Plot
XS is back in 2019 and she's gone bad, joining forces with the Weather Witch, Bug-Eyed Bandit and Ragdoll to form a new Rogues' Gallery. As Barry continues to cope with the fallout of his abandoning his daughter, Cisco makes a bold decision regarding his girlfriend.
Influences
Gail Simone's Secret Six (gang of mostly female villains, character of Rag Doll)
Goofs
Weather Witch is written with a completely different personality than she displayed in her last appearance. Before she was honestly remorseful for her crimes and reluctantly press-ganged into joining with Silver Ghost. This episode has her acting like an unrepentant villain who can't wait to double-cross the hero or kill people.
How are Rag Doll's powers supposed to function once he is inside The Forge? It's almost like the writers didn't know that the Arrowverse version of Rag Doll is a metahuman rather than a man whose body was surgically enhanced, as in the Secret Six comics.
Not that Barry and Iris have been consistently intelligent when it comes to Nora but their obliviousness hits new heights in this episode, where the two wonder why the daughter Barry literally abandoned in the future doesn't trust them anymore and wouldn't come to them for help in planning a robbery. They also repeat the same argument from last week regarding Barry being unwilling to compromise or consider that he might be wrong when it comes to Thawne's motivations.
Performances
Jessica Kennedy Parker does an amazing job selling some hokey dialogue.
One of the few bits of comedy in this episode that works without reservation is Grant Gustin's portrayal of Sherloque trying to sound like Barry Allen in full hero mode as The Flash.
Flash Facts
The architecture firm XS scopes out in the first scene of the show is G. Simone & Associates. This is a nod to Gail Simone - creator of the modern day version of Ragdoll and writer on Secret Six - a series which focused on a team of villains similar to the Rogues.
The plot of the episode centers around XS trying to steal a special "mirror gun" from McCulloch Technologies. In the modern day Flash comics, Evan McCulloch was the second super-criminal to use the name Mirror Master and use a variety of mirror-based gadgets to fight The Flash.
STAR Labs new satellites are named Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda after the main character of Sex in the City.
G. Simone & Associates is said to be on 34th and Williamson street. This is a nod to Joshua Williamson - the writer on The Flash's bi-monthly comic book when this episode aired.
The fake ID Nora makes for herself identifies her as Lt. Jenni Ognats. In the comics, Jenni Ognats was the real name of the Legion of Super-Heroes member XS.
When escaping from his bonds, Sherloque says that he was trained in the art of escape by Thaddeus Brown of Earth-51. In the comics, Thaddeus Brown was the name of the first escape artist to use the name Mister Miracle. He trained both Scott Free and Shilo Norman, who both took up his name to continue his act and become costumed crime-fighters.
Technobabble
Gideon tells XS the chances of her breaking into McCulloch technologies on her own, successfully, are 3 million to 1.
Barry sets up tachyon scanners at half mile intervals across Central City in a bid to detect XS.
Caitlin programs STAR Labs seismometer to search for sonic booms in the hundred MHz range.
Barry notes that the hard drives in G. Simone & Associate's server room were fried from the inside, as if caught in a massive power surge.
A typical metal-oxide varistor protects against electrical charges up to one thousand joules.
A lighting bolt contains one billion joules.
Cisco detects a ton of background particle radiation at G. Simone & Associates and determines they are all Negative Tachyons.
Until now, Team Flash thought Negative Tachyons couldn't generate electricity. However, Cisco theorizes that instead of just offsetting Positive Tachyons, Negative Tachyons actually siphon energy from them, stealing power from the Speed Force like a parasite.
Intravenous electrolytes are used to treat coma patients.
The Forge is secured by a Montgomery 4000, 30-ton vault door. Once locked, it can only be opened from the inside.
The "mirror gun" Nora broke into McCulloch technologies to retrieve was made from the solar reflector panels of the original STAR Labs satellite. It has a prismatic battery supercharging its reflector panels. She says it is capable of atomizing anything and it is the only thing that Thawne knows of that might destroy Cicada's dagger.
