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NOC Recaps The Flash: May The Speed Force Be With You

Christelle G.

The Flash won’t be back until April 14, so I’m here to late-recap last week’s “Tricksters” episode and muse upon the recent spoiler-y sizzle reel revealed this past weekend at WonderCon!

While thinking about last week’s episode, I’m alternating listening to “Father Figure” by George Michael and “Tricky” by Run DMC. A lot of daddy issues in this one, but there are also a lot of fun inside jokes. So while you read this, keep in mind that during the serious moments I am singing, “I will be your father figure, put your tinyhandinmine” and during the fun Trickster moments, I’m rocking a rhyme that’s right on time.

Flashback: 2000 (featuring Eobard Thawne, Harrison Wells, Future Flash, Tess Wells, Nora Allen, and bb!Barry)

We slow-mo the speedster battle around the soon-to-be lifeless body of Nora Allen: it’s red versus yellow, Flash versus Reverse Flash, Barry versus who we assume to be Wells. The art and movement is, once again, incredible. Also, you’re able to see that this Flash is wearing his traditional costume with the white circle logo! Andrew Kreisberg confirmed this at WonderCon.

Protect his mother? Or protect his younger self? Looks like Future Flash made his choice.

The Reverse Flash is speeding down the street when his legs cease to work properly and he keels over like one of those wind up toys whose legs keep moving even after they’ve been knocked over. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, GIDEON?” the yellow-suited masked man asks his future-y digital wife watch. Gideon  lets Reverse Flash know that the time jump basically drained his speed force battery, so he’s stuck in 2000 AND he won’t be able to run properly. Sucks for him. He also unmasks himself and HE’S BLONDE WITH A CHIN DIMPLE. The REAL Eobard Thawne, ladies and gentlemen. And he looks a lot more like Rick Cosnett. And Mr. Bradshaw. And Billy Chambers.

Since he is stuck in 2000, Eobard creeps around the beach spying on romantic couple picnics, obviously. One of those couples, unexpectedly, is Dr. Harrison Wells and his lady love, who he calls “Tess.” They are talking about dreams and normal things and it’s kind of trippin’ me out to see such a non-shady Wells. Speaking of shades, he’s wearing different glasses too! This goes well with the ongoing glasses metaphor that us NOCs like to bring up.

The happy moment doesn’t last. When Wells and Tess get in a car crash, Eobard swoops in and body snatches Wells before the police and ambulances arrive. Eobard plans to speed up Wells’ particle accelerator project so that he can return to his time.

I feel bad for hating on you, Wells. Sorry.

HERE’S WHAT I’M THINKING:

Present Time: 2015 after Barry altered everything and Iris doesn’t know his secret and Cisco is alive and Mason Bridge is dead because the Reverse Flash killed him and Barry suspects Wells

Barry’s hobby of creating obsessive, newspaper clipping collages has returned with a vengeance. He shows his new Wall of Weird to Joe, who tells him to be patient. Truth will out. Time will tell. Put your tiny hand in mine. Something else cliché that good father figures tell us.

A new Trickster drops some presents attached to parachutes into a Central City park where children play. Presents that explode. Yeah, this dude is crazy and talks about himself in the third person, which, according to our NOC Cisco, “isn’t a good sign.” (Caitlin tells him, “You’re just mad because he named himself.” LA LA LOVE THE SNOW SASS.)

The Tricksters this week are portrayed by Mark Hamill and Devon Graye.

Turns out this new Trickster is just a copycat of an original Central City criminal from 20 years ago. “YEAH, HE IS!” I call out to my TV. This is the nerdy, awesome part where the new Flash TV show uses old photos and footage from the 90s Flash TV show. It’s such meta fanservice… and it’ll only get better.

When Joe and Barry visit the original Trickster (Mark Hamill!!!!!!!!!) in his specially-built isolation cell, the old criminal seems genuinely pissed that someone is stealing his tricks, his name, and his bad guy glory. Trickster wants to rip off his copycat head and chomp on it like a Twizzler. He’s fucking crazy.

Oh yeah, and one of those tricks that the copycat stole? A bomb to destroy all of Central City. So as Barry speeds around town ignoring Wells insistence that there is no bomb because it’s a trick! the Trickster’s real trick is that the two tricky men are working together to break Hamill!Trickster out of prison. As a safety precaution, they kidnap a fellow inmate as hostage, and it is none other than Daddy Flash, Henry Allen.

It’s a gloriously nostalgic and nerdy reunion. What I love about The Flash is how it celebrates all of the rich history of every form of Flash. Hamill reprising his role is one thing, but the 2015 show basically canonizing Hamill’s Trickster work from the 1990 show is truly special. Also, these writer’s are full-on dorks and couldn’t resist this GARGANTUAN easter egg.

The Flash has never been a subtle TV show.

Ahh, so that’s why OG Trickster used this bbTrickster so willingly? It was father-son bonding to try and murder all of those children in the park! That’s all he wanted: something special, something sacred… right George Michael?

I, personally, am astonished that someone wanted to procreate with the Trickster. As jaw dropping as that Star Wars allusion was, I am completely floored that someone took one look at this and was like, “OH YEAH, I WANT IT. PUT A BABY IN ME, INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY.”

Someone wanted to bang this man and got a baby out of it. WHAT?

The tricksters decide to pull off his Masterpiece Trick at a Central City gala for Mayor Bellow’s re-election and poison all of the attendees with the champagne. He’s in a good mood and hits on Iris, who is rocking her own Flash red freakum dress. If only the writers would give her a storyline as good as that dress.

“Screw these love triangle plotlines and give me some agency,” