The Flash Episode Guide: Season 8, Episode 17 - Keep It Dark

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

Plot

Barry goes off the grid to track down a new meta criminal, as Allegra pulls out all the stops to protect a story source.

Influences

The Flash comics of Joshua Williamson (creator of Dr. Meena Dhawan/Fast Track), The Silence of the Lambs (Barry interviewing Thawne in his cell) and Assault On Precinct 13 and other "base under siege" stories.


Goofs

Taylor is awfully high and mighty about journalistic ethics for someone who had a contact illegally break into sealed juvenile records to dig up dirt on her supervisor. 

Given that Sunshine and Dr. Light are already wanted for multiple murder charges, it really shouldn't make a difference that their running the Arañas is revealed to the public in a CCC Media report and there really shouldn't be anything stopping them from killing everyone at that point. 


Performances

Tom Cavanagh's performance as Thawne here is brief, but delightfully unhinged. 


Artistry

Danielle Panabaker's direction is suspenseful. 


Flash Facts

This episode was directed by Danielle Panabaker, who plays Caitlin Snow and Frost.

The episode title was taken from a song by the band Genesis. 

Jenna West's backpack has a Batwoman logo on it.

This episode features the first appearance of Dr. Meena Dhawan. She was originally meant to be introduced during The Flash season 7, but her storyline was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her existence was teased, however, with 701 opening with a scene where Chester was reading a book written by Dr. Meena Dhawan.

First appearing in The Flash Vol 5 #3 (September, 2016), Dr. Dhawan was a scientist at STAR Labs who put in charge of a new Speed Force Testing Center after a series of storms began giving random Central City citizens speed powers. This included Dr. Dhawan, who started assisting The Flash in fighting crime and adopted the codename Fast Track. She chose this name due to a unique ability she developed that allowed her to sense other sources of Speed Force energy.

Meena and Barry Allen briefly became romantically involved before she mysteriously disappeared. She reemerged later ,as an agent of the Black Hole crime syndicate, having been brainwashed by Gorilla Grodd. She also became the avatar of the Negative Speed Force and took on the identity of the Negative Flash.

The Arrowverse version of Dr. Meena Dhawan apparently created her own process for moving at super-speed independent of the Speed Force. She seems to be much the same character as she was in the comics, in terms of idealism and knowledge, though she works for her own company, Fast Track Labs, rather than STAR Labs.

Technobabble

Chester confirms that the new speedster doesn't use the Speed Force by tracking tachyon readings using STAR Labs' satellites. 

Barry figures out that the fire in Ivo Labs was started by the mystery speedster, based upon the friction generated by their movement and the low flash point of the acetone used as an accelerant. 

Ivo Labs' Newton Battery is a strong electrochemical cell which requires a temperature-controlled polymer case.

Chester designed a AI-generated filter program that will conceal Lydia's voice and face while she is on camera.

Chester also designed a photo-kinetic energy shield which is bullet-prof, teleport-proof and basically everything-proof.  However, he only designed it to be a temporary measure until help could be summoned, so the enemy could potentially wait out the clock.

Chester says he can build an oscillating transmitter which can block a cell phone jammer.

Thawne cannot sense connections to the Negative Speed Force anymore.

Sunshine is able to use her powers to alter one of Dr. Light's bullets so that it can break the bonds of the photo-kinetic energy shield.

Dr. Meena Dhawan explains that she stole the Newton Battery because she thought it could extend how long her temporary speed powers last and that she borrowed it rather than spend four years calibrating sodium nitrate cells.


Dialogue Triumphs

Allegra: Look, I know you're scared, but the Arañas, they operate in the shadows. The only way to take away their power is bring them into the light.

Dialogue Disasters

Continuity

As the episode opens, The Flash responds to reports of multiple fires at Ivo Labs.

By the time The Flash gets to Ivo Labs, the fires are all out.

The staff think that he's come back and describe a speedster carrying them to safety and creating a wind funnel that extinguished the fires. This leads Barry to conclude that there's a new speedster at work.

Barry checked and made sure August Heart was still locked up in Iron Heights and Eobard Thawne is still powerless and under heavy guard at ARGUS. He also confirmed that all the Velocity X drugs are secure inside STAR Labs.

Barry still cannot contact Speed Force Nora or any of the other Force avatars. 

Caitlin is not returning Barry's calls.

Joe tells Barry that he did the right thing trying to stop Caitlin's experiment but he points out that he may have caused her to lose all hope.

Cecile and Joe are busy with Jenna's kindergarten interviews, so they can't help Barry with this case.

Allegra is running the Central City Citizen in Iris' absence and is currently overseeing a profile regarding the retiring Judge Hankerson and the closing of the nearby Fort Delaney.

Taylor proposes an expose on the light-empowered meta who works with The Flash. She has pulled photos of her revealing that her face is always obscured by lights in security camera footage, but she thinks she can get the images cleared with the right resources.

Allegra shoots down the expose idea, even after Taylor claims Iris approved of it before she left.  Allegra tries to stall and tells her to wait until Iris comes back.

Allegra gets a text from Lydia - the old friend and former gang member she helped in 808.

Lydia tells Allegra that their old gang, the Arañas, are expanding out of Keystone and are trying to pull her back in, because of all she knows about the group.

Lydia also tells Allegra that the gang have become cold-blooded killers under their new leadership, as opposed to the simple car thieves they once were.

Allegra asks Lydia to help her expose the Arañas, promising to quote her as an anonymous source. 

Allegra and Lydia are filmed by a member of the Arañas in Jitters, who takes the footage to the gang's new leaders - Sunshine and Dr. Light.

As Barry and Chester are examining the Ivo Labs fire scene, they discovered an open case with a biometric lock. This leads them to believe the fire was meant to distract from a theft.

Barry decides to go off the grid for a while to talk to Thawne about who the mystery speedster might be, since he has no other leads and it seems clear this speedster isn't a hero.

Allegra outlines how Ultraviolet founded the Arañas as a teenager, before gaining light powers and teaming with Dr. Light and Sunshine as the Assassins Three of the Black Hole Syndicate. She asks for Taylor, Aariz and Vanya to help her with the interview.

Taylor objects to the fact that Allegra is only citing one source regarding the Arañas story and that there's no way of collaborating it. Allegra does not mention that she knows because she fought Ultraviolet and is a former member of the Arañas.

Aariz and Yanya agree to help.

Chester shows up to help with some advanced shielding tech for the interview.

Chester asks Allegra if she told her reporters why this story is so important to her. Allegra says no, because she's afraid they won't trust her anymore if they know she's a former gang member and car thief.

Dr. Light tries to shoot Lydia through the window as Sunshine appears in the CCC Media offices.

Chester is able to blind Sunshine with a flash-bang and sets up a force field around the building that will keep her and Dr. Light out.

Allegra covers Chester's advanced tech by saying that Sue Darbon hired him special to secure their building because he's more than a simple IT guy.

Yanya tries to call for help but discovers her phone isn't working. Chester concludes that Sunshine and Dr. Light must be using some kind of signal jammer to block their phones.

The reports question Allegra about whys he knows so much about Sunshine and Dr. Light's power limits when she starts trying to come up with a plan to counter them.

Thawne mourns the loss of his powers, saying he was once able to run around the world in 5 seconds.

Thawne knows about Frost's death, but says she was in over her head from the beginning.

Yanya writes a letter to her children in case they get killed. 

Lydia wants to surrender herself to Sunshine and Dr. Light in the hopes that they will spare everyone else.

Taylor is in favor of Lydia surrendering herself.

Allegra refuses to let that happen, saying that reporters are supposed to protect their sources. 

Taylor says she saw the code Chester typed into his shield generator so she can shut it down, but she tries to talk Yanya and Aariz into turning on Allegra.

The scene which Barry and Deon saw in the Still Force of Allegra and Taylor arguing in 815 plays out, with Taylor revealing that she learned Allegra used to be part of Arañas after one of her contacts broke into her sealed juvenile records.

The reporters turn on Allegra, saying she can't be trusted since she tried hiding her past from them.