Caitlin explains that the original metahuman cures Cisco developed hadn't been properly attuned to safely remove a metahuman's powers without killing them. Used in conjunction with the cryo-atomizer, they could kill anyone with a metagene in an incredibly painful manner.
Dialogue Triumphs
Rag Doll: (regarding crawling through a pipe into The Forge) This will be my aria.
Dialogue Disasters
Most of the episode, in all honesty. But a special shout-out for Caitlin's "Gross!" reaction to Ralph thinking she was flirting with him after talking about what a kind, compassionate man he is. You'd think she'd show a little more compassion after Ralph tried letting her down easy thinking she was trying to hint that she fancied him.
Continuity
XS breaks into the G. Simone architecture firm to find blue-prints for McCulloch Technologies.
Cisco programs the STAR Labs satellites to scan for XS' yellow-purple lightning signature.
Cisco says he is the Samantha of the STAR Labs team. Iris says he is the Miranda, in reference to the heroes of Sex in the City and a popular on-line personality test based on it.
Sherloque and Ralph have no leads on where the future Cicada has hidden her younger self or why she stole the Cryo-Atomizer.
Barry offers to let Caitlin take some time off to mourn her father but she says she'd rather keep working.
Ralph offers to help Caitlin with tracking down the Atomizer.
Barry is called out to a crime scene at G. Simone & Associates.
Caitlin and Ralph head to a her father's old lab in the Arctic after an alarm is tripped.
Sherloque does not understand emoji speech.
Cisco completes the program in The Book of Love, which Ralph gave him in 514. He gives the book to Sherloque.
Iris discovers that G. Simone & Associates spent most of the last year working for an anonymous client.
Barry figures out that Thawne taught Nora how to use Negative Tachyons to hide her movement.
Joslyn Jackam, The Weather Witch, was last seen in 510.
Brie Larvan, The Bug-Eyed Bandit, was last seen in A417.
Bug-Eyed Bandit gets angry when that name is applied to her and says it is "their name."
Bug-Eyed Bandit says she heard Weather Witch and Silver Ghost were in Bolivia.
Bug-Eyed-Bandit says she was approached by Silver Ghost about joining her team.
Ragdoll was last seen in 505. He apparently escaped from Iron Heights Prison, stuffed into a small crate.
XS refers to the events of 510 and how Weather Witch seemed to save her life because she didn't want to kill someone.
XS says that she wants to run a heist on McCulloch Technologies - the largest military-grade weapons manufacturer in the world.
McCullouch Technologies tests all their weapons in a facility known as The Forge, which has a metahuman power dampener more powerful than those employed by ARGUS. This is why XS needs Bug-Eyed Bandit and Weather Witch, as their powers are tech-based.
XS says that the weapons in The Forge could easily sell for $1 million each.
Caitlin says Killer Frost has been in hiding for the past few days. She thinks it is because Killer Frost has never really had to cope with the loss of someone she cared about before.
Ralph offers Caitlin another guide he wrote - Ralph's 27 Steps To A Better Mourning. #10 is to go see your dentist because you should be doing that at least twice a year anyway and it will distract you from your emotional pain.
Cecile discovers that G. Simone & Associate's mystery client is McCullough Technologies.
Cecile refers to the events of 513 and how Nora may be trying to break up an illegal arms deal like Barry and Ralph did.
Iris says she has a whistle-blower at the DOD who might be able to tell them about what McCullough Technologies is building.
Iris says she thinks there has to be another reason why Nora is committing this robbery and didn't come to Team Flash for help.
Nora steals Spencer Young's phone from 504 from the STAR-chives.
Rag Doll attacks Cisco and Sherloque in the elevator, after entering STAR Labs through the sewers.
Barry notes that Nora's lightning is now red and her eyes are glowing red, like Thawne's.
Iris gets an alarm from STAR Labs. She and Barry see Ragdoll and Weather Witch breaking in through a camera feed.
