Sensei Starman Plays Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse - Part 26

In which we enter into the thrilling finale and stop General Skunkape once and for all, thus saving the universe and ending the game... or do we?!

Sensei Starman Plays Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse - Part 25

In which we recruit one more member for our team of fantastic voyagers and finally figure out just who that narrator guy is.

Sensei Starman Plays Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse - Part 24

In which we slowly start taking control of Max's body from the inside, all so we can shut down his brain before he destroys the city.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 6 - The Good, The Bad, and The Lucky

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

With Iris' pregnancy confirmed, she and Barry head out of town to finish up the last of their baby-moon plans. Meanwhile, Cecile and Allegra tackle an unusual case involving an innocent metahuman framed for attempted murder as Chester and Mark try to determine just what Khione's powers are.

Influences

Roy Thomas' Infinity Inc. (character of Hazard) and Superman III (the slapstick direction of the chaos around Hazard is very Richard Lester).


Goofs

How does Becky Sharpe know about the Crisis and her death on Earth-1? (Presumably Cisco discovered she was alive when assembling his Who's Who Binder and helped clue her in to her bad luck powers and past history.)

Why is Becky Sharpe allowed out on the street given she's facing attempted murder charges? (Cecile and Captain Kramer probably pulled some strings and knew which judge to talk to about a hurried bail hearing. It's also possible Becky wasn't formally charged yet and was merely being held for questioning, given the rapid time frame of the episode.)

Granting that Chillblaine has good reason to be obsessed with the idea of Khione having cryokinesis and focusing the tests on that, why does Chester, passive as he is, go along with this?  Shouldn't the genius point out that maybe they should be looking for life or nature related powers given what Khione has displayed so far?

Performances

Sugar Lyn Beard brings life to a largely lifeless role as Becky Sharpe.


Artistry

The scene where it snows indoors is beautiful.


Flash Facts

The opening scene is a parody of The Flash season 1 opening, with Becky Sharpe in place of Barry Allen as the "luckiest woman alive."

The villain of this episode is revealed to be a gambler. This is a nod to the grandfather of Becky Sharpe in the comics, aka Steven Sharpe III, The Gambler.


Technobabble

Allegra uses her powers like a UV scanner to search Becky Sharpe's apartment for evidence.

Chester developed a combat dummy that can detect 56 different metahuman power sets, including pyrokinesis, telekinesis, technopathy and cryokinesis.

Chester notes that there are no fluctuations in Khione's core temperature or surges in dark matter readings when she tries to mimic Frost's ice powers.

The thugs who kidnap Becky Sharpe use a dark matter refractor to cancel out Allegra's powers. This crystal uses an asymmetric matrix to cancel out any metahuman power it comes into contact with. Reportedly Goldface started manufacturing and selling the devices on the Coast City black market, but they stopped selling after word got out the devices were only good for one use.

Chester and Mark determine that there are no dark matter or cold fusion traces in Khione's genetic code. More, she's missing 55 of the 56 common biometric signatures. This means she is not a metahuman like Frost, but she's also not a regular human like Caitlin.

Continuity

Becky Sharpe (aka Hazard) was one of the bus metas in The Flash season 4.  She was last seen on-camera in 414, albeit with The Thinker possessing her body.

Becky Sharpe was one of the lucky metahumans brought back to life as a result of Crisis on Infinite Earths, after dying on Earth-1.

Becky has gained enough control of her powers that her good luck no longer causes bad things to happen to the people around her unless she wants it to.

Becky is currently engaged to a man named Dominic "Dom" Stewart, whom she met after slipping and literally falling into his arms.

Joe West and Jenna are moved into their new home, with Cecile commuting to spend time with them on the weekends.

As the episode opens, Jenna's 5th birthday is one day away.

Cecile only uses organic pancake mix to make breakfast for Jenna.

Barry and Iris are taking a week off to travel to Coast City for a CCC Media expansion party.

Khione says there is going to be an early spring, saying she just knows this when asked how she knows.

Barry and Iris have agreed that Barry will not be using his speed to carrying them anywhere while she's pregnant, so they are driving to Coast City.

Allegra is having issues with her apartment, complaining she hasn't had hot water for days and her landlord can't get anyone to fix it until next week.

Chester offers to come try and fix it, prompting Allegra and Chester to both wonder if he's become her boyfriend. 

Chillblaine suggests they test Khione for metahuman powers, pointing out she clearly has to have some given her kiss bringing him back to life, her sensing Iris' pregnancy and her sensing the change of seasons. Chester agrees to help.

