Caitlin Snow’s life is about to change on “The Flash.”
So far this season, the S.T.A.R. Labs doctor has been holding her head high, battling through the pain of losing fiance Ronnie Raymond, who she thought died in the particle accelerator explosion. But, on Tuesday’s mid-season finale, everything changes when she spots him in a shopping mall.
The mid-season finale won’t just be a big episode for Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen, who comes face to face with his greatest nemesis, The Reverse Flash. It’s a very emotional one for Caitlin, who thinks she’s losing her mind when she sees Ronnie (played by Robbie Amell) again.
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Speaking with Access Hollywood, Danielle previewed the struggle that awaits Caitlin in Tuesday’s 2014 closer for “The Flash.”
AccessHollywood.com: How excited were you when you got the script?
Danielle Panabaker: So thrilled. I mean, it’s really exciting every week for me when I get the script and I sort of see where things are going and in this episode in particular, we start sort of exploring what actually happened with Ronnie Raymond. Obviously, Caitlin thinks he passed away in the particle accelerator explosion, but as an audience, we already know that that’s not true, so she’s gotta go on her own journey and we see her outside S.T.A.R. Labs exploring. It’s great. It’s a really exciting episode and it opens up a really cool storyline.
READ: ‘The Flash’ EP Andrew Kreisberg On Mid-Season Finale: Reverse Flash & Firestorm!
Access: And it happens in a shopping mall, right?
Danielle: Yes, that’s where she first thinks she sees him, but of course, she thinks she’s going crazy because her fiance’s dead, so why would he be in a shopping mall?
Access: Is there anyone that she can confide in or is she just going to go straight into investigation mode and, ‘I have to figure out what’s going on and rule out the possibility that I’m a nut job!’?
Danielle: (Laughs) I think there’s a little bit of that, just by nature of her being a doctor and her being so thorough, but she also has Cisco. He’s like a brother to her and he’s been through so much with her and, finally, she gets the courage to say to him, ‘Hey, I think I’m going crazy, but I also think I’m seeing this. What do you think?’ So it’s great that she has him to confide in.
Access: She doesn’t know Cisco shut the door yet (when the particle accelerator was destructing). Obviously Ronnie told him to shut the door. Do you think that’s something she is going to be able to forgive when she finds out?
Danielle: I do. I think Cisco has a lot of guilt about it, but the truth is that Caitlin loves him so much and he did everything with the truest of intentions and the best of intentions and hopefully she’ll be able to see that.
Access: Does this episode set up the Caitlin/Ronnie storyline that’s going to continue into the next year? I believe the Victor Garber [who plays half of Firestorm] episodes start next year.
Danielle: Yes, they do. It does. As an audience, we know that Ronnie’s back, he’s not going away any time soon. They obviously loved each other very much and even though he’s not the same person that he was before the particle accelerator explosion, he is still being drawn to her and he’s not quite sure why.
WATCH: Danielle Panabaker On The Return Of Ronnie To ‘The Flash’
Access: In the comics he’s a hero, but I would imagine when he’s still trying to deal with who he is, [Ronnie/Firestorm] might need someone to bring him over to the good side. Is that something Caitlin might be able to step in and help out with?
Danielle: What’s really interesting is when you first meet him, you don’t know if he’s a good guy or a bad guy in this new entity. It’s very confusing and very scary, especially for Caitlin who knew him as her loving fiance, and that is not at all how he’s behaving any more.
Access: This has to rock her to her core. Are we going to get to go home with her at all for any of this or meet anyone in her family?
Danielle: It does, it really shakes her and she starts to question a lot and question herself, which I think is a first for Caitlin. She’s always been so confident and secure. We do get to see the emotional side of her a little bit more. Fortunately, she has Cisco to confide in. We will see Caitlin’s apartment in the very near future, but it’s not Episode 9.
Access: Have you spent much time with Robbie Amell? He’s so sweet.
Danielle: I have and I adore him as well. I feel so lucky that we have him on the show. Truthfully, I texted [‘The Flash’ Executive Producer] Andrew Kreisberg the other day and was like, ‘I wish he was around all the time.’ He’s amazing. I think he’s a great guy and I got to meet his fiancee [Italia Ricci] recently. I just think the world of both of them.
Access: Even though your character has the whole Ronnie storyline, it’s also the Christmas episode. Do we get to see you participating in that? And your name is Snow!
Danielle: There are certainly Christmas festivities. There is actually a really beautiful scene with most of our series regulars at the West house that you can look forward to. There’s definitely holiday festivities.
Access: Beyond seeing Ronnie, are you also involved in the ‘Man in the Yellow Suit’ side of things too?
Danielle: Absolutely. Caitlin’s involved in it all. When they first hear about ‘The Man in the Yellow Suit,’ and Barry’s encounter with him, obviously their instinct is to be as protective as possible of Barry and make sure he doesn’t get hurt, because clearly this guy’s a bad guy, so she is around for some of the interactions with The Reverse Flash. And it’s terrifying.
Access: The news just came out that Mark Hamill is going to be on your show.
Danielle: How cool is that!
Access: What did everybody do when they found out that [the man who plays] Luke Skywalker is coming to The Flash?
Danielle: To be totally honest, I’m actually not on set today and I don’t know how many people knew prior to [Monday]. They keep that stuff pretty close to vest. I do know Grant had mentioned something about it a couple weeks ago and we were flipping out. It’s so amazing and he’s reprising the same character that he did on the earlier [version of ‘The Flash’ TV series]. I have such, again, respect for our writers for their ability to tell such cool stories and maintain the authenticity and respect of the original.
Access: So cool to have another sci-fi legend come on the show.
Danielle: Oh my gosh. I’m gonna have to try really hard not to ask him nerdy ‘Star Wars’ questions.
Access: I know you guys have some time off coming up. Are you going to binge watch anything over your break?
Danielle: We do have two weeks off. I don’t know. Obviously this is a great season for movies so I’m excited to see movies more than anything.
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Access: ‘The Hobbit’? ‘Into The Woods’?
Danielle: Definitely ‘Into The Woods.’ I’m also into some of the smaller indie dramas, like I really want to see ‘Foxcatcher,’ and I’m reading ‘Wild,’ right now so that I can finish the book before I get a chance to see the movie.
“The Flash” mid-season finale airs Tuesday at 8/7c on The CW.
— Jolie Lash
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