The Flash Episode Guide: Season 4, Episode 5 - Girls Night Out

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



Plot

Felicity Smoak comes to town to help throw Iris' bachelorette party but Caitlin's past may ruin the night. Meanwhile, Ralph takes the male members of Team Flash out for a night they'll never forget... no matter how hard they try.


Influences

The Flash comics of Geoff Johns (character of Blacksmith), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Killer Frost taking over Caitlin's body while she's asleep) and various Justice League comics where hilarity ensued during Guy's Night Out/Girl's Night Out events.


Goofs

As Felicity notes, STAR Labs needs a security system. Now. The running gag about how easy it is to walk in there has gone on long enough.

Joanie Horton says that she's been a Doctor Who fan since The Doctor became a woman. At the time this episode aired, The Doctor had yet to become a woman - a change that was planned for the 2017 Christmas Special. (Perhaps Doctor Who had a female Doctor before our universe in The DCTVU?)

The fight choreography when Iris attacks Norvok is terrible, with Norvok acting as if he's been hit despite Candice Patton not coming close to him as she waves her tray around.


Performances

It's a great episode for both Candice Patton and Danielle Panabaker. The former is given a chance to play the more proactive Iris fans have been clamoring for since Season One. The later is given a chance to add some depth to her Killer Frost persona. Both actresses play well off of each other and they prove more than capable of holding the spotlight for the span of an episode.


Artistry

The script for this episode does a fantastic job in tackling several problems with the show - i.e. Killer Frost's lack of a personality beyond being enthusiastically evil and the lack of any real relationship between Iris and Caitlin outside the context of dealing with weird superhero stuff. There's also a lot of funny moments in the B-plot with Barry and the boys at Ralph's favorite strip club.


Flash Facts

Caitlin is seen buying an airplane ticket on-line for Ferris Air. In the original comics, Ferris Aircraft was the aerospace, defense and later airline which employed Green Lantern Hal Jordan and was owned and operated by Star Sapphire Carol Ferris. In The DCTVU, Ferris Air is a major airline.

Ralph is seen wearing a paisley shirt with dark and light shades of purple in the pattern at Barry's bachelor party. In the comics, purple is Ralph Dibny's favorite color and most of his costumes have made use of the color.

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.

Amunet Black a.k.a. Blacksmith first appeared in The Flash: Iron Heights (August 2001). For fifteen years, Black ran a lucrative black market in Central City, exclusively catering to super-villains needing to fence exotic goods or acquire special gear. During this time, she married the villain Goldface, stealing his formula that gave him super-strong golden skin and altering it so that it gave her the power to merge organic and inorganic materials, such as giving herself metal skin. She attempted to organize her own team of Rogues, bringing her into conflict with both The Flash and Captain Cold's team of ethical robbers.

The DCTVU version of Blacksmith appears to have the ability to telekinetically influence certain kinds of metal, (specifically alnico alloys), reshaping a tin full of bolts and screws into a gauntlet, bullets and a shield as needed in her battle with Killer Frost. She is also a crime-boss with a lot of connections and several metahumans in her employ who has been running a black market in Central City for at least three years.

Ralph suggests that he might be able to stretch the skin on his finger-tip into a key to unlock the door to the jail cell in the CCPD Drunk Tank. In the comics, Ralph did indeed pull this stunt a few times with his powers.


Technobabble

Felicity is able to track Killer Frost's unique cold signature using the STAR Labs satellite.

When ingested, the dark matter in The Weeper's tears alters the brain function like a psychoactive drug - specifically, an aphrodisiac.

Blacksmith has the power to control alnico alloys - metals made of aluminum, nickle and cobalt.

Felicity is able to use the STAR Labs satellite to scan Central City on a geological level for small traces of aluminium, nickle and cobalt.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Barry, Cisco and Harry discuss the difficulty in tracking down the DeVoe Barry was told would become one of his greatest enemies by his future self.)
Cisco: Do you know how many people there are, in this state alone, with the name DeVoe?
Barry: No.
Harry: Thousands. And we still don't have an age.
Cisco: Unless one of your greatest foes is three-month-old William DeVoe, who lives four blocks from here.
Barry: I don't think one of my greatest enemies is a baby.
Cisco: (cutesy voice) Evil killer baby!
Harry: Ehhhh... could happen.
Barry: You're right.

(The male members of Team Flash enter into The Golden Booty - a strip club Ralph frequents.)
Ralph: What do you think?
Cisco: I think I should have brought some hand sanatizer.
Harry: (squirting some liquid from a small bottle he pulls from his jacket into Cisco's hand) Always come prepared.
Cisco: (rubbing his hands furiously) Ohhhhh yes!
Barry: Ralph, this isn't really my speed.
Ralph: Speed jokes? You're better than that, Allen.
Barry: I wasn't -
(A dancer walks past and treats Ralph with a wide smile and a hand on the shoulder.)
Dancer: Hey, Ralphie.
Harry: Uh - Disney? You're a regular in this joint?
Ralph: Oh, so much more than that!
(Ralph walks over to where a framed picture of him hangs on a support beam.)
Ralph: The girls may not be bottomless, but for yours truly, the french fries always are!

(Cisco is admonishing Ralph for using his powers to make change from a stranger's pile of bills at the next table.)
Cisco: It's not about your sticky fingers. It's about your stretchy arm outwardly displayed.
Ralph: (sarcastically) Oh, so I should be more like Captain Discrete over there?
(Ralph looks to the bar, where Barry is standing.)
Barry: (clearly drunk) I'm The Flash!
(The crowd of strangers around Barry cheers as he smiles idiotically.)
Cisco: I may have slightly miscalculated his bachelor elixir.

(As the ladies are sneaking into Amunet's club behind Killer Frost.)
Felicity: All right, do you think they're going to be able to tell that we don't exactly fit in here?
Iris: Well, it was your idea to wear boas, so... no.

(Blacksmith is trying to persuade Killer Frost to work for her again.)
Blacksmith: A deal like this requires a lady's touch. In your case, strength. And I'll cut you in for 10%.
(Killer Frost just stares at Blacksmith.)
Blacksmith: 15% and I throw in not killing you right now for your misguided rebellion and that is only because I've got forgiveness in my kidneys, right?
Killer Frost: I think you meant heart.
Blacksmith: No. There's no "beat-beat" in this chest, sister.
Killer Frost: As much fun as it is to play "I'm The Bigger Badass", I'm bored. And like I said...I'm done.
Blacksmith: (sighs) Do you know what everyone's mistake in business is? Hmm?  Not realizing who has the power in the room.
(Blacksmith lowers her hand as a tin full of bolts and screws begins to shake ominously.) 

Iris: There is a part of you that is good and decent. You just don't know how to accept it.
Killer Frost: You think you know me now?!
Iris: No. But I do know what Caitlin looks like when she's scared. And you have that same look in your eyes right now. You're just as afraid of being Caitlin as Caitlin is of being Killer Frost.

(Joe stands up and raises his arms, trying to take charge of the fight in The Golden Booty.)
Joe: Everybody stop! I'm a cop!
(Somebody hits Joe with a chair, knocking him down. Barry stands up and raises his arms up in the same way Joe did. He is still clearly drunk.)
Barry: I'm The Flash!

Caitlin: I never should have come back.
Iris: That's not true, Caitlin. You can always come back to your friends. Why didn't you tell any of us?
Caitlin: I didn't know who to talk to.
Iris: You could have talked to me! I'm your friend, Caitlin!
Caitlin: Work friend. I mean, it's not like you and I have become "besties" over the last few years.
Iris: (sighs) Yeah, I guess we haven't.


Dialogue Disasters

The totally forced #feminism moment. At least they didn't say "girl power"!


Continuity

Ralph has now mastered stretching his torso and snaking around.

There are thousands of people with the last name DeVoe in the same state as Central City.

Caitlin is seen buying airplane tickets for a Ferris Air flight.

Joanie Horton is a Doctor Who fan, saying that she asked her mother for a sibling "seven Doctors ago." At the time of this episode's airing, and including The War Doctor and the announced but as of yet unseen Thirteenth Doctor, that would equate to about 1996 and the premiere of The Eighth Doctor. This would fit Joanie Horton's age as a college student in her early twenties.

Iris says she will be hyphenating her last name after getting married.

Felicity refers to the events of A416 and how Oliver got shot with an arrow during their fake wedding to lure out Cupid.

Killer Frost gave a scar to Norvok.

The Golden Booty is a strip-club in Central City with a $4.95 all-you-can-eat steak and chicken buffet. Ralph Dibny is a regular customer and on good enough terms with the management and dancers that there is a framed picture of him on the wall. He also gets bottomless french fries.

Killer Frost is confirmed to be a split-personality, separate from Caitlin Snow. She is unaware of everything Caitlin knows, not recognizing Iris West as one of Caitlin's friends. She is somewhat aware of Caitlin's actions, however, telling Iris that Caitlin was going to skip town because she got involved in something bad. Later, Caitlin reveals that she doesn't remember much of what goes on when Killer Frost is in charge.

Cecile Horton refers to the events of 320 and her being kidnapped by Killer Frost.

Harry is astonished by the fact that exotic dancers make more in a month than teachers. Apparently teachers on Earth Two are better paid than strippers.

Joanie Horton is dancing at The Golden Booty under the name Jasmine. She says that she's doing it as research for a book she's writing on the female experience in modern society.

Norvok is Blacksmith's third-favorite henchman. Killer Frost is her favorite because she listens.

Blacksmith believes in the idea of not starting a fight unless you are sure you can finish it.

The fourth new metahuman is revealed as a man dubbed "The Weeper". His tears cause intense euphoria in those who drink his liquid. Blacksmith sells the liquid in her club as a drug with the street-name "Love".

