THE FLASH - Season 5.21

THE FLASH - SEASON 5, EP. 21: "The Girl With The Red Lightning"


The Monarch of Motion is speeding into a final climactic battle with Cicada, as she plans to use her new weapon to destroy every metahuman on the planet, meanwhile, we see what the final fate of Eobard Thawne is in 2049, and can Nora still be of some help to the team before Cicada’s final act?  


We are in 2049, as we see the clock by Eobard’s cell tick off the final seconds.  The warden then comes in, all too happy to make sure Eobard knows it’s his time to go.  And just to rub salt into the wound, he gives Thawne a little jolt for good measure---just to let him know that it’s over.  The execution of The Reverse Flash is about to happen.

We jump back in time to see Grace putting the final touches on the stolen Atomizer, while the spirit of Uncle Orlen is in her head, feeding into her rage even more, telling her it’s time to finish it---and cement their legacy.

At STAR Labs, Caitlin is explaining to the team how the Atomizer works.  They discuss that the only option is making as much of the cure as they can, and give it to any meta in the city who wishes to take it.  Cisco is also testing the weapon Nora procured from McCulloch Industries.  They figure out the best place to give the cure is the CCPD.  Joe and Cecile go to appeal to Captain Singh.  Once there, Singh is a bit reluctant at first, but sees that it’s the only way.  He says he’ll take it up at City Hall, but if he gets the green light, Joe’s in charge.

Sherloque bumps into Rene Adler.  They discuss how he knows she’s a metahuman, and before he can get her safe, Cicada appears, ready to deliver the death knell.  Sherloque sends out a distress signal.  The team is on the way.  Nora is still connected with her psychically, and takes off with her dad to help out…she’s still got a little red lightning with her.
They go after Cicada, only to have missed her, but not before Cicada took off with yet another piece for her weapon.  Barry and Nora case the scene.  Rene and Sherloque talk about her power, and she admits seeing how Cicada wanted to kill her.  Sherloque tells her there’s a way she can get rid of her power.  Meanwhile, Barry, Iris, and Nora realize that the red lighting Nora still has isn’t from Nora’s anger---it’s from Grace’s because they’re psychically connected.  Nora thinks she can use this ability to help them find Cicada before it’s too late.  Barry and Iris flat out refuse.

We shift gears to the CCPD where Joe is doing is best to coordinate the incoming metas and the vaccinations.  There’s then a TV story about Iris’ paper releasing a story about Cicada and her plans.  Cecile’s powers detect panic in the crowd, and prepares Joe---they’re about to get slammed!

As the team discusses their next move, Ralph comes in with a board, looking to discuss his theory with the team, who really want none of it, but he gets them to listen, and makes a valid point.  He asks Nora about where this conduit Cicada has can be had in 2049.  Turns out, it’s from an old college roommate of Cisco’s named Sebastian, with whom he’s not real fond of.  Moreso, Ralph discusses the discrepencies in the timeline from when Nora arrived, the identity of Cicada going from David Hersch to Orlen Dwyer.  Something isn’t adding up to him.  They find out where Sebastian’s company is, and Flash is off to retrieve the conduit.  He tells Nora to stay behind.  Unfortunately, as he arrives, he’s come across a bomb rigged to explode.  He escapes barely, but Cicada has the conduit.

Frustrations are building for the team, and as much as Ralph pushes his theory on the team, Barry just wants to focus on destroying the Atomizer.  Nora suggests trying to psychically connect with Grace again, but her parents forbid it.  She then heads into Caitlin’s lab to find the mind device that she used to connect with Killer Frost, and uses it.

At the CCPD, we see Joe overwhelmed with all the decisions he has to make, and the overload is overbearing for him AND his officers.

Nora is tapping into Grace’s mind, but the lighting is striking out of control.  An alert goes off, and Barry and Iris race to her.  Barry manages to save her and gets Caitlin’s device off her head.  Nora’s out cold.

Nora wakes up, and Iris explains to her that she nearly had an aneurysm.  Nora does NOT want to sit on the sidelines, and wants to help.  She tells her parents that she IS an adult, capable of making her own decisions.  She looks to her dad, and tells him that he taught her HOW to be a hero…so let her BE one.  They finally relent.

Joe can’t seem to handle the situation all that well, and takes off.  Cecile is in tow, and privately explains to her that he just is NOT cut out for this type of situation, where everyone is freaked out, getting antsy, and scared.  Cecile reminds him of all the times he’s had to deal with situations regarding those in his charge, and with his own family.  That he always speaks from the heart, and it manages to get through.  She tells him that if he applies that to this situation, it’ll work.

