“Tricksters” – Review of Episode 117 of THE FLASH

In tonight’s episode, what happened 15 years ago takes center stage even as we are treated to a wonderful performance by Mark Hamill in the present day timeline…and if you thought you knew everything about that night, do we have surprises for you! All this and more, in an outstanding episode of THE FLASH!

SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP

We’re going to take this a bit out of order…or rather, we’ll put a few things back IN order so that we aren’t jumping all around different timelines. Let’s start with the Trickster(s) tale…

A new Trickster has shown up in Central City, with bombs floating down on a children’s playground. The Flash saves the day, but now we’re stuck with the mystery of a new Trickster while the old one is still in Iron Heights. Joe and Barry visit James Jesse in a scene reminiscent of “Silence of the Lambs”, but they don’t learn a lot. Later on we find that the new Trickster is NOT out to merely copy the old, but is actually out to free him from prison. There is a connection in the Flash TV-verse between James Jesse and Axel Walker…a bloodline connection, as Jesse claims to be Walker’s father! Together, they plan a heist at the Mayor’s fundraiser, using a poison they slip into the champagne. For insurance, they kidnapped a cop’s father on their way out of prison…Henry Allen! As the Flash arrives to stop them, Axel plants a bomb on Barry’s wrist that will explode the minute he goes below 600 miles per hour!

Wells talks Barry through his first vibrating-through-walls event (or in this case, vibrating through a semi). The ease with which Wells can describe how to do this will later give Barry some pause. For now, he’s just glad that the bomb was left behind and that he can take an antidote back to the party.  At the end, both Tricksters are off to prison, and Henry also must go back…but not before learning who the Flash really is, and not before getting to see the inside of S.T.A.R. labs.

A secondary story line concerns the disappearance (actually the death) of Mason Bridge. Iris is determined to investigate the disappearance of her mentor, but Barry and Joe realize the danger that could be found in that search. Eventually, they get some help in throwing Iris off the trail (back to that in a bit).

The big reveals all go back 15 years ago, and only in part to the Allen household (where it appeared to this reviewer that the man in yellow is the one who actually took Barry back to the street and away from the fight – please tell me if you saw it that way or not, as I may have missed it here). The big reveals concern Harrison Wells, his wife, and the wreck that killed her. But first…

After the events at the Allen household, the Reverse Flash learns that he has used up all his speed, that there are no more time jumps left. He pulls off his mask to reveal…a face that is most definitely NOT Harrison Wells!

How can this be? Well, let’s look at Harrison and his wife, happy in their lives together and looking forward to a day when they can make their dream of S.T.A.R. Labs a reality. But, driving home they come across spike strips planted by this mysterious man in yellow (now in civilian clothes). Wells’ car flips and he is struggling to get out while his wife is dying. He sees this mysterious man and asks for help…but there is no help here!

The man introduces himself as Eobard Thawne.

I know, how can THAT be when Wells has introduced himself as Thawne just a couple of episodes back? Stay with us…

Thawne tells Wells that he knows S.T.A.R. will successfully open in 2020, but that he needs this all to happen MUCH sooner. He attaches a device to Wells and to himself…killing Wells and taking on his appearance!

Okay, back to present day, now that we know more about Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne. Barry has one more reveal…rather, he reveals his secret as the Flash to Eddie in order to gain Eddie’s help in throwing Iris off the Mason Bridge case. Eddie’s story of Bridge supposedly going to Brazil appears to work for now. Afterward we find that Joe, Barry, and Eddie are uniting to further investigate Wells, whom Barry now believes to be the “Man in Yellow”.

SUMMARY: This was an outstanding episode of THE FLASH on so many levels. In fact, any one of the storylines could have been strong enough to drive an episode on its own. Having been a fan of the original FLASH series in the 1990’s (and being a Mark Hamill fan as well), it was a real treat to see him reprise his role as the Trickster. In fact, I’m not sure reprise is the right word so much as that he reinvented the role. Hamill’s performance was spot-on, with a mixture of his old Trickster role with a little bit of his Joker voice-overs from the Batman animations. Still, I’m just as taken by the revelations about Wells/Thawne. The scripts keep adding new levels of complexity that make this character more compelling by the week.  That’s all without mentioning the addition of Barry’s ability to vibrate through solid objects, a great treat for any long-time Flash fan. A great episode all around – what do YOU think? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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16 thoughts on ““Tricksters” – Review of Episode 117 of THE FLASH

  1. Golddragon71

    My favorite part of the Episode was a nod to the 1990 Flash Pilot
    In the Pilot Shipp as Barry is talking to a female member of the Pike Gang. At one point in the interrogation Barry says
    “If we don’t find him,……..The Flash will!”
    In Tricksters Shipp as Henry gets to use almost the same line.
    “If the police aren’t able to find you, trust me….The Flash will.”

