The Flash Star Grant Gustin Teases Pied Piper’s Return

On The CW’s The Flash, Central City’s speedster hero has an interesting relationship with Hartley Rathaway/Pied Piper (Andy Meintus). First introduced in the show’s first season, Hartley was a disgruntled employee of STAR Labs who, after being fired by Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) turned villain, going after Barry (Grant Gustin) as a form of revenge. However, thanks to Flashpoint, Hartley ended up as an ally of Team Flash with Pied Piper even being in on Barry’s secret. However, after “Crisis on Infinite Earths” that friendship has been erased and according to Gustin, Barry is going to have to deal with those “Crisis” changes if he wants Hartley’s help stopping another foe: Godspeed.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gustin explained that we’ll get to see how the changes brought by “Crisis” impacted Barry’s friendship with Hartley in the upcoming May 5th episode, “Pay the Piper”.

“It’s an episode where we’re going to see some changes because of ‘Crisis,’ and Hartley Rathaway, Pied Piper, is going to be back,” Gustin said. “In that episode, Godspeed is back.”

As we saw in “Grodd Friended Me,” Hartley is back to being a villain. In that episode, when The Flash arrives at a jewelry store robbery, he discovers that it’s Pied Piper doing the stealing. When The Flash asks about this situation, Hartley suggests that it’s something that the hero and his friends — presumably, Team Flash — did to him that shifted him into a life of crime. It’s something that Gustin himself confirms, noting that “Barry kind of did Hartley dirty” but says that he will need to find a way to fix things in order to stop Godspeed.

“Hartley really isn’t a friend when he comes back, but Barry’s going to need to find a way to reconnect with Hartley and try to fix what ‘Crisis’ changed and stop Godspeed, and try to save the city,” Gustin said.

The upcoming episode will also end up serving as the penultimate installment of Season 6, though it wasn’t originally intended to. The coronavirus pandemic-related production shutdown on the series has resulted in a slightly shorter season for The Flash, one that will end on cliffhanger, just not the one originally envisioned.

“There was going to be a big Thawne cliffhanger at the end of what this season would have been, but that’s not going to be the cliffhanger we get,” Gustin recently old TV Line. “[Episode] 619, ‘Success Is Assured,’ is going to end up being our finale, so we’re going to have a different cliffhanger than originally planned. But the cliffhanger at the end of 619 does serve as a pretty good finale.”

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW. “Pay the Piper” will air on May 5th.