It’s episode 100 of The Flash, and actor Tom Cavanagh has taken the reigns as director. Viewers look as if they will get to see many former villains this episode. Will it impress? Read on to find out!
Back To The Past — Sherloque and Ralph were on the trail of Cicada. They found out that he had a troubled past and also understand why he hates metas (because of the death of Grace’s parents). Barry suggests that they should go after him. Isn’t he supposed to be smart? Since when has that worked? Cicada’s dagger dampens their powers, so how does he overlook this?
After more scientific jargon, they decide that they need their own dampening device which connects them to each of the past villains. It actually made some sense as they would be stealing items that were discarded after the defeat of the villain, so it would not change anything. Will it go according to plan? Highly doubtful.
The plan is for Barry and Nora to go back in time, take a piece of Savitar’s suit, the Speed Force Transmitter from Zoom, then to the Particle Accelerator explosion in order to obtain dark matter. I have to admit, they are all fairly cool connects, and it is nice to see not only some of the villains from past seasons, but the detailed connections to past events (the flashbacks showing Ronnie, and some of the others were a great added touch as well).
Nora’s Journal — Viewers finally get a glimpse at Nora’s journal which contains many of the same markings that Barry wrote when he came out of the Speed Force.
As Barry and Nora return to the past with the encounter with Savitar, they are buying their time when something interesting happens…a Time Wraith is following them! This was actually a great move! I had forgotten about Time Wraiths, and apparently, so did they! So far the first 10 minutes have been better than any other episode this season. As Barry leaves to make the Time Wraith follow, Nora has to grab the piece of Savitar’s suit, and sees something troubling, Iris shooting Savitar! I had forgotten this happened. If you missed any seasons of The Flash, you could watch this episode and be pretty much caught up.
Enter Zoom — Next up? Zoom. Nora witnesses the time Barry lost his powers due to Zoom. She gets a much better understanding of her parents’ relationship. This episode definitely has a Back to the Future vibe to it. Speaking of, as Barry is looking for the Speed Force Transmitter, Wells finds him. Wells also has the Transmitter, and Barry is forced to give him some information to stop him from breaking it. Could this disrupt time? Even so, Zoom confronts them! As he realizes Nora is another speedster the three race into the Speed Force only for a Time Wraith to get Zoom, sending Barry and Nora to an uncharted destination, and breaking the Transmitter. Now they have to go see Season 1 Wells aka Thawne, in order to get it fixed. I am actually pleased with the plot of this episode. I am somewhat disappointed that they have packed it all into one episode though.
Expected Arrival — Thawne understands the timeline, more so than Barry. This was definitely a good part of the episode. Thawne (which has Cavanagh back at his best) then drops some major names from the comics and calls Nora, Dawn. When she responds with her real name, Thawne says, “Well at least you still have one.” What a bad ass. Seriously! Reverse Flash is one of the best villains, especially played by Cavanagh. He knows how to get to Barry. Thawne makes a deal with Barry. If he fixes the Transmitter, Barry will leave so Thawne can get home. Thawne knows Cicada and is actually interested in their plan. As he fixes the Transmitter he says that he, “can’t wait to see how this all pans out.”
Back To Where It All Began — Now with the different pieces, it is time for Barry and Nora to go back to the explosion of the Particle Accelerator. This part also brought good Easter Eggs from seasons past such as DeVoe, Grodd, and Ronnie! Nora’s curiosity gets the best of her as she tries to touch Reverse Flash’s costume. As Barry reprimands her, he shares exactly what Thawne had done to he and his family. In a touching moment, Nora tells Barry not to shelter her because all she wants is to know her father.
The Particle Accelerator provided a wonderful flashback showing DeVoe, Barry, Thawne, and others as they were hit with the dark matter. Barry and Nora retrieve the dark matter they came for.
Confrontation With Cicada — He’s been waiting. He walks out of the hospital in costume (did no one see him?) and tells Flash that all metas must die. Even though he is a meta, he tells Flash that he will take all the metas down then take himself out as well. They use the dampener on him, and it works as they breach his dagger away. Cicada uses his powers to still recall the dagger from space. Caitlin and Sherloque try to stop him as well and she turns into Killer Frost. Cicada immediately escapes. Killer Frost is not a meta, so she could be the key in this situation.
Speaking of confrontations, Sherloque speaks with Nora about her journal in which she shares that she created the language, which Sherloque responds with, “Clever girl” just like Thawne did. Could he be after the journal and Nora, or is it merely a coincidence? Nora is clearly hiding something as well. He deciphers some of her codes which translate to “The Timeline Is Malleable” meaning it can be permanently bent without breaking. Is this Nora’s attempt at staying?
At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Nora is scanning the data of her journal in to Gideon and sending it to a recipient. Who could it be? She delivers the individual a personal message in the year 2049 and it is…Reverse Flash!! She said they needed to talk, and he agreed. Even though he is imprisoned, Reverse Flash has to be blackmailing Nora. I am assuming she wants to know how to stop future Barry from disappearing, and Reverse Flash is using her in order to get information on the timeline and escape. This was an awesome reveal!
This was by far the best episode this season, and maybe in a couple seasons. Episode 100 did not disappoint, and Cavanagh should direct more episodes! So, how do you think Reverse Flash is using Nora? Will her involvement lead to his escape? What did you think of this week’s episode? Leave your thoughts in the usual place, and thanks for reading!
The Flash returns Sunday at 8 p.m. for the Elseworlds cross-over event!