 5’s themes of family and legacy, according to a recent Entertainment Weekly interview with The Flash showrunner Todd Helbing. “There’s going to be a new dynamic with Caitlin and her family in Season 5,” Helbing teased.

Additionally, the trusted That Hashtag Show recently reported that The Flash was casting “Dr. Thomas Snow, who will be a recurring guest star in Season 5. Described as a Caucasian male in his 50s, Dr. Snow is an extremely intelligent geneticist who has been MIA for a few decades. As he returns to Central City, Dr. Snow will do his best to make up for lost time with his daughter Caitlin and his wife, Carla. But what they don’t know about Thomas is that he is keeping a big and mysterious secret.”

Danielle Panabaker as Killer Frost

So it’s a real safe bet that Caitlin’s presumed dead father is coming to the canvas, but what we are really interested in is the big and mysterious secret he’ll be keeping. We suspect we might find out that Caitlin has a living brother named Charlie, and we’re really hoping to meet him.

Where Did Things Leave Off With Caitlin?

Ok, let’s backtrack. A few wild things happened at the end of Season 4 that promise an exciting journey for Caitlin Snow in season 5.

First, with Cisco’s help, she unlocked a memory of childhood trauma involving a bike accident. After they vibe back to the moment of that accident, we see young Caitlin reaching for the bicycle’s fallen mirror even while her father yells for her not to. She sees Killer Frost’s face looking back at her.

At that moment, Caitlin realizes that she has somehow had this metahuman gene since she was a child, and not from the particle acceleration explosion as she had believed. But why? And how?

Victoria Askounis as young Caitlin Snow

Also, Killer Frost is gone — for now. After an attack by The Thinker, Caitlin can no longer access Killer Frost or her associated powers. What might have once thrilled Caitlin is now a major bummer because she had finally reached a point of wanting to reconcile her two identities.

Lastly, while Cecile’s pregnancy-induced telekinetic powers were being used by the squad to project Barry into The Thinker’s mind (while she’s in labor, no less), she suddenly snapped, grabbed Caitlin’s arm, and stated, “I found Thomas; he’s been this way all the time.”  What the?!

We immediately presumed that Caitlin’s father may be playing a vital role next season. But he’s dead! At least, that’s what Caitlin thinks.

Remember when she was talking to the team’s shared therapist about her father? She described him as being loving and supportive, and said he always pushed her to be her best. She couldn’t recall much about his death, only that he passed away from ALS and always hid his symptoms from everyone so they wouldn’t have to see him suffer. Insert inquisitive emoji face here.

Now that we know her childhood memories are cloudy at best, we think there’s a lot of discovery to be made. Just how much of her past has she blocked out? Caitlin is going to want answers.

Was she born with the metagene or did one (or both) of her parents do experiments on her? We’ve already met her mother, Dr. Carla Tannhauser, with whom she has a very frosty relationship. And her mother sure was shook that Caitlin had powers at all. Was she acting, or was this actually a surprise to her? Does she already know that Thomas is alive? And does she even know that her husband may have fathered another child?

Susan Walters as Dr. Carla Tannhauser

So, why do we think that this new dynamic is going to include a brother? Think back to Season 2, Episode 19.

While being held prisoner on Earth-2 by Zoom, Caitlin comes to face to face with her doppelgänger … sort of. She meets the Killer Frost of Earth-2, still unaware that she, too, has this same set of powers. Killer Frost proves to be a manipulative young lady. She convinces Caitlin to help her break out of her cell so that they can then escape their prison together. Caitlin falls for it. They even begin to bond. They both have a dislike of their mothers. And then Killer Frost mentions a dead brother named Charlie, with his death linked to her own chilly origins.

We think this is some mighty good foreshadowing for a fantastic story that is about to unfold for our sweet Caitlin. Who is her brother? Has he been with Dr. Thomas Snow this whole time? What powers does he have? Is he a good guy? Or is he evil?  The chilling possibilities are endless. C’mon, Season 5!

https://www.fandom.com/articles/the-flash-complex-evolution-of-killer-frost

Ron Robbins
Ron is fascinated by Max Headroom. His top three favorite things of all time are macaroni & cheese, General Hospital, and Archie Comics. Ron is easily triggered and living in West Hollywood, CA.