“It was definitely different,” Lotz tells Den of Geek when asked about directing a show she wasn’t also starring on. “It was interesting because I knew a lot of the actors, but I didn’t really know the crew or anybody. So it was [challenging] trying to get to know everybody and have everyone get to know you in such a short period of time. But it was also kind of a nice change to not have, like, ten people in a scene!” 

According to Lotz, the episode is more of a “standalone” than a lot of installments in The Flash universe, which she says offers a “little more freedom” for her as a director.

“You have a lot more limitations when you have an episode that ​​[is part of a larger arc] — and that was something I talked to Eric about in terms of, you know, following beats, because if [he] wrote it in the script, it’s really important. There’s a lot of interconnected stuff and the more interconnected it is, the more you have to make sure that you’re playing your part and being the puzzle piece that you need to be.”

But, just because this episode isn’t as tightly tied into season 8’s overall arc as other installments we’ve seen recently, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have something important to say. “The Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen” actually turns out to be a surprisingly emotional hour, wrestling with big existential questions about aging, purpose and making the most of the time that’s been given to you, all mixed with a healthy dose of The Flash’s heartfelt humor.

“It’s really [about] finding the universal truth in everything,” Lotz says when asked about her approach to depicting such big themes onscreen. “So that, when people watch it, [they] say ‘Oh, I feel that. I understand that. I know that.’ My dad had just recently retired, so I felt like in talking to him about that stuff it really played into Jesse Martin’s storyline.” 

Though Lotz has worked with many of the major cast members on The Flash before, she was effusive in her praise of their performances and their work ethic from the other side of the camera.

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