THE FLASH - Season 5.1

REVIEW:  THE FLASH - Season 5, Ep. 1:  "Nora"

This is a brand new blog that I'm welcoming everyone to called "Pop Fiction".  Here, I'll give my thoughts on all things pop culture - music, movies, TV, comics, etc.  I hope you'll join me and enjoy my musings about the things we love.  To start this blog off with a bang, I'm going to try my best to do a weekly review of our favorite DC Universe shows from the "Arrowverse".  So, we'll start off with the season 5 premiere of our Scarlet Speedster, The Flash.

When last we left off in Season 4, Team Flash had just vanquished The Thinker, Cecile Horton-West gave birth, and we found out who the mysterious girl who'd been hanging around Central City for a better part of the season was:  Barry and Iris' daughter Nora from the future.

As we begin Season 5, we get Nora introducing this story.  Everyone, of course, is in shock at her revelation, and while she gives the lowdown on how she knows everyone, Ralph is surprised they're talking about time travel (apparently Ralph doesn't sit in on the Team Flash meetings---what's up with that?), and raises his voice just enough to get baby Jenna's attention.  Turns out, though, it's just her telling Cecile she's hungry---informing everyone that she may seem to still have her psychic powers, much to Joe's dismay.  Nora tells everyone she's also called 'XS'..a nickname given to her by Iris, because she did everything "in excess".

Nora informs Mom & Dad that her "big mistake" was helping Barry save Central City from the STAR Labs satellite from destroying the city.  She also reveals that she can't run fast enough to get back to her own time.  Next, we see her doing laps in STAR Labs, as Barry & Iris discuss her presence there.  Barry is skeptical, and Iris is very curious, but more open minded that that is, in fact, their daughter by pointing out the purple and yellow lighting trail she leaves behind.  Barry warns of her possible tampering with the timeline, and wants to get her back home immediately.  Caitlin and a very hung over Cisco set Nora up with a monitor to test her connection to the Speed Force.  They do confer, with the help of a blood test as well, that Nora is, in fact, Barry & Iris' daughter.  Iris has a level of excitement in knowing her daughter, but Barry is still apprehensive.  He asks Wally to check with the Legends to see if there's a way to get her home, as well as check for any anamolies in the timeline.  If anything, she can possibly get back via the Waverider.  Wally takes off.  

Barry realizes that he has to meet Capt. Singh at CCPD, because today he's officially reinstated as CSI for the police department.  Iris, meanwhile, hangs with Nora.  Iris tries to quiz Nora to get some answers out of her, and get to know her.  Nora doesn't reveal much except she became as CSI.  She also has this apprehensive attitude towards Iris.  In order to get out of the conversation, Nora says she should head back to the lab.   Batty goes to meet Singh, who informs him he has work to do.  Barry sees the pile of cases in his lab, and gives out a slight smirk, knowing he's gonna be busy.  All of the sudden, Nora shows up, letting her Dad know that she's also a CSI, and picks up a file, looking at the case.  Barry tries to get her to head back to STAR Labs, but he soon gets a call that a meta is on the loose, but realizes he has no suit to go out and fight.  Nora races out, and races back with his 1st Flash suit that Cisco had in his back closet.  Barry urges Nora to remain in the lab as he goes to face the new villain on the street.  Barry confronts this new villain, who'll be named Gridlock, and punches him.  Gridlock takes the hit, and is down.  Flash then rescues his fellow officers, but one of them warns him that Gridlock is back up.  Just as he's about to face him again, XS shows up to warn her Dad, but Flash gets distracted enough by her to finally turn around and get hit and launched with concussive force by Gridlock.  He lands in the water, and XS grimaces as she knows she screwed up.

Back at the lab as they discuss Gridlock's power (as XS has so kindly informed the team of his name, prompting Cisco to take SLIGHT offense---that's his thing, you know), Barry feels it's time for Nora to go home.  so they bring out the tachyon enhancer that Barry used a few seasons ago to see if they can bolster Nora's speed to get her home.  She gives her Dad a big hug, and they take off.  They're going all out, and the tachyon particle activates, just as Wally returns, and warns that they have to be stopped.  Too late, Just as a breach opens, both Barry & Nora hit it, and get blown back, getting knocked out.  It's later revealed that Nora has negative tachyon particles in her system, thus slowing her down.  She also can't go back home via the Waverider, because the negative tachyon particles will destroy the ship.  Henceforth, she's stuck until they can find a way to get her home.  Barry & Iris once again talk about Nora, and how he wished they would be able to have kids normally, instead of meeting Nora now.  Iris informs him that nothing in their life is normal.  She comments on the close connection between the two.  She also reminds Barry of his own actions of changing fate in order to save Iris.  It's also in this convo, where Barry realizes something Nora had mentioned earlier---that her mom was there the whole time she grew up.  Barry thinking about all the "firsts" he hoped to have with his own kid gives way to a harsh reality.

Barry goes to Nora, and asks what happened to him---seeing as HE is the one that isn't mentioned when Nora brings up her parents.  She finally confesses.  Showing him a newspaper article from 25 years later than the article written by Iris in 2024 when he disappears during the Crisis.  Nora tells him that he never comes home.  Nora also confesses when Barry realizes that she is not stuck in the past.  She borrowed  a negative tachyon chip to keep herself her, and give her an excuse to stay.  She pours her heart out, and says that she spent her life trying to learn about her Dad by being in the Flash Museum.  All she wanted to do is meet her dad and spend time with him.  Barry sees that he wasn't ever there for her, seeing as how he disappeared during her very early formative years.  