Allegra tells Chester that she was never meant to be a leader and that the whole reason she and her cousin wound up being arrested in the first place was because of her mistakes trying to plan her first idea for a job. 

Both Lydia and Chester say that Allegra is a born leader and that she has to be the one to get them out of this.

Thawne mocks Barry for not being able to figure out an obvious truth about the mystery speedster and refuses to answer Barry when he asks if he ever sensed a mystery speedster hiding themselves in 2022 during his travels.

Barry eventually goads Thawne into explaining it by going on about how this new speedster is going to replace Thawne as Barry's worst enemy.

Thawne says that it's clear that the new speedster created the fire by accident, saved the people because they honestly care about not hurting other people and that they are hiding because they can't control their powers and were afraid of The Flash coming after them. 

Allegra reveals her powers to the other reports and confirms that she is the light meta who has been working with The Flash for the last few years.

Allegra fights Sunshine and Dr. Light as Chester and the other reporters get ready to send out a signal with Lydia's story.

Allegra is shot by Dr. Light but she somehow uses her powers to heal the wound.

Sunshine and Dr. Light flee once they see the news report identifying them as the leaders of the Arañas.

There are APBS out for Sunshine and Dr. Light across the whole state and the information Lydia provided allowed the police to freeze their accounts and seize their assets, which shuts down the gang forever.

The story on the Arañas is CCC Media's biggest yet with 20 million views over the first few hours.

The reporters agree to keep Allegra's identity a secret - even Taylor.

Taylor is stunned that Allegra isn't firing her, but Allegra says that she's a good investigative reporter and she was only trying to save everyone's lives - not just her own.

Taylor reveals she got the photos of Allegra helping The Flash from a social media app called Chirper.

Chester tells Barry about Allegra being an awesome leader, describing her as a combination of Captain Janeway, AOC and Angela Davis.

Caitlin calls STAR Labs and says she's not sure she can ever come back that in person. She tells Barry that she's still not sure how to feel, but she's hurting, and she's going to stay with her mom while she figures some things out.

Barry confronts the mystery speedster at Ivo Labs as they are trying to return the battery they stole.

The speedster can run at the speed of sound, but The Flash is much faster. She also reveals that her speed is temporary, lasting only a few minutes.

The speedster makes reference to creating her speed source with an associate.

The speedster claims to have invented the Newton Battery whens he was a young engineer working at Ivo Labs. This leads Barry to figure out that she is Dr. Meena Dhawan - the CEO of Fast Track Labs.

Barry has read her book - Quantum Gravity and the Universe - three times.

Barry offers to mentor Dr. Dhawan in mastering her powers and helping people.


Location

The ARGUS secure facility on Lian Yu.


Untelevised Adventures

Chester reportedly started a fire by overcooking chicken tenders in the microwave in the STAR Labs lounge. According to Barry, it took forever to get rid of the smell.

Reference is made to The Flash using a wind tunnel to stop The Hotness - something that did not happen in his previous encounters with The Hotness in 416 and 808.


The Boomerang Factor

When you get right down to it, this is another Arrowverse story where the conflict wouldn't exist if people didn't keep needless secrets.


The Bottom Line

Well directed and well-acted, but certain aspects of the story don't make sense if you think about them for more than a second. Despite this, this is one of the best episodes in recent memory.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 7, Episode 14 - Rayo de Luz

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

Plot

When Ultraviolet returns to Central City, Allegra becomes determined to redeem her wayward cousin. Meanwhile, Joe pursues his new lead that Kristen Kramer might not be what she claims.

Influences

The MCU's Black Widow (Sue's action scenes in her leather catsuit.)


Goofs

Allegra's map shows Metropolis being in New York, presumably close to, or in place of, New York City. This contradicts what has been shown in Superman and Lois, which suggested Smallville, Kansas was only a few hours drive from Metropolis and in the same state division for high school football.

Despite only being the Interim Captain of the CCPD, Kramer already has a name plate on her desk reading "Captain Kramer."


Performances

Again, Natalie Dreyfuss is a delight and it's so good to have the show bring her back.

Flash Facts

The episode title translates to "Ray of Light" in Spanish.

This episode was directed by Danielle Panabaker. This is her third time directing an episode of The Flash.

This is the first episode not to feature Candice Patton, except in archival footage for flashbacks.

The map of Ultraviolet's recent crimes which Allegra chows Chester places Opal City in southeastern Illinois. This is the first time the location of Opal City on Earth-Prime has been confirmed. The same map shows Metropolis is in New York state and Central City is in western Missouri.

While actress Alexa Barajas plays Ultraviolet in this episode, this is the first time she did not also voice the character. The voice of Ultraviolet in this episode was provided by Erika Soto.

After nearly being blasted by Ultraviolet, Allegra comments that Chester almost wound up with a hole through his body. This literally happened in the comics, where a lab accident transformed Chester into what was essentially a sentient black hole.

At one point Chester evokes the name of Rao, the Kryptonian sun god. ("Great Rao!")


Technobabble

Chester says it's impossible to track where Ultraviolet is based on her energy signature since she radiates pure light and light is pretty much everywhere. However, he is later able to track her by measuring Allegra's powers and using them as an input signal. With that done, the satellites will search for its counterpart signal. 

Sue has a photonic stun grenade, which neutralizes the powers of metahumans with light powers.

Caitlin gives Chester Naproxen for his pain.

The STAR Labs van can generate an EMP. However, the van only holds enough power for a single pulse.

Dr. Olsen's guards are armed with electro-pulse rifles.

Sue is able to take on all the guards using a taser line weapon reminiscent of the Widow's Bite.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Sue describes how her parents willingly worked for Black Hole.)
Sue: Carver bought my parents' loyalty for billions. And once they got a taste, they needed more. And what happened, once Carver was gone? My parents were in too deep. And worse, they got used to this lifestyle. And no matter how hard I tried, I could not pull them out. Because they didn't want out.
Allegra: Which is why you have to pull with everything you have. When I first met Team Flash, it was in handcuffs. When they first met you, you were robbing a bank. We didn't want help either, but this team never gave up on us.


Dialogue Disasters

The entirety of Allegra's "Care Bear Stare" scene using the power of love to save the day, complete with glowing heart.


Continuity

The episode opens with a flash-forward of Allegra fighting Ultraviolet 12 hours after the episode opens.

Barry and Iris plan to leave for a day to take a vacation at a secluded island somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Barry says they'll be completely off the grid, since the phone service and Wi-Fi are spotty.

Barry credits Chester with the idea of him and Iris going away, referencing the incident in the Starchives from 713.

Frost says she hasn't heard anything about any villains being on the loose, so as far as she's concerned they can take the day off from superhero business.

Chester invites Frost to join his Dungeons and Dragons game, but she declines, saying she has some personal business to attend to. When asked if she needs help, she says she's going to be shopping.

Chester then asks Allegra if she'd like to join his game, but she says she has a news tip she has to check up on. This involves a picture of Ultraviolet that was sent to her, along with the texter asking if that's the metahuman assassin Allegra was looking for.

Joe took a recorded statement from a soldier who claims to have seen Kristen Kramer arguing with a man named Adam Creyke at a café near the base on the day before her squad was killed 6 years earlier. To make matters worse, Creyke was apparently telling her to 'stick to the plan" and Kramer was AWOL at that moment, having not signed out at the base.

Kramer is now effectively head of the CCPD, despite being officially titled as the Interim Captain.

Despite everything, Joe still believes Kramer seems like a straight-arrow cop and there's something not right about this whole situation.

Chester shows up at Jitters wearing fake elf ears.

Marco, a barista at Jitters, was apparently part of Chester's D&D group at one point. He was kicked out for using fire spells in what was meant to be an unarmed duel.

Allegra tells Chester that she was trying to find her cousin, Ultraviolet, and was using the Citizen Tip Line to get reports of where she had been. She had tracked her to two assassinations in Metropolis and Opal City and gotten word she was back in Central City.

Allegra says she thinks she can talk to Ultraviolet and make her give up crime and be good.

