The truth revealed? A marriage in jeopardy? Cisco dies… again? You better believe we have more to share than just an episode recap in this week’s Flashback!
Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and Joe set a trap for Wells. Cisco uses himself as bait which puts him in grave danger. Meanwhile, Eddie makes a decision regarding Iris, which leaves Joe a bit unsettled.
FLASH POWERS
This week Barry shows off his vortex powers that he uses to put out a fire. Moving his arms really fast (as seen in Flash #106) to create a gust of wind to blow, or suck, air in an environment has been a long time power that I’m glad we finally get to see play out in this episode. Though one does wonder that if Barry creates a vacuum to put out the fire, how are all of the people in the room going to breathe?
THE TIME VAULT
While we don’t know if information revealed in the Time Vault is making a reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths – an event where Barry Allen made The Ultimate Sacrifice (uttered in a whisper) – the paper is full, FULL of big spoilers.
- Notice that the paper doesn’t come from The Central City Picture News, but rather The Central City Citizen. It’s the same company, but the paper had a name change at some point in the comics.
- The paper referred Flash by his other name – The Scarlet Speedster.
- Arrow is Green Arrow – Matthew constantly complains that Arrow doesn’t go by the name Green Arrow, but in the future, he does!
- The Atom was present during the big fight as is Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl is most interesting as it sets up the spin-off show we have been talking about on this site for a while, and this is a nice nod to that series that hasn’t even made it to air. Hawkgirl will be played by Ciara Renee.
- The article about the red skies is still front page news. During the Crisis event, the skies were red as the universes started to die.
- Iris West-Allen – Hey, we knew that the two of them would hook up eventually, but I wonder if we’ll have to wait nine years for it to happen? Based on the by-line and the spark touch flashback in this episode, I’m gonna say that future Iris knows Barry’s secret identity, and oooooo- Eddie Thawne is gonna be maaaaaad.
- Different suit – I really love the costume Barry wears right now, but when the trio sees the changes in the costume (white emblem, brighter colors), it sets up a paradox on the evolution of the suit. It still makes we wonder if we are seeing the right timeline or not.
- Who says Batman doesn’t exist in the Arrowverse? Take note of the Wayne Tech/Queen Inc. merger. Does this mean Bruce bought the company?
The Flash – “Time Vault” (Exclusive)
Barry, Caitlin and Cisco discover Harrison Wells’ time vault-along with some of the possible pitfalls of dealing with different timelines-in this exclusive c…
Gideon (voiced by Morena Baccarin, who you know as Dr. Leslie Thompkins from Gotham) returns this week, and we find out that Barry is a super genius who created the A.I. Cisco also refers to her as HAL, which is a 2001: A Space Odyssey reference, one of at least three movie references made in this episode (Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom are the other two).
Gideon also mentions that Barry is a founding member of… before being cut off. The newspaper gives us a few more clues, but is this a nod to the Justice League?
The Justice League first appeared in The Brave and The Bold #28 in March 1960, and featured Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. Their first adventure had the team fighting Starro and meeting a young Snapper Carr.
While Superman and Batman were technically members of the Justice League in the issue, both were too busy to deal with the starfish menace to warrant more than a few panels.
VILLAINS
Eobard Thawne
The mask is finally off The Reverse Flash, and now everyone knows who they are dealing with. Interestingly, even after Cisco revealed his full name, no one questioned Eddie’s connection to the Big Bad. By episode’s end we know why Eobard wants to keep Eddie alive, but what if… he becomes his own great great great grandfather?
Everyman
Everyman (aka Hannibal Bates) makes his return this week, and I’m kind of glad the guy is dead. During our discussion last week on the Flashback Podcast, both Matthew and I mentioned how much we never really cared for the character who first appeared in 52 #21 in 2006.
Captain Cold
While Leonard Snart (aka Captain Cold), who first appeared in Showcase #8 (June 1957), didn’t make a real appearance this week, Leonard Snart’s iconic glasses did. Barry was wearing them as he and Cisco worked on the Lucid Dreaming Glasses. In the show they are silver/gray, while in comics they are generally blue.
