'The Flash': Will shared loss bring Barry and Caitlin closer?

The Flash is about to return to the scene of the crime.

During Tuesday’s episode, viewers will get a new glimpse at the particle accelerator explosion that turned Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) into the fastest man alive. This time, we’ll see it from a different perspective via those working at S.T.A.R. Labs, a.k.a. Ground Zero. But Barry certainly wasn’t the only one affected by the incident, as Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) lost her fiance Ronnie Raymond (Robbie Amell) as a result.

“It really gives you a chance to see the celebratory atmosphere and the excitement of the moment before the particle accelerator explodes, when everyone is rejoicing in this amazing moment that’s going to change the world,” Panabaker tells EW from the Vancouver set. “One of the best parts for me is you get to see Caitlin with Ronnie. When he died in the particle accelerator explosion, it was obviously very difficult for her. It’s nice to see the before and the love and the hope and the chemistry between these two characters so you understand why she’s so devastated when he’s gone.”

As a result of losing the ones they love most, Barry and Caitlin will form a stronger bond. “Caitlin’s [loss] is much fresher, obviously, but they’re helping each other through their loss and helping each other move on in their own ways,” Gustin says.

“Caitlin has avoided going down to the pipeline—a classic attempt at denial—to avoid those feelings,” Panabaker says. “Barry opens up to her, and she feels safe with him. They go down there together, and he’s a great support system for her. It’s really nice to see that relationship blooming and the two of them becoming closer and confiding in one another.”

But could that bond turn into something more? As if Barry’s love life isn’t complicated enough—he pines for Iris (Candice Patton), though he dated Arrow‘s Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards)—Gustin says Barry’s relationship with Caitlin “feels romantic at times.”

“I see a hint of it,” Panabaker adds. “Both Barry and Caitlin are currently very focused on past relationships. They’re both mourning other people that they can’t be with, but that’s a connection they seem to have a lot. I think there’s something brewing. Caitlin puts a lot of her emotions that she has about Ronnie on Barry. She doesn’t want to see him get hurt. She doesn’t want anything to happen to him the way it did to Ronnie, so she’s very protective of him.”

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.