Sherloque deduces he and Cisco are being held in Keystone City based on the smell of barium in the air.
XS asked for the rest of the team to kidnap Cisco so he could reprogram Spencer Young's phone to work for someone else.
Sherloque apologies for outing XS' secret to the rest of Team Flash.
The rest of the Young Rogues learn XS is The Flash's daughter.
Caitlin and Ralph discover that Cicada has robbed the lab of all the intravenous electrolytes.
Ralph says his book has helped other people but never worked for him. He thinks he isn't built for love but is okay with that.
Caitlin says that is a Ralph is a kind, compassionate and intelligent man who deserves to be loved.
Ralph thinks Caitlin is flirting with him but tries to let her down easy. She says that he's being gross and that she wasn't trying to say that she fancied him.
Caitlin says that the prototypes for the metahuman cure were stolen from the lab as well.
Cisco recognizes that Sherloque is afraid to tell his girlfriend that he knows she is a metahuman, in the same way that Cisco is afraid to tell his girlfriend about that part of his life.
Sherloque also suggests that Cisco wants to stop being Vibe.
Cecile determines that Central City contracted McCullough Technologies to clean up the streets following The Enlightenment. This leads Team Flash to the conclusion that they must have acquired a ton of meta-tech scrap that is now being used to make new weapons.
Barry and Iris once again argue about whether or not Nora can be trusted. Barry wants to use Cisco's force-field or Ray Palmer's nanites to catch her.
Iris tells Barry that she honestly believes Thawne cares for Nora and that Thawne told Iris to go back to the present and try and work out her current issues with Barry before confronting Nora again. She also says she honestly thinks Thawne is trying to win some kind of redemption.
Nora plans to have everyone on her team except Rag Doll enter McCullough Technologies disguised as military VIPs.
Weather Witch ran away from her abusive mother once she turned 13.
Weather Witch, Bug-Eyed Bandit and Ragdoll are all of the opinion that you can't trust anyone and that family and mentors will let you down eventually.
Cisco hacks Spencer Young's phone so Bug-Eyed Bandit can use it. He also gives it unlimited data, but programs it to have spotty reception so he and Sherloque are able to win free of its mind-controlling effects once Bug-Eyed Bandit is far away.
Weather Witch says she abandoned Silver Ghost in Bolivia. It is unclear if she killed her or not, but she definitely betrayed her trust.
Iris, Joe and Barry sneak into The Forge using image-inducers to look like military officials.
Sherloque uses the STAR Labs hologram projector to pose as The Flash to act as a distraction.
Cisco hacks Bug-Eyed-Bandit's bees and shuts them down.
Barry convince Nora he truly has forgiven her after he takes a lightning bolt from Weather Witch for her.
Nora explains that she wasn't breaking into McCullouch Technologies looking for a weapon to kill Cicada - she was looking for a special gun that could atomize Cicada's dagger.
Caitlin has figured Cicada's plan - to kill every metahuman in Central City using the cryo-atomizer along with the imperfect metahuman cures Cisco developed.
The final scene reveals that Cicada hallucinates her Uncle Orlin being with her and encouraging her in her work.
Location
Dr. Thomas Snow's lab - Arctic Circle
McCullough Technologies Factory- Keystone City
Untelevised Adventures
Apparently Silver Ghost and Weather Witch had a falling out after escaping to Bolivia.
The Boomerang Factor
The biggest sign that we shouldn't take the villains in this episode seriously? Cisco and Sherloque argue about their love lives while in the middle of being held hostage.
The Bottom Line
A bit of a mess, thanks to a script that seems to have either been written by someone who hadn't been watching the show or hurriedly rewritten to account for missing characters or story lines that didn't get filmed. It tries too hard to be a tribute to Gail Simone's Secret Six, though Ragdoll is well-handled) and some of the comedic bits work well. Still, too much of the episode is repetitive (Barry and Iris having the same argument from last week) and there's way too much out-of-character behavior.
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