Cecile is called in to represent Becky Sharpe after taking a call from Captain Kramer, who says there is something about the case not sitting right with her, despite it being open and shut.

Like Becky Sharpe, Dom Stewart is lactose intolerant - a fact revealed in 403.

The apparent murder weapon is found in Becky's apartment.

Allegra agrees to help Cecile investigate the crime.

Allegra uses her powers like a UV scanner to locate a retainer and a poker chip in Becky's apartment.

The retainer belongs to Becky, but the poker chip is an actual clue given Becky quit her casino job and Dom is not a gambler. The chip does point the finger at Dom's brother, Tony.

Tony claims that Dom had a secret gambling problem, which he asked him to hide from Becky, and that he owed money to some very bad people.

Cecile senses that Tony is very anxious when the chip is brought out.

Tony says Dom usually played at a high-stakes gambling night held twice a month at O'Shaughnessy's Bar.

The bartender at O'Shaughnessy's doesn't know who Dom owes money to, but confirms he was a regular at the bar's game night.

A group of thugs try to kidnap Becky while at O'Shaughnessy's. Cecile tries to use her telekinesis to stop them, but her powers backfire. Thankfully, Allegra is able to step in and drive the thugs off.

Mark tries to teach Khione how to focus an ice blast like Frost used to, but she can't do it, to his frustration.

Chester confirms that Khione has to have powers, as it is the only way to explain how Mark recovered from his injuries in 905.

Cecile can find nothing in Dom's bank records to indicate a gambling problem or him withdrawing large sums of money.

Cecile freaks out when she realizes she missed her 8 PM train and will not be there to make Jenna breakfast on her birthday. She blames Becky and her bad luck for jinxing her.

Becky is kidnapped by the thugs from O'Shaughnessy's after she leaves Cecile's office. The thugs hold up a device that stops both Allegra from using her powers. Again, Cecile tries to use her telekinesis, but the fire extinguisher she throws at the thugs comes back at her and explodes.

Chester can't find Becky with the STAR Labs satellites.

Cecile's powers are on the fritz, so she can't try to find Becky empathically.

Allegra finds a pillow and sheets in Cecile's office, indicating that she's been sleeping there rather than at home.

Mark is upset because Khione kissed him because that, coupled with the chills he felt when she did it, made him think that Frost was still alive in her, somehow, and trying to reach out to him. This was why he was so insistent on checking her for cryokinesis powers. 

Khione tells Mark that Frost is still alive inside him and that there's more of her in him than there is in her. This causes it to start snowing inside STAR Labs, for some reason.

Cecile admits to Allegra that she's been sleeping in her office because it's too lonely being in Joe's house without him and Jenna.

Allegra and Cecile figure out that someone must have put a dark matter refractor into Becky Sharpe's engagement ring and that is what is cancelling her powers out.

Chester accesses Tony Stewart's bank records and determines that he is the one with the gambling problem who owes money to the mob.

Tony's plan is to force Becky to work as a blackjack dealer at O'Shaughnessy's, so that her bad luck will result in him always winning against her.

Tony apparently attacked Dom after he learned about Tony's plan and tried to stop him.

Cecile frees Becky by pulling her ring off her finger with her telekinesis. After that, her powers enable her, Allegra and Cecile to fight Tony and his henchmen.

Cecile figures out her powers going haywire were because of her own lack of confidence - not Becky's powers.

Dom Stewart is said to be recovering after waking from his coma. He confirmed Becky didn't attack him, so they are free to live happily ever after.

Cecile asks Allegra to move in with her and use Joe's spare bedroom.

Team Flash throw Barry and Iris an impromptu baby shower after they return from Coast City.

Chester and Mark determine that Khione isn't a metahuman but isn't an ordinary human either, after a consultation with Dr. Carla Tannhauser.


Location

O'Shaughnessy's in Keystone City.


Untelevised Adventures

Iris and Barry spend a week in Coast City, attending a party in honor of the CCC Media expansion. 

The Fridge Factor

Cecile's power loss is explained away as being due to her being unable to cope with her daughter and boyfriend being away from her for most of the week.


The Bottom Line

A bland filler episode, neither outstanding nor awful, that doesn't do anything to advance any of the storylines. Normally, this wouldn't be too bad, but it is maddening given the shortened season for The Flash's final season.

Sensei Starman Plays Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse - Part 23

In which we finishing exploring our neighborhood and The Devil finally makes an appearance in The Devil's Playhouse. We also assemble a giant corndog for reasons that seemed good at the time.