Blacksmith runs a black market in Central City. Cecilia Horton knows of Amunet Black but hasn't been able to build a case against her.

Killer Frost explains that Caitlin Snow made contact with Blacksmith in order to acquire some technology that could keep her Killer Frost personality under control six months earlier. The tech only worked when Caitlin was awake, however.

Caitlin worked for Blacksmith as an enforcer to pay for the tech. She did not kill anyone with her powers, though Killer Frost says that some people lost toes and fingers.

The Incredible Hulk exists in the DCTVU as a fictional character.

Killer Frost knows another "breacher" besides Cisco who can get her to another Earth.

Caitlin confirms that the cure Blacksmith gave her didn't work all the way. She also confirms that Killer Frost is becoming more powerful and taking over for longer.

Joe West is almost 50.

The Weeper flees the scene once freed, refusing Iris' offer of help.

Ralph is permanently banned from The Golden Booty.

Joe agrees not to tell Cecilia about Joanie's job.

Iris asks Caitlin to be her Maid of Honor.

In the final scene, The Weeper is seen being chased by The Thinker, who says he can't leave until he's completed the task for which he was created.


The Fridge Factor

Averted, with all the seriousproblems of the episode being addressed by the women without superpowers.


The Bottom Line

A solid episode. Blacksmith is fairly forgettable as a villain, despite Katie Sackhoff's spirited performance and the comedy of Barry's bachelor party has been done before and done better, despite having a few funny moments.

What sells this episode and makes it as good as it is is the chemistry between Danielle Panabaker and Candice Patton and a script that finally develops an honest friendship between two women who, honestly, have not interacted that much and really have no reason to do so outside of the context of their work as hostile metahuman fighters.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 23 - Finish Line

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



Plot

The Speed Force Bazooka has failed and Iris West is dead. Now, Team Flash struggles to move past their grief to find some way of stopping Savitar before he kills again.


Influences

The Flash: Terminal Velocity (Savitar, The Flash trying to save the life of the woman he loves after witnessing a dark future), The Flash: Out Of Time (The Flash fighting a corrupted future version of himself), The Flash: Lightning Strikes Twice (the Speed Force storms at the end of the episode) and Doctor Who (general wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey shenanigans and the use of the phrase Reverse The Polarity Of The Neutron Flow)


Goofs

Why didn't Savitar go chasing after HR and Iris himself? Even without the armor, he's got to be faster than Killer Frost.

Why doesn't Barry try to run HR to the hospital? If he's hanging on long enough to explain what he did and say his goodbyes, there's plenty of time for the Fastest Man Alive to get him to the ER.

How is it that everybody except HR forgets that Barry knowing about their plans is a bad thing?

Given the relative eternity Savitar had to hone his powers and become The God Of Speed, why didn't he also take the time to develop the skills he needed to build a quantum splicer himself?

Harry's speech to Tracy, while well-delivered, turns out to be completely pointless since Tracy doesn't wind up having to do anything for the rest of the episode except be heart-broken.

With Savitar having been removed from existence thanks to Iris not dying, shouldn't The Speed Force trap that contained Savitar also have blinked out of existence since there was no need for it ever to be made?

The one thing missing from this episode?  Jesse Quick. We really needed her to show up again to make this tribute to Season 3 feel complete.


Performances

It's hard to say who does a better job playing multiple versions of the same character here - Grant Gustin or Tom Tom Cavanagh,

After being given precious little to do this season, Candice Patton makes up for it here.


Artistry

The image of Barry outrunning the exploding Philosopher's Stone while carrying Iris is a striking one.


Flash Facts

Barry makes reference to begging his parents to take him to a science expo in Midway City as a child.  In the DC Comics Universe, Midway City was home to the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Depending on the story, it was either in Illinois and was based on Chicago (in much the same way Metropolis was based on New York City) or was located in Michigan, near Sault Ste. Marie.

Savitar makes reference to a villain named Devoe that Barry has yet to face, whose defeat required the use of a cerebral inhibitor. This is likely a reference to Cliff Devoe a.k.a. The Thinker - a Golden Age super-villain and enemy of the Jay Garrick Flash. Devoe was the District Attorney of Keystone City and - frustrated with his inability to put a major crime-boss away -  decided to switch sides. He offered his skills as a strategist to other criminals, eventually coming to head his own gang. He also took possession of a device he called The Thinking Cap, which further enhanced his intelligence and gave him the powers of telepathy and telekinesis.

In assessing the damage at STAR Labs, Cisco asks Wally to "reverse the polarity on the neutron flow". This is close to a stock phrase, "Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow", which was used in a good deal of science-fiction television.

The phrase was first used in the original Doctor Who series and was said by The Third Doctor actor Jon Pertwee. Writer Terrence Dicks recalled that Pertwee had trouble remembering some of the technobabble the writers came up with but he did like the line "reverse the polarity" and asked Dicks to use the line more often. Dicks obliged. Curiously, while The Third Doctor often said "reverse the polarity", he only uttered the full phrase "reverse the polarity of the neutron flow" twice in the show's history. Future Doctors, however, did make use of the full phrase.


Technobabble

Julian - with the help of Caitlin's mother - develops an experimental gene therapy that will rewrite Caitlin's meta-DNA and restore her to normal.

Savitar asks Vibe to turn the Speed Force Bazooka into a intradimensonal quantum splicer. This device, once connected to The Speed Force, will allow Savitar to splice himself across all of time, existing at every possible moment.

Savitar refers to a device called a cerebral inhibitor that was used to stop a villain named Devoe.

By changing the polarity of the climbing arc on The Speed Force Bazooka, Cisco changed it into a Speed Force Skeleton Key which retrieved Jay Garrick from the prison in The Speed Force.

Cisco asks Wally, in trying to access the damage at STAR Labs following the Earthquake, to reverse the polarity on the neutron flow.

The earthquakes recorded by Central City University measured 6.6 and 7.2 on the Richter Scale.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Barry pulls up the future newspaper image in the Time Vault. It has changed back to how it originally was, with Iris-West Allen writing the story about The Flash's disappearance.)
Iris: Iris West-Allen.
Barry: It changed back!
(Iris gasps as the two hug. Joe looks at the image in disbelief.)
Joe: Does that mean what I think it means?
Barry: Yeah, Joe. The future is ours again.
(Barry pulls Joe into a group hug with Iris.)

(Savitar staggers as he has flashes of new memories. He begins to slowly and uneasily walk away from where Killer Frost has Vibe pinned down.)
Killer Frost: Savitar?
Savitar: (frantically) Something's...wrong!
Killer Frost: What is it?
Savitar: She's... not dead.
(Vibe looks up, hope starting to fill his face.)
Killer Frost: How is that possible?
Savitar: HR!  He took her place!
Vibe: (softly) HR...
Killer Frost: I- I thought you said HR lived?
Savitar: Not anymore!
Killer Frost: (thoughtfully) If Iris doesn't die...
Vibe: ... that means the future's changing.
Savitar: (moving towards Vibe) So is yours!

Barry: I wasn't sure you'd come. Must be an odd sensation? Getting new memories? You having an uncertain future.
Savitar: What do you want? I'm busy.
Barry: (laughs) Doing what? Getting erased from existence?
Savitar: We'll see which one of us gets erased.
Barry: Are you still planning on becoming a god?
Savitar: Cisco and Caitlin are still alive. If that's what you're worried about.
Barry: Oh, I know. You need them, right? To pull off your grand ascension?
Savitar: Look, Barry - if I wanted to talk to myself, I could have done that back at my lair. What do you want?
Barry: I want to help you.
Savitar: (scoffs) Really?
Barry: You don't have much time before the paradox reaches you. Come back to STAR Labs. Let Cisco and Caitlin go and let us figure out a way to save you.
Savitar: You really think I'd trust you?
Barry: You showed up. So you remember me coming here. Did I have any tricks up my sleeve? Was I.. was I planning on blindsiding you?
Savitar: I dunno, Barry. Maybe I get off on watching you grovel.
Barry: No, I don't think that's it. I think you're hearing me. I'm still in there. Deep down, buried beneath the scars and the pain, that part of you that... it must feel so lonely. But it also knows what it's like to have a family. To have friends. You can have all that back.We can stop hurting each other.
(There is a long pause as Savitar seems to consider this. Barry finally speaks again.)
Barry: I remember when I was six, and ah...I begged Mom and Dad to let me go to the science expo in Midway. And uh, well. we got a flat tire on that dirt road, no spare, so we were towed to that garage in a tiny little one-street town. Of course we were stuck there all day. And we got ice cream. And French fries with gravy at that little diner. And then that night we watched the local fireworks show.  Actually turned out to be a great day. And it's my favorite memory of Mom and Dad. What was the name of that town?
Savitar: (quietly) ... Masonville.
Barry: I'm still in there. Come home.

(Tracy is in her lab space at STAR Labs. Harry Wells enters behind her. Tracy sees his reflection, and spins around, gasping.)
Harry: I - uh, I'm not HR. My name is Harrison Wells. I'm from a different Earth.. in the Multiverse... how to explain this?
Tracy: ... you're his doppelganger?
Harry: ... yeah. Something like that. Look - these people? They're good people. And they need your help.
Tracy: By helping the bad guy that I spent weeks trying to stop? No! I won't do it. The only reason I agreed was because of HR.
Harry: HR needs your help.
Tracy: HR is dead!
Harry: That's why you need to stay! Because of what Savitar took from you! Because of what Savitar took from HR! Everything! HR paid the price that he did because he loved these people. Because he loved you. And because when the moment came, HR didn't run.

(Killer Frost blasts Savitar with the gun that Cisco made. Energy arcs between the gun, Savitar and the portal into The Speed Force. Suddenly, the energy shifts and Savitar, who momentarily seemed to be splitting into infinite versions of himself, is suddenly quite solid and held by the beam.)
Savitar: What?! No!
(Suddenly, a streak of yellow lightning comes from the portal and circles around, knocking Savitar down. Killer Frost drops the gun in shock as Jay Garrick - The Flash of Earth Three - comes to a stop before her, smiling.)
Jay Garrick: I've been waiting a long time to do that.
Savitar: Garrick?!  How did you-
Vibe: He didn't. I did.
(Vibe enters the scene with The Flash, Kid Flash and Gypsy. Vibe is holding Jay Garrick's helmet, which he tosses to him.) 
Vibe: By changing the polarity of the climbing arc, I changed your Speed Force Splicer into a Speed Force Skeleton Key. Didn't think I was actually going to let you become a god now, did you?

(Savitar charges at Barry, whose back is turned to him as he approaches Caitlin and Cisco. Suddenly, a shot rings out as Savitar falls to the ground. Everyone turns to see Iris West, holding a gun. Savitar stars to crumble into nothing as everyone looks at his body. Barry then moves to Iris, who hugs him.)
Iris: All these months you were trying to save me from him. Look at that - I saved you.

(Iris reaches to one side of the couch and pulls up a box.)
Iris: I can officially mail these.
Barry: What are these?
Iris: Save The Date cards for our wedding. On one of my braver days, I filled them out. I never mailed them not knowing if I would live to see the.ceremony... but now, I guess, it's safe to -
(There's a sudden rush of air as Barry disappears along with the box of invitations. He arrives back two seconds later, smiling widely.)
Barry: Delivered.
Iris: (slapping his shoulder) I wasted a lot of money on stamps, thank you very much!


Continuity

After Iris was captured, HR used the piece of Savitar's armor they still had from 316 to track him and find where Iris was being held. He then used his hologram generator to make himself look like Iris, and vice-versa, allowing Iris to escape while HR was captured in her place.

Before he dies, HR asks Barry to tell Cisco something for him. He also tells Tracy that he loves her and that her future will be glorious.

Barry confirms that the future newspaper story about his disappearing on April 25, 2024 is once again written by Iris West-Allen.

Julian is revealed to have been working on a cure for Caitlin with Caitlin's mother.

Savitar reveals that his Plan B was using Cisco to build a device that would allow him to spread himself across the whole of time. His claims his reason for kidnapping Caitlin was to use her as leverage in getting Cisco to work for him.

Harry Wells is retrieved from Earth Two to convince Tracy to help save Savitar.

Savitar refers to the medical lab at STAR Labs as being the place where they thought up the cerebral inhibitor they used against a villain named Devoe. He then states that they haven't gotten to that point yet.

Gypsy sensed that Cisco was in danger from across the Multiverse because they are connected.

The one thing The Black Flash cannot fight, according to Savitar, is cold. This is the true reason why Savitar kept Killer Frost around - to kill The Black Flash before it could stop him.

Vibe ultimately shows Killer Frost mercy and offers her the cure to her condition. Killer Frost then saves Vibe when Savitar is about to kill him for ruining his plan.

Barry is able to vibrate through Savitar's armor and knock him out of it, taking control of it. When Barry is in the armor, it glows red rather than blue.

Barry destroys Savitar's armor by vibrating through it.

Savitar is ultimately killed by Iris, who shoots him as he is about to try and kill Barry.

HR is buried with a tombstone with a statement that is often mistakenly attributed to Mark Twain - "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." (Thanks to JeffRo for pointing out that Mark Twain never said this.)

Barry, Wally, Joe, Iris, Tracy, Jay, Harry, Julian, Cisco and Gypsy all attend HR's funeral.

Iris tells a story about John Lennon at HR's funeral. The story goes that, as a child, Lennon was asked by a teacher to write down what he wanted to be when he grew up. Lennon wrote a single word. "Happy." The teacher told Lennon that he didn't understand the assignment. Lennon told the teacher that they didn't understand life.  HR Wells, Iris concludes, did understand life. (It is worth mentioning that there is no evidence that John Lennon ever said this. Thanks to JeffRo for pointing this out.)

Cisco leaves HR's drumsticks on his grave.

At HR's funeral, Barry tells Cisco what HR's message to him was "That doing this took strength that he gave to me."

Caitlin shows up at the end of the funeral. She returns the cure to Julian, saying that she's not Caitlin Snow or Killer Frost and she needs time alone to figure out who or what she is now.

Iris refers to the song Barry sang to her in 317 and they agree it should be the song for their first dance as husband and wife at their wedding.

Central City does not experience earthquakes.

Jay and Barry realize that the storms causing the Earthquakes are being caused by the release of the energy from The Speed Force Trap. Someone has to go back into it to balance the energy and - it is revealed - The Speed Force wants Barry.

The Speed Force manifests to Barry in the form of his mother.

Barry asks Wally to carry on for him as The Flash.

HR agrees to stay on Earth One to help out.

Julian agrees to stick with Team Flash as well.

Barry says Cisco will have to be the one to lead the team now.


The Fridge Factor

Averted hardcore, with Iris being the one to save Barry from Savitar after a season of being the damsel in distress.


The Bottom Line

Much like Season 3 itself, it's a mixed bag made more tolerable by some fantastic performances. The most vexing part is the lack of some of the best bits of the season (i.e. Danielle Pannabaker as Killer Frost is largely sidelined for most of the episode and Jesse Quick is completely absent) while bits that didn't really work at all (i.e. Gypsy's "romance" with Cisco) are given a prominence that doesn't feel deserved.

I may stand alone on this, but I felt more grieved by the loss of Tracy and HR's love than I did Barry and Iris' separation at the end of this episode. Is that because we know that this loss is temporary and that Barry has to return, if only because we have a newspaper from the future that says so?  Maybe.  Either way, this season finale wasn't bad but it could have been a lot better.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 17 - Duet

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

Plot

Team Flash is surprised when Mon-El and Hank Henshaw emerge from a breach with an unconscious Supergirl in tow.They tell everyone about The Music Meister - a new telepathic villain who put Kara under his spell. Soon Barry is similarly enscrolled and both heroes find themselves trapped in a world right out of a musical. And if they hope to get out of this one gracefully, they're going to have to sing and dance their way to the end of the story!

Influences

The Mayhem Of The Music Meister! episode of Batman: The Brave And The Bold, the MGM film version of The Wizard of Oz (various lines refer to songs from it, Barry notes that the people around them in the dream world look like people from his and Kara's lives) and various Mr. Mxyzptlk stores from the classic Superman/Supergirl comics (Music Mesiter's powers and general M.O.)

Goofs

Very little about The Music Meister makes sense in terms of powers, power limits and motivations. But hey, it's a musical, so don't worry about it.

Performances

The entire ensemble does a great job with the musical numbers.


Artistry

The set design, costuming and lighting of the musical dream world are fantastic.

The original songs are toe-tapping numbers that will stick with you after the episode is over.

Flash Facts

Grant Gustin (who plays Barry Allen), Melissa Benoist (who plays Supergirl) and Darren Cris (who plays The Music Meister) all previously appeared together in the musical comedy/drama Glee.

The Music Meister was originally created for the cartoon Batman: The Brave And The Bold. A powerful telepath who was bullied for his love of singing and musicals as a child, he discovered that he could control the minds of other people by singing. This resulted in the people under his control bursting out into song, as if they were in a musical production. The episode in which he appeared - The Mayhem Of The Music Meister! - was nominated for an Emmy and frequently places in the top rankings on lists of Television History's greatest musical episodes.

Precisely what The DCTVU version of Music Meister is never explained. J'onn says he was an alien, but his species is never identified. He is able to steal both Barry and Kara's powers and clearly possess some kind of telepathic abilities - presumably how he is able to know so much about everyone and their secrets. He claims his motivations are purely to help mend Barry and Kara's broken hearts. This makes him very much like Mr. Mxyzptlk, whom Kara has already fought once. Oddly enough, nobody else makes this connection in the episode.

The songs featured in this episode include Singing In The Rain from Singing In The Rain, Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Put A Little Love In Your Heart by Jackie DeShannon and More I Cannot Wish You from Guys And Dolls.

The backstage area where Barry meets Kara features several posters for Thurston The Great Magician. This is a reference to Howard Thurston - a stage magician who was certainly the most famous of his time and one of the "Royal Dynasty" of magicians.

John Barrowman - who plays Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow - appears in the dream world as club owner/gangster "Cutter" Moran.

Jeremy Jordan - who plays Winn Schott on Supergirl - appears in the dream world as Grady The Piano Player.

Carlos Valdes - who plays Cisco Ramon on The Flash - appears in the dream world as Pablo The Waiter.

Victor Garber - who plays Dr. Martin Stein on Legends of Tomorrow - appears in the dream world as Digsy Foss's husband/ Millie Foss's other father (who is never named in the whole episode!)

Jesse L. Martin - who plays Joe West on The Flash - appears in the dream world as crime boss Digsy Foss.

Candice Patton - who plays Iris West on The Flash - appears in the dream world as Millie Foss.

Chris Wood - who plays Mon-El on Supergirl - appears in the dream world as Tommy Moran.

The original song - Superfriends - was written by actress/singer/songwriter Rachel Leah Bloom, who is perhaps most famous for her work on the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

The original song - Runnin' Home To You - was written by Pasek and Paul, who also wrote the 2017 Academy Award winning song City of Stars for the movie La La Land.

Technobabble

Kara's vital signs are low after a few hours in The Music Meister's trance.

Caitlin determines that the Speed Force levels in Barry's cells and the amount of solar radiation in Kara's body have been severely depleted by their comas. She speculates that their powers are being drained by The Music Meister.

