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I wonder if Ep 15 will reveal that Iris is his "lightning rod." And just so you know, I don't even know what that means but it's supposed to be related to speed force and time travel(?), I think.
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From what I understand, it's a figurative term used to describe an emotional attachment that helps speedsters avoid being absorbed by the Speed Force. Iris is that "lightning rod" for Barry (and Linda for Wally in the comics).
This article probably describes it better than I can (it's a pretty good article about the TV show and the mythology around the Speed Force with a quote or two from the EPs):
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When a speedster (capable of channeling the Force into superpowers) opens the tap to full blast and starts approaching the speed of light, barriers between their physical form and the Speed Force begins to blur. The Force reaches out to the speedster – now almost a being of pure energy – to be re-absorbed. But when riding that narrow line, other abilities emerge.
In keeping with Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, space and time start to get… fuzzy once lightspeed is approached, when the rift between our notion of the universe and the Speed Force is widest. In layman’s terms, speedsters begin to run backwards through time. But the call to rejoin the source is nearly irresistible – unless, that is, the speedster in question has a human bond willing them to return just as strongly.
It speaks to the romance and warmth at the heart of “The Flash” comic series (faithfully adapted into The Flash TV series) that each speedster to carry the name has had one such loved one – referred to as their ‘lightning rods’ – to act as a homing device. Barry Allen’s has traditionally been his wife Iris West, but the comic hero – like his TV counterpart – has more than a few loved ones and key events to help guide him through the blur of time unleashed when the Speed Force is breached.
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