Tuesday, May 8, 2018

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 4, Episode 21 - Harry and The Harrisons

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




Plot

Team Flash recruits an unlikely ally in the battle against The Thinker, when they discover that Amunet Black is immune to The Thinker's powers. Meanwhile, Harry is kicked out of the Council of Wells for being a "dum-dum", leading Cisco to develop a different group - The Council of Harrisons.


Influences

Rick and Morty (The Council of Harrisons gag) and The Flash comics of Geoff Johns (character of Amunet Black/Blacksmith)


Goofs

Iris' plan to report on DeVoe's plan with an article is idiotic. We have no idea how big Iris's audience for her Flash news blog is, but it's unlikely to be more than a few thousand people. at best. Ignoring that, the other problem can be summed up with two words: fake news. And that's ignoring that DeVoe's technomancy powers - the same ones that require Team Flash finding organic weapons to bring down his satellites - would probably also allow him to alter a website, shut down an Internet server or do any number of things to keep Iris' article from being published.

The one thing more idiotic than Iris' plan to tell people about what DeVoe is doing?  Barry's worries that this is somehow going to make her into a target. DeVoe already knows about everyone on Team Flash and they've been powerless to stop him before. How is Iris' article going to put her at greater risk?

Regarding the metal Blacksmith manipulates - Why would a special metal heading to a military facility be transported in the cargo bay of a commercial airliner?

After repelling all the metal shards Amunet sends at him, Norvok puts his anti-magnetic gun down... even though there's nothing to stop Amunet from summoning the metal back to her, through his body!

Nobody goes chasing after Norvok after his eye is cut off?

Amunet's entire characterization seems to be built around allowing Katee Sackhoff to ham it up as badly as possible from scene to scene, attempting to play Loki by way of an impression of Michelle Gomez as Missy from Doctor Who. There is no logic to her sudden decision to run off at the end of the episode, apart from the show not being able to schedule Sackhoff for another episode this season. She reveals to Caitlin that she lied about using her tech to help her turn Killer Frost into an alternate personality, even though it doesn't profit her to do so. There's no consistency at all.

The people of Central City responding to Iris' article by writing in with reports on seeing DeVoe is stupid even within the "gee-whiz" world of comics where most people are inherently decent. Did DeVoe not see this coming somehow? Is he not bothering to disguise himself ? So many questions...


Performances

Say what you will about Katee Sackhoff's performance as Blacksmith containing so much ham it can't be Kosher, but she does seem to be having fun, which is more than you can say for most of the other actors in this episode. The one exception being Tom Cavanagh, as the various Wellses.


Artistry

Playing Here Lies Man's "I Stand Alone" in the background as Caitlin goes to try and find Amunet in the illegal gambling hall is a nice touch.


Flash Facts

The title of the episode is a play of the 1987 movie Harry and The Hendersons.

The idea of an inter-dimensional think-tank, as represented by The Council of Wells', is probably best known to fans of the show Rick and Morty. This show had The Council of Ricks - a governing body made up of the multiverse's various versions of super-scientist Rick Sanchez who took it upon themselves to police themselves while protecting themselves and the multiverse from other threats. 

The Council of Ricks was itself a parody of an idea introduced in Jonathan Hickman's run on the comic book Fantastic Four - The Interdimensional Council of Reeds. This body was made up of various versions of super-scientist Reed Richards, who gave up all ties to their world in order to protect reality.

The two new Harrison Wells that we are introduced into this episode are said to be from Earths 24 and 25 respectively. In the current DC Comics Multiverse, Earths 24 and 25 are two of the seven deliberately undefined alternate Earths - presumably being held as placeholders for any future Elseworlds that prove popular enough to become established reoccurring settings.

H.Lothario Wells - a Hugh Hefner style playboy - is said to come from Earth 47. In the current DC Comics cosmology, Earth 47 is home to Prez Rickards, Brother Power The Geek, Sunshine Superman and other counter-culture inspired superheroes. It is unknown if these characters exist in the DCTVU version of Earth 47, but H. Lothario Well's "free-love" attitude would seem to be a good fit for the ethos of the comic book Earth 47.

Norvok - the snake-eyed henchman of Amunet who comes for Killer Frost - shares a name with a comic character named Hunk Norvock.

In the original Flash comics, Hunk Norvock was a crime-boss in Keystone City whom employed Clifford DeVoe as a "thinker" who could help him find the loopholes in laws to keep him and his men out of jail. Eventually, he became paranoid of DeVoe's intelligence and tried to kill him. He was tricked into killing himself, however, and Norvock's followers elected DeVoe as their new boss.

The DCVTU version of Norvok's eye-snake is revealed to generate a hematoxic venomous mist that is strong enough to melt locks.


Technobabble

Harrison Wolfgang Wells asks Harry how the thinking cap accounts for the resonate inductive coupling of the dark matter transfer.

Cailtin describes Amunet Black's power as "psychic-powered alnico shards."

Amunet Black used a piece of black market technology - a transmodulator genetic splicer - to separate Caitlin and Killer Frost into separate personalities.

Barry determines that some kind of substance was placed on the lock pin of Amunet's storage unit to break the lock. Caitlin identifies it as a hematoxic venom. This leads Amunet to conclude that Norvock is responsible.

Norvock has some kind of special gun made that allows him to repel Blacksmit's metal shards.