Ultraviolet shows up at Jitters and tears it apart, telling Allegra to stop looking for her.

Sue Dearbon shows up and fights Ultraviolet.

Sue can speak Spanish.

One of the reasons Sue hung around in Central City was that she heard a former Black Hole assassin was back in town. This is how she stumbled across Allegra and Chester - she was already following Ultraviolet.

Allegra is nowhere near as proficient with her powers as Ultraviolet and can't build up the energy or focus to melt someone's face off.

Chester has no luck finding Ultraviolet's current location, but he does use satellite images to figure out where she was.

Sue uses Chester's map to guess where Ultraviolet's target is, noting that she appears to be using a standard Black Hole recon pattern.

Allegra suggests Chuck stay behind since this could get violent. He agrees.

Allegra and Sue are able to catch Ultraviolet, but discover the man she was going to kill wasn't a target - he was Dr. Olsen; the Black Hole scientist who experimented on her.

Ultraviolet says that her voice was cut out of her by Dr. Olsen. She then reveals the extensive scars on her neck that are su

Sue and Allegra argue about whether or not to help Ultraviolet. Allegra thinks Dr. Olsen sounds like a danger, which Sue agrees with, but Sue says they can't trust Ultraviolet since working for Black Hole warps your mind and destroys your soul.

Joe confronts Kramer with the documents he found from something called Operation Griffin. 

As Joe enters Kramer's office, she's reading the file of Roy G. Bivolo.

Kramer is enraged when she learns that Joe was looking into her past and threatens to arrest him.

Ultraviolet tries to train Allegra in how to use her powers offensively by destroying coffee cups in a make-shift shooting gallery in the Speed Lab.

Sue picks a fight with Ultraviolet, during which Chester is caught in the crossfire and his arm is hurt, requiring a sling.

Ultraviolet escapes, saying she will look for Dr. Olsen herself.

Allegra says that she and Ultraviolet have matching yin-yang tattoos which they got in a back alley as teenagers.

Joe tells Cecile about his meeting with Kramer and how she acted like a guilty person. 

Joe is about to contact the governor's office about what he found, when Kramer texts him and asks for a meeting. Joe decides to go, despite Cecile asking him not to.

Sue encourages Allegra to give up on saving Ultraviolet. When Allegra says she knows nothing about what it's like to lose your family to crime, Sue reveals that she discovered her parents weren't really being blackmailed by Black Hole - they were Joseph Carver's willing accomplices, but he used blackmail material to keep them compliant for years as they managed his international accounts. Sue tried to pull them out once Carver was dead, but they were too far gone and didn't want to leave crime behind them.

Chester is able to track Ultraviolet using Allegra's powers as an input signal - the yin to Ultraviolet's yang.

Chester insists on going as back-up in the STAR Labs van.

Ultraviolet finds Dr. Olsen but he asks her if she would consider one last experiment before she kills him.

Dr. Olsen offers to restore Ultraviolet's voice if she kills everyone else who knows about his former operation - including Team Flash.

Dr. Olsen says Allegra and Ultraviolet's powers are fueled by hate. Allegra says that isn't true and channels more energy than she ever did before, thanks to her love of family. 

Caitlin describes Allegra's new "supernova" power as a leveling up.

Caitlin takes care of Ultraviolet and looks at Dr. Olsen's note. She thinks she can use them to restore Ultraviolet's voice.

Kramer meets with Joe at O’Shaughnessy's - the bar in Keystone City where Frost fought Chillblaine in 707.

Kramer explains that Adam Creyke was her brother - not by blood but he was the only other Native American kid who grew up off the reservation where she lived as a child. This led to them bonding and joining the Army together.

Kramer denies knowing that Creyke had sold out their unit at the time - only that he was trying to talk her out of going on the mission, for some reason. This was why they had argued the night before.

Kramer asks Joe to help her find Adam Creyke and bring him to justice.

Allegra asks Chester out for coffee that night. When he says he's busy with his D&D and asks for a raincheck, she asks if she could join his game.

Barry returns from his vacation and says he and Iris are thinking of getting a time share on the island in question.

The final scene has Frost tracking down Chillblaine, whom Norvock told her had escaped from Iron Heights.

Chillblaine claims that he had his record expunged after turning State's Evidence on other metahuman criminals and that he's now "one of the good guys" like Frost.

Location

O’Shaughnessy on the south side of Keystone City.


Untelevised Adventures

Sue Dearbon apparently had several encounters with Ultraviolet over the past year, including one in Belize.

Sue's acquiring an experimental photonic stun grenade involved two trips to New Delhi, a helicopter crash and a very deadly quinceanera.


The Bottom Line

A mixed bag, all in all. The Kristen Kramer story isn't that riveting since there's no reason to sympathize with her and nothing to justify Joe's faith in her. Still, the season does seem to be pushing the theme of forgiveness and that no one is entirely evil. Allegra's storyline plays into the same theme and it is all right. Unfortunately, when the best parts of the episode leave you hungry for a Sue Dearbon spin-off, something is drastically wrong.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 7, Episode 8 - The People V. Killer Frost

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

Plot

When Frost faces an unjust punishment for her crimes, Caitlin pulls out all the stops to save her sister. Meanwhile, Barry makes a discovery about the reborn Speed Force while trying to protect it, after discovering Fuerza might not be the danger he thought she was.


Influences

The Flash comics of Joshua Williamson (Alexa Rivera and Fuerza, the whole Forces plotline) and the Incredible Hulk (Alexa's description of waking up not remembering where she's been, power triggered by rage.)


Goofs

Since Frost is a natural-born metahuman, Cisco's metahuman cure shouldn't affect her since it worked by neutralizing the dark matter in a metahuman's body that triggered their metagene. (The episode addresses this by saying they don't really know what the cure will do to Frost, but the logic from Season 5 is still there.)

D.A. Strong is quick to dismiss Caitlin's confession and the idea that anyone other than Frost would have neutralized the metahuman cure, even though there are many metahuman criminals who might not be crazy about the idea of the government taking away their powers. (The judge does sustain Cecile's objection on this point, but Caitlin's confession is completely ignored after it is revealed ARGUS provided a metahuman cure dose.)

Why didn't The Flash testify on Frost's behalf? As good as Joe West's word is, wouldn't having a known hero who had worked with Frost testify for her help her case even more? (It may not be legal for costumed heroes to testify in court without revealing their secret identity in the Arrowverse. This would also explain why Supergirl and Superman never testified against Lex Luthor.)

Honestly, there's no reason why Judge Tanaka can't just sentence Frost to Time Served or a lengthy probation based on her record, particularly given her clear annoyance with Kristen Kramer and her agenda. The Life In Prison Without Parole sentence is pure melodrama.


Performances

Danielle Panabaker gives two great performances in this episode as Frost and as Caitlin Snow.


Artistry

The heist sequence in which Allegra, Caitlin and Cisco work to neutralize the meta-cure doses is well-paced and thrilling.


Flash Facts

This episode reveals the Arrowverse Fuerza to be Alexa Rivera - a recovering drug addict turned nurse who works for the Keystone Cares charity.

In the comics, Fuerza was a young student named Alexa Antigone, who was from the South American nation of Corto Maltese. She was an anarchist who used her powers to fight against the corrupt government.

Unlike the Hulk (whom the Arrowverse version resembled) the comic book version of Fuerza did not lose her intelligence when she used her powers. This was a side-effect of using the Strength Force excessively, but she managed to avoid this.


Technobabble

The gist of Kramer's argument for taking away Frost's powers is based around the laws that prohibit felons from owning firearms. Since metahuman ability pose a similar threat, convicted felons should be denied super powers as well.

According to Dr. Tannhauser, there's a chance that the metacure could kill Frost instantly given the unique nature of her birth as a naturally occurring metahuman.

A 10-67 form must be filled out to reclaim lost property from the CCPD lock-up.

The meta-cure doses in the CCPD armory are neutralized using a inertial oximeter.

Arc radiators emit isotropic energy. Barry can use the ones in STAR Labs to emit focused doses on a microscopic level.


Dialogue Triumphs

Caitlin: Frost, this is the miracle we’ve been waiting for. This is gonna save you.
Frost: By erasing my powers?
Caitlin: You heard Cecile, okay. Even if we can convince the judge to give you prison time, you’re looking at 10 to 20 years easy.
Frost: Then I’ll take it.
Caitlin: Why would you give up two decades of your life when there is a perfectly safe solution?
Frost: Changing who I am is not a solution. How the hell can you even ask me that? You’re the one who said the cure should always be a choice.
Caitlin: Then why won’t you choose this?!
(Caitlin starts to tear up.)

Caitlin: Do you remember when the Sage Force attacked, and I told you my greatest fear? It’s living life without you. I am terrified of living a life that you’re not in. Frost, you are my sister, I love you. And I cannot lose you.
Frost: And if I take the cure, you will. Caity, don’t you see? It’s not me you trying to protect. It’s yourself. 

Frost: Here’s the deal. Taking away a meta-human’s powers isn’t the same thing as taking away a gun from a criminal. Erasing our powers is erasing our identity. It’s saying, “Hey, you were made bad, change that.” But shouldn’t justice be about changing the way a person acts, not the way they were born? I get it. You fear us because we’re different. You’d feel safer if we were the same. But different can’t be cured. It’s here to stay. We’re here to stay. Some of you only think of me as the criminal I used to be. Back then, I was only interested in protecting myself. But, then, I found someone else worth protecting. And protecting that person led me to protecting a whole city. And slowly I changed. I learned how… I learned how to be selfless instead of selfish. I learned that I’m my best self when I’m protecting other people.


Dialogue Disasters

Carmen Moore's speech about her platoon dying may be the hammiest acting in the show's history and the dialogue doesn't help.

It's impossible not to feel your soul die a little during the scene in which Joe West describes Kristen Kramer as a good cop.


Continuity

Kristen Kramer is required to go through four scans and 3 weapon checks before gaining entry to ARGUS to visit Director of Technology and Science Chip Cooper.

Agent Cooper was last seen in 702.

Cooper served in the US Army before joining ARGUS.

Kramer is familiar with Cooper's background and asks him about his time serving at Fort Dakota.

Cooper entrusts Kramer with a silver briefcase. This is later revealed to contain a dose of Cisco Ramon's metagene cure.

Frost is still being called Killer Frost in the press and by the DA's office.

Frost is facing a 10-20 year sentence for her crimes. However, Cecile Horton is confident she can get Frost a reduced sentence of 18 months - possibly less with parole.

Frost asks the rest of Team Flash to trust in Cecile and the justice system and not look for a loophole to free her or to harass Kramer.

Barry and the Speed Force run to Keystone City after detecting a seismic isotope indicating the presence of the Strength Force. Iris stays behind to run coms while the rest of the team go to watch Frost's trial.

When Barry gets to the location in Keystone City, he finds a field site for Keystone Cares - a non-profit that helps the needy and no sign of Fuerza.

Matthew Norvock, last seen in 605, is also at the courthouse to offer Frost moral support.

D.A. Strong states the only goal of the prosecution is "to ensure that this extremely dangerous criminal no longer threatens our good citizens." This leads to the proposal to remove Frost's powers with the metagene cure rather than give her jail time.

Cecile asks Joe to testify on Frost's behalf.

Barry traces the Strength Force signal to a woman named Alex Rivera, who is the Field Supervisor for Keystone Cares.

Caitlin, Allegra and Cisco sneak into CCPD HQ and neutralize all the doses of the metacure in the armory.

Alexa Rivera is a recovering drug addict who went to school to become a nurse after cleaning up her act. She took a job working with a charity rather than a hospital, so she could be out on the streets helping people like her. She does not have a criminal record.

The Speed Force accuses Alexa of hurting people. This leads Alexa to shut down and refuse to talk to them anymore. She also refuses Barry's invitation to go to STAR Labs, blaming them for all the craziness in the city.

Kramer uncovered Cisco's hacking the cameras at the CCPD and the neutralization of the metahuman cure doses.

Caitlin tries to take the blame for the hack, but her confession is ignored.

Kramer reveals that ARGUS has provided a sample of the metahuman cure and they can have 100 doses ready by that evening.

Frost and Caitlin's mother determines that the cure won't kill Frost, but it will remove her powers.

Frost says she doesn't want to lose her powers because they define her.

Caitlin reveals that her worst fear is living a life without Frost.

Barry speaks to Alexa Rivera again, this time as The Flash. She admits to him that she's been having blackouts whenever she gets angry and is afraid she might be the monster that killed Abra Kadabra in 704.

The Flash convinces her to get tested at STAR Labs.

Frost confronts Kramer in an interview room as the judge is considering her sentence.

Kramer denies having a personal vendetta against Frost, but claims to hate all metahuman criminals who pose as heroes.

Kramer claims she lost a platoon in the service because of a metahuman who claimed to be a hero.

Kramer freely admits that she is trying to establish a precedent that any metahuman accused of a crime can be punished with the cure, regardless of the offense.

Frost makes a closing statement before the sentence is announced, saying that she takes responsibility for what she did and doesn't think it fair to use her as a bludgeon against all metahumans.

The judge agrees and sentences Frost to life in prison without parole, despite the objections of DA Strong and Kristen Kramer.

Kristen Kramer tells Joe she respects him despite their disagreements. Joe says the same but warns her about making sure to remember what side of the line she is on.

Exposure to isotopic energy starts to change Alexa Rivera into Fuerza.

The Speed Force tries to kill Alexa. When Barry saves her, she tries to kill Iris. This leads to Barry throwing energy to disrupt the Speed Force's attack, which it absorbs and then uses to throw a seemingly lethal energy attack at Alexa.

The episode ends with the Speed Force telling Barry it is time to choose a side.


Location

Keystone City


The Bottom Line

A total mess. Frost's trial is just illogical on multiple fronts, but at least Danielle Panabaker's performance makes it interesting to watch. The same can't be said of the subplot with Barry reaching out to Fuerza, who has been turned into a second-rate rip-off of The Incredible Hulk who is nowhere near as interesting as her comic book counterpart. 

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 7, Episode 7 - Growing Pains

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

Plot

A new metahuman thief with ice powers is on the prowl in Central City and Joe is feeling the heat to bring in Frost, despite knowing she's innocent. Of course Frost isn't going to wait for the rest of Team Flash to prove her innocence, even before Caitlin is arrested in her place. Meanwhile, Barry struggles with the Speed Force, still in the form of his mother, trying to stay close to him as it throws his powers out of balance.


Influences

The Flash comics of Mark Waid (character of Chillblaine) and The Fugitive (evoked by Allegra, plot of a wrongly accused person hunting the real criminal while being hunted themselves.)


Goofs

The presence of dark matter in the ice at the crime scene at Ivo Labs should have exonerated Frost, since she was a natural-born metahuman not created by the STAR Labs particle accelerator explosion.

It's unclear how the charges against Frost were formulated since they involve assault on one of Alchemy's acolytes, the attempted murder of Tracy Brand and the kidnapping of Cecile Horton and Julian Albert. These last three shouldn't have been reported to the police, as they were handled in-house by Team Flash.  (Perhaps things played out differently post-Crisis?)

Even as a state official, Kristin Kramer shouldn't have been able to get the Central City Metahuman Taskforce to converge on O’Shaughnessy's because it was in Keystone City. 

Given how empathic Iris is supposed to be, you'd think she'd figure out that Barry is uncomfortable living with a cosmic being taking the form of his dead mother without him having to tell her that outright.


Performances

Danielle Panabaker gets a fantastic turn here as Frost and Caitlin and clearly enjoys playing opposite herself.

It's also fun to see the friendship between Frost and Allegra develop and the chemistry between Kayla Compton and Danielle Panabaker is strong.


Artistry

Cheesy as it is, the sequence with Mark taking his shirt off as Nelly's "Hot In Here" plays is a well-played laugh.

The fight scene between Chillblaine and Frost is well executed.


Flash Facts

The bar where Frost seeks information is called O'Shaughnessy's. In the DC Comics universe, O'Shaughnessy's is the name of a popular fast food chain, comparable to McDonald's, and the chief rival of Big Belly Burger.

The first version of Chillblaine appeared in The Flash Annual #4 in July 1991. Originally Chillblaine was a title which Golden Glider bestowed upon various henchmen, along with her brother's cold gun, when she was trying to make her own way in the criminal underworld. Unfortunately for Glider, the fourth Chillblaine got ambitious and killed her. This Chillblaine was eventually killed by Captain Cold in The Flash #182 (March 2002).

The Arrowverse version of Chillblaine is a scientific genius named Mark Blaine, who invented a pair of gloves that give him cryonic powers.

While giving Frost the run around, Mark suggests that she check out the Wieringo Complex for a lead on the thief who framed her. This is a nod to artist Mike Wieringo, who was the co-creator of Bart Allen/Impulse.


Technobabble

Chester wonders if his first consultation will be a 1090, a 1011 or a 1035. These are, respectively, a bank alarm, a dog case and a major crime alert.

The ice crystal patterns among the remains of the security guard killed at Ivo Labs are dendritic, like tree branches. According to Barry, Frost's ice crystal patterns are usually hexagonal, like snowflakes.

Later, Barry determines that the ice at the crime scene only has dark matter residue on the surface. The ice produced by metahuman powers has dark matter evenly dispersed throughout the ice. The Speed Force later confirms that the molecules in the crime scene ice are compacted and constrained.

Gin has a specific gravity which will cause it to rise above denser liqueurs like crème de noyaux.

According to the Speed Force, White Hole singularities can exist without mass.

Frost and Caitlin share 80 nodal points of facial recognition.

Chester determines that the dark matter in the Ivo Labs ice isn't really dark matter, but some sort of half-life variant with compacted membranes. This proves that the killer is not a metahuman.

Chillblaine used a neurogenic scan of Frost to replicate her powers.


Dialogue Triumphs

Chester: Anybody else taste pennies? It tastes like there’s 78 cents in my mouth.

Frost: (To Chillblaine) You fight like a boy!


Continuity

The freeways in Central City included Route 220 and Route 119.

The Speed Force knows how to cook and can make blueberry compote and bacon and baked egg Danishes.

Barry is experiencing power surges where his speed goes out of control. The effect seems to get worse whenever the Speed Force is nearby.

The Speed Force says she is trying to boost Barry's power while she is healing, acting as his living battery.

The official charges against Frost include one count of assault, one count of attempted murder and two counts of kidnapping. All of these occurred during Season 3. While the CCPD stopped pursuing Frost, the state never officially dropped the charges against her.

Cisco and Kamilla are still on vacation together.

Chester gets his first call to a crime scene as a STAR Labs consultant.

An Ivo Labs van was robbed by someone with ice powers who stole an experimental microchip and killed the driver.

The CCPD still has Leonard Snart (aka Captain Cold) listed as off-the-grid.

Chester determines that the dark matter levels in the ice at the Ivo Labs robbery are off the charts. However, Barry notes that the crystal pattern is totally different than Frost's.

Kristin Kramer orders Joe to mobelize the Metahuman Task Force and says she is going to get the Central City DA to issue a warrant for Frost's arrests, despite Barry and Chester saying there's no real way to connect her to the crime.

Caitlin and Chester start working on altering one of HR Wells' transmogrifiers to allow Frost to move around unnnoticed.

Frost is in hiding at STAR Labs, but isn't happy about it, despite having found a work-out partner in Allegra.

Frost decides to hunt for the killer on her own and asks Allegra to keep quiet about her sneaking out.

Barry barely manages to cover himself after the Speed Force shows up at the Ivo Labs crime scene and his powers go out of control around Kristin Kramer.

Frost used to work at a bar called O’Shaughnessy's in Keystone City which was a hangout for a lot of criminals.

Frost is in O’Shaughnessy's when Kristin Kramer announces a $100,000 bounty on her head, which every crook in O’Shaughnessy's tries to collect.

Mark, the new bartender at O’Shaughnessy's, helps Frost out in the fight and suggests she check out the Wieringo Complex off Route 119, warning her that there's a new metahuman in town with a thing for experimental tech.

Chester suggests they use the Speed Force to process the data for the Frost case. Barry is against it and his "take it slow" attitude is justified when The Speed Force's presence cause shim to spaz out and shorts out the computer running the calculations.

The CCPD are given a tip on Frost's whereabouts and the Task Force is sent to Caitlin's apartment to arrest her. They also send Rene Carpenter, a clinician with the Mental Health Evaluation team.

Kramer didn't find anything incriminating in Caitlin and Frost's apartment.

A simple blood test can prove Caitlin doesn't have the metagene. After that, she should be released. 

The fact that someone tipped Kramer off about Caitlin means that whoever is framing Frost also knows that Frost and Caitlin used to be one person.

Frost plans to break Caitlin out of prison, but Caitlin talks her out of it.

According to Kristin Kramer, Caitlin's fingerprints were found all over the Ivo Labs van and the known whereabouts of Caitlin Snow match up perfectly to sightings of Frost over the past few months.

Barry tells Iris that he's not comfortable with the new Speed Force.

Iris reminds Barry of how odd it was between her and Joe when she moved back home after college and suggests maybe he and the Speed Force just need time to get used to one another and the changes.

Chester finds proof that whoever killed the Ivo Labs guard wasn't a metahuman.

Allegra confesses that Frost has been trying to find the real killer on her own.

Mark reveals his full name is Mark Blaine and that he'd planned to frame Caitlin for his crimes. He claims he figured out Caitlin was Frost by being observant.

Mark Blaine confesses that he was a cryo-geneticist who used to work for Ivo Labs, who was going to be fired and arrested for his inhumane experiments. He stole the microchip from Ivo Labs because it was the culmination of his work.

When he was 9, Mark fell through a frozen lake while ice skating and was submerged in freezing water for 15 minutes. Afterward he became obsessed with the power of ice, believing if offered mastery of life and death.

Mark dubs himself Chillblaine and attempts to kill Frost with the gauntlet he made that gives him cold-blast powers. It does not end well for him, as Frost is still able to impale him on an icicle even after he snow-blinds her.

Allegra and The Flash go to O’Shaughnessy's after Chester detects a major cryokinetic spike there.

Allegra is able to safely melt the ice on Frost's face as The Flash patches up Chillblaine's wounds.

Frost recorded Chillblaine's confession.

Kristin Kramer shows up with the CCPD Task Force. Frost decides to turn herself in, saying she needs to pay for the crimes she committed in the past, to prove she's serious about reforming.

Caitlin is released from prison.

Cecile is trying to negotiate bail for Frost.

Frost is pleading guilty to all charges, so all that remains is a sentencing hearing.

Chillblaine is said to be heading to Iron Heights Prison.

Barry apologizes to the Speed Force and has apparently stopped glitching. 


Location

O’Shaughnessy on the south side of Keystone City.


The Boomerang Factor

The whole episode is dependent on Frost being too stubborn to let her teammates clear her name and Kristin Kramer being too stubborn to trust the experts who keep bringing up evidence that clears Frost.


The Bottom Line

An odd episode that succeeds only because of the charisma of the cast. The subplot with Barry and the Speed Force is a little weak, but thankfully most of the episode is focused on Frost and the rest of the ensemble bouncing off of her.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 7, Episode 5 - Fear Me

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

Plot

When a powerful new villain with psychic powers uses his abilities to amplify the fears of Central City's citizens, Barry must overcome his own worst fears, with Cecile's help, to save the day. Meanwhile, as Joe finds himself escorting a VIP from the Governor's office and Iris begins investigating why they're in Central City, Frost and Caitlin debate whether or not they should try and lives in separate bodies after being separated.


Influences

The Flash comics of Joshua Williamson (characters of Psych and Kristen Kramer) and the Nightmare on Elm Street movies (general horror aesthetic of dream sequences, idea of villain who attacks people with nightmares.)


Performances

Danielle Panabaker has a fantastic double turn here as Caitlin and Frost.


Artistry

The episode does a fair job of establishing the dream-like, horror movie look of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies in the nightmare scenes.


Flash Facts

The episode introduces Kristen Kramer as a member of the Governor’s Municipal Logistics Commission. In The Flash comics, Kristen Kramer was the name of a CSI who was assigned to work with Barry Allen in the lab at Iron Height's penitentiary after Barry was demoted following repeated absences from work, due to his work as The Flash. She first appeared in The Flash Vol. 5 #1 in August 2016.

The Arrowverse version of Kristen Kramer is completely different, being a career soldier with a file with the Department of Defense that is largely redacted. Her true purpose in coming to Central City is reportedly to arrest Frost.

Cisco gives the super-strong being who attacked Barry the name Fuerza, after the Spanish word for strength. In the comics, Fuerza.was the code name adopted by Alexa Antigone; a vigilante with super-strength and gravity manipulation powers, who first appeared in The Flash Vol 5 #59 (January, 2019). In the comics, Fuerza was an avatar of the Strength Force in the same way that Barry Allen tapped the Speed Force, who used her powers to battle the corrupt police of the island nation of Corto Maltese.

The Arrowverse version of Fuerza seems to be less-intelligent than her comic book counterpart, being a lumbering rage-driven monster whom Cisco compares to the Marvel Comics character She-Hulk.

The episode also introduces a new villain called Psych, who amplifies the fears of people around him.

In the comics, Psyche first appeared in The Flash Vol 5 #61 (March, 2019). Empowered by the Sage Force in the same way The Flash drew power from the Speed Force, Psych possessed a number of psychic powers, including telepathy and telekinesis. Psych primarily worked as an information broker, learning people's darkest secrets and blackmailing them. The Arrowverse version, by contrast, seems only to be interested in spreading chaos.


Technobabble

Barry uses a spectrograph to isolate a rare geothermic isotope that can be used to track the super-strong being that attacked him and killed Abra Kadabra.

Cisco theorizes that Frost and Caitlin's separation was caused by the reflective mirror chip in Mirror Mistress' gauntlet. When Frost was blasted with the gauntlet, her cryogenes rapidly replicated a whole new body so that she could survive.

Barry says that the residual geothermic isotopes on the Speed Force indicate that she was attacked by Fuerza.

Cisco reprograms the Firestorm Matrix to merge Caitlin's DNA with Frost's RNA.

Cisco says that Psych's telepathic powers are strong enough to inspire extreme psychosomatic reactions that can literally trick a person's body into hurting itself.

Psych's powers don't just manipulate a person's fears - they amplify them, elevating their biometrics and putting their amygdala in overdrive, causing extreme panic attacks.

Frost tries to repair the Firestorm Matrix by connecting the transmitter to the output circuit.

After the third battle with Psych, Barry's frontal cortex begins healing, but the part of the brain that controls motor control is still weakened.


Dialogue Triumphs

The Flash: So let me get this straight. You made those guards hallucinate some kind of Godzilla rip-off that almost squashed them?
Psych: Well, I suppose that is an accurate, if not immensely reductive assessment of the situation. So, yes. I scared the hell out of them. And that was after showing them a vision of a dozen bystanders getting eaten alive by a very hungry kaiju. It’s horrifying when you think it’s your turn.
The Flash: Okay, um, look. Whoever you are, I really don’t have time for this.
Psych: My, my. How rude. And from a superhero? Is that actually allowed?
The Flash: (sighs) Okay, I apologize for the rudeness. But I hope you enjoy Iron Heights. ‘Cause I really do have bigger problems today.
Psych: Not yet, but you’re about to.

Caitlin: Do you want to tell me what scared you so much when Psych whammied you?
(Frost looks pensive.)
Caitlin: Come on. We used to share a brain. I know you don’t scare easy.
Frost: I was under arrest, for all the crimes I committed as Killer Frost. And you were the one who turned me in.
Caitlin: I would never do that.
Frost: I know. (sighs) Look, ever since you let me take the wheel, I got to live my life, not just half the time, but all the time. And I really liked it! And I don’t want to go back to living my life just half the time. And I was afraid you’d hate me for saying that.
Caitlin: I would never hate you. You’re my sister. You can always tell me how you feel.
Frost: I don’t know how! I mean… I may be the strong one, but... you’re the brave one. I mean, you’re fearless! I mean, ever since I got in touch with my feelings, I just… I’m scared, all the time. Sometimes I don’t even know why.
Caitlin: You think you’re the only one who gets scared sometimes? Ever since we separated, there’s been this deafening silence inside my head, where you used to be. And it terrifies me! That’s why I’ve been so desperate to put us back together. Why I got so upset when you broke the Matrix. It’s ’cause my biggest fear in life is living without you.
Frost: Mine too.
Caitlin: Well, why don’t we face that fear together?
Frost: You mean…
Caitlin: Maybe two Snows really is better than one. My apartment has an extra bedroom. I could use a roommate. What do you say?
Frost: I say… “This Is Us.”
(Caitlin laughs and Frost smiles softly as the two hug.)

(Cecile has been strapped into The Thinker's chair.)
Cisco: Cecile, you good?
Cecile: Nope! Not even close to good. I… I am sitting in a death machine! What if this thing fries my brain? Wh… what if this chair turns me evil like the Top? What about that?
Caitlin: As a medical professional, I promise you will be okay. (pauses) Probably. 


Continuity

Ralph is still overseas with Sue, according to Barry.

Frost had a bet with Cisco that Barry and Iris would freak out over her and Caitlin's seperation. Cisco lost.

Cecile has a waking nightmare about someone stalking her. She later describes it as being more like a vision.

Frost and Caitlin can no longer hear each other's thoughts now that they are in separate bodies.

Frost still has her ice powers and Caitlin retained all her medical knowledge.

Caitlin is anxious to find a way to remerge with Frost, but Frost says they should focus on the berserker who nearly killed Barry.

The Speed Force, in the form of Barry's mother, manifests inside STAR Labs and asks for help before passing out.

The Speed Force has manifested as Nora Allen since HR Wells' funeral in 323.

Barry 's powers do not seem to be affected by the Speed Force's weakened state.

Barry puts his Speed Force Gauge on the Speed Force to monitor her power levels. She's currently in the red.

Iris investigates a story about how CC Mercantile was robbed when the guard fell asleep on duty. The guard later told her that he had a nightmare about his abusive stepfather stalking him.

Joe notices the robbery occurred at 11:09 pm. - the same time Cecile had a nightmare about someone stalking her. This leads him to suggest there's a new metahuman criminal with a Freddie Krueger gimmick. 

Joe has his first official meeting with Kristen Kramer; a representative of the Governor's Municipal Logistics Commission. 

Kristen Kramer seems to recognize Iris and claims to have read her story about disappearing into the Mirrorverse.

Iris becomes suspicious because Kristen Kramer uses the phrase "if you're not early, you're late." The only other time Iris heard this saying was from her military advisor at the Central City Citizen. 

Cisco and Caitlin rework the Firestorm Matrix to help merge Caitlin and Frost together again.

Caitlin is a big fan of the show This is Us. Frost is not.

Cecile comes to STAR Labs to ask Caitlin for a check-up, thinking her nightmare could be a side-effect of her expanding powers.

Cecile has another nightmare vision and she senses that an armored truck is being robbed. Cisco later detects another geothermic isotope reading from the same location.

The armored car guards Barry saves work for Crows Security from Batwoman.

The masked robber, whom Cisco names Psych, causes Barry to hallucinate that he's fighting the Reverse Flash and Savitar and that he's impaled through the chest. This causes Barry to actually start bleeding as if he had really been stabbed.

Psych carries traces of the same isotopes linked to Fueza.

Cisco tries to repurpose the mental inhibitors used to fight Gorilla Grodd, but they prove less than effective given Psych's immense power level.

Iris pulls Kristen Kramer's file from the Department of Defense and half of it is redacted. She asks Joe to read the file because she has a gut feeling she has another reason for being in Central City.

Frost knows how to swim but Caitlin might not.

Frost is still planning a white water rapids trip with Cisco.

Frost admits to sabotaging the Firestorm Matrix because she doesn't want to recombine with Caitlin.

Psych attacks the Clearly Capital offices, leaving several stock-brokers crying that they lost everything.

Psych is able to overwhelm Cisco, Frost and Barry with visions of their worst nightmares.

Frost's worst fear is being betrayed by Caitlin and arrested for her crimes as Killer Frost.

Cisco's worst fears involve bad things happening to Kamilla.

Barry's worst fear is causing the deaths of his loved ones.

Frost and Caitlin agree to stay separated and become roommates, with Caitlin calling Frost her sister for the first time.

Cecile says that she thinks about what The Flash would do whenever she is afraid.

Barry suggests that Cecile can cancel out Pscyh's powers by projecting her courage, like how she projected her fear into The Top in 701.

Barry retrieves The Thinker's chair and Thinking Cap from storage to boost Cecile's powers.

Cecile is able to project an electric courage aura that seems to cause Psyche to dissipate.

Barry notes that his Speed Force Lightning didn't phase either Psych or Fuerza.

Barry begins having another spasm of some kind and puts himself into the cryo-pod to heal.

Kristen Kramer worked in Gotham for a while. She claims to be a big Knights fan.

Kramer finally admits to Joe that she's there, on the orders of the governor, to arrest Killer Frost.

The Speed Force wakes up and says that she was attacked by Fuerza and Psych. She also says that she thinks they are "like her."


The Bottom Line

An enjoyable episode that serves more as a showcase of Danielle Panabaker's acting talents than an expansion of the new Force storyline. The script isn't particularly strong despite Psych being an engaging villain, but the performances of the ensemble keep the story moving.

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 4, Episode 1 - The Flash Reborn

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




Plot

In the wake of Barry Allen's disappearance into The Speed Force several months earlier, it has fallen to Iris West, Kid Flash, Vibe and Joe West to keep Central City safe from hostile metahumans. When a new armored villain - a flying samurai - threatens to destroy the city if The Flash doesn't show his face, the rest of the team go behind Iris's back and make a risky decision to try and rescue Barry, seeking out an apparently-recovered Caitlin Snow to do so. However, the Barry Allen they retrieve is not the same one they lost...


Influences

The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns (the title), The Flash #180-181 (characters of The Flying Samurai and The Samuroids) and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (a character suggests an unlikely means of deciphering a secret message only to get a seemingly useless answer.)


Goofs

Cecile says that Barry was found on "the 112 outside of Ivy City", 300 miles away from Central City. This seems like it could be a flubbed reference to Ivy Town - the suburb where Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak lived during the time between Season 3 and Season 4 of Arrow and where Professor Martin Stein met his wife back in the 1970s, according to the first season of Legends of Tomorrow.

Where did Caitlin get the cold gun from?  (Maybe Cisco finally had time to build a second one?)


Performances

Honestly, the only thing that makes this episode work as well as it does is the performances of the ensemble cast, particularly Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes playing off of one another.


Artistry

The special effects on the sequence where Kid Flash chases Peek-A-Book look amazing.


Flash Facts

The episode opens with a quick recap of the last season of The Flash. It conveys the following scenes - Barry proposing to Iris, Caitlin declaring she needs to go away for a bit to figure out who she is following her transformation into Killer Frost, Joe West telling Cecile Horton he loves her and The Speed Force Storm threatening Central City until Barry goes into The Speed Force to fill the gap left by Savitar's non-existence in The Speed Force Prison.

The episode also opens with a special narration from Iris instead of the usual one from Barry.

Iris notes that Peek-A-Boo is teleporting to every third tower, guessing that her eventual target will be The Broome Tower. This is a nod to John Broome - a prominent comic book writer of the Golden Age and Silver Age, who is most famous for his co-creation of Hal Jordan - the second Green Lantern. Broome also had a lengthy run on The Flash, during which he created several key characters including Kid Flash, Captain Boomerang, Elongated Man, Abra Kadrbra and The Reverse Flash.

The Flying Samurai is a character from a relatively obscure Flash story which started in The Flash #180 (June 1968). The Flying Samurai was revealed to be one of several samurai-themed robots called Samuroids who were the minions of a Baron Katana .  

The DCTVU Samuroid is eventually revealed to be under the control of The Mechanic and The Thinker.

Vibe addresses The Flying Samurai as Mifune and later calls him Kurosawa. These are nods to actor Toshiro Mifune - perhaps the most famous Japanese film actor of all time - and director Akira Kurosawa, who directed several films in which Mifune portrayed a samurai.

Vibe also calls The Flying Samurai "Samurai Jackass." This is a riff on the classic cartoon Samurai Jack.

Vibe says "Great Ceaser's Ghost!" at one point. This exclamation was also the catch-phrase of The Daily Planet editor Perry White in the Superman comics.

Cisco and Caitlin both make reference to the novel The Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, with Cisco suggesting that Barry's message may hold "life, the universe and everything" and Caitlin asking if Barry's ramblings mean "The answer is 42."

Vibe makes mention of Danville. This is a suburb of Centeral City in the original Flash comics. It was a middle-class resident suburb, where Iris and Barry lived upon getting married.

Caitlin's newfound ability to control her powers and Killer Frost personality are apparently because of someone named Amunet, for whom she was working by working at the bar where Cisco found her. This is likely a reference to Amunet Black a.k.a. Blacksmith.

First appearing in Flash: Iron Heights (August 2001), Blacksmith was a villain who ran a black market for super-villains in Centeral Ciy. Briefly married to the super-villain Goldface, Blacksmith stole his formula, which gave him super-strength and a golden glow and used it herself. It left her with the ability to bond metal to her body and control any metal around her.

Clifford DeVoe a.k.a. The Thinker first appeared in All-Flash Comics #12 (September 1943), created by Gardner Fox and Everett E. Hibbard.

A District Attorney in Keystone City, DeVoe froze up while questioning a witness during his first big trial against the crime boss Hunk Norvock. Driven to drink by his failure and the realization that crime COULD pay, DeVoe went to Norvock and offered his services as "a thinker" - a fixer who could use fake alibis and obscure legal precedents to help Norvock and his men get away with anything. DeVoe would come to take over the gangs of Keystone City, who elected him as their new boss after DeVoe's cleverness allowed him to survive several attempts on his life including an attack by Boss Norvock himself.

Brought to justice by The Jay Garrick Flash, DeVoe sought revenge, outfitting himself with various bits of advanced technology. Chief among these was his "Thinking Cap", which increased his already considerable intelligence as well as giving him the powers of mind-control and telekinesis. Reforming in later years, he became friends with Jay Garrick before he died peacefully of old age. Unfortunately, a new Thinker - an artificial intelligence based on the brainwaves of a younger Clifford DeVoe - would go on to become an enemy of the Wally West Flash, The Justice Society of America and Cyborg.

The character of The Mechanic seen in this episode is a new creation, unique to the DCTVU. It is worth noting, however, that the name of The Mechanic has been used by other DC Comics properties, most famously in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series which focused on Earl Cooper, the man responsible for designing and building Batman's cars.

The Mechanic was also one of several British superheroes to appear in the Paul Cornell/Jimmy Broxton Knight and Squire (2010) mini-series. A character called The Mechanic was listed among the membership of the criminal gang The Average Joes in Batman Incorporated #6 (June 2011). The Mechanic was apparently the code-name of one of The Huntress's enemies on Earth Two, in the Pre-Crisis DC Comics Universe. Finally, The Mechanic was the code-name of Thomas Hague - a telekinetic member of the superhero team The Shadow Cabinet in the Dakotaverse.


Technobabble

The Quark Sphere is a device which is filled with Barry Allen's unique genetic marker, programmed to track his DNA using the electrical current of The Speed Force. Used in tandem with The Speed Force Bazooka, The Quark Sphere will trick The Speed Force into thinking Barry is still there once The Speed Force Bazooka pulls Barry out of it.

Shock results from a drop in blood pressure. Barry's instability is neurological in nature, according to Caitlin.