Dialogue Triumphs

Barry: Who are you exactly?
Mon-El: My name's Mon-El. I'm Kara's...(struggles before spitting out the word) friend.
(Barry just raises an eyebrow.)
Mon-El: We're more... more than... friend?
(Barry looks to Wally.)
Mon-El: We've been kissing a lot.
Caitlin: Oh! She never mentioned she had a boyfriend.
Mon-El: It's a recent thing, so...
J'onn: I thought you two broke up?
(Mon-El looks away as everyone goes awkwardly quiet.)
H.R.: (laughing nervously) I'll tell you what. I know enough not to mention the break-up between Barry and -uh-
Iris: (quietly) H.R.?
H.R.: Sorry...

(Kara and Barry speculate on where they are and how to escape.)
Barry: We just need to figure a way out.
Kara: (smiling) I guess I could click my heels together three times?
Barry: Yeah!
Kara: I was kidding.

(Wally runs into the lab. Everyone is watching Music Meister on a monitor trying to break into a bank with his stolen heat vision. Cisco has changed into the leather jacket for his Vibe costume.)
Mon-El: We've got to bring him in.
Wally: No. Not we. Me. I'm the reason Barry got whammied.
Cisco: We win and we lose as a team. I'm coming with you.
J'onn: I'm coming too.
Cisco: Look, John - I respect this whole special agent situation you've got going on, but this problem right here needs someone with...
(Without saying a word, J'onn shape-shifts into his Martian form.)
Cisco: ... green skin and a sick-ass cape.
J'onn: Call me The Martian Manhunter.
Mon-El: I think you'll find that J'onn is a lot more than just a pretty face.

Millie: Dads, there's no reason to be concerned!
Barry: (stunned) Dads?

Millie's Dads: (in unison) You got a problem with that?
Barry: No. I love musicals. So...

Barry: Wow. Things really are easier in musicals.

Barry: I'll be there in the nick of time if you're ever in a spot.
Kara: And if you're not there in time, you can just go back in time, and give it another shot.
Barry: (spoken) I'm actually not supposed to do that any more.
Kara: (spoken) Oh. Okay.

Continuity

This episode immediately follows the events of S216.

The episode opens with a flashback to Barry's childhood, where he is seen watching Singing In The Rain with his mother.

Kara did not say anything about Mon-El to the heroes of Earth One during the Invasion! storyline.

Kara and Barry are powerless in the dream world.

According to The Music Meister, Kara and Barry created their shared dreamworld together due to their shared love of musicals.

Cisco is revealed to have the power to vibe other people into the dreams of other people.

The Music Meister escapes, with no explanation as to who or what he is.

Kara and Mon-El seem to be back together again as a couple.

Barry proposes to Iris again. She accepts.

Location

The opening flashback takes place at some point in Barry's past before his mother died.

The Bottom Line

Those hoping for a full musical ala the Once More With Feeling episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer may leave this episode sorely disappointed since there's only two original songs and nothing within the context of the original action of the show. Those hoping for something as funny as the classic Brave And The Bold Episode with the cast being forced into a kick-line will be likewise let down. Taken on its own merits, however, this is a solidly amusing episode... except for my own personal opinion that there's better chemistry between Kara and Barry than their respective love interests.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 11 - Dead Or Alive

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



Plot

When a bounty hunter shows up looking for the Harrison Wells of Earth 19, Cisco must fight a duel to the death to save HR's life. Meanwhile, Iris pursues a lead on the high-tech weapons dealer who has set up shop in Central City over both Barry and Joe's objections.


Influences

The Terminator (leather-clad assassin travels across reality), Die Hard (HR parodies a line from the movie in his dream sequence while dictating his new book), Star Wars (Gypsy uses red energy as opposed to Cisco's blue energy, Gypsy's pinning Cisco over a lava flow resembles the Obi-Wan/Darth Vader duel in Revenge Of The Sith), The Fellowship of The Ring movie (Cisco quotes Arwen), This Is Spinal Tap (Gypsy says it is time to turn things up to 11.) and Geoff Johns' Vibe comics.


Goofs

If Gypsy has the power to create precise breach portals, why did she break the windows to gain entry to CC Jitters?  Why not just teleport in?

Why does Gypsy refer to her world as Earth 19?  Isn't the numbering of the Earths based on Cisco's system?  (Maybe he uncovered an official map during his travels cataloging the Earths?)

For that matter, why does Gypsy call her powers vibing when that was Cisco's term for it?


Performances

The whole ensemble does a fantastic job, however brief their roles this week.

Candice Patton finally gets to play the gusty reporter from the comics Iris West is supposed to be for a change and she gets a wonderful metatextual line about needing to be someone besides a daughter, sister or girlfriend.

It's always a nice change when Carlos Valdes gets to play serious and while there is a lot of comedy in this episode (the interactions with Gypsy are cute as hell), Valdes also gets to be an honest to goodness badass as Vibe.


Artistry

There's not a lot of complicated stunt work or complex acting to it, and yet the scene of Wally reveling in the love of his fans (i.e. the bus full of cheerleaders he just saved) and leaving behind a lighting-streaked flame-pattern on the ground after stopping to take a quick selfie with the girls fawning over him (after looking to Barry for approval, of course) is the sort of cheesy, hopeful and upbeat scene that The Flash is all about.

Not quite as upbeat but no less impressive in how everything - direction, acting, special effects, set design - comes together to form something more than the sum of its parts is the whole of Gypsy and Vibe dueling.


Flash Facts

The collector seeking HR is named Gypsy.  In the pre-New 52 DC Comics universe, Gypsy was also the code name of Cindy Reynolds - a metahuman with illusion-crafting powers as well as limited precognitive and astral-projection powers who was part of the same Justice League team as Paco "Vibe" Ramone.

In the New 52 universe, Gypsy was the codename of Cynthia Mordeth - a refugee from a parallel Earth. Here, her connection to Francisco "Vibe" Ramon was that she was on the run from the villain Rupture, who was an evil version of Vibe's older brother from her Earth.

The Gypsy from Earth 19 we see in this episode appears to have the exact same powers as Cisco Ramon but with a far greater degree of control and awareness of how to utilize her power..

Like Vibe in the New 52 universe, Gypsy is able to use her powers to negate the power of The Speed Force and stop speedsters dead in their tracks. She does this with Kid Flash.

Gypsy's costume here resembles that worn by her comic-book counterpart in Gail Simone's Birds of Prey.

There is a brief cameo by the Earth 38 version of Eve Teschmacher - James Olsen's secretary on Supergirl - when Vibe and Gypsy briefly teleport into James Olsen's office.


Technobabble

Cisco calculates that Barry must cover a certain distance in less than .21 seconds to save Iris in the future.

Julian crafts a speed timeline which charts Barry's maximum speed starting out, his current top speed, the rate of improvement across time and notes that assuming the rate of improvement is constant, there is no way Barry can become fast enough to run the required distance in less than .21 seconds before May 2017.

Gypsy has a signature move which Julian dubs "The Breach and Blast" where she jumps through a portal, disappears, reemerges from another portal and blasts the target in the back. Julia discovers that, for a split second when she exits the second portal, her feet are off the ground. This means she is off-balance and vulnerable.

Gypsy and Vibe resonate on a similar frequency.


Dialogue Triumphs

(A group of criminals look over the high-tech gun an arms dealer has assembled.)
Criminal: Looks like Christmas came early.
The Flash: (from behind them) You know what the only problem is?  You're on Santa's naughty list. Christmas is canceled.

(HR stares down the criminals, wielding an improbably large gun.)
HR: Look who has a vortex cannon. Ho-ho-ho.
(HR laughs madly as we pull back and fade to see him sitting behind a computer at STAR Labs. The rest of the team are doing actual work as HR is talking into his recorder.)
Cisco: HR? HR?
HR (dramatically) With a blast from my trusty vortex cannon, I dispatched the miscreants!
Cisco: HR!
HR: Hey, yeah! Here we are!
Cisco: Barry needs help!
HR: Yeah! Barry needs help!
Caitlin: Where's Kid Flash?
HR: He's on his way! (quietly, into his communicator) Are you on your way? They need you at Keystone Bridge.
Julian: (curtly) Surely all your adventures are not -this- disorganized?
Cisco: (in a mock British accent) There is a method to the madness, mate.
(Caitlin smirks at Cisco.)

(Cisco knocks the stun-gun from Gypsy's hand with a vibe blast. She looks at him stunned as Caitlin runs to HR.)
Caitlin: Where does it hurt?
HR: (wincing) Oh... everywhere.
Gypsy: You can vibe?!  (smiles) Oh, I like it.
Cisco: Slow down there. Let's just talk about this. Like two adults. Over coffee. Or maybe dinner, if you prefer that? There's a great Thai place up the road if you like Thai. I'm Cisco, by the way. You must be Gypsy. It's nice to meet you.
(As he speaks, the hand Cisco holds up defensively slowly extends and lowers as if offering to shake hands instead.)
Caitlin: Are you asking her on a date?!
HR: Are you kidding me?!
Cisco: I am negotiating!

(Barry tells Iris about HR's arrest and his wondering if HR's absence will save her in the future.)
Barry: How do we ever know if our actions now impact the future?
Iris: Yeah. You know, sometimes I wish we had normal people problems.
Barry: Yeah. That would be nice.

Cisco: (dramatically) By the laws of Earth 19,  I hereby challenge you for possession of HR Wells! (pauses) If you want, we could solve this another way. There's a great spot for drinks-
Gypsy: You realize that trial by combat is to the death?
Cisco:  Yeah! (smirking) For the loser.
(Gypsy laughs)
Cisco: Listen - you want him? You have to come and claim him.
(Gypsy just smirks and hmms.)
Cisco: (To Barry) That's Arwen!
Gypsy: I take it you also want the customary 24 hours to prepare?
Cisco (laughing) Do I want the customary-
HR: (deadpan) Yes, you do.
Cisco: I would love to take advantage of the customary 24 hours, if you don't mind?

