Jesse L. Martin Returns To The Flash; Character Absence To Be Explained
by Erik Amaya
With production on The Flash resuming after its winter hiatus, a familiar face will be rejoining the cast: Jesse L. Martin.
The actor took a leave of absence last fall after experiencing continuing complications from a back injury he sustained during the summer break. Scenes shot with Martin in the first four episodes of season saw his character, Detective Joe West, confined to sitting on couches or, in one case, a chair next to the dining table at the West home. The conspicous lack of a more animated and ambuloarity Martin left fans wondering about the actor’s health. He last appeared in the season’s fourth episode; at which time The CW issued a statement about his injury. Since then, the character has otherwise been in dispose during subsequent episodes.
Martin will return in the 15th episode of the season; which will feature a plotline explaining his absence. “There’s an explanation, and then there’s another sort of thing down the line that will give more explanation as to why [Joe] was gone for so long,” executive producer and showrunner Todd Helbing told TVLine. “I’ll just say there’s some technology that S.T.A.R. Labs has [via which] he’s gone and he’s not gone at the same time.” So either Joe is visiting another Earth or he’s become the invisible man. The latter seems more likely, but this is The Flash and other worlds are shockingly easy to find.
The Flash returns with its tenth episode on January 15th.