    Reply
  2. Eobard Thawne

    I Was So Happy And Not confused When Eobard Thawne Took Off His Mask. It May Have Been A New Face To Most People But To Me It Brought To Life Eobard Thawne The Original Blonde Butt chine And Big Head Psychopath. As The Episode Went On I Only Grew To Love The Real Eobard Thawne And Praise The Showrunners For Sticking To The Source Material Again With Eobard Thawne’s Appearance. Loved The Actor And His Delivery Hope He Shows Up More In Future Episodes. Sorry For This Long Praise But I’m Just So Happy My Favorite Flash Villain Looks Exactly The Same As In The Comics.

    Reply
    1. Scott Timms

      What do you think of the new look post Convergence? I like it in general, but I’m not sure how I feel about the symbol. It looks a bit like a playing card or something. Glad to have Thawne back, but I wonder what they will do with Daniel West (mentor/mentee or rivals?)..

      Reply
    2. Dallin

      Why did you capitalize almost every single word in your post? It makes it very hard to read.

      But yes, I do agree with you that the reveal of Eobard Thawne was great. I always suspected/hoped that the Reverse-Flash had disguised himself or taken over Harrison Wells’ body somehow.

      Reply
      1. SuperFlash

        He capitalizes every word because he is Eobard Thawne and does the reverse of what you are used to seeing.

        Reply
  3. Scott Timms

    Ok Ok OK….Wooowwwwwwwww….first off. I think this was one of the best shows this season. The nods to the old show and the nod to Star Wars (Axel I am your father?) were awesome! The being able to run through things is one of my favorite parts of Barry’s skill set. Great…GREAT episode!!!

    Reply
  4. SuperFlash

    Super awesome episode!! The Eobard Thawne story keeps getting better and better. I love the fight at the beginning in young Barry’s house. It all makes sense that in the pilot we were not actually seeing them running around in circles; Flash kept stopping Reverse Flash from harming Barry.

    It WAS The Flash that brought Barry away from his home while Reverse-Flash ran in the other direction.Look at the yellow lightning when Barry is dropped off in the street. And then the scene cuts to red lightning exiting Barry’s home. He killed Barry’s mom while Flash saved Barry.

    Next question that has to be answered is where did The Flash go after saving Barry??? Back to the future or was he stuck in the past too? Did he siphon the Speed Force out of Reverse-Flash so he could return to the future? Or if he was stuck in the past, where is he in the present?

    All aspects of the episode had me glued to it. Best show in a long, long time!!

    Reply
    1. coneyro

      Time space continuum? If a person comes in contact with himself from another timeline, isn’t that dangerous?

      Reply
  5. Lia

    Loved this episode. I was completely unspoiled about the Eobard reveal (a rarity for me and this show) and it was a wonderful surprise. I love that he actually looks like his comics self, which is a delight.

    My personal preference would be for a comics-based James Jesse, but Hamill and the show did an amazing job so it’s easy for me to get over it. Axel was perfect, although I’d like to see him get more to do.

    Reply
  6. coneyro

    Where did the body go after Wells was killed?

    This episode was cram packed with important reveals. So Wells was actually a nice person whose life was stolen. The timeline is changed because Wells and his wife were alive in 2020 and now everything is different.. i.e. the wife is dead, so any interactions or effects with others that she would have had is erased. That goes for Wells too. Friends, colleagues, family. All future experiences never happen in its original fashion.
    One question…If Flash came into contact with his younger self, doesn’t that effect the time-space continuum? Watched enough Sci-fi to know that it is dangerous for a person to come face to face with himself from another timeline.
    Don’t know if it’s such a good idea that Eddie is in on Barry’s secret. We shall see. It seems that Iris is the only significant person left out.”I am your father”…Saw that coming..Laughed until tears.
    This show continues to deliver. It gets better every week. I like that it doesn’t have the darkness of Arrow, although I love that show, as well. Next up, his interaction with the Atom. Looking forward to it. Keep up the great work. Flash is a wonderful, exciting hour of TV.

    Reply

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