The recently released episode of The Flash left some wondering whether or not Jesse L. Martin will be leaving his Joe West role. There is some serious concern when it comes to the character's fate, largely because of what's going on with the Black Hole. Right now, Joe is in witness protection.
Joe might be away for a while to make sure that he is safe, as well as the people around him. That only means that Martin's character could be gone for the rest of the season. Yet, there is no indication that Joe is leaving The Flash in general.
It remains to be seen how his story will move forward, though it's could probably be explored further in season 7. This isn't also the first time Martin was away from The Flash, as he also took a hiatus due to a back injury in season 5.
It can also be noted that some series regulars of The Flash had hiatuses but still came back. In fact, this move already happened to Carlos Valdes' Cisco. Furthermore, we're also seeing less of Danielle Panabaker's Caitlin, while Hartley Sawyer's Ralph doesn't appear in every episode.
The series has a lot of cast members, so it might be hard to balance them all. Thus, there's no reason for concern, and just like the others, Joe may still appear at some point. There could also be big stories coming for him once he returns in the future.
As for what's coming in the next episode of The Flash, Barry will likely try to do his best to save the real Iris. It looks like he's aware that the Iris he's been spending time with isn't the real one. In the previous episode, the fake Iris kicked Barry out because of what happened with Joe.
Barry recognized that the real Iris wouldn't exhibit such actions. In episode 17, he'll probably find out that his wife was stuck in the mirror alongside Eva McCulloch. However, saving the real Iris may not be an easy mission for him as there could be hindrances along the way.
The synopsis of the episode also teased that "huge changes" are coming for them. Showrunner Eric Wallace told TVLine that Barry and Iris may face their rockiest times yet, suggesting that their current situation may have hugely impacted their relationship.
The Flash season 6 episode is set to arrive on Tuesday night, Apr. 28, on The CW.
