The Flash Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 20 - Gone Rogue

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



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.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 4, Episode 17 - Beacon Of Hope

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



Plot

The Bug Eyed Bandit has escaped from prison and is after Palmer Tech's innovative new implant technology. The only problem is there's only one prototype and it's currently in Felicity Smoak's spine. But when Green Arrow becomes incapacitated by a deadly bee weapon, a new hero will arise to save the day.


Influences

Green Arrow: Year One (the flashbacks on Lian Yu), Die Hard (people held hostage in a skyscraper, Felicity refers to the adventure as Die Hard with bees) and Independence Day (Curtis uses a virus to destroy the bee drones, Quentin name-drops the movie).


Goofs

As before, given her choice of weapon and costuming, it would make SO much more sense for The Bug Eyed Bandit to be called Queen Bee. Presumably the name is tied up in the Justice League film rights?

Wouldn't it have been far easier for The Bug Eyed Bandit to just go straight to Felicity's office rather than taking the Palmer Tech Board of Directors hostage? Particularly when we find out she already knew the only prototype was in Felicity's body.

The Bug Eyed Bandit's concern over bees dying out doesn't ring true, given the reason that she was fired from her job originally was that she took robo bees that were meant to help solve the agricultural crisis caused by bee deaths and weaponized them for the military to make money.

Curtis is remarkably agile for someone who was suffering a 104 degree fever and severe dehydration, when he's flipping around The Bunker trying to dodge the one drone.


Performances

The chemistry between Willa Holland and Emily Bett Rickards during their scenes together is great. I can't remember the two ever having any scenes together alone and it's nice to see the friendship between the two of them hasn't been hurt by the break-up... even if I can't recall their friendship ever being firmly established.

It's also a great solo episode for Emily Bett Rickards as a solo performer. It's great to see Felicity facing her arch-enemy with no back-up for most of the episode, holding her own and getting to be the big damn hero, saving multiple lives and staying behind to sacrifice herself. Heck, she even takes out the bee-man who takes down Ollie and Thea.


Artistry

The costume design for Bug Eyed Bandit this time around is an interesting one, with the honeycomb patterns and yellow/black color scheme.


Trivia

In the comics, the original Bug-Eyed Bandit was an inventor named Bertram Larvan, who invented a robot insect that could be used to eliminate real insects. Unable to secure the financial backing needed to mass produce his robots, he resolved to steal the money he needed with his prototype... then just kept on stealing, as he built more and more robotic insects and arachnids. He would go on to be a frequent nemesis of The Atom, until he accidentally dosed himself with amnesia gas and forgot all about his evil plans.

The DCTVU version of The Bug Eyed Bandit is similar, except that she is a woman named Brie Larvan. Also - in her first appearance, at least - she seemed to be less interested in money and more interested in revenge on the people responsible for her losing her job.


At one point, Oliver claims to have read a few of the Harry Potter books but to be unaware there were movies based on the books. Surprisingly, this is something of a nod to Oliver's character in the Mike Grell Green Arrow run, where Oliver was surprisingly well-read but his taste in movies tended toward classics like the Errol Flynn Robin Hood movie or Singing In The Rain.

Quentin asks if there's any chance that the robo-bees have anything to do with HIVE. In the comics, bee-themed armor and weapons are a part of HIVE's modus operandi.

Curtis once again voices his theory that The Green Arrow was someone in Palmer Tech's data-processing department named Neal Adams. This is the name of a famous artist, who re-designed the Green Arrow costume in the late 1960s and drew the now legendary Green Lantern/Green Arrow comic that largely redefined Green Arrow as a champion of the working class.

Damien Darhk makes reference to a town called Monument Point. In the Justice Society of America comic written by Arrow Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim, Monument Point was a large Metropolis located within commuting distance of Washington DC. The town was saved several times by The Justice Society, who wound up adopting the town as their base of operations and the city council appointed the Jay Garrick Flash as their mayor.


Technobabble

The implantable bio-stimulant which Curtis developed costs $250,000 per unit to manufacture.

