The Flash Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 16 - So Long and Goodnight

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



Plot

Joe West is on Black Hole's radar and they hired Ragdoll to kill him. As Chief Singh pressures Joe to go into Witness Protection, Ralph has another encounter with Sue Dibny and discovers her own connection to Joseph Carver's sinister schemes.


Influences

Mission Impossible (the mask Sue uses to become January Galore), The Flash comics of Joshua Williamson (concept of Black Hole) and the Secret Six comics of Gail Simone (character of Rag Doll).


Goofs

Ignoring how free Iris is with revealing her husband's secret identity to a relative stranger, why does she tell Eva that her husband is The Flash and expect her to know who that i? Eva has, as far as Iris knows, been trapped in another dimension for six years and just recently discovered she can refocus her mirror to watch other people?

As quickly as Joe recovers from being shot in the shoulder, you'd think he was the one with accelerated healing instead of Barry.

It's uncharacteristically stupid of Joe to go confronting a suspected crime boss without telling anyone he's doing so. It's even stupider that he tells said crime boss, who employs a small army of metahumans, that he just recorded him confessing to being a crime boss and expect to get out of the building alive and with the evidence intact. This also ignores all issues of whether a secret recording can be considered admissible evidence, particularly as its being recorded by a police officer harassing a citizen, even if Joe DID leave his badge at STAR Labs.

Why is only Joe put into Witness Protection? He knows Carver knows who he is and Carver has threatened his family, so why aren't Cecile and Jenna, at the very least, taken into custody with him?

Cecile's power levels are all over the place and vaguely defined enough that they can do whatever the writers need. Still, it's a bit perplexing that her empathy is so sensitive that she can be shut down from several rooms away sensing Ragdoll's physical pain yet she's unable to sense Eva McCullouch's emotions behind the Mirror World Iris and Kamila or that there's something odd about the two women, given that Wally West and Joe West noticed it without empathy powers.

The CGI for Rag Doll seems to suggest that he's a stretcher now rather than a contortionist.


Performances

Again, the chemistry between Hartley Sawyer and Natalie Dreyfuss is the best aspect of the episode and we're left wishing there was more about them and less about Joe and Barry this time around.


Artistry

The use of music in this episode is fantastic. Strangely enough, the title song isn't in the episode.


Flash Facts

The title of the episode is taken from a My Chemical Romance song.

At one point Ralph makes a reference to the musician Prince. Coincidentally, this episode was aired on the fourth anniversary of Prince's death.


Technobabble

Eva theorizes that a person with a destabilized molecular structure would be able to safely pass through her mirror into Mirror World. This means that Barry could, in theory, pass into the Mirror World and use his speed to take both Eva and Iris back into reality.

Barry determines that the only way someone could cut the brake-lines of a car and cause it to accelerate would be from inside the engine. This could be accomplished by someone capable of compacting their body into tight spaces (i.e. Rag Doll)

Carver has a device on his watch that generates a localized EMP pulse that can erase media in his immediate vicinity without frying the electronics. He uses this to erase the recording Joe made on his phone of Carver's confession to hiring Rag Doll to kill him.

The pressure bomb Rag Doll traps Cecile with is an M112 C4 Block Demolition Charge. Typically pulling the green wire will disarm it, but the version Rag Doll made has four wires and they are all green.


Dialogue Triumphs

Ralph: I need a hacker who can set up a net to help catch her. Somebody who can monitor the security feed. Somebody who speaks bandwidth and knows binary.
Cisco: Mmm - I'm not sure you know how hacking works.
Ralph: Please. I've seen "You've Got Mail" several times.

Ralph: Hello, Sue. Or is it January?
Sue: What can I say? (slipping into a flawless posh British accent) Collateralized loan obligations are deliciously robust. (grinning) Although... not half as delicious as you in a tux.
Ralph: (sighs) Still up to your old tricks, swiping diamonds and pearls?
Sue: Oh, you like Prince? Me too!
Cisco: Yes! Me three!
(Cisco laughs nervously as Ralph slowly turns his neck and gives him a death glare.)
Cisco: I'm Cisco, by the way. We met back when you were... (puts on a falsetto tone and a fake British accent) January Galore? (returns voice to normal) That was an excellent accent, by the way. Do you have any training?
Sue: Oh, thank you. I did my senior year abroad.
Cisco: London, no doubt.
Sue: Oh, Italy, actually.
Cisco: (To Ralph) Oh, she fancy. (To Sue) You fancy!
Sue: (pleased) Yeah, thank you.
Ralph (exasperated, having been doing a slow burn this whole time) Okay!

Carver: Whatever you think I've done, it's a million times worse.

Ralph: You weren't stealing anything in Paris, Shanghai or Central City. You were investigating Carver. And he must have found out their ugly little secret. (mockingly) What, do they lie on their tax returns? Bribe their way into that yacht club?
Sue: (angrily) Enough! Assume whatever you want about me, but don't do it about my parents. They're good people.
(There's a brief pause. Ralph clearly makes a decision.)
Ralph: Then let me help you.
Sue: I barely know you.
Ralph: You know everything that matters.
(Sue pauses as well, clearly coming to a decision of her own.)
Sue: For the record, I didn't enjoy tricking you.
(Ralph gives her a disbelieving look.)
Sue: Okay, I enjoyed it.
(Ralph nods as if to say "That's better." and Sue chuckles.)
Sue: But honestly, I felt pretty crappy afterwards. Why is that?
Ralph: Because you are a good person. Just like your parents. You just have some... issues.
Sue: (laughs) You're so decent, it's nauseating.
Ralph: Oh boy. You should have seen me two years ago. I was a ... I was a real crap bag. Actually, you probably would have liked that, though.
Sue: (thoughtful) I don't know. This whole "good guy" thing you've got going on? It's... tolerable.
Ralph: (mock-insulted) Tolerable.
Sue: Which is why I'm giving you this.
(Sue gives Ralph the diamond she stole when they met. He looks at her, honestly stunned.)Sue: Look into that. You might find something interesting. I did.