Sherloque, who had taken Rene to the CCPD to get the cure, bailed out when things got frantic.  They have a chat, and she explains that she likes her powers, and doesn’t want to get rid of them, and is ready for anything that’s thrown at her.  Sherloque offers yet another solution:  breach her to HIS Earth until the Cicada situation is resolved.  She’s unaware of the multiverse, so it will work in their favor.  He tells her that once he’s done on this Earth, he’ll head home.  He opens the breach, and off she goes.  

Barry and Iris agree to let Nora connect with Grace again, but this time in a more controlled environment.  They use the trap they set for the Reverse Flash in Season 1 as a way to control the lightning, should it get out of control.  Nora connects, and begins searching for Grace.  We see that Nora has connected with Grace.  But not in Grace’s mind…Nora’s.  Grace blames Nora and her family for everything that’s happened…the particle accelerator accident, the Enlightenment, and she’s going to kill everyone to put an end to it.  Nora tells her that she’s going to have to carry that anger the rest of her life, but it’s on HER and HER alone.  Nora DOES manage to find out that Cicada is heading to the CCPD.  Cicada shows up at the CCPD, and drains everyone’s powers---now the Atomizer is charged and ready to go.

The team arrives at the station, and take down Cicada.  Cisco gets isolated with the Atomizer, as he tries to disarm it, with the knife stuck in the top of it.  They do manage to separate Cicada from the dagger, but she proclaims that she never needed it.  She blasts Flash, and he’s incapacitated.  Her, Killer Frost, and Ralph jump into a fight with each other.  Cisco does succeed in deactivating the device.  It’s at this point that Ralph sees that the gun is pointed at the dagger and the Atomizer, ready to be destroyed.  It’s here where Ralph suddenly puts all the pieces together.  He figured out the master plan…and that plan belonged to Eobard Thawne himself.  He put everything into motion…including getting Cicada back to the past.  The Dagger’s energy isn’t just dark matter---it’s got Negative Speed Force power in it.  So, if it’s destroyed, it will trigger power BACK into Eobard Thawne, thus freeing him.  Just as Flash is about to shoot the dagger Cisco tossed his way, Ralph urges them NOT to shoot it.  

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Well!  How’s THAT for a well laid plan?!  When is a villain NOT a villain?!  Eobard once again shows just how crafty a bastard he is, by using Cicada from the future to find a way to get his powers back and free himself---and Nora was his pawn the whole time.  You have to admit—the writers did a fabulous job of making Eobard Thawne out to be a man on Death Row…powerless, and going to die, look sympathetic…and even appear to help the daughter of The Flash….all to put his well crafted plan into place.  That’s freaking genius.  See…I’m pretty sure all of you were on the same page as ME.  NOT truly buying what Thawne was selling…always knowing in the back of our minds NOT to trust the man, and sure enough, thanks to Ralph, who had paid attention to detail when he and Iris were in the future, put the puzzle together, and saw Thawne’s Master Plan.  But the question is:  Is it too late?  Are we destined for another round of Flash v. Reverse Flash?  I’m all for it if that’s where we’re headed, because I enjoy nothing more than a super speed battle.  That would leave Cicada to be Nora’s arch enemy…and maybe it’s Nora who takes her down.  Either way, I hope we get some serious fighting in this season finale next week…I’ll be disappointed if we don’t.  

Hey…is it just been ME, or has Barry looked like milquetoast to Cicada all season.  Seems like Flash has come off as a weak hero all season.  Like he’s gotten his ass handed to him a time or two.  If we do get Barry and Eobard duking it out---I wanna see Barry on equal par with him, toe to toe, pace for pace.  Flash has looked too weak this season…let’s clean that up, shall we?
Nora being psychically connected with Grace could prove to be the undoing of Cicada if we’re lucky…I think it will be a big deal in their final battle.  Plus, I liked that Nora finally told her parents how it is.  While she’s been grateful for the time, and the learning experience, with them, she’s still and adult, and she wants to see this through.  So good for her for stepping up.  

It was sweet to see Sherloque save his lady love---let’s just hope we don’t lose another Welles like we did in Season 3.  We need some sweetness to come out of this mess.

First time in what I would imagine is a LONG time that we’ve seen Joe this rattled in ANY situation.  The man is the rock of this team, and he struggled this episode.  Thankfully, Cecile got him back on the right path.  I love that woman.

And yes…one final congrats to Ralph for using his exceptional deductive reasoning to put the pieces together.  Should’ve been paying attention to him a little more, eh?  

Okay, gang…that’s a wrap for this episode…which was really good.  Things have picked up to a frantic pace…which isn’t unusual for THE FLASH.  Now…will they cross the finish line of this season next week with a great ending to this story?  Let’s hope so!  

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Until our season finale next week….keep on running!