12,000 people per year suffer spinal injuries that leave them paralyzed.

The bee drones are capable of remotely jamming all WiFi frequencies and cel-phone signals within a certain radius - at least large enough to cover a large skyscraper - by broadcasting hundreds of different kinds of radio frequenceies

The bee drones stingers are capable of penetrating police-grade Kevlar, as well as Green Arrow's armor.

Curtis uses the same cel-phone he was given to help Team Arrow with rescuing Ray Palmer in 406 to locate The Bunker.

The command console Felicity used in The Bunker is a STAR Labs 5000 Exostation.

The idol that Baron Reiter seeks allows him to command the primordial energies that flow through all things.

The bee drones are able to lock together to form a man-size armored figure.

The bee drones are capable of digging their way inside a human body and self-replicating, eventually bursting out of the victim's body as a swarm. One of the Palmer Tech Board of Director's dies in this fashion and Oliver nearly dies the same way.

The bee drones are also capable of adapting on the fly (no pun intended), so that any method used to disable them won't work a second time. This is why Curtis can't hack them after doing so once and instead develops a sonic-based solution to deal with the drones inside Oliver.

Curtis figures that if the bee drones are modeled on real bees, they'll operate on a singular frequency to orient themselves. If he can disrupt the frequency, they can disperse the colony. This requires a portable sonic projector (i.e. Laurel's Canary Cry choker)

Curtis explains that Laurel's Canary Cry choker works by reading her vocal emissions and then reprocessing them via digital output into a multi-channel sound. One Mariah Carey impersonation is all it takes to disable the drones.

Felicity uses an autonomous communication device that Curtis designed as a make-shift bomb to blow a hole in the elevator shaft so that they can evacuate the board room. Curtis had yet to figure out how to make the devices not explode.

The Bug Eyed Bandit now controls her drones through neural implants.

Bees are dying off at a rate of 30% per year.

The reason the Bug Eyed Bandit wants the implantable bio-stimulant is because she has a tumor on her L4 Vertebrate that can be removed with surgery but will leave her paralyzed.

The bee drones are made up of elastic nanotubes, ultarsonic motors and piezoceramic elements.

Curtis deciphers the upgrade protocol of the bees, developing a virus that - the next time the drones upgrade - will disperse throughout the swarm. He develops a trick arrow with a computer virus payload that will transmit when shot close to the drones.


Dialogue Triumphs

(As Thea talks about her boyfriend needing a new job.)
Laurel: Palmer Tech. They're hiring a new head of Public Relations.
Ollie: ... oh.
Laurel: (quietly) I just heard that from... someone.
Ollie: (smiling) Laurel. She's not Voldemort. And I'm fine. (To Thea) That's a good idea. You should tell Alex to talk to Felicity.
Thea: Mmm-hmm.
Ollie: What?
Thea: Nothing it's just... it's shocking you know who Voldemort is.
Ollie: Well, I'm not immune to pop culture! I've read a few of the Harry Potter books.
John: Really? I was going to bet Thea that you just saw the movies.
Ollie: There were movies?

(Darhk is chained down in a visiting room in Iron Height's Prison. Merlyn steps out of the shadows.)
Merlyn: I thought you just lost your magic, but your charm seems to be waning, as well.
Darhk: How in the hell did you get in here?!
Merlyn: I used to be Ra's Al Ghul.
Darhk: Yes. This I know. What I'm less clear of is why my resources haven't been deployed to get me out of here.
Merlyn: Well, that's what I'm here to explain.
Darhk: Although my time in here might be limitless, Malcolm, my patience isn't!
Merlyn: That's cute. As I was saying, I've been in touch with your resources. And they don't seem to have any love left for you, Damien. Something to do with "hocus" and "pocus"and "killing fellow members when you get miffed". HIVE is moving forward with Genesis but not with you. They like you here. Out of trouble. But they do wish you the best of luck with your trial.
(Darhk grunts and tries to grab Merlyn with the telekinesis he no longer has, on reflex.  Merlyn laughs at the pitiful attempt.) Merlyn: Don't be embarrassed. Performance issues are common for men of your age.

Laurel: Oliver, it's okay to miss Felicity.
Oliver: I-I appreciate what you're doing, but I don't think you're the-
Laurel: - person to help you through it? Why? Because of what we used to have?
Oliver: Yeah.
Laurel: I thought maybe that just gave me a little insight.
Oliver: Well, I mean, in fairness, I did wreck what we had too, so...
Laurel: In your defense, you were missing and presumed dead for five years, but that's not what I mean. I know how passionately you love and how much it hurts when that love goes away.
Oliver: Betweem Merlyn, Slade Wilson and Ra's Al Ghul, I thought that I'd be a little...tougher than this by now.
Laurel: That's a different kind of pain. And this takes longer to heal. But I'm here for you.

(After Curtis stumbles into The Bunker and passes out)
Quentin: So can anybody just walk in here?

Curtis: With Felicity trapped inside, you're going to need someone to hack them. But I'll have to "bee" careful.
(Curtis laughs. He is the only one who does.)
Curtis: It's too soon for bee puns, right?
Oliver: (coldly) Let's assume that it is.

Donna: They just got their butt kicked by that... bee man!
Felicity: (To Thea) This is why we leave the nicknames to Cisco.
Donna: What?
Felicity: Inside joke.

(Regarding the drones inside Oliver)
John: When these things hit critical mass, there's-
Curtis: It's gonna be like John Hurt in Aliens! Sorry! When I get nervous, I make pop culture references!

Oliver: It just doesn't seem fair that I can save a city and not save my relationship.
Laurel: Oliver, life's not fair. Whether you're in Star City or Ivy Town. But you're right. You can save this city. You do it every night. You're a beacon of hope to people. I just wish you would try and use some of that hope for yourself.

(After Murmur beats his two minions to death.)
Darhk: I know you're probably asking yourself, "Self, what the hell just happened?" It turns out your friend - my new friend - Mr. Amar, has a soft spot for his only surviving relative. A grandmother in Monument Point. It is amazing what people will tell you with a few phone calls and a kind voice. Anyway-
(Darkh glances down at the minions and realizes they aren't moving)
Darhk: Are they dead?  Are they dead?!  NO! (To Murmur) I had this wonderful speech about how I was gonna kill your grandmother had you not killed them. (sighs) Never mind...

Thea:  Ollie's going to be fine. He always is.
Felicity: Well, unfortunately, in Oliver's case,"he always is" isn't an accurate predictive meter.
(Thea sighs and steps away from Felicity.)
Felicity: Sorry. I'm just sick of worrying. I'm sick of the violence.
Thea: Yeah, and so am I, okay?  Of course I am! But we put up with it! We push past it. Because what we do is important, okay? We have to be that beacon of hope. Nobody else is.
Felicity: YOU'RE the beacon of hope. I quit the team because I couldn't stand to work with Oliver. But now that I'm out, I look at life from a different perspective. I mean, look around you! Thea, we're in a "Die Hard" movie with bees! Maybe I'm meant for great things. Maybe I'm not. But whatever it is, it's not this. (sighs) I'm sorry. I'm not coming back.

Thea: Don't you miss this? I mean, I know you said that you wanted to get away from it all... but how could you?
Felicity: What do you mean?
Thea: This? The thrill of it? The rush? I mean, we just took down a bad bee-yotch tonight. It doesn't get any better than this.
Felicity: I was never in it for that. Not ever. I wanted to make a difference. Be part of that beacon of hope you speak of.
Thea: So come back. Rejoin the team.
Felicity: I think I figured out another way. Actually, that insane bee-lady gave me the idea, ironically. To remake the company. To use the technology that helped me walk again to make lives better. To make Palmer Tech into the beacon of hope.


Dialogue Disasters

Every thrice-damned bee pun from The Bug Eyed Bandit and Curtis.


Continuity

The Bug Eyed Bandit appears for the first time since F118.

The Star City mayoral election is April 6, 2016.

Ollie is capable of fighting and defeating Laurel and Thea at the same time in an escrima stick fight. He can take down Diggle in a one-on-one match when Diggle is tired.

Murmur, last seen in 316, is seen in Iron Height's Prison threatening Damien Darhk with his gang. Eventually, it is revealed that he is now working for Darhk, due to his grandmother being threatened.

Curtis once again voices his theory that The Green Arrow was someone in Palmer Tech's data-processing department named Neal Adams, from 404.

Oliver calls the current Team Arrow hideout The Bunker.

Curtis recognizes Oliver Queen, Laurel Lance and Quentin Lance by sight. He recalls meeting John Diggle, but can't place remember his name.

Felicity kept files on various criminals on the computers in The Bunker. Curtis finds one on The Dodger - the jewel thief Team Arrow fought in 115.

The idol gives Richer super-strength, telekinesis and makes him bullet-proof.

The Bug Eyed Bandit figures out that Felicity was the hacker who put her in prison.

Curtis turns the been drones against The Bug Eyed Bandit. She is stung repeatedly and left in a coma.

Curtis decides he's had enough adventure and that he's done helping Team Arrow.

Felicity has an idea on how to use Palmer Tech to make people's lives better.

At the end of the episode, Merlyn speaks to Andy Diggle about how Dhark called him an ace in the hole.


The Fridge Factor

With Felicity out of the picture, it seems like the writers are trying to nudge Laurel and Oliver back together with the interaction between the two of them in this episode.  The only problem is that Laurel's speech - in which she gently encourages Ollie to be nicer to Curtis and to be the beacon of hope the city needs - flies in the face of every bit of characterization she's had in the past three years. Ollie even points out how she's the last person who should be trying to comfort him regarding his screwing up his relationship with Felicity and she's definitely the last person in the world who should be giving Oliver a hard time over lying to a loved one. Remember Season Three and the lengths Laurel went through to hide Sara's death from Quentin?


The Bottom Line

As a focus on Felicity, it's great. As a filler episode, it's okay, though The Bug Eyed Bandit is easily the most annoying special guest villain ever.. As an effort to set Curtis up as the latest member of Team Arrow, it's less successful, with the script trying way too hard to make Curtis into a Felicity/Cisco hybrid in spite of the character being relatively restrained in most of his previous appearances. In fact, most of the humor in the episode is forced even ignoring the bee puns.

The real shocker is that  Laurel gets a few good moments here and Katie Cassidy carries them off well. Which probably means the writers are actually putting some effort into making Laurel seem like the Laurel we liked in Season One before she is killed off.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 18 - All-Star Team Up

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




Plot

Barry's new partnership with Eddie Thawne and Joe West as The Flash is making fighting crime more efficient. Unfortunately, hiding Barry's secret is taking a toll on Eddie and Iris's relationship. And Barry is having trouble hiding his mistrust of Dr. Wells and his friends at STAR Labs.

It's the worst time for a visit so naturally Felicity Smoak comes to town, with Ray Palmer in tow, to seek STAR Labs advice on how to improve The ATOM suit. But Barry may be thankful for the back-up, as a mysterious menace threatens the scientific community of Central City with a deadly bee weapon.

Bees. My God.


Influences

The comics of Gardner Fox, particular his work on The Flash, The Atom and All-Star Comics.


Goofs

Apart from the connection to The Atom, there's no good reason to call this week's villain The Bug Eyed Bandit.  Queen Bee would make much more sense given that she only uses robot bees. Plus she didn't actually rob anyone.

Ray Palmer builds a multi-million dollar power armor suit... and doesn't make it water proof?


Performances

The chemistry between Emily Bett Rickards and Brandon Routh as Felicity and Ray is amazing. What a shame we Arrow-Heads already know the relationship has gone south.

Grant Gustin is cursed to be a straight-man 90% of the time on this show. Yet he gets to showcase his comedic and dramatic skills quite well in this episode. The former comes as he plays the fifth wheel at the dinner date and the later comes in his speech to Iris where he tries to defend Eddie Thawne's odd behavior.