Dialogue Disasters

Cecile: What do you think? He's going to come after me too? (This line is said to Allegra after she asks why Cecile isn't taking precautions against Carver coming after her.)


Continuity

The events of this episode start one day after 615.

Ir is revealed that Joseph Carver is aware of the police investigation into him and that Joe West is the lead investigator.

So far, Sunshine has refused to talk about who she works for to the CCPD.

Carver has hired a specialist to deal with Joe West. This is later revealed to be Ragdoll, who was last seen in 520.

Chief Singh asks Joe to back off on the case and let someone else take lead on it. Joe refuses and leaves a family game night to question Sunshine personally.

Iris' body is starting to adapt to the Mirror World, as she can now read monitors and screens in the Mirror World with concentration. Before, it gave her headaches to even look at them.

Iris read Eva's notes and suggests that her husband might be able to phase into Mirror World if they can get a message to him.

Iris tells Eva that Barry is The Flash.

Eva tells the duplicate Iris to get Barry to lose the rest of his speed energy. She doesn't really care about The Flash but can't risk him being able to help Joe West in his investigation of Black Hole before she gets a chance to avenge herself upon her husband.

Since his last encounter with Sue Dibny in 612, Ralph has tracked her breaking into five banks in five locations, each time during a high-class event for wealthy patrons.

Ralph asks Cisco to help him with hacking the computers at First National Central City Bank so he can track Sue Dibny, having figured out that is her next likely target.

Cisco agrees to help Ralph, since he's busy running simulations to get an artificial Speed Force made, he doesn't need to be there while the computers run and he feels like he wasn't there for Ralph early on in the case.

Joe nearly dies in a car crash after his breaks suddenly fail. Barry later determines that his break-lines were cut while the car was in motion. For this to have happened, someone would

Cisco is interrupted in his hacking the server by January Galore - the British arms dealer who saw through Ralph and Barry's disguise in 606.  However, she is later revealed to be Sue Dibny in disguise.

Sue escapes from the server room after successfully hacking the bank's computers and gaining access to all their financial records.

Ragdoll enters CCPD headquarters after tucking himself into a box labeled evidence and is left inside the room where Joe is interviewing Sunshine.

Before working for Black Hole, Sunshine was a First Lieutenant in the US Army. She once rescued 14 friendlies from an insurgent work camp and was awarded the Medal of Valor and Legion of Merit.

Ragdoll is able to shoot Joe in the shoulder before escaping, due to Barry not being fast enough to stop all the bullets he fires.

Barry asks Joe to consider going into Witness Protection again. Again, Joe refuses.

Barry asks Joe to at least stay in STAR Labs until he can catch Rag Doll. Joe agrees, but winds up going to confront Carver directly.

The fake Iris nags Barry about not using his powers to keep her father safe and trying to use everything in STAR Labs to find Rag Doll first before just running around the city looking for him.

Rag Doll apparently disappeared after The Young Rogues' attack on McCulloch Technologies.  Apparently he's been working for Dr. Carver ever since.

Joe confronts Carver and tries to trick him into a confession. It works, but Carver has a device that erases the recording Joe made on his phone.

Barry reads Joe the riot act for going after Carver alone. He asks Joe to go into Witness Protection but he once again refuses.

Sue Dibny scouts out the Cleary Capital Investment bank under the assumed name Genoa.

Sue speaks Italian.

Ralph tells Sue that he figured out she hasn't been stealing anything from the banks she's been hacking - she's been investigating the man who owns the banks, who has been extorting money from her parents - Joseph Carver.

Sue gives Ralph the diamond she stole in 612 and tells him to look into it to find something interesting.

Cecile sends Jenna to stay with her older daughter, Joanie.

Both Allegra and Ralph offer to protect Cecile if Ragdoll comes after her.

Nash has tried reaching out to Allegra but she refuses to give him the time of day.

Nash saves Allegra from being jumped by Ragdoll.

Allegra tries to blind Rag Doll with a flash but can't quite escape from him.

Cecile becomes paralyzed when she imprints on Rag Doll's physical pain.

Rag Doll hooks Cecile up to a pressure-sensitive bomb.

Joe calls Nash for advice on diffusing the bomb.

Rag Doll reveals that he's not helping Carver for money - only because he's come to enjoy making people suffer and because killing Joe would also give him a way to kill himself in the bombing.

Joe takes Cecile's place on the pressure trigger and asks Barry to run her away from the blast radius.

Joe takes a leap of faith and disarms the bomb by picking a green wire at random.

Rag Doll is taken into custody.

Joe agrees to go into Witness Protection.

Chief Singh is revealed to he a Mirror Double, who has been trying to get Joe off the case and into Witness Protection so as to allow Eva McCulloch to get revenge on her husband on her terms.

Somehow, Eva arranges to have a full-length mirror sent to Carver's office. She talks to him through it. She offers him one more chance to apologize for corrupting her work.

Carver defends his actions, saying that he is protecting mankind, before breaking the mirror.

The Iris clone kicks Barry out of their apartment for not coming to get her so she could say goodbye to her dad before he left.


The Bottom Line

Insufferable on many levels, the best parts involve Ralph and Sue and Cisco. Unfortunately, their plotline is the smallest part of the episode and most of the time is devoted to Joe being much stupider than usual. The irony is that Iris' clone is meant to be horribly out of character, but Iris being unreasonable about Barry not dropping everything to make her happy does seem pretty true to form. Thankfully, the previews show that we'll be seeing this resolved next week.

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

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



Plot

XS is back in 2019 and she's gone bad, joining forces with the Weather Witch, Bug-Eyed Bandit and Ragdoll to form a new Rogues' Gallery. As Barry continues to cope with the fallout of his abandoning his daughter, Cisco makes a bold decision regarding his girlfriend.