Caitlin: So why exactly did you agree to fight her?
Cisco: I don't know...
Barry: You did what any of us would have done.
HR: I might... not have done it. Just being honest.

Iris: I want my life to mean something. More than just a daughter or as a sister or as a girlfriend, but as a reporter. This story can do that. It can stay that I, Iris West, mattered.
Wally: You know, my life was a lot easier before I had a sister?
Iris: But it's a lot better now, isn't it?

Iris: Why do you think that you're the only one allowed to risk your life to do good?!
Barry: I don't!
(Iris turns away and looks down at the model Cisco made of the future scene of her death.)
Barry: It's okay to be afraid of the future, but I won't let you die.
Iris: I am not afraid to die, Barry! I'm not!
Barry: Then what?
Iris: I'm afraid... what if I end up just like my mom? Just.. gone without making a mark? Without leaving anything behind?
Barry: Iris... your mom... she left something behind. She left a brave, wonderful son. And the woman that I love. All right?
(Barry reaches out and stroke's Iris' face, wiping away her tears.)
Barry: I don't know what the future holds. None of us do.
(Barry takes Iris' hands and kisses them.)
Barry:  I know that we will face it together.

(Eve Teschmacher watches as Vibe and Gypsy fight in James Olsen's office. Gypsy opens a portal and tosses Vibe through it while hiding behind a chair.)
Eve Teschmacher: Is it me or is this city getting weirder?

Gypsy: In all the multiverse I have... never.... met anyone like you, Cisco.
Cisco: Please. Call me Vibe. (quickly) Or... or you can call me Cisco. That's also allowed.


Continuity

Barry and Wally chase a group called The Electrical Gang in the opening scene.

HR's nickname for Julian is Bond - presumably because his British accent reminds HR of James Bond.

Iris mentions Plunder from 310 and says a new arms dealer seems to be selling high-tech weapons to the criminals in Central City.

HR has been broadcasting his stories, chapter by chapter, back to Earth 19.

Caitlin refers to Cisco's flirtation with Golden Glider back in Season One.

The punishment for unauthorized breach travel on Earth 19 is death. The reason for this is because 25 years earlier a neighboring Earth attempted to invade Earth 19  through a breach and nearly destroyed it. To prevent it from happening again, all inter-dimensional travel was banned and The Collectors were set up to enforce the law.

HR dodges the question of why he would risk his life by traveling to Earth One from Earth 19. He eventually tells Cisco that it's because he was unsatisfied with his life on Earth 19 and that despite his fame and success as a fiction writer and idea man he wanted a chance to be one of the heroes he wrote about.

Iris refers to what Barry told her about The Flashpoint Reality and how - in that reality - she and Wally were a crime-fighting team.

There are no soap operas on Earth 19. HR says it's the one thing about Earth One he'll miss the most.

HR puts mustard on his fries instead of ketchup. This may be an Earth 19 custom but it is not confirmed.

The only appeal for the crime of unauthorized breach travel is a trial by combat. Other people are allowed to fight The Collector on behalf of the accused and multiple people may challenge The Collector, fighting in the order of who issued the challenge first.

Gypsy is a legend on Earth 19, according to HR.

HR learned slight-of-hand magic from a friend and became capable enough to plant objects on people without them noticing. He uses this talent to plant a tracker on Gypsy.

Gypsy is so skilled at using her powers, she is able to grab a hold of Barry while he is running and toss him into a breach portal.

This Is Spinal Tap is one of Cisco's favorite movies.

Gypsy agrees to let HR go and tell her superiors that she killed him in exchange for HR agreeing never to return to Earth 19.

Cisco tells HR about how the first Wells (really Eobard Thawne) told him that he would be a hero one day in 123.

Wally's top speed is just below Mach 3.

Barry tells Wally that he's done the math and there's no way he can save Iris... but Wally can.


Location

Central City on Earth 2
James Olsen's office in the CatCo Worldwide Media building in National City on Earth 38.
A rocky outcropping above a lava-flow on some unknown Earth.

The Fridge Factor

Granting there's a lot of flirtation before that point, Gypsy's quick surrender once being knocked down once and offering her life to Cisco feels like the worst kind of Red Sonja-style fan-fic regarding female heroes being defeated.


The Bottom Line

A surprisingly solid and all-around fun episode. This is everything The Flash should be.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 1 - Flashpoint

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


Plot

By stopping Eobard Thawne from killing his mother, Barry Allen has rewritten time. His parents are both alive and well and The Reverse Flash is safely locked up. He's finally free to live the life he dreamed of - particularly since a new Flash - Wally West - has risen up to replace him in this new timeline. Yet Barry's actions had unforeseen consequences that may imperil everything he has fought to save.


Influences

The comic mini-series Flashpoint, the film It's A Wonderful Life (Thawne describe's Barry's life in the new timeline as the reverse of the movie, where a man named George Bailey sees how terrible the world would be without him.) and the film Back To The Future II (the scene of Barry trying to explain divergent timelines mirrors Doc Brown's attempt to do the same as does the general plot of the hero's actions while time traveling accidentally causing bad things to happen.)


Performances

I believe this may be Matt Letscher's longest turn as Eobard Thawne. It's certainly his most effective. For the first time he truly projects the same sense of menace as Tom Cavanagh in portraying The Flash's most vicious enemy along with the same twisted sense of humor and honor that causes him to enjoy Barry's suffering and the irony that he gets to be the instrument of saving the universe because of Barry's screwed-up attempts to fix things.

On that note, Candice Patton - who has probably been the most poorly served out of all the show's regular cast - gets a fantastic turn here playing a version of Iris West who possesses the spitfire attitude of the character from the comics and gets to show it off as The Flash's partner (albeit a different version of The Flash) and as the assertive woman Barry Allen fell in love with. The writing forced Iris into a passive role far too often in the first two seasons. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

While Grant Gustin is forced to play the fool for much of the episode, I dare you not to share Barry's joy as he sees his parents, happy and grown into middle age together or to not be touched as he says goodbye to them for the last time.


Artistry

The editing effects used to indicate Barry losing his memories.

The special effects in Wally's fight with The Rival and Barry's fight with him afterward are amazing and the fight choreography is good.


Flash Facts

The episode's title - and basic plot - are taken from the DC Comics crossover event Flashpoint. Written by Geoff Johns, the story focused upon Barry Allen using his powers to travel back in time to save his mother's life, inadvertently creating a divergent timeline where the lives of most of his friends were changed forever and the DC Universe was a generally more awful place.

To give some examples of the changes in the Flashpoint timeline apart from Nora Allen never dying at the hands of The Reverse Flash, Bruce Wayne was killed by Joe Chill as a child instead of his parents. The nations of Atlantis and Themyscira were at war and threatening to destroy the rest of the world in the process. Oliver Queen was still a prominent weapons manufacturer and Hal Jordan had never become Green Lantern.

The Flashpoint reality of the DCTVU is similarly altered by Barry's saving his mother's life. These changes include...

* Nora and Henry Allen are still alive.
* Barry lives with his parents.
* Wally West is The Flash.
* Wally got his speed powers after his car was struck by lightning while he was testing a new nitro formula.
* The Flash's greatest enemy is a villain called The Rival.
* Barry Allen was not raised by Joe West.
* Iris Allen hasn't been in touch with Barry since elementary school.
* Barry's supervisor at work is Captain Mendez rather than Captain Singh.
* Barry is well-liked by his boss.
* Joe West is an alcoholic and not well-respected at work.
* Joe's relationship with Iris is strained rather than loving.
* Joe does not like Barry at all and likes the idea of him dating his daughter even less.
* Iris is aware of Wally's secret identity and has been helping him with his crime-fighting since the very beginning.
* Iris and Wally were apparently raised together.
* Iris dubbed Wally Kid Flash in the press rather than The Streak (her first name for The Flash).
* Joe is not aware of his childrens' vigilante activities.
* The STAR Labs building is now Ramon Industries.
* Cisco Ramon is the richest man in America, based on his various tech apps.
* Cisco wears glasses.
* Cisco designed The Flash's costume under duress.
* Cisco has no interest in dealing with metahumans.
* Dr. Caitlin Snow is now a pediatric optometrist rather than a bio-engineer.
* Caitlin doesn't know Barry, Iris, Cisco or Wally.
* Joe West saves Barry by shooting The Rival rather than the first Weather Wizard.

Another change from the comics to the DCTVU is that Barry lost his powers immediately in the Flashpoint comics. Here, Barry's power loss is more gradual. The amnesia as the new timeline solidified was gradual in both the comics and the TV show.

Wally's costume as The Flash is modeled on the second Kid Flash costume from the comics. Originally, Wally West dressed as a smaller version of The Flash with an identical red costume.

While he had yet to don a costume in the comics when this episode aired, Wally's costume here also resembles the outfit he eventually took on when he became Kid Flash in the post-Rebirth DC Universe.

In the original comics, The Rival was the arch-enemy of the Jay Garrick Flash. He first appeared in Flash Comcis #104 (Feb.1949).  His real name was Dr. Edward Clariss and he was a professor at the university Jay Garrick attended. Jealous of The Flash, Clariss attempted to recreate the experiment that gave Jay Garrick his super-speed. While Dr. Clariss was not able to permanently gain super-speed, he did craft a formula that allowed him to duplicate The Flash's powers for short periods. Dubbing the formula "Velocity 9", Clariss' claims were rejected the scientific community. This inspired Clariss to become a criminal, wearing a darker version of the Flash's outfit in an attempt to frame Jay Garrick for his crimes. He was later absorbed into The Speed Force and emerged 50 years later as a being of pure speed energy to plague Jay Garrick once more.