They are interrupted by Caitlin, who informs them that Gridlock has hijacked a plane and is looking to crash it.  Nora herself suggests that they can save the plane if they phase it.  Barry knows he and Wally can't do it alone, and suggests that the three of them (Nora included) can do it, but Nora doesn't believe she can, since she's never learned. Barry goes to suit up, but has no suit since the other two were destroyed.  Nora gives him a ring, which has a brand new suit in it.  Cisco likes it, but Nora informs him Ryan Choi designed it.  They take off, and Cisco heads out, still woozy, to vibe the trio onto the plane, which he does successfully.  As the plane is in freefall, Barry manages to put a power dampener on Gridlock, and cuts his power, then Wally knocks him out.  Barry stations himself in the aisle, while Nora and Wally grab a wall to vibrate and help phase the plane.  After the 1st initial try, it doesn't work, because Nora can't do it.  But Barry, remembering the words Eobard Thawne had spoken to him about feeling his power, gives the same speech to Nora.  It seems to work as she gets it, and all 3 manage to phase enough to rescue the plane.  Gridlock is headed to Iron Heights, and the day is saved.  

Caitlin and Cisco have modified the tachyon enhancer for Nora to head home, but Barry decides to hold off on sending her home for awhile.  He makes the excuse that he wants to make sure her powers are operating properly.  She agrees to stay in the STAR Labs lounge, which no one outside of Joe apparently knew about.  Joe is happy Nora is sticking around, and Wally heads out to rejoin the Legends.  The Allen family returns home, where Nora is restless.  Barry suggests getting their favorite ice cream (which just happens to be in New Hampshire), and looks to Iris for approval.  She just asks for some mint chip, and off they speed.  We get a Nora voiceover again, letting us know that she intends on preventing the Crisis from happening, and making sure her dad never disappears.

At the end, we see Gridlock en route to Iron Heights when a glowing jagged metal knife causes a crash to the convoy, and halts Gridlock's journey to Iron Heights.  We see the doors to the truck open, and we see the new villain for the season, Cicada, walk in with his knife.  Gridlock asks him what he wants, and Cicada says he wants "All of you to die!"  You hear Gridlock scream, and the episode ends.

COMMENTS:  I enjoyed this episode.  Nora is very quirky like Barry, inheriting A LOT of his characteristics.  Her ambivalence towards her mother is also fascinating, as there is some pent up tension there, which will no doubt be explored as the season goes on.  I loved HER narrative at the beginning and end of the show---I'd like to hear that more during the season as long as she's on it.  I dug the new Flash suit---very very close to what I remember as a kid.  Only thing missing is those gold boots, y'all!  Joe's pure "excitement" about Cecile's psychic powers still being around adds nice comic relief, as well as Ralph's ignorance in regards to time travel and the multiverse.  I didn't bring up Ralph again during the review, because I wanted to focus on the center of the show--which was Nora.  Ralph---to his credit though---figured out the Multiverse on his own, and finally got up to speed with everyone else.  And he and Caitlin, while investigating the source of Gridlock's powers, asked about her powers and her Dad.  As we see towards the end of the episode, Ralph used his detective abilities to uncover a falsified death certificate for her father.  This will be one of those side stories we get this year, which I feel is good.  It gives a chance for Ralph to show his abilities as a PI, and gives more depth to Caitlin.  We'll see if either Cisco or even Iris joins Ralph in solving the mystery.  

Barry's 25 year disappearance after the Crisis event is very reminiscent of Barry's time out of the DC Universe after Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 back in 1985.  It was during that time that Wally West had "graduated" to take over his mentor's role.  Barry would return full time in Final Crisis, and become a full time hero again.  Other easter eggs to make mention of in this episode was the Flash Museum that Nora mentioned, and Mr. Myles.  The Flash Museum IS a reality in the DC Universe, and is pretty much opened during Barry's tenure as The Flash.  Dexter Myles is the curator, so I'm glad they kept consistent there.  The ring Nora gives her dad with the new Flash suit in it harkens back to the comic as well.  Barry himself came up with the idea of compressing his suit into a ring via a special chemical, to have it on him at all times in case he needed to zip into action.  It makes for more convenience than having the super suit underneath your street clothes.  Nora also made note that Ryan Choi had designed the suit instead of Cisco.  Ryan Choi is the man who replaces Ray Palmer as The Atom later on....something to note for down the road.  Nora also bringing up Killer Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd was also a possible future tease.

It was nice to see Ralph use his PI skills---something that will be important for down the road.  Ralph usually "smells" a good mystery by twitching his nose.  As for whether or not Ralph will go public with his Elongated Man ID remains to be seen.  In the comics, Ralph Dibny does not lead a double life.  I just hope that, at some point, we get to meet Sue Dearborn.  More on her later.

Wally gets special props this episode for not only lending an assist on the plane save, but also backing Barry's excuse to keep Nora there.  But he DOES make an interesting point about time:  Some events being "soft" and not altering much of anything, and the "set" events, which would have drastic consequences if altered.  I have a feeling that Barry's disappearance is one of the latter---despite Nora's best intentions.

All in all, it was a nice way to get the ball rolling for Season 5.  It had a nice balance of drama and humor, as well as just enough super speed action to satisfy our taste buds.  Cicada has enough air of mystery around him, and we'll have more revealed soon enough.  After the last couple of season's worth of downer stories, and overdone drama...it's nice to have the episode give us something we don't feel depressed about at the end.  I'm excited to see more of Nora's interaction with Barry and Iris, as well as the rest of the cast, and see if she can prevent her father from disappearing.  I don't think she'll succeed, but may alter the future enough to where he MIGHT not be gone for 25 years.  

All we can do is stay tuned.  As I hope YOU will all do to this blog for my thoughts on our favorite shows and anything else that spurns my imagination.