Influences

Gail Simone's Secret Six (gang of mostly female villains, character of Rag Doll)


Goofs

Weather Witch is written with a completely different personality than she displayed in her last appearance. Before she was honestly remorseful for her crimes and reluctantly press-ganged into joining with Silver Ghost. This episode has her acting like an unrepentant villain who can't wait to double-cross the hero or kill people.

How are Rag Doll's powers supposed to function once he is inside The Forge? It's almost like the writers didn't know that the Arrowverse version of Rag Doll is a metahuman rather than a man whose body was surgically enhanced, as in the Secret Six comics.

Not that Barry and Iris have been consistently intelligent when it comes to Nora but their obliviousness hits new heights in this episode, where the two wonder why the daughter Barry literally abandoned in the future doesn't trust them anymore and wouldn't come to them for help in planning a robbery. They also repeat the same argument from last week regarding Barry being unwilling to compromise or consider that he might be wrong when it comes to Thawne's motivations.


Performances

Jessica Kennedy Parker does an amazing job selling some hokey dialogue.

One of the few bits of comedy in this episode that works without reservation is Grant Gustin's portrayal of Sherloque trying to sound like Barry Allen in full hero mode as The Flash.


Flash Facts

The architecture firm XS scopes out in the first scene of the show is G. Simone & Associates. This is a nod to Gail Simone - creator of the modern day version of Ragdoll and writer on Secret Six - a series which focused on a team of villains similar to the Rogues.

The plot of the episode centers around XS trying to steal a special "mirror gun" from McCulloch Technologies. In the modern day Flash comics, Evan McCulloch was the second super-criminal to use the name Mirror Master and use a variety of mirror-based gadgets to fight The Flash.

STAR Labs new satellites are named Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda after the main character of Sex in the City.

G. Simone & Associates is said to be on 34th and Williamson street. This is a nod to Joshua Williamson - the writer on The Flash's bi-monthly comic book when this episode aired.

The fake ID Nora makes for herself identifies her as Lt. Jenni Ognats.  In the comics, Jenni Ognats was the real name of the Legion of Super-Heroes member XS.

When escaping from his bonds, Sherloque says that he was trained in the art of escape by Thaddeus Brown of Earth-51. In the comics, Thaddeus Brown was the name of the first escape artist to use the name Mister Miracle. He trained both Scott Free and Shilo Norman, who both took up his name to continue his act and become costumed crime-fighters.


Technobabble

Gideon tells XS the chances of her breaking into McCulloch technologies on her own, successfully, are 3 million to 1.

Barry sets up tachyon scanners at half mile intervals across Central City in a bid to detect XS.

Caitlin programs STAR Labs seismometer to search for sonic booms in the hundred MHz range.

Barry notes that the hard drives in G. Simone & Associate's server room were fried from the inside, as if caught in a massive power surge.

A typical metal-oxide varistor protects against electrical charges up to one thousand joules.

A lighting bolt contains one billion joules.

Cisco detects a ton of background particle radiation at G. Simone & Associates and determines they are all Negative Tachyons.

Until now, Team Flash thought Negative Tachyons couldn't generate electricity. However, Cisco theorizes that instead of just offsetting Positive Tachyons, Negative Tachyons actually siphon energy from them, stealing power from the Speed Force like a parasite.

Intravenous electrolytes are used to treat coma patients.

The Forge is secured by a Montgomery 4000, 30-ton vault door. Once locked, it can only be opened from the inside.

The "mirror gun" Nora broke into McCulloch technologies to retrieve was made from the solar reflector panels of the original STAR Labs satellite. It has a prismatic battery supercharging its reflector panels. She says it is capable of atomizing anything and it is the only thing that Thawne knows of that might destroy Cicada's dagger.

Caitlin explains that the original metahuman cures Cisco developed hadn't been properly attuned to safely remove a metahuman's powers without killing them. Used in conjunction with the cryo-atomizer, they could kill anyone with a metagene in an incredibly painful manner.


Dialogue Triumphs

Rag Doll: (regarding crawling through a pipe into The Forge) This will be my aria.


Dialogue Disasters

Most of the episode, in all honesty. But a special shout-out for Caitlin's "Gross!" reaction to Ralph thinking she was flirting with him after talking about what a kind, compassionate man he is. You'd think she'd show a little more compassion after Ralph tried letting her down easy thinking she was trying to hint that she fancied him.


Continuity

XS breaks into the G. Simone architecture firm to find blue-prints for McCulloch Technologies.

Cisco programs the STAR Labs satellites to scan for XS' yellow-purple lightning signature.

Cisco says he is the Samantha of the STAR Labs team. Iris says he is the Miranda, in reference to the heroes of Sex in the City and a popular on-line personality test based on it.

Sherloque and Ralph have no leads on where the future Cicada has hidden her younger self or why she stole the Cryo-Atomizer.

Barry offers to let Caitlin take some time off to mourn her father but she says she'd rather keep working.

Ralph offers to help Caitlin with tracking down the Atomizer.

Barry is called out to a crime scene at G. Simone & Associates.

Caitlin and Ralph head to a her father's old lab in the Arctic after an alarm is tripped.

Sherloque does not understand emoji speech.

Cisco completes the program in The Book of Love, which Ralph gave him in 514. He gives the book to Sherloque.

Iris discovers that G. Simone & Associates spent most of the last year working for an anonymous client.

Barry figures out that Thawne taught Nora how to use Negative Tachyons to hide her movement.

Joslyn Jackam, The Weather Witch, was last seen in 510.

Brie Larvan, The Bug-Eyed Bandit, was last seen in A417.

Bug-Eyed Bandit gets angry when that name is applied to her and says it is "their name."

Bug-Eyed Bandit says she heard Weather Witch and Silver Ghost were in Bolivia.

Bug-Eyed-Bandit says she was approached by Silver Ghost about joining her team.

Ragdoll was last seen in 505. He apparently escaped from Iron Heights Prison, stuffed into a small crate.

XS refers to the events of 510 and how Weather Witch seemed to save her life because she didn't want to kill someone.

XS says that she wants to run a heist on McCulloch Technologies - the largest military-grade weapons manufacturer in the world.

McCullouch Technologies tests all their weapons in a facility known as The Forge, which has a metahuman power dampener more powerful than those employed by ARGUS. This is why XS needs Bug-Eyed Bandit and Weather Witch, as their powers are tech-based.

XS says that the weapons in The Forge could easily sell for $1 million each.

Caitlin says Killer Frost has been in hiding for the past few days. She thinks it is because Killer Frost has never really had to cope with the loss of someone she cared about before.

Ralph offers Caitlin another guide he wrote - Ralph's 27 Steps To A Better Mourning. #10 is to go see your dentist because you should be doing that at least twice a year anyway and it will distract you from your emotional pain.

Cecile discovers that G. Simone & Associate's mystery client is McCullough Technologies.

Cecile refers to the events of 513 and how Nora may be trying to break up an illegal arms deal like Barry and Ralph did.

Iris says she has a whistle-blower at the DOD who might be able to tell them about what McCullough Technologies is building.

Iris says she thinks there has to be another reason why Nora is committing this robbery and didn't come to Team Flash for help.

Nora steals Spencer Young's phone from 504 from the STAR-chives.

Rag Doll attacks Cisco and Sherloque in the elevator, after entering STAR Labs through the sewers.

Barry notes that Nora's lightning is now red and her eyes are glowing red, like Thawne's.

Iris gets an alarm from STAR Labs. She and Barry see Ragdoll and Weather Witch breaking in through a camera feed.

Sherloque deduces he and Cisco are being held in Keystone City based on the smell of barium in the air.

XS asked for the rest of the team to kidnap Cisco so he could reprogram Spencer Young's phone to work for someone else.

Sherloque apologies for outing XS' secret to the rest of Team Flash.

The rest of the Young Rogues learn XS is The Flash's daughter.

Caitlin and Ralph discover that Cicada has robbed the lab of all the intravenous electrolytes.

Ralph says his book has helped other people but never worked for him. He thinks he isn't built for love but is okay with that.

Caitlin says that is a Ralph is a kind, compassionate and intelligent man who deserves to be loved.

Ralph thinks Caitlin is flirting with him but tries to let her down easy. She says that he's being gross and that she wasn't trying to say that she fancied him.

Caitlin says that the prototypes for the metahuman cure were stolen from the lab as well.

Cisco recognizes that Sherloque is afraid to tell his girlfriend that he knows she is a metahuman, in the same way that Cisco is afraid to tell his girlfriend about that part of his life.

Sherloque also suggests that Cisco wants to stop being Vibe.

Cecile determines that Central City contracted McCullough Technologies to clean up the streets following The Enlightenment. This leads Team Flash to the conclusion that they must have acquired a ton of meta-tech scrap that is now being used to make new weapons.

Barry and Iris once again argue about whether or not Nora can be trusted. Barry wants to use Cisco's force-field or Ray Palmer's nanites to catch her.

Iris tells Barry that she honestly believes Thawne cares for Nora and that Thawne told Iris to go back to the present and try and work out her current issues with Barry before confronting Nora again. She also says she honestly thinks Thawne is trying to win some kind of redemption.

Nora plans to have everyone on her team except Rag Doll enter McCullough Technologies disguised as military VIPs.

Weather Witch ran away from her abusive mother once she turned 13.

Weather Witch, Bug-Eyed Bandit and Ragdoll are all of the opinion that you can't trust anyone and that family and mentors will let you down eventually.

Cisco hacks Spencer Young's phone so Bug-Eyed Bandit can use it. He also gives it unlimited data, but programs it to have spotty reception so he and Sherloque are able to win free of its mind-controlling effects once Bug-Eyed Bandit is far away.

Weather Witch says she abandoned Silver Ghost in Bolivia. It is unclear if she killed her or not, but she definitely betrayed her trust.

Iris, Joe and Barry sneak into The Forge using image-inducers to look like military officials.

Sherloque uses the STAR Labs hologram projector to pose as The Flash to act as a distraction.

Cisco hacks Bug-Eyed-Bandit's bees and shuts them down.

Barry convince Nora he truly has forgiven her after he takes a lightning bolt from Weather Witch for her.

Nora explains that she wasn't breaking into McCullouch Technologies looking for a weapon to kill Cicada - she was looking for a special gun that could atomize Cicada's dagger.

Caitlin has figured Cicada's plan - to kill every metahuman in Central City using the cryo-atomizer along with the imperfect metahuman cures Cisco developed.

The final scene reveals that Cicada hallucinates her Uncle Orlin being with her and encouraging her in her work.


Location

Dr. Thomas Snow's lab - Arctic Circle
McCullough Technologies Factory- Keystone City


Untelevised Adventures

Apparently Silver Ghost and Weather Witch had a falling out after escaping to Bolivia.


The Boomerang Factor

The biggest sign that we shouldn't take the villains in this episode seriously? Cisco and Sherloque argue about their love lives while in the middle of being held hostage.


The Bottom Line

A bit of a mess, thanks to a script that seems to have either been written by someone who hadn't been watching the show or hurriedly rewritten to account for missing characters or story lines that didn't get filmed. It tries too hard to be a tribute to Gail Simone's Secret Six, though Ragdoll is well-handled) and some of the comedic bits work well.  Still, too much of the episode is repetitive (Barry and Iris having the same argument from last week) and there's way too much out-of-character behavior.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 5 - All Doll'd Up

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




Plot

In an effort to distract Iris from the revelation that she tried to depower their daughter in the future and the increasing tension between her and Nora, Barry asks Iris for help in tracking down a disturbing new metahuman criminal called Rag Doll. Meanwhile, Caitlin discovers a startling secret about her father.


Influences

Gail Simone's run on Secret Six (character of Rag Doll) and the Cold Comfort episode of Batman: The Animated Series.


Goofs

Rag Doll robs the mansion at night, seemingly in the early evening, but it is day when Barry is seen investigating the crime scene.

How does Nora think she's assembling the crib without any screws or pegs? She may be quick to act and slow to think, but she's not that stupid.

Who called in the bomb threat at Seaver Architecture to the police?


Performances

Troy James is a wonder as Ragdoll - not only for his talent of contortion but also for how he captures the playful yet twisted nature of the character from the comics. From the moment you see him silently try on the necklace he is stealing, you know they perfectly captured the essence of Gail Simone's creation.


Artistry

To give the writers credit, they do come up with a valid reason to keep Cisco from using his powers from solving the mystery of Caitlin's missing father or who Cicada is and cleverly show why that isn't an option while giving the detective heroes a chance to show off and allowing us some nice character moments. Well done.


Flash Facts

The first version of Rag Doll first appeared in Flash Comics #36 (December 1942). The son of a carnival barker, Peter Merkel found work in the circus as a contortionist thanks to his being born with a rare condition that made him triple-jointed.  Unfortunately, hard times caused Merkel to be let go by the circus and led to his perusing a unique career as a criminal. Dressing as a giant rag doll, Merkel would arrange to be set up in different toy stores and department stores as a display and then rob the shops at night, trusting in his outlandish costume and erratic movements would discourage police from believing reports that a giant rag doll was robbing the store. Soon, Merkel would begin pulling his scam by having himself delivered as a gift to rich families with children and start robbing whole mansions. The Jay Garrick Flash eventually brought Merkel to justice.

Merkel had several children who took up his legacy. One of them was an unnamed son, who inherited his father's triple-jointed condition, and had his blessing to use the Rag Doll name.

Another son, Peter Merkel Jr., did not inherit his father's power but had a series of experimental surgeries to replicate the effect, though this left him horribly scared - physically and mentally. Peter Merkel Jr. used the name Ragdoll (one word) and was a member of the Secret Six, first appearing in Villains United #1.

Merkel also had a daughter named Alex, who went by the code name Junior, and became one of the most heavily feared crime bosses on the West Coast of the United States.

The Arrowverse version of Rag Doll wears a costume based on the Peter Merkel Jr. version of Ragdoll, but his name is Peter Merkel. Unlike his comic-book counterpart, he is a meta-human, who gained the power to contort his body on the night of The Enlightenment after being crushed under debris. He seems to have limited ability to reshape his bod,  pounding his hand into a flat shape with no apparent discomfort to use it as a lever on a locked box, but he cannot shape-shift at will like Elongated Man. He is durable enough to survive a skyscraper being bombed into rubble. He is revealed to be the son of a noted billionaire named Theresa Merkel.

The Arrowverse version of Rag Doll is played by contortionist Troy James. His voice is provided by Phil LaMarr, who has voiced many other DC Comics characters in animation, such as Aquaman, the John Stewart Green Lantern and Static.

Cecile offers to tell Nora about Barry's encounter with a race of golden giants in an alternate past called the Grodans. First appearing in The Flash #120 (May 1961), the Grodans were discovered by Barry and Wally West when an earthquake combined with Barry's vibration accidentally sent them into the past.

When Cisco sees the formula Thomas Snow was working on in his vibe vision, he says it looks like the formula for heavy water. In the classic Flash Comics, Jay Garrick gained his super-speed following an experiment that involved heavy water.

When we first see the architect whose building is destroyed he is on the phone with someone named Novick in Gotham City. This may be a nod to Irv Novick - a classic Batman artist.

Rag Doll's motivation for his crimes is revealed to be stealing or destroying the things people value most so as to inflict as much suffering as possible on them. This is similar to what Mr. Freeze did in Cold Comfort - an episode of Batman: The Animated Series where Mr. Freeze committed a series of crimes purely to destroy the things people treasured most, such as an artist's greatest work,  a priceless dinosaur skeleton, an elderly woman's beloved dog and the orphaned Bruce Wayne's foster family.

When Rag Doll kidnaps Barry, he takes him to the roof of the Eaglesham Apartment Building on Simone Avenue. This is in honor of Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham - the comic book writer and artist who co-created the Peter Merkel Jr. version of Ragdoll.

Ralph uses his powers to swing between buildings in this episode, in a tribute to Spider-Man. (Coincidentally, this aired one day after the death of Spider-Man creator, Stan Lee.)

Cisco re-purposes The Thinker's four other satellites for STAR Labs' use, naming them Robby, Hal, Colossus and Data. All of these are the names of famous artificial-intelligence from science fiction. Robby was the name of the robot in Forbidden Planet. Hal was the treacherous ship's computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Colossus is a nod to the advanced defense system that becomes sentinent in Colossus: The Forbin Project and Data was an android who was part of the crew of the USS Enterprise on Star Trek: The Next Generation.


Technobabble

Sherloque claims to have developed a complex formula involving the terminal velocity and weight of the STAR Labs satellite and the velocity of Barry and Nora when they impacted with the satellite that allows him to chart the shrapnel patterns and determine the perimeter of the area in which Cicada must have been when he was empowered.

Caitlin says they could have used STAR Labs' satellite to run DNA recognition patterns to locate her father

The necklace Ragdoll steals is made of flawless ascher-cut diamonds set in platinum, with over 383 karats.

Cisco describes Thomas Snow's formula as hydrogen chains bonded over and over to oxygen at Absolute Zero. The numbers in the formula correspond to the periodic table numbers of several elements, spelling out the word "KHIONe".

Khione is the name of the Greek goddess of snow. She was a daughter of Boreas, the north-wind, and Oreithyia, the lady of mountain gales.

The hair Barry found at the crime scene is human, but he can't get a DNA signature off of it.

The strange markings Barry found at the crime scene are revealed to be Ragdoll's finger prints, also stretched out of shape.

Liquid nitrogen is a potent accelerant.

Caitlin says that there are still trace amounts of aluminum-beryllium alloy in Cisco's wounds. Every time he tries to use his powers, it will cause him more and more pain.

Cisco is able to take control of The Thinker's four satellites, working around the multiplexed burst-model channels and the inter-SV hand-off.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Sherloque describes how he determined the area where Cicada must have been when he was empowered.)
Caitlin: (skeptical) And that took you how long?
Sherloque: Oof, Dr. Snow! 18 hours, because I am only semi-excellent at algebra.
Cisco: (deadpan) You know this is calculus, right?

(Ragdoll is about to jump out the window. The woman reenters the room and sees him, crouched.)
Woman: Stop!
(Ragdoll twists his head around with an audible cracking.)
Ragoll: Mazel Tov!
(The woman screams as Ragdoll makes his exit.)

(Iris worries that she's as bad a mother as Theresa Merkel)
Barry: You are nothing like that woman in there!
Iris: Are you sure, Barry? I mean, I love our daughter with all my heart, but she hates me...because I turned my back on her, just like Theresa Merkel did to her son. I lied to her about everything that she is and I prevent her from living the life that she deserves. (pauses) I'd hate me too.
Barry: Iris... you are never going to be the person that Nora knows from the future.
Iris: That's the thing. It's not even up to us. I've already become her and I didn't even have a choice.

Cisco: I remember when these powers were a curse. Seeing Thawne kill me over and over. Knowing that darkness. I didn't want that. I didn't want to be a hero.These powers were a part of me. I had to learn that. And when I did, they showed me everything. I could vibe every clue. I could breach us wherever we needed to go. I could being my value to the team! (pauses) If I can't take the pain, that means Cicada wins.

(Most of Team Flash is arguing over how to go about saving Barry.)
Cisco: It's going to take me at least an hour to fix it.
Iris: Cisco, we don't have an hour!
Ralph: No, but we do have me.
(Everyone turns to see Ralph in his Elongated Man costume, having forgotten about him.)
Ralph: Let's go save the Flash.
Sherloque (quietly, honestly awestruck) Mon Dieu, that was inspiring.

Ralph: (jumping off the Eaglesham building) I hope I don't land on my keys!


Continuity

This episode takes place two weeks after the events of 504. 

Barry and Iris haven't seen Nora for two weeks.

Nora catches the thief who hits the art gallery and steals a Monet but fails to stop his motorcycle from going out of control. Luckily, Barry is able to save the pedestrians who are almost hit by the bike.

Cisco says his powers aren't working fully due to his injuries but he can still touch an object to determine its links to a person. He touches the letter with the coded message Thomas Snow left Caitlin and sees him working in an office, sketching something in a notebook.  He also saw equations on a black-board and a work ID with a yellow logo.

Sherloque recognizes the logo description as being Hudson University, where Professor Stein once worked.

Caitlin says her father was an admirer of Professor Stein but she had no idea they worked together.

Cisco seems to be hiding a pain in his hands.

Caitlin has a key to Professor Stein's old office at Hudson University. It was given to her by Stein's wife. She didn't know that Professor Stein and Thomas Snow knew each other either.

Cisco vibes the blackboard in Stein's office and gets an impression of a formula. He thinks it is for heavy water at first, but Sherloque identifies it as ice.

Sherloque is a speed-sketcher.

Cisco vibes the picture of Khione and sees Thomas Snow in a place called Viera Chemicals. Caitlin identifies this as a chemical lab out in The Barrens district of Central City. After Cisco does this, the wounds in his hands repopen.

Barry identifies Ragdoll as Peter Merkel, who has a criminal record for breaking in and entering.

Viera Chemicals is revealed to have caught on fire the same day Thomas Snow disappeared. It was declared an accident. Given the size of the facility, Sherloque and Ralph both agree there's no way Thomas Snow could have burned it down to cover his tracks without help.

Cisco tries vibing the box at Viera Chemicals, only to develop a nosebleed and pass out.

Theresa Merkel says she hasn't seen her son in two years, since he was arrested breaking into his own house and the police were called by her staff while she was out of town. She coldly says that she gave him a wing to play in and sent him to the finest schools and he was not at all appreciative.

Barry recalls he and Iris never really had a first dance at their wedding in S307.

Caitlin finds that bits of Cicada's dagger are in Cisco's wounds and they are causing nerve damage every time he tries to use his powers.

Barry makes reference to Iris' mother and how she left her family to protect them from her mental illness.

Cecile tells Nora several stories about Iris as a child, saying they were about Barry. Nora finally figures it out when Cecile tells about a boy who lost his folks and was picked on and how "Barry" had lunch with that kid every day for a year and wound up devoting a page to him and his science fair project in the yearbook. Nora knows this because Barry didn't work on the yearbook in school, but Iris did.

One of the stories about Iris involves her keeping singing despite some unspecified disaster during a middle school production of Guys and Dolls.

Cecile shows Nora one of the West family picture albums.

Iris guesses that Rag Doll is stealing the things that are most valuable to the victims.. In this case, a priceless family heirloom and an architect's prize-winning building. This leads to Ragdoll kidnapping Barry - the thing that matters most to the reporter investigating him.

Sherloque broke Cisco's extrapolator trying to use it.

Nora keeps a journal.

Future Iris never told her daughter about her past.

Iris exposed a corrupt teacher at the age of 15.

In the third grade, Cecile staked out a girl's bathroom to prove the janitor was not cleaning it.

Ralph and Sherloque deduce that Thomas Snow is probably in a Tannhauser black ops site.

Caitlin says her mother's company had dozens of black-ops sites and safe houses used to test pathogens for the CDC.

Cisco repurposes the four satellites launched by The Thinker for STAR Labs.


Untelevised Adventures

Barry apparently traveled to an alternate past and encountered a race of golden-skinned giants called The Gordans.

We don't get to see the actual fight between Rag Doll and Elongated Man. Sadly.


The Boomerang Factor

Ralph Dibny gets no respect. What could have been a moment to show Ralph coming into his own as a hero and developing an arch-enemy is lost in the name of a cheap gag (i.e. Ralph apparently swallowing Ragdoll to contain him). And Ralph rightly points out that he took down the bad guy while everyone is lining up to praise Iris for jumping off a building to get Barry the key he needed to unlock the cuffs shutting off his powers so he could save them both.


The Bottom Line

There's a lot of interesting things in All Doll'd Up. Unfortunately, almost all of them are secondary to Barry and Iris making goo-goo eyes at each other and Iris learning not to be a control freak. At least this time the lesson seems to stick, so hopefully we don't need to retread this territory again. Cisco's desire to prove his worth is more touching. Ralph and Sherloque jockeying for position is more amusing. And strangely enough, Caitlin seems to be a secondary character in her own plotline, with all the other characters helping her find her dad. Ragdoll, one of the more interesting villains to come out of DC Comics in the past 15 years, doesn't get much of a chance to shine either. All in all, this isn't a bad episode, but much like its titular villain, it doesn't quite stand up properly or move smoothly.

Secret Six #14 - A Review

The League of Assassins is determined to convert former Court of Owls Talon agent Strix into one of their own. But Strix has a family who are equally determined to get her back. The Secret Six shall be tested as never before as they ponder just what they've come to mean to each other in their battle with Lady Shiva.


I am seriously sorry to say goodbye to this book. Gail Simone recaptured the magic of one of my favorite pre-New 52 series and gave us a lot of laughs in the process. And if nothing else you have to praise her for bringing back Ralph and Sue Dibny in some capacity - they have been missed!


I hope Tom Derenick and Rex Lokus will be working on another project together in the future. Their work on this issue (along with Jason Wright) is wonderful and I greatly enjoyed their work together on Injustice: Gods Among Us as well.  The comic stands are a little less funny without Secret Six, but this final issue was a fitting end to a light that burned brightly, yet briefly.

Secret Six #10 - A Review

With Black Alice leaching away all the world's magic at an accelerated rate and the magical pillars holding back terrors beyond imagining close to destruction, Earth needs a hero. THE hero, in fact. But can even the might of Superman thwart the sheer moxie and insanity of The Secret Six? And will Black Alice save the day herself by making the ultimate sacrifice?


There is little I can say about this issue's story without giving away the game completely. So I will say only two things. Gail Simone does a grand job of both balancing several subplots and surprising even a jaded reader like me. And her introductory text, in which Zatanna watches Superman in action before approaching him for help, is one of the best bits of writing about Superman I've read anywhere.


The artists for this issue continue to perform at their usual level of high quality. Dale Eaglesham and Tom Derenick are two of my favorite artists and it's a relief  that I don't have to choose between them this month. And Jason Wright does a masterful job finishing things up with his coloring.

Secret Six #9 - A Review

The fate of all reality hangs in the balance as The Secret Six - aided by a cult of ancient Atlanteans - seek to destroy four magical columns in order to save Black Alice. The fact that this will also unleash a horde of otherworldly abominations on the universe doesn't really matter that much to them. Are they crazy?


Every time I think this book can't surprise me any more and that I have a handle on the characters, Gail Simone finds a way to shock me. For instance, until now I'd just assumed that Ferdie was a manifestation of the id of Shawna (aka The new Ventriloquist). I hadn't seriously considered that he was an independent entity. I still don't believe that yet his new-found ability to break the fourth wall is just one of the things about this book that keeps me second-guessing myself. The one constant is that this book is always darkly hilarious.


Tom Derenick delivers the same quality artwork that made Injustice: Gods Among Us so delightful. There are some great splash pages and the action is well choreographed.  The colors by Jason Wright show a varied and well-considered palette throughout.

Secret Six #8 - A Review

Black Alice's powers are out of control. And the only thing that may save her life (and the world) is the destruction of four magical columns. At least, that's what the ancient Atlanteans in the robes who just showed up claim. But can they be trusted? Or are the magical super-villains who were trying to kill Alice telling the truth when they say the pillars must be protected if the world is to survive? And can the rest of The Six really entrust Alice to the care of the assassins who were trying to kill them several weeks ago while they deal with sorting all this out?

The only real flaw to Gail Simone's script for this issue is that you have to have read the previous Secret Six series to get the most out of it. Granted, that's a minor concern as most of the people reading this series are probably devout Simonephiles. And a little confusion is a small price to pay for the return of Ragdoll, Jeanette the Banshee and Scandal Savage... though this runs the risk of making the book's title even more inaccurate. But that's all part of the fun.

The artwork proves equally fine.  Tom Derenick and Dale Eaglesham are at the height of their power here. And Jason Wright makes everything pop on the page with his color art.

Secret Six #4 - A Review

This fourth issue of Secret Six takes us back a few days before the events of Issue 3. Here we see our six reluctant allies trying to gather their personal effects before retreating to the safety of Big Shot's suburban home. Unfortunately, the mysterious Mockingbird is already on their trail and has sent a trio of familiar figures after the escaped captives...


Fans of Gail Simone's original Secret Six will be overjoyed to see a few familiar faces in this issue, despite it being primarily focused on further developing the new cast. For instance, we discover that Porcelain is gender-fluid and dresses as a man or a woman as preferred. And lest anyone worry about Big Shot being a bigot, don't worry - his "This ain't right" comment above is in regard to a sharp-dressed man like Porcelain going around without a hat.


This issue sees the return of Ken Lashley, who illustrates the first half of the issue. Tom Denerick (most recently seen by this critic on Injustice) handles the other half.  Both artists are well-suited to their respective sections, with Lashely's moodier style perfectly depicting the urban hell from which The Six escape and Denerick capturing the lighter, more silly escapades in the suburbs.

Batgirl #31 - A Review

Ragdoll has been brought into the New 52 universe.

If you were a fan of Gail Simone's Secret Six, that should be all the reason you need to pick up this issue.  Simone's version of Ragdoll was the most horrifying member of a team that included King Shark, Cheshire and Bane. Let that thought sink in for a moment.




Socially awkward (to put it politely and mildly) and manic, Ragdoll was disturbing even without considering the power of being triple-jointed and ultra-flexible.  Still, Ragdoll isn't all bad.  Nobody who likes monkeys could be all bad, right?


Pasarin and Glapion do an excellent job of manifesting Ragdoll.  Ragdoll's movements look possible without being any less inhuman or disturbing, as depicted by Pasarin's pencils.  And Glapion - in defiance of the usual rules for inkers on Batman-family titles - highlights the artwork rather than shading it with his inks.  The shadows here exist only to make the light seem brighter - not to obscure it completely.

Secret Six #10 & #11

Six people. Too twisted to be called Heroes. Too ethical to be called Villains. Working together out of the House of Secrets, they are a mercenary army loyal only to their employers and themselves... most of the time. United by necessity and forged in the heat of battle, they are The Secret Six.

The current roster is...

Scandal: Team Leader of The Secret Six, Sandal Savage is the only known daughter of the immortal villain Vandal Savage. She shares her father's skill as a warrior and his amazing healing factor but none of his attitudes or philosophy. Openly gay, she is still mourning the loss of her girlfriend, the villain Knockout.

Catman: A renowned big-game hunter, Thomas Blake turned to super-villainy out of boredom. Eventually, apathy won out and an out-of-shape Blake was nearly killed by his fellow villains. Inspired to clean up his act, Blake returned to the wild, retrained his skills and was adopted by a pack of lions until their untimely death. He joined The Secret Six to get revenge on the villains who killed his new family. He stays because it gives him a purpose...

Deadshot: One of the greatest marksmen on the planet, Floyd Lawton has been a hired killer for most of his life. He joined the Secret Six out of necessity but has stuck around because he's found it easier - and safer - to run in a pack. He has also come to view the rest of his teammates as the closest thing someone like him can consider friends.

Ragdoll: Son of the original Golden Age Ragdoll, Peter Merkel Jr. was born without the metahuman gene that made his father and brother naturally triple-jointed. Twelve years of special surgery have made this Merkel into a virtural human constrictor snake, capable of twisting his limbs in any direction. His teammates are unsure what is more twisted - Ragdoll's body or his sense of humor, which makes even the hardened killers and assassins around him feel uncomfortable.

Jeanette: A long-lived friend of Scandal's, Jeanette is a beautiful woman with an obsession with death as well as a talent for dealing it out. She claims to be a banshee and does seem to have some supernatural power to sense human suffering and the approach of death and danger. She has a fondness for Deadshot, which is semi-reciprocated. Floyd may find her creepy but she IS willing to sleep with him.

Bane: The infamous criminal mastermind who once "broke the Bat", Bane has seen better days. Still fighting his Venom addiction, he is as strong as ever but he seems content to follow Scandal's orders rather than forging his own criminal empire. He looks upon Scandal as a sort of foster daughter and his feelings for her might be called paternal, if you were trying to find a word other than "creepy".

The current storyline, starting in Issue #10, centers upon the team taking a job to escort a package to a place they find out is called Devil's Island. Their employer, a Mr. Smyth, has some rather quaint ideas on human rights and how the reinstitutionalization of slavery on a global scale will become necessary in order to save the world economy. Exactly what his plans for The Six are is unknown, but the final test of their loyalty involves them quelling a prison riot which turns out to have been orchestrated.

To say that some members of the team are somewhat uneasy about working for slavers is an understatement. But even those who say it is too late for any of them to start drawing lines in the sand are made uncomfortable when they see that Mr. Smyth's personal pet project - the one prisoner in his camp who refuses to break no matter what - is a familiar figure; Amazon warrior and former Wonder Woman Artemis!

Artemis' presence here is probably the greatest mystery in this whole sordid story. The last time I remember seeing ol' Artie was in Amazons Attack and I just assumed that she had been transplanted into a normal life along with the rest of the Amazons who were cursed to live as normal women for their hubris. And yet, here she is... strong as ever, willful as ever and wearing her old costume from her days as Queen of Hell/Requiem.

In the end, it doesn't really matter how she is here so much as the fact that she is here. And what is an even greater mystery is that Artemis appears to have some past relationship with the mysterious banshee Jeanette.

Jeanette feels compelled - for reasons having more to do with her own past than any love of the Amazons - to help Artemis and the other Amazons she finds are being held prisoner on Devil's Island. A fight breaks out between the various factions within The Secret Six who feel that working with slavers is beneath them versus those who don't care or feel they need to honor the contract. Of course all these ethical questions are put aside when a bigger problem presents itself...

This title is easily one of my five favorite books every month and is fast on its' way to becoming my favorite. Gail Simone effortlessly balances the action, drama and comedy in every situation the characters find themselves in. Obviously, the humor on this book is very dark but it's gleefully perverse if you're into that sort of thing. The exchange between Artemis and Jeanette above is fairly typical of the playful yet very very adult tone of the series.

The art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood is a perfect complement to the diverse and varied writing. These two paired up once before with Gail Simone on the final arcs of Simone's Birds of Prey and you can tell that the three have become used to working like a well-oiled machine.

I'd suggest picking up the Villains United or Secret Six mini-series TPs first before delving into this storyline, just to get a feeling for the history between these characters and the interplay between them. But if you want a good first issue to jump into the main series with, #10 would be a fine one.