“Time Bomb” – Review of S5 Ep13 of THE FLASH

This episode is all about secrets. Cisco hasn’t told his new girlfriend about his powers. There is another metahuman in danger, but she hasn’t ever revealed her powers to her family. And then, of course, there is Nora’s BIG secret. What gets revealed this week…and what impact will it have on Team Flash? This is a VERY significant episode – wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

NOTE: Apologies from this reviewer for the delayed review. My day job interfered with an out of town meeting, and I was just able to get to my DVR tonight. I’m especially sorry given the weight of this particular episode.  Next episode’s review WILL be on time, and that’s a promise!

In 2049, Thawne has only 12 minutes left…to what, we don’t really know. But, with the new Cicada involved he finds that the timeline is too messed up to help him. There is nothing left to do. Nothing, that is, except that Nora needs to tell her father…everything!

The rest of the episode gives Nora multiple chances to reveal Thawne as her mentor. All through the episode she either stops herself from telling, or events get in the way of her confession. We’ll come back to that in a moment, though. Let’s bullet point a few things:

  • Grace found a time sphere in the future and used it to come to present day to take revenge on all metas.
  • Grace is more powerful than her uncle. She has the ability to manipulate dark matter in other people from a limited distance. It’s how she can pin down Flash and other metas.
  • She goes after Vickie Bolen, the meta who was involved in the accident that killed her parents.
  • Vickie never knew that anyone had died in that accident. And, she never told anyone about her powers. She even hid it from her own family.
  • The cost of that secret becomes known when Grace attacks and Vickie has to use her powers to protect herself. Her power use stops Grace for the moment…but it also accidentally injures her daughter.
  • This sets up a tableau for Nora – the family at first rejects Vickie for hiding her powers, but eventually accepts her. That inspires Nora to finally tell Barry the truth…but…
  • Grace/Cicada attacks again! In the resulting battle, she is about to kill the Flash when Dwyer appears to try to talk her down.
  • Grace is so full of hate, so filled with rage that she cannot accept her Uncle trying to get her to stop. In her anger, she even kills Dwyer!
  • Dwyer’s last words to Barry were, “Save my Grace.”

During the episode, Sherloque finally puts together the last pieces of the puzzle. He knows that Thawne is behind Nora’s efforts. He knows that Thawne has completely manipulated Nora…and through Nora has turned all of Team Flash into puppets. Before Nora can tell Barry the truth, Sherloque intervenes and gives the full story to Team Flash.

Barry’s reaction?

Barry takes Nora to the pipeline and puts her in a holding cell! And that’s where we leave this episode…

NOTES:

  • This may have been Jessica Parker Kennedy’s best episode yet as Nora. She is completely believable in her whirlwind of emotions throughout the episode. Her devastation while Sherloque reveals her secret is spot on. Bravo for fantastic emotional range and generally amazing acting skills here!
  • Not to be outdone, Tom Cavanagh was at his Sherloque-best this episode. Putting him in Thawne’s chair and glasses was a really great touch here.
  • There was a side story in this episode about whether Cisco will tell Kamilla about his Vibe powers. Ralph is mixed up in this, which of course goofs everything up. In the end, Kamilla is now a photographer for Iris’ media gig…but as for secrets being revealed here, it doesn’t happen quite yet.

SUMMARY:

Here’s my question for all of you – What did you think of Barry’s reaction to learning Nora’s secret? Did he have every right to put her in the pipeline? Did he significantly overreact? Whatever your opinion, one thing is clear – this was a VERY big episode for Season 5 of THE FLASH. Our initial “big bad” is dead, his niece is now the HUGE danger for the team. And, the team is fractured – beyond repair? We’ll have to see about that later, but for now this episode was a 10/10 for me. Of course, that’s just my opinion. What do  YOU think? Leave your comments below!

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One thought on ““Time Bomb” – Review of S5 Ep13 of THE FLASH

  1. Josh from Indiana

    There’s a lot to like in this episode, and a couple things that drive me nuts. Kennedy was awesome, Cisco and the girlfriend are great. But the whole Grace thing is killing me. What exactly are her powers? It seems like she can do anything? I get that it’s a TV show and we need drama, but it’s ridiculous that she can beat team Flash. I’m tired of showdowns with either version of Cicada that ends in a draw, with Cicada leaping away. Also, I’d love more of a focus on Flash in the show. Barry, Iris and Nora have been the highlight of the season. But Cicada has been a huge letdown and the show seems overstuffed. Ralph and Sherloque are just taking up space. Kaitlyn’s father drama was a distraction. Now I’m ranting, but I’ve been a faithful viewer of this show since day one and have read the comics for years. But I am ready to drop both the comic and the show. They just aren’t doing it for me when it comes to compelling stories. (Arrow, on the other hand, has had a return to greatness this season, despite a few missteps.) I really want to like this show, and there’s just barely enough to keep me coming back. But let’s do a couple things ASAP: pare down the cast. Change Barry’s terrible costume. Give Barry himself a central role on the show again. Bring back a compelling mystery and a truly threatening villain.

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