If you’ve been reading this column for a while then you might remember when I wrote about my love for the QuickWest ship, and how I felt that Wally West and Jesse Quick had the strongest and most compelling romantic bond on The Flash. While QuickWest will always hold a special place in my heart and mind, the events of this week’s episode, “Cause and Effect,” may have me singing a different tune. And that tune may be drummed by none other than H.R. Wells!

Tracy Brand (played by Anne Dudek), was introduced in last week’s episode—“I Know Who You Are,” surely you remember that one!—as not only an incredibly knowledgeable scientist with the potential to save Iris West, thereby saving Barry Allen, thereby saving the world from being destroyed at the hands of Savitar as far as we understand it, but as an adorable coffee fiend who shares a lot of traits in common with my beloved H.R. Wells.

It is my personal and sincere hope that Tracy is made a full-time cast member during the next season of The Flash. If Killer Frost is going to be the order of the day and Caitlin Snow is a thing of the past, then S.T.A.R. Labs and Team Flash are going to need another incredibly talented lady scientist around in order to not only pick up the slack, but also to balance out all the dudes in the room. With Julian sticking around, it has become a very male-heavy team. Time is going to tell on this front. (Provided Barry doesn’t keep messing around with the timeline. If that happens, then all bets are off.)

What I can write about more directly is the magical relationship developing between Tracy and H.R. “Cause and Effect” really confirmed for all of us to see that the characters are drawn to each other. There is an obvious attraction that underlies all of their interactions that bolsters their cooperation in working toward a shared goal—namely, saving the world. Despite the fact that H.R. is not a scientific mind in any way, shape or form, he is able to use his talent for storytelling to spin the exact yarn that Tracy needs to hear. He inspires her to see things a little differently and pick up the pieces required to build the Speed Force Bazooka.

On top of that, Tracy and H.R. share a love of caffeine. Fans of The Flash know that H.R.’s coffee addiction has been well-documented throughout this third season of the show. In last week’s episode, we even got the amazing Easter egg of CC: Jitters’ secret menu and what some of the items on there are—hit up the comments and let me know what you would order off that menu! There’s a sweet moment in this week’s episode where Tracy explains how they both use coffee to calm down, rather than ramp up like everyone else in the world, and that she believes this is a huge strength of their connection.

The writers have so effortlessly incorporated the trope of opposites attract, while simultaneously building a unique and compelling bond that it would have been criminal for Tracy and H.R.’s attraction not to have paid off speedily. Luckily for me, it did in this very episode! While the threat of Savitar is still very much looming over the various members of Team Flash, it is refreshing to see that there is room for joy even amidst such dire circumstances. Savvy fans will be a little worried along with me, however, because when it seems like things are going well for anyone on The Flash, disaster isn’t often far behind. The closer we wind down to Barry’s final showdown with Savitar, the more likely it is that someone could get hurt.

In the meantime, I am going to kick back with a cup of coffee of my own and enjoy this new ship that I unexpectedly get to sail on here at the end of the third season of The Flash. It feels genuine and sweet and I like it here in Coffee Love Land a lot. Plus, if the Speed Force Bazooka is successful, they might be the most accomplished couple the show has yet to produce. Traditionally, Wellses don’t last more than a single season, but the complication of a relationship may be an interesting way to have H.R. stick around into Season Four. I’m also crossing my fingers that the couple doesn’t do something crazy like move to another Earth to open a coffee farm together and Team Flash never hears from them again!

Personally, H.R. is my preferred Wells, so I’m rooting for him to stay! What do you think, speedster friends? Is H.R. going to stick around on Earth-1 for Tracy? Let’s chat in the comments below!


Ashley V. Robinson covers The Flash as a part of the #DCTV Couch Club. You can find her on Twitter at @AshleyVRobinson and on the Jawiin YouTube channel. The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST) on The CW.