Artistry

The shot of the bees emerging from the second victim's mouth is truly horrific.

There's a parallel made in this episode between Barry and Ollie, with Barry telling Iris that he just wants her to be happy with Eddie. This is the exact same thing Oliver told Felicity when he found out she was dating Ray, on Arrow.


Flash Facts

The title for this episode comes from All-Star Comics - a 1940's series which was the first comic to team-up the most popular heroes of All-American Publications, which was one of the two companies that joined to form DC Comics.

The first superhero team - The Justice Society of America - first appeared in All-Star Comics #3.

The original Flash and Atom - Jay Garrick and Al Pratt- were among the eight founding members of The Justice Society.

In the episode's opening scene, Barry makes a reference to catching someone committing indecent exposure in Powell Park. This could be a reference to Desmond Powell - a character from the 1990s The Flash TV show, who was the vigilante Nightshade.  Nightshade, in turn, was based on The Sandman - another JSA founder and another Gardner Fox creation.

Indecent exposure is also known as 'flashing'.  So The Flash caught a flasher in this episode.

We see another reference to Hudson University - a college in DC Comics that is nominally located in upstate New York.  Perhaps they have a campus in Central City.

Cisco paraphrases a line from Raiders of the Lost Ark - "Bees. Why did it have to be bees?".  The original line referred to Indiana Jones' fear of snakes.

Cisco and Caitlin make reference to the opening of the 1953 Adventures of Superman show, quoting the introduction to the show "Look, up in the sky - it's a bird!  It's a plane!" This is also a reference to the fact that Brandon Routh, who plays Ray Palmer, also played Clark Kent/Superman in the 2006 movie Superman Returns.

In the comics, the original Bug-Eyed Bandit was an inventor named Bertram Larvan, who invented a robot insect that could be used to eliminate real insects. Unable to secure the financial backing needed to mass produce his robots, he resolved to steal the money he needed with his prototype... then just kept on stealing, as he built more and more robotic insects and arachnids.  He would go on to be a frequent nemesis of The Atom, until he accidentally dosed himself with amnesia gas and forgot all about his evil plans.

The DCTVU version of The Bug Eyed Bandit is similar, except that she is a woman named Brie Larvan. Also, she seems to be less interested in money and more interested in revenge on the people responsible for her losing her job.

Ray Palmer quotes the opening of the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man - "We have the technology."

Ray makes another reference to the solution to his problems with his suit to be "going smaller".  In the comics, Ray Palmer's super-power is shrinking.

Felicity makes a reference to not charging Barry five cents for her advice.  This is a reference to the old Peanuts comic-strip, where Lucy offered advice for five cents.


Technobabble

Anaphylkaxis is the medical term for a severe allergic reaction.

Apitoxin is the technical term for honey bee venom.

When a honey bee stings a target, their stingers are torn from their abdomen. This kills the honey bee.

A honey bee can only deposit .1 milligrams of apitoxin when it stings a target. Dr. Linsay Kang, the first murder victim, had enough apitoxin in her system to kill a herd of elephants.

Bees communicate by releasing pheromones.

Angry bees will wait for a target to surface for air, should they submerge themselves under water.

The ATOM Suit has solid oxide fuel cells in the belt. According to Ray, this was the only way to hide the hardware.

Cisco theorizes the problem may be the operating temperature and that the suit is overheating. He suggests that a ceramic compound might insulate the fuel cells and improve the overall operating efficiency.

Barry's suit has a built in defibrillator capable of generating a shock of 400 joules.

Brie Larvan's robot bees each have a 360 degree vision system, with multiple micro-cameras capable of recording from various angles at the same time.

The mechanical bees were originally developed for agricultural uses.  Brie Larvan weaponized them for military uses.

The bees are controlled wirelessly.  Felicity is able to track them and later hack their signal to shut them down.