The DCTVU Flashpoint reality version of Rival is also named Edward Clariss. There is no indication that he is a doctor, however, or what his occupation was before becoming a criminal or how he gained his speed powers. Curiously, he is aware of the existence of The Speed Force.

The Rival is unique in that he is the only one of the various "Reverse Flash" villains whose costume does not reverse the direction of his counterpart's lighting bolt emblem.

The Rival's costume here resembles a black version of  Barry Allen's red Flash costume, but with larger, horn-like black lighting bolts on the sides of his helmet rather than golden lightning bolts and a yellow lighting bolt outlined in red taking up half his chest. As with his comic book counterpart, the lighting bolt mirrors the direction of Barry Allen's flash emblem going down from right to left.

Alex Desert - the actor who plays Captain Julio Mendez in this episode - also played the part of Barry Allen's co-worker Julio Mendez opposite John Wesley Shipp in the 1990 The Flash TV series.

When Wally shows Barry his "secret base" and Barry is surprised, he asks if Barry was expecting some kind of fortress. This is a reference to Superman's secret base in the comics - The Fortress of Solitude.

The story of how Wally got his speed powers in this reality mirrors that of Barry Allen, only instead of being thrown through a rack of chemicals after being struck by lightning, his car was struck by lightning while he was testing a new nitro formula.

There are some hints that the Flashpoint version of Cisco might have a weaker version of his Vibe powers. He's seen experimenting with a visor that enables him to see things as if he was really there. He also makes a reference to how he might be killed by a speedster which matches up to how various alternate versions of himself were killed by Zoom and The Reverse Flash.

The Rival's hideout is revealed to be the sawmill on Williamson Street. This is likely a nod to Joshua Williamson, who was the writer on The Flash comic book at the time this episode aired.

The movie Twister and the game Twister both exist in The Flashpoint universe.


Technobabble

The Rival doesn't leave any hair or skin samples at the scenes of any of his crimes.

Wally says that he got his speed powers after his car was struck by lightning while testing a new nitro formula.

Thawne theorizes that the reason Barry is losing his memories of the old timeline when Thawne isn't is that Barry's speed is accelerating the process of Time overwriting his memories.

While not stated directly, it can be inferred that the cage preventing Thawne from using his powers is also protecting him from the effects of Time in much the same way that a Faraday cage can shield something from electromagnetic influences.

Barry's explanation of The Flashpoint universe mirrors the astronomical theory of parallel universes and a shared multiverse.

Based on Caitlin's suggestion, Cisco is able to reprogram the city's speed/traffic cameras to register near-sonic velocities. This enables them to track The Rival to his hideout.

The Rival generates two tornadoes measuring F3 on the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale. This indicates winds between 158 to 206 mph.


Dialogue Triumphs

Barry: (opening voice-over) There's only one thing I know about life. I know some things happen by chance. And some things happen, because we make them happen.

Wally: What have you got against my city?
The Rival: The city's just fine. It's the people in it who need to be educated... that I have no rival! Especially not you.

Iris: Barry Allen, you're very cute, you know that?
(Barry chuckles nervously.) 
Iris: But you could try talking just a little bit slower.
Barry: Speed. That's always been my problem.

(Barry enters the warehouse where he's built Thawne's cage. He's holding a Big Belly Burger to-go bag.)
Barry: Dinner.
Thawne: There had better be curly fries in there.
Barry: Yeah, human beings can go almost three weeks without food. So I'd sound a little more grateful if i were you.
Thawne: Well, you wouldn't do that to me, Barry. After all... you're the hero. Or did you forget that? Too busy leading your reverse It's A Wonderful Life? (chuckles) Reverse, huh? That's irony for you. So what should we call this brave new world that you've whipped up for us?  I was thinking... Flashpoint.
Barry: (holding up the Big Belly Burger sack) So you don't want this?
Thawne: You may have figured out a way to dampen my speed with this glass cage but I will get out of here and I will destroy your life, Flash. One way or the other.
Barry: No. You won't. Ah, you're never getting out of here. And you're never going to hurt anybody ever again. I have everything back that you took from me. I have everything Zoom took. I'm finally free. I'm home.
Thawne: This isn't your home, Barry. This is a mirage. A fiction that will end us both unless you let me the hell out of this thing!
Barry: Wow. You're not listening, Thawne. Why would I want to get out of here? I'm whole, here. There's even a Flash so I don't have to be.
Thawne: Yeah? And who is this dashing young speedster, huh? Do you know? You even care? While you sit around and hide like a lost, lonely little boy, letting someone else risk their life to protect the city, our common enemy is coming for us both.
Barry: What common enemy is that?
Thawne: Time. It's already screwing with you and everyone you love and pretty soon it's going to take me right down along with you.
Barry: (laughing) Wow. Wow!  You know? You've got some nerve. I'll give you that. Warning me about messing with other people's lives?! You know the whole reason I did this is because of what you did to my life? My family? My mother?
Thawne: Yeah. Well, one day soon - BARRY - you'll be begging me to kill her again.

(After Barry shows unusual concern about him getting in trouble at work.)
Joe: And what the hell makes me so interesting to you, Mr. Allen? I'd really like to know.
(Barry starts to open his mouth.)
Joe: And remember I have a hangover. And a gun.

(After Iris asks Barry about his parents.)
Barry: They're like stupid in love. I hope I have what they have someday.
Iris:  You just haven't met the right girl yet? Is that it?
Barry: That's the thing about the right girl. She's out there.Waiting. Just have to be lucky enough to find her.
Iris: Where did you come from Barry Allen?
Barry: ... I've always been here, Iris.

(Wally tells Barry his origin story.)
Wally: When I woke up, I was the fastest man alive - The Flash.
Barry: (muttered) More like Kid Flash.
Wally: Don't call me that.
Iris: I call you that.
Wally: Okay, how about nobody calls me that?

(After Barry refers to the Ramon Industries building as STAR Labs.)
Iris: Where have you been the past few years?
Barry: Running around.

Thawne: And here I was starting to think you'd forgotten all about me.
Barry: But I am forgetting! What's happening to me?
Thawne: I was wondering when you'd notice.
Barry: It's like I'll be thinking of a moment from my past and then it... it vanishes. And I can't get it back. Why?!
Thawne: Flashpoint. It's a side effect. See, I told you before - you don't know what you're doing. This new reality you've created is starting to overwrite the reality that you and I know. So your original life - your friends, your family - pretty soon all of that will just... fade away.
Barry: Why isn't it happening to you?
Thawne: Not sure...
(Barry scoffs.)
Thawne: Unless...
Barry: What?
(Thawne looks at the walls of his cell as if thinking.)
Barry: What?!
(Thawne starts laughing.)
Barry: What the hell's so funny?!
Thawne: Your speed! (laughing) The more you use it, the faster you lose your memories!
Barry: No. No, you're lying. You just want me to let you out of here. That's never going to happen.
Thawne: The you I know from the future? He's not this stupid. Pretty soon you won't even remember that you're The Flash. And when that happens, this world will become permanent. Time will set like concrete and nothing will be able to change it back to the way it was.
Barry: That's fine by me.
Thawne: You know what you have to do! You have to take me back to that night and let me finish what I started!
Barry: You go to hell!
Thawne: You're taking both of us there!
(Barry storms off.)
Thawne: Now, who is the villain, Flash?! Now, who is the villain?!

(Wally and Iris are suddenly standing in Cisco Ramon's private lab. Barry is there in costume.)
Iris: Who are you?!
(Barry takes off his mask.)
Barry: The man who's going to help you stop The Rival.
Iris: ... Barry?

(Barry runs into the room with Caitlin.)
Caitlin: Oh! (looking around nervously) What just happened?
Cisco: Stop bringing strangers into my lab! Who is this?!
Barry: This is Dr. Caitlin Snow. In my timeline, she's a part of our team.
Cisco: Did you...? You - you just kidnapped this woman!
Barry: No, I didn't... (pauses) Well, yeah I guess I... I... She's a scientist! We need her!
Caitlin: I'm not a scientist!
Barry: You're not a scientist?
Caitlin: I'm an ophthalmologist.
Barry: An eye doctor?
Caitlin: A pediatric eye doctor.
Wally: ... aaaaaand we're done.
Iris: (To Barry): Okay. Uh... can I talk to you in private?
Barry: Yeah.... yeah.
(Barry and Iris exit the lab.)
Caitlin (To Wally): Excuse me?
Wally: Hmm?
Caitlin: ... Have I been kidnapped?
Wally: ... Unclear.

Iris: I have a good life. I have a good job. I love my brother. But something has been off. Something has been missing. And that feeling that something is not right with my life? That went away the moment that I met you. (pauses) We're something else to each other where you come from, aren't we?
Barry: Yes.
Iris: What?
Barry: It's... escaped definition.
Iris: But it's love? Because this is what love feels like.
Barry: Since the day that I met you.

Barry: I thought I could just make things better, but everybody's been paying for my happiness.

Barry: We need to go back in time. To that night.
Thawne: To do what?
Barry: You know what I need you to do.
Thawne: Yeah. But I want to hear you say it.
Barry: ... I need you to kill my mother.
Thawne: With pleasure.
Barry: I hate you.
Thawne: And I hate you. And I sometimes wonder which of us is right.

(Barry and Thawne start to run but Barry trips and falls to the ground, his speed apparently gone.)
Thawne: God, I wish I could kill you.
(Thawne reaches down and picks Barry up by the back of his jacket.)
Thawne: But today... I get to be the hero.