ARROWVERSE IS PROGRESSIVE VERSE, BUT WHAT IS HIS NAME?
I could have sworn that before this episode, Captain Singh’s fiancee had been introduced as Andrew, but this week he goes by Rob on the show and in the IMDB page. Was there a time anomaly, or is it just me smelling toast?
It is interesting that the pending marriage between David and Rob pops up this week, especially since it is a big week for same sex marriage in Washington, D.C. as the Supreme Court weighs in on the legality of same sex marriage in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. In Kansas (where Keystone City is located), same sex marriage is illegal, while in Missouri (the fictional home of Central City) the ban on same sex marriage has been ruled unconstitutional, though, “On November 7, U.S. District Court Judge Ortrie D. Smith ruled in favor of the freedom to marry in a federal case from Missouri, striking down the state’s marriage ban and paving the way for the freedom to marry to begin in the Show Me State. The ruling is stayed until the judgment is final.” Depending on how the High Court rules, we may know the outcome soon.
NUMBERS
52!
During Joe West’s flashback to the time when Barry was in the hospital, we saw a number of crimes taking place in Starling City. The channel reporting the story was our good ol’ Channel 52.
In Kansas City the four closest channels are
- Channel 50: KPXE-TV – (PAX) – Kansas City K) P)A)X) E)?
- Channel 51: KUMO-LD – (i) – St. Louis (WPXS-13 retransmission)
- Channel 62: K62EG – (Religious/EWTN) – St. Louis
- Channel 62: KSMO-TV – (WB) – Kansas City K)ans)as-M)isso)uri
In the comics, DC uses Channel 52 as its means of promoting and discussing events going on in the DCU.
45 Hz
In order to communicate with someone who is lucid dreaming, Dr. Wells suggests using the 45 Hz frequency. Here’s what it sounds like.
Bass Test – 45Hz (5min Test Tone)
Warning: This track may cause damage to equipment and or hearing loss. You are playing this track at your own risk!! You have been warned (;45Hz Bass Test To…
Turn up your bass and feel your head vibrate. I’m pretty sure I started to see other dimensions…
IT’S CALLED A SECRET IDENTITY FOR A REASON!
In order to keep Iris from finding out what happened to Mason Bridge, Barry readily reveals his identity as The Flash to Detective Eddie Thawne. After this week’s episode, it is time once again to update the list of everyone who knows Barry’s secret.
Dr. Harrison Wells(deceased)- Eobard Thawne (as Dr. Harrison Wells)
- Dr. Caitlin Snow
- Dr. Cisco Ramon
- Detective Joe West
- Ronnie Raymond
- Dr. Martin Stein
- Mrs. Clarissa Stein
- Hartley Rathaway (Pied Piper)
- Felicity Smoak
- General Wade Eiling
- Oliver Queen (Green Arrow)
- John Diggle
- Bette Sans Souci (deceased)
- Dr. Henry Allen
Iris West(in another timeline)- Iris West-Allen (in the future)
- Iris West (via spark touch)
- Captain Cold
- Detective Eddie Thawne
- Ray Palmer (The Atom)
- Brie Larvan
- Laurel Lance (Black Canary)
Hannibal Bates (Everyman)(deceased)
FLASHBACK: THE PODCAST
Want to hear Matthew Peterson and I sit down to discuss this episode in detail? If you are a Major Spoilers VIP, look for the Flashback Podcast hitting the VIP site.
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3 Comments
I don’t think Arrowverse Central City is anywhere near Kansas. The tsunami threat and the Plastique episode pretty firmly establish TV Central City being located on the coast. Also see the quick dash to Coast City for pizza.
I’m betting that the Flash with the white emblem and brighter colored suit was the Barry Allen from a different timeline, unaltered by Eobard Thawne.
A couple more notes from the future news:
– Starling City is still “Starling” City, so Ray Palmer’s push to get it renamed “Star City” seems to have been dropped or unsuccessful.
– The article mentions “Central City Police Chief, Joe West,” so it seems there’s a promotion in the future for Papa Joe.