Schizophasia is a neurological condition where a person assigns the wrong definitions to words.

A sliced fibula would be severe enough an injury that Caitlin would amputate if the victim were anyone but a speedster.

Cisco suggests that the code Barry is writing in is a poly-alphabetic language like Greek, where the symbols are a unique alphabet rather than a mono-alphabetic substitution cipher.


Dialogue Triumphs

Iris: My name is Iris West and I was supposed to marry The Fastest Man Alive... but six months ago he left. I promised him I'd run. So that's what I've been doing these past six months. Running as fast as I can.

(Cisco drinks the drink Caitlin made for him.)
Cisco: Oh, this is good!  Is there anything you can't do?
Caitlin: Move on, apparently.

(Pokerface by Lady Gaga plays. We see an unfocused shot from Barry's point of view, looking at the ceiling. Caitlin and Cisco are standing above him.)Caitlin: Are you sure this is appropriate?
Cisco: Yeah. It's a good luck charm. I mean, it worked before.
Caitlin: Last time he was in a coma - not a pan-temporal extra dimension.
Cisco: Well... waking up to Gaga shouldn't seem too freaky...

(We see one of the Samuroid robots having it's face replaced by a woman. This is The Mechanic.)
The Mechanic: The Samurai served his purpose.
Unseen Man: As in 12th Century Feudal Japan. A time when the military class was powerful. The execution methodical. Like ours.
(The Mechanic moves to a touch screen and pulls up an image of that day's newspaper in Central City, reporting on The Flash's return.)
The Mechanic: Well, it worked. The Flash is back in Central City.
Unseen Man: It appears things are going as planned.
The Mechanic: As if there were any doubt.
(A chair turns around. We see a figure with a metal cap wired to his head sitting in it. This is The Thinker.)
The Mechanic: What's our next step?
The Thinker: I'm thinking...


Continuity

The villain Vibe and Kid Flash are fighting at the start of the episode, the teleporter Peek-A-Boo, last appeared in 122.

Vibe's control of his power to create controlled breaches within a single dimension seems to have improved considerably over the past six months to the point that he can follow along behind Kid Flash with little effort. He is also able to use his powers as a tractor beam to hold Peek-A-Boo in place and force her through a breach.

The CCPD is now armed with special taser guns that Joe West is able to use to neutralize Peek-A-Boo.

Iris has taken over the leadership of Team Flash, organizing the team from STAR Labs while Joe, Cisco and Wally are in the field.

Iris says that 1 out of every 3 fights with a metahuman criminal they've had in the past six months has ended in the villain escaping.

Cecile Horton is in the process of moving in with Joe West.

Julian Albert has moved back to London. Joe has apparently been covering for Barry's absence for the past six by telling Captain Singh that Barry was on a sabbatical in the Czech Republic. With two CSIs out, the CCPD Crime Lab is woefully backed-up.

Joe refers to HR's funeral in 323.

Wally West can speak Japanese.

Cisco reveals he has been consulting with several people on a way to free Barry from The Speed Force. These include Harry (i.e Harry Wells, The Harrison Wells of Earth Two), Tina (i.e. Dr. Tina McGee of Mercury Labs), Tracy (i.e. Tracy Brand, who helped build The Speed Force Prison in Season Three), Felicity (a.k.a. Felicty Smoak a.k.a. Overwatch) and Curtis (i.e. Curtis Holt a.k.a. Mister Terrific.) He claims to have been working on the problem for over six months, since the night Barry entered The Speed Force.

Cisco is able to track Caitlin by Vibing her. She's apparently restored herself to normal and is "just Caitlin" again but has been working as a bartender in a rough bar in Central City rather than returning to STAR Labs for some reason.

Caitlin has two doctorates and a PhD.

Caitlin reveals that she somehow learned about Barry going into The Speed Force.

Iris makes a reference to a Mockingbird Satellite that Cisco has to pull up to track The Flying Samurai.

Cisco sets up his rig to removed Barry from The Speed Force at the old Ferris Aircraft facility where they first tested Barry's powers in the first episode.

Joe forgives Caitlin for everything she did to him and Cecile as Killer Frost.

Cisco and Caitlin calibrate The Speed Force Bazooka from 322 to pull Barry from The Speed Force.

Barry makes two references to "Nora (his mother) shouldn't be here during his rantings when the rest of Team Flash first see him. The rest of Barry's dialogue suggests he is experiencing moments in time out of sequence, with Barry saying something about not killing anyone as if speaking to a judge, asking if everyone can hear the stars singing, that someone told him the city was safe and there would be no residual danger but that wasn't true, saying the stars are melting like ice cream, that the stars are loud, that he and his dad are going to be okay, that he's not sure he can be like Oliver (a nod to his conversation with Green Arrow in the pilot) and various bits of rhyming nonsense along with a speech about revolutionizing how physics is looked at.

Barry also writes on the walls of his cell in a strange code.

Barry's neurotransmitters are functioning at five times normal speed.

Caitlin theorizes that Barry either developed schizophasia or dementia as a result of his time in The Speed Force.

Cisco plays Pokerface by Lady Gaga while trying to revive Barry. This is the song that was playing when Barry awoke from his coma in the first episode.

Caitlin uses a cold-gun like the one stolen from STAR Labs by Captain Cold to knock out Barry.

Wally attempts to impersonate Barry by wearing his costume and vibrating his face while fighting The Flying Samurai.

Cisco's translation of Barry's scribblings comes up with the phrase, "This house is bitchin'!".

Wally can heal a sliced fibula in four to five hours.

The delirious Barry says to Joe "You said it yourself. She goes looking for danger." - a line he said once about Iris to Joe.

Joe West has apparently rediscovered religion since dating Cecile. He has come to believe that "Strength means nothing without faith.". Iris is amused by this, saying that Joe hadn't attended church since she was a child.

Joe West is apparently a practicing Catholic.

Cisco made Barry a new bright red suit over the past six months - one exactly like the one worn by the future Flash in 319.

Barry is now capable of moving faster than ever before - even faster than Wally West.

Barry has no idea how he sensed that Iris was in danger. He says he has no memory of anything after he entered The Speed Force.

Caitlin rejoins Team Flash.

Caitlin returns to the bar she was working at and tells one of the men there to tell Amunet that she is out. The man responds violently which causes Caitlin to transform into Killer Frost. Frost says something about having fun while he can before Caitlin changes back to her normal self. Judging by her reaction, Killer Frost's attempts to take her over again are not supposed to be happening.

Iris couldn't bring herself to sleep in her and Barry's bed alone over the past six months.

The Samuroids were the work of The Mechanic, who we see with The Thinker in the episode's final scene.


Location

Barry is recovered from "the 112 outside of Ivy City" - a town 300 miles away from Central City.


Untelevised Adventures

Iris, Joe, Wally and Cisco spend six months trying to keep metahuman crime in Central City under control.

Caitlin is able to reassert herself at some point within the past six months, apparently putting herself into the debt of someone named Amunet.


The Fridge Factor

It really does not make a damn bit of sense for Iris to be opposed to Cisco trying to bring Barry out of The Speed Force and it only seems to happen so there can be one more bit of forced drama between the team members.

For all of the confidence Iris built in the last six months, it seems a damn curious message that she should force herself into the damsel-in-distress role as some means of "saving" Barry.

Once again, Caitlin's character arc for the season is built around her inability to control her power.


The Boomerang Factor

Kid Flash and Vibe are dumbed-down to make Peek-A-Boo a threat in the opening sequence, with the whole "duck duck" scene.


The Bottom Line

Easily the weakest Season Opener to date on The Flash. Most of the ensemble is useless outside of a few brief character moments and The Flying Samurai isn't an engaging enemy. The Barry/Iris relationship continues to be less engaging and well-developed than literally every other romantic relationship on the show, despite it getting the lion's share of the screen-time. What's worse is that the episode is honestly trying to make Iris into a stronger character but still requires her to become a hostage in order for Barry to be able to function. Between that and them reviving the idea that Caitlin can't handle her powers without being corrupted, there's a lot of disturbing implications in this episode.