(Open on a bedroom in a suburban house. We see a man and woman in bed together sound asleep.)
Deep Voice: Clarris?  Clarris!
(The man sits up in bed, gasping.)
Clariss: Who's there?
Deep Voice: It's time to wake up.
(There is a scratching noise. Clariss gets out of  his bed and walks to a mirror opposite his bed. Something scratches the word ALCHEMY on the inside of the glass.)


Continuity

The footage of Barry's saving his mother from Eobard Thawne in 223 is shown twice - once in flashback before we see Barry taking Thawne to the present and once again as Thawne returns to kill Nora Allen.

Wally West's lightning is yellow, like Barry's.

The Rival's lighting is red, like Eobard Thawne's.

Like Barry, The Rival has mastered the trick of being able to throw lighting. Unlike Barry, he is capable of throwing multiple bolts in rapid succession.

Barry is able to construct a jail-cell that is able to cut off Eobard Thawne from The Speed Force. It appears to be similar to the cell Zoom used to hold Barry in 214.

Cisco specifically refuses to help Wally and Iris any more citing his fear of a speedster vibrating a hand through his rib cage. This is how alternate versions of Cisco were killed by Eobard Thawne in the alternate timeline of 115 and by Zoom in 213.

Barry knows a story about how Cisco in his reality used all the money he earned from his summer job as a pizza delivery boy when he was 15 to pay off his brother Dante's gambling debts. Luckily, the Flashpoint version of Cisco did the same thing.

The Rival is aware of the existence of The Speed Force.

When Barry returns to the present, he discovers that Iris and Joe are no longer on speaking terms.

The final scene of the episode seems to show the main-universe version of Edward Clariss. He is seen in bed with a woman and woken by a deep voice which tells him it is time for him to wake up.


Location

An alternate timeline set in a variant version of Central City.


Untelevised Adventures

Barry spends three months living with his parents in the Flashpoint reality. During that time, Wally West fights The Rival several times.


The Boomerang Factor

While this story is well told, it is still dependent on Barry forgetting everything he's known about how screwing around with the timeline is bad. Very bad.


The Bottom Line

A solid opening for the third season. I wasn't expecting the Flashpoint timeline to be resolved this quickly but the episode ending suggests that things are far from over. The supporting cast is underutilized (Caitlin barely gets a cameo) and the Wally/Rival scenes could have used some beefing up. Still, The Reverse Flash has never been so menacing despite his lack of power and this episode has done more to define the Barry/Iris romance and make it convincing than any other episode to date.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 21 - The Runaway Dinosaur

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




Plot

With Barry presumed dead, there is no one left to defend Central City when Girder - one of Barry's first metahuman enemies - seems to have been resurrected by the second particle accelerator explosion. Iris volunteers to act as bait - an action Joe is naturally and strongly against. Meanwhile, in another time and place, Barry struggles to escape a surreal world populated by beings wearing the faces of his friends and family... a world that turns out to be The Speed Force itself!


Influences

The Flash comics of Mark Waid, particularly Terminal Velocity (The story which introduced the idea of The Speed Force as an otherworldly realm/afterlife for speedsters and general revelations about The Speed Force and how it works in the DCTVU), the film Contact (hero makes contact with an otherworldly being who takes the form of loved ones to make the hero more comfortable), The X-Files (Cisco and Iris stumbling around a lab with high-power flashlights ala Mulder and Scully, the "monster of the week" tone of the script regarding zombie Girder, Cisco name-drops the show referring to Barry's medical records as his "X-File".) The 1931 Frankstein (the general behavior of the zombie Girder), Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (the comedic tone of most of the zombie Girder scenes before he gets to STAR Labs, Cisco refers to the movie calling Girder "Abby Normal" and saying everything is going Young Frankenstein), Peter Pan (Barry chasing his speed through The Speed Force is reminsicent of Peter Pan chasing his shadow) and the children's book The Runaway Bunny (The Runaway Dinosaur seems to be a tribute to this book in both plot and title.).


Goofs

While Harry Wells has his hands in the proper place to do CPR to the unconscious Jesse (a rarity in most depictions of giving CPR on television) he is not using nearly enough force.

Shouldn't Henry look over Wally too, despite Wally seemingly being in better condition than Jesse? (He's sent home purely to increase the drama when zombie Girder shows up at The West House).

At this point, one wonders why Iris and Joe are still keeping Barry's secret identity a secret from Wally. It's particularly painful that Iris is going along with it, given how rightly annoyed she was at being endangered by her ignorance.  Seriously! How many times is this now that a super-villain has attacked The West home while Wally was there?


Performances

For the first time in what seems like forever, Grant Gustin is allowed to take center stage and do some real acting beyond playing the bold hero. We dare you to not get a little tear-eyed during the scene in which he recites his favorite book as a child from memory.

The actors playing the various aspects of The Speed Force all do a fine job of playing something "other" than their usual roles. There's just enough that is off-putting about their performances to seem slightly inhuman. John Wesley Shipp is particular effective in his sequence, seeming to want to comfort Barry as he cries at his mother's grave but knowing so little about humanity that it cannot even conceive of the idea of a comforting touch, much less the hug Barry sorely seems to need.

Tom Cavanagh's faces as Carlos Valdes tries to explain - badly - just what is going on with the Zombie Girder may be the finest moment of visual comedy in the show's history.


Artistry

The music for this episode during the Speed Force sequences is phenomenal.

The script, by X-Men: First Class writer Zack Stentz, is particularly strong in its dramatic segments.

Shockingly, given Kevin Smith's reputation as a comedic director, it's the dramatic scenes in The Speed Force which are the most memorable and strongly directed.

The special effects for the sequences in which Cisco and Iris both reach out to Barry in The Speed Force are amazing.


Flash Facts

The director of this episode was Kevin Smith. In addition to being a prominent podcaster and screenwriter/director, Smith is an occasional comic book writer, whose critically acclaimed run on Green Arrow brought Oliver Queen back from the dead in 2001.

The name of the Barry's favorite book as a child - The Runaway Dinosaur - seems to be a nod to the classic children's book The Runaway Bunny. Both stories deal with an animal child who wishes to be something else, who is assured by its mother that it will be loved no matter what it becomes and where it goes.

The author of The Runaway Dinosaur is given as Ethan Rhys Helbing. This may be a nod to the on-line RPG Sacred - where Ethan Rhys is the name of a powerful armor set - and to The Flash writers Aaron and Todd Helbing.

The idea of The Speed Force as an otherworldly realm and afterlife of sorts for speedsters was first introduced in The Flash storyline Terminal Velocity. In this story, Wally West became absorbed into The Speed Force but later returned from it, guided by his love for his girlfriend and future wife, Linda Park. Later stories revealed that Barry Allen, rather than dying during Crisis on Infinite Earths, was instead absorbed into The Speed Force.

This episode references several of the ideas Mark Waid introduced during his run on The Flash regarding The Speed Force. Chief among these are the idea of The Speed Force being a place as well as an energy source, that speedsters are given power when The Speed Force "notices" them and the idea that a person's love may allow them to become an anchor for a speedster, so they can find their way home now matter how far or fast they travel, as Iris seems to be with Barry here.

Harry Wells quotes Karl Marx - "History repeats itself first as tragedy and then as farce."

Jason Mewes - the actor who played drug-dealer Jay in many of Kevin Smith's movies - has a cameo as the man whose car is destroyed by Girder outside of the Big Belly Burger.

Cisco refers to the zombie Girder as "iZombie" at one point and asks if he is still following Iris. iZombie, of course, is another CW show based on a DC Comics series. It's a double reference joke as actor Greg Finley, who plays Girder, also plays a zombie on iZombie.

The titular dinosaur of The Runaway Dinosaur is an Maiasaur. The name - a combination of Greek and Latin - roughly translates as "good mother reptile". This was in reference to the first fossils of the Maiasaur which proved that they fed their young in the nest - the first evidence that some dinosaurs did care for their young in the same fashion as mother birds.


Technobabble

Harry constructs a simple feedback loop. When Cisco vibes on Barry, his brain waves send Harry the necessary data to pinpoint whatever dimensional pocket or corner of the universe that Barry is stuck in. The loop will then electrically stimulate Cisco's prefrontal cortex while opening a breach, which will give Cisco physical access to Barry and let him be the beacon that guides him home.

It is later determined that other people can see Barry in The Speed Force while Cisco is vibing in the simple feedback loop, if Cisco makes physical contact with them. This is what allows Iris to make contact with Barry.

The stray energy from the second particle accelerator explosion reactivated parts of Girder's brain. Cisco disassembled STAR Labs' MRI to set up two large electromagnets. Caught between the magnetic field the magnets generate, it should disrupt the energy wave that reanimated Girder. Iris likens this to wiping a hard drive clean.

Barry is able to charge the electromagnets using the spin from his running in a circle around Girder, like an electric turbine.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Barry walks down the steps of his childhood home and into the crime scene where his mother was found dead. He sees Joe West kneeling in the middle of it.)
Barry: Joe?
"Joe": (looking up and standing) Good to see you, Barry. But I'm not Joe.
Barry: You're not?
"Joe": No.
Barry: And all of this? It's not real?
"Joe": How do you feel being back here?
Barry: I feel awful.
"Joe": We... thought you'd be more comfortable talking to someone who looked familiar. And in a place you know.
Barry: We?  Who is 'we' exactly?
"Joe": That's a little hard to explain... Sit, Barry. (motioning to a chair) Sit.
(They both sit down.)
"Joe": How much do you know about The Speed Force?
Barry: It's the source of my power. It's what makes me a speedster.
"Joe": Yes! And no. When the first subatomic particle sprang from The Big Bang to form reality as you know it? We were there. When the last proton decays, stops vibrating and plunges the universe into heat death? We'll be there too.
Barry: I'm talking to The Speed Force?
("Joe" nods.)
Barry: Isn't that like saying that you're having a conversation with gravity or light or...
("Joe" just grins. Barry stands, looking confused.)
"Joe": You need a minute? It's okay if you do.It's a lot to take in.
Barry: So you're saying that I'm - I'm talking to the source of my power, which just so happens to look like... my adoptive dad? That's trippy.
"Joe": (chuckles) We pretty much invented trippy here.
Barry: Look, I'm - I'm not sure why you brought me here, but you need to send me back. My friends are in danger from Zoom...
(A black blur moves past the window.)
Barry: Did you see that?
(The blur goes past again.)
"Joe": You're not going back. Not until...
Barry: Until what?
"Joe": Until you catch... that.
(Joe points at the blur.)

