We are arriving at the penultimate episode of Season 4 of THE FLASH. DeVoe plans to launch five satellites that will circle the globe and project enough dark matter on the earth to “reboot” the minds of every human being. Can he be stopped? It’s time to “Think Fast” if Team Flash has any chance of stopping “the enlightenment”. Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
NOTE: This review is posting prior to this episode of THE FLASH being aired in the Pacific Time Zone USA. If you haven’t seen the show yet, STOP HERE and come back afterward. You’ll be glad you did!
We are at the A.R.G.U.S. site known as “The Castle”, where Fallout was taken in an earlier episode. DeVoe uses his powers in a metaphorical – and almost literal – symphony of violence as he gets into the site and takes it over. One member of The Castle’s team manages to get a message out, letting the fact that DeVoe is there be known.
Team Flash figures out that they only have 12 hours before Fallout generates enough nuclear energy to power DeVoe’s plan. We hit a good news / bad news moment here. The electrically charged pads that protect the site could give Flash enough additional energy to speed up and get to the pocket dimension breach before DeVoe can close it. That’s the good news. The bad news? DeVoe has suspended a member of A.R.G.U.S. over each pad. Flash can get the energy but a lot of innocent people will die.
How to get around that? We finally get some DC Comics Physics involved from the 1990’s Wally West run. The team now realizes that Barry doesn’t just connect to the Speed Force, he generates the Speed Force. And, like the classic Wally/Flash stories, he can use his aura to lend speed to others. In this show it’s described as bringing them into Flashtime.
There are some false starts, but eventually the plan works. They get into “The Castle”, Barry gathers up the energy, and Cisco and Caitlin save the A.R.G.U.S. staff. Barry runs through the pocket dimension and actually blows up one of the five satellites.
Yay! Season over, Barry saves the day, we can all go home, right?
Not so right. DeVoe takes over S.T.A.R. – and even Gideon! He uses the S.T.A.R. satellite to replace the blown up satellite of his own and launches the dark matter! The Enlightenment is here!
NOTES: I saved the subplots for here…
- Cecile’s powers are expanding, and she is now taking on the personalities of people nearby. At first this is used as a joke, but it plays into Caitlin’s issues, as we will note in just a moment…but first…
- Harry is continuing to decline, significantly so. But he eventually helps Iris realize where Marlize may be hiding. Harry and Iris use the last extrapolator to go to Oxford, to Marlize and Clifford’s first apartment. After a very tense exchange, Iris asks for Marlize’s help…with the answer put off until next episode.
- Caitlin has been repressing something. She goes to Dr. Finkel (counselor to metahumans…without realizing it). No help. Cecile temporarily takes on Caitlin’s personality while being checked out at S.T.A.R. and realizes that there is something Caitlin is repressing, but Caitlin still can’t face it. But, something during Flashtime training does catch Caitlin’s attention. She asks Cisco to vibe her back to a time where she was struck by a truck while riding her bike. They see her turn to Killer Frost for a moment! This was years before the particle accelerator accident! So, what next? Another question to be answered (hopefully) next episode.
- One last note – I loved the brief mention of Blackhawk Island. Cisco’s “super friends” remark was also a nice gem.
SUMMARY: DeVoe has set his ultimate plan into motion. It looks terribly bleak for Team Flash…and for the world as well! This is the type of cliffhanger we’ve come to expect from THE FLASH in each season’s penultimate episode, but it does work here. Can’t wait to see how they resolve this one! I’ll give this episode a 9/10 – but that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!