Dialogue Triumphs

(looking at the half-full back-seat of his and Eddie's patrol car as they chase a car)
Joe: We're going to run out of room though.
The Flash: I'll take care of it.
(The Flash exits the car at super-speed and grabs Joe West from the passenger's side of the car)
Eddie: (not noticing Joe is gone as he drives) What do you think he meant by that?
(In the blink of an eye, The Flash deposits Joe in the driver's seat of the fleeing car. A second later, the driver is in handcuffs next to Eddie in the police car)
Eddie: Oh!  That's what he meant.
(Cut to the crook's car, where the crook in the passenger's seat is looking behind them, not noticing Joe is now driving the car.)
Crook: I think we lost them.
Joe: Uhhh... no, you didn't. And by the way, you're under arrest.

Dr. Wells: Your ATOM suit is quite the technological achievement, Mr. Palmer.  I'm impressed.
Caitlin: And he is never impressed.
Ray: Well, thank you, but I can't quite seem to keep it up.
Felicity: (quickly cutting in) He means the suit!
Ray: Yeah. I mean the suit.
Felicity: Yeah. I can attest that everything else works just fine! There's nothing we need to fix in that area.
Ray: No, no, no...the sex is great!
Caitlin: God, there's two of them.

(Regarding Iris being kept ignorant of Barry's secret identity)
Joe: Keeping her in the dark keeps her safe.
Eddie: I don't agree.
Joe: Well, I'm her father.
Eddie: And I'm her boyfriend. When does my vote outweigh yours?
Joe: When you become her husband.

(Upon finding out Felicity knows Barry's secret identity)
Eddie: So everyone BUT Iris?
Barry: Feels that way.

Dr. McGee: To what do I owe this visit? Did you finally find my tachyon prototype, or are you here to blackmail me for another one?
Dr. Wells: Do you have another one?

Barry: Iris? Remember when we were kids and Joe would come home from work with that blank expression on his face?
Iris: Yeah. The "Earth To Joe" look. How could I forget?
Barry: I never understood that look until I started working for the CCPD. Showing up at crime scenes and seeing someone murdered? It can be... ugly work. I'm lucky. I get to hide behind the science of it and just stay in my lab, but Eddie... he's out there. Every day. In the darkness. I just think that maybe if he doesn't want to talk to you about his work, it's probably because he wants to keep you in the light.

Caitlin: You're so lucky. Ray's so nice and smart and hot.
Felicity: Yeah, it's kind of like I'm dating Barry but in Oliver's body.
(Felicity turns beet red)
Felicity: A sentence you will never repeat to anyone!


Dialogue Disasters

Every damned bee pun that Brie Larvan makes.


Continuity

Cisco has a fear of bees.

Cisco begins having visions of his death in the alternate timeline in 115.

Dr. Tina McGee is seen for the first time since 109. She refers to the Mercury Labs Tachyon Device, which The Reverse Flash stole in that same episode.

Felicity makes reference to Oliver Queen bringing her a bullet-riddled laptop (A103) and hacking some company's website (A111) before she knew he was The Arrow and coming up with the worst excuses for why he needed her to do these things.

Barry uses his speed powers to generate controlled electrical blasts for the first time, creating a shock that restarts Cisco's heart.

Dr. Tina McGee says that she and Harrison Wells were close friends 15 years earlier but that after Tess Morgan's death it was like he became another person.

Iris dumps Eddie.

Barry tells Cisco and Caitlin his suspicions about Harrison Wells being The Reverse Flash.

Cisco tells Caitlin, Barry and Joe about his visions of Harrison Wells being the Reverse-Flash and killing him.


The Boomerang Factor

There's no reason Barry shouldn't have been able to outrun the bee robots.


The Bottom Line

Mostly dreadful. The show is now openly mocking how contrived it is that Iris is the only person who doesn't know Barry Allen's secret identity at this point and Barry is nerfed so that The Atom can be useful and Felicity can have a nemesis. Never mind that she already had one in The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak.  And yet, the cast manage to make most of this work through sheer charisma, with the exception of Emily Kinney, who portrays the villain of the week with a cheesiness that makes Uma Thurman's performance as Poison Ivy look restrained.