"Iris": Do you remember this place? Where we first kissed?
Barry: Yeah, of course, except that wasn't you.
"Iris": We thought you'd find this place and our appearance less upsetting. Yet you seem upset?
Barry: My friends, my city... my whole world is in danger. Zoom is on a rampage with the power that he stole from me and you are keeping me here!
"Iris": You were given a rare and precious gift and you rejected it.
Barry:  No, I did not reject it! I gave up my powers to save someone's life! To be a hero! I nearly killed myself to get them back when you brought me here! Wherever here is!
"Iris": That's not what we meant.
Barry: If you would rather have given these powers to somebody else, why did you give them to me?
"Iris": Because you are The Flash, Barry.

Joe: Wells...as a parent, believe me, I have nothing but sympathy for what you're going through. Listen to me closely when I say to you - we have a lot of fires burning at the same time and if we all work together, we just might be able to put them out. Let Henry take care of your daughter. Me and Iris will handle this Girder situation. But you and Cisco are the scientists. You're the only one who can bring Barry back from wherever the hell he is right now!
Harry: (quietly, slowly becoming more determined as he speaks) Ramon? Give those medical records to Henry and meet me in the Breach Room in five minutes. We've got work to do.

(Barry finds himself in a cemetery. He sees a man from behind, looking at the graves.)
Barry: Who are you pretending to be now?
(The man turns around. He looks like Henry Allen.)
Barry: I don't have time for this!
"Henry": Yes you do, Barry. You have all the time in the universe. Literally.
Barry: No, I don't! And how can you stand there in judgement and accuse me of rejecting my gift?! Do you have any idea how much I've done since I was struck by lightning?! How many I've helped with the power that you gave me?! (quietly) What I've sacrificed?
"Henry":  Of course we do.
("Henry" begins walking, guiding Barry towards a particular grave.)
"Henry": You've saved countless lives. And now you are the only thing standing in between your world and unspeakable evil. And yet for all of that, you've never been here.
(Barry kneels down to look at the grave. It belongs to Nora Allen - his mother.) 

Barry: Why did you bring me here?
"Henry": Your mother's death happened to you, Barry. It made you who you are. But have you accepted it? Really accepted losing her? Maybe that's why you couldn't come here... because that would make it real.
Barry: I know it's real. (sobbing) Every day I know. I had a chance to save her. You saw what I chose.
"Henry": And you're at peace with that decision?
Barry: (sobbing, forcing a laugh) "At peace". How could someone ever be at peace with letting his mother die? Deciding that his life was more valuable than hers?
"Henry": Do you really think your mother would have wanted you to die for her? And out of all the people that The Flash saved as a result of that decision, what about them? Do their lives have value too?
(Barry looks up and sees the black blur again.)
Barry: I don't have to listen to this. I have to get home.
(Barry gets up and goes running after the blur.)

(Barry returns to his childhood home and chuckles. He enters the living room and sees his mother.)
Barry: Mom?
"Nora": Hi, Barry.
Barry: You're not my mother... (exasperated) Why are you doing this to me?
"Nora": We're not doing anything to you, sweetheart. You're just so tired. Sit, Barry. Sit.
(Barry sits down with "Nora.")
Barry: You were right all along. I haven't accepted it. I don't think I ever will.
"Nora": My beautiful boy... you have to find a way.
Barry: How?
"Nora": I don't know. But I know this. What you've become? It's wonderful. A miracle even. But it won't make bad things stop happening to you. Even The Flash can't outrun the tragedies the universe is going to keep sending your way. You have to accept that. And then you can truly run free.
Barry: (sobbing) I know. I just miss her. I miss you so much...
"Nora": What if I told you that she's proud of you. And of the man that you've become?
Barry: Who's telling me that? The Speed Force or my mother?
"Nora": Both.

"Nora:" (reading) "Once there was a little dinosaur called a Maiasaur. One day he told his mother, "I wish I were special like the other dinosaurs. If I were a T. Rex, I could chimp with my ferocious teeth!"
Barry: (from memory) "But if you were a T. Rex," said his mother, "how would you hug me with your tiny little arms?" "I wish I were an Apatosaurus," said the little dinosaur, "so with my long neck I could see high above the treetops." "But if you were an Apatosaurus," said his mother, "how could you hear me in the treetops when It old you I love you?" "What makes you so special, little Maiasaur?" said his mother. "Is it your ferocious teeth or long neck or pointy beak? What makes you special, is that out of all the different dinosaurs in the big, wide world, you have the mother who is just right for you. And who will always-"
"Nora:" - love you."

"Nora": Run, Barry. Run.

Cisco: (To Barry) I'm so glad you're back! Because we're about to die!
Barry: Wait, what?
(Zombie Girder pounds against the door. )
Cisco: So...
Harry: Girder.
Cisco: (speaking rapidly and waving his hands as Harry looks like he wants to interject but is unsure where to start correcting Cisco.) Girder came back to life and he's all Young Frankenstein now and he only recognizes Iris and she lured him to my workshop so we could de-magnetize him but the machine shorted out, so he's about to come through that door and smush us all into chunky salsa and possibly eat our brains
(Harry's jaw drops and he sticks a finger in Cisco' face.)
Cisco: I don't know. Jury's still out on that.
Barry: All right. I've got it. I will lure him to your workshop abn we figure out a way to turn the power back on. Okay?
(Cisco and Harry look at each other.)
Both: Plan H.

Henry: It's been quite a day, huh? Not so much "one damn thing after another" as "every damn thing all at once".

(Barry and Iris walk to Nora Allen's grave.  Iris holds an umbrella. Barry kneels down with a backpack and puts some flowers on the grave.)
Barry: Joe offered to take me so many times. I always found an excuse to say no.
(Barry opens the backpack and pulls out a copy of The Runaway Dinosaur, which he places on Nora's grave.) 
Barry: My mom and I read this when I was little. Do you know it?
Iris: Yeah. I never really liked that book.
Barry: Why?
Iris: Because it was about a mother who was always there for her child, no matter what, and that wasn't my mom. Or yours. We never had anyone who was "just right" for us.
(Barry stands and takes the umbrella from Iris.)
Barry: Didn't we? I'm seeing things a lot differently now. I wasted so much time being angry about what I had lost when I had so much. My dad. Joe. And you. The truth is Iris, I don't know what this is between us. Or where we go from here. All I know is you're everything to me and you always have been. And the sound of your voice will always bring me home.


Dialogue Disasters

Cisco: A zombie? For real? (unusually flat delivery from Carlos Valdes here)

The whole nonsensical scene with Zombie Girder destroying a Hummer and the requisite Jason Mewes cameo that peppers almost everything Kevin Smith has ever directed.  As a Kevin Smith movie scene, it wouldn't be bad. Tonally, however, it feels totally out of place on The Flash.

Joe: I've been meaning to ask you - uh, how are you feeling?
Wally: Tired but fine, I guess.
Joe: So you don't notice anything... different?
Wally: (confused)  Uh... no.
Joe: I mean, I want you to know that you can talk to me if you're scared. Or if you have questions about how your body's changing.
(Iris groans in the background.)
Wally: I think you're a little late for the puberty talk, Dad. I've seen the Internet.


Continuity

Jesse's heart actually stops following her exposure to The Speed Force energy.

Harry Wells knows CPR.

Wally seems to be perfectly fine.

Jesse winds up in a coma similar to the one Barry was in after he was struck by lightning. Her heart-rate, reflexes and breathing are fine, but she still isn't waking up despite this.

STAR Labs has a morgue, where they kept the bodies of dead metahumans and Eobard Thawne conducted experiments on them.

The second time The Speed Force speaks to Barry is as Iris, at the park by the lake where Barry kissed Iris before time-traveling for the first time in 115.

Zombie Girder trashes CC Jitters.

Apparently the TV show iZombie exists in the DCTVU.

Barry has never visited his mother's grave.

Barry refers to the events of 123 and how he could have saved his mother but didn't.

Barry knows the book The Runaway Dinosaur by memory. It was his favorite book as a child.

Barry awakens Jesse by touching her hand. As he does so, a jolt of Speed Force energy seems to go into her.

Henry Allen decides to stay in Central City.

Barry goes to visit his mother's grave for the first time with Iris.

Iris did not like the book The Runaway Dinosaur because it reminded her of how she didn't have a reliable mother who would do anything for her.

As the episode ends, Zoom has assembled an army of Earth Two metahumans in the Central City Police Station and given Caitlin an ultimatum - stay her and side with me or leave and know I'll show you no mercy the next time I find you.


Location

The Speed Force.


The Bottom Line

Harry Wells says it best "History repeats itself first as tragedy and then as farce."  The whole episode retreads familiar ground, with Barry once again getting a second chance to find closure regarding his mother's death (as in last year's Fast Enough) and Girder's returning in an even more violent form.

The segments involving Girder are very much a farce and a mostly unwelcome distraction from the truly moving drama of Barry coming to peace with his mother's death. Thankfully, the humor coming from the cast themselves is on much firmer footing. Overall, the episode is a strong one though it may have benefited from nixing the return of Girder completely.