Dialogue Triumphs

(H. Lothatrio Wells reads one of his poems.)
Harrison H.P. Wells: I never knew you. I never taste you.
H. Lothatrio Wells: Mmm. Taste!
Harrison H.P. Wells: I never smell you.
(Sonny wells sniffs loudly.)
Harrison H.P. Wells: Until I do. And now... I am hook-ed!
Cisco: (slyly) Hmm. Saucy. And, uh, what is this poem about?
Harrison H.P. Wells: Bread.

(Harry is cynical about the feeling-sharing exercises the other Harrisons are running him through.)
Harry:
This isn't making me any smarter! 
Harrison H.P. Wells: But... aren't you smarter, Harry?  You must channel your aggression into love!
Harry: I feel like you're mocking me.
Sonny Wells: Oh! An "I feel" statement! Winner! Winner!

(The other Harrisons have signed out of their meeting.)
Harry: (sighs) Ramon, remind me again. (snaps fingers) What's another word for huge?
Cisco: (tired, knowing what is coming and dreading it.) Colossal?
Harry: Colossal. Great. Thank you. This - (suddenly shouting) was a colossal waste of time!
(Harry storms out of the room and kicks a metal trashcan. Cisco just sits there.) 


Continuity

Iris hits upon the idea of writing an expose article to tell people the truth about DeVoe's plan.

Team Flash decides the best way to deal with The Thinker's satellites is to bring them down with some sort of organic missile. Mechanical ones could be disabled by Kilgore's powers.

The Council of Wells last appeared in 406.

Harrison Wells of Earth 12 (aka Harrison Wolfgang Wells) last appeared in 406. He refuses to help Harry because he's not intelligent enough to be worth his dealing with.

Harry says that he's lost most of his science and math knowledge. He thinks languages skills will be next and he's already losing vocabulary.

Cisco suggests forming a new council from the Harrison Wells of other Earths they hadn't spoken to yet.

Caitlin is using acupuncture to try and awaken Killer Frost.

Joe's suggestion of trying another angle leads to Caitlin having the idea to contact Blacksmith about stopping The Thinker.

Barry refers to the events of 413 and Amunet trying to sell him into meta-slavery.

Barry also refers to the events of 409 and Amunet kidnapping Caitlin to perform surgery on Dominic Lanse.

Iris refers to the events of 405 and Amunet ruining her bachelorette party.

Norvock - Amunet's third favorite henchman - last appared in 413

Norvock has taken over Amunet's club and redirected it. He says that nobody has seen Amunet in months and for all he knows she is dead. Apparently she dropped out of the metahuman trafficking game after her deal with Warden Wolfe went south.

Amunet Black's real name is Leslie Jocoy.

The Council of Harrisons is made up of Harrison Wells who were rejected from The Council of Wells. The include the Harrison Wells of Earth 47, Earth 24 and Earth 25.

The Harrison Wells of Earth 47 is a billionaire inventor, publishing tycoon and general champion of free speech named H. Lothario Wells. He dresses like High Hefner, is an apparent womanizer and has the mannerisms of actor Matthew McConaughey.

The Harrison Wells of Earth 24 is nicknamed Sonny Wells. He says this is on account of his "Sunny" disposition. He dresses like a modern-day Italian gangster stereotype, with a Queens accent, dark clothing, slicked back hair and sunglasses.

The Harrison Wells of Earth 25 is named Harrison H.P. Wells. He is French, has a small mustache and wears a beret. He is also a poet, and opens the meeting with a poem he wrote about bread.

The Council of Harrisons agree to help Harry.

Joe accesses Caitlin of only wanting to find Amunet Black because she thinks Amunet might be able to help with her Killer Frost problem.

Amunet Black last appeared in 413.

Amunet recognizes Barry as the speedster she was going to sell-off, despite his mask.

Amunet is confirmed to have been working as a flight attendant when she gained her powers.

The metal that Blacksmith manipulates with her powers was in the cargo bay of the plane she was on when the STAR Labs Particle Accelerator exploded. She later discovered it was en route to a military facility. She has a larger collection of shards she keeps in storage for big jobs, but it was broken into and stolen just before Team Flash approached her.

Caitlin makes a bargain with Amunet - she and Killer Frost will do her one favor in exchange for her genetic splicer.

Amunet's storage unit is revealed to be an abandoned train car.

Harry starts to consider thinking about how DeVoe must feel rather than matching how he thinks.

Amunet reveals that her genetic splicer didn't actually do anything to Caitlin apart from act as a placebo.

Amunet guesses that Norvock  is hiding in the abandoned Reynolds substation.

Barry has to phase through Norvock's venom before it reaches his heart.

Amunet cuts off Norvovk's snake.

Amunet backs out of her deal, but does give Caitlin one compact sample of her metal - effectively one bullet.

Cisco cannot breach the bullet into outer space as his energy field doesn't extend that far.

Harry guesses the reason DeVoe hasn't launched his satellites yet - he's focusing his energies on finding his wife.

Caitlin decides the key to finding Killer Frost is within her - not out somewhere waiting to be found.

Iris publishes her article and immediately gets several leads on where DeVoe was sighted.


The Bottom Line

Somehow, the series is managing to get stupider and stupider as we limp toward the Season Finale. There's no consistency to Amunet's character. Iris' plan to tell the people of Central City about DeVoe is just plain idiotic. And the best part of the episode is the throw-away gag that has nothing to do with the plot. That's an apt description of most of Season Four, really. All the best bits have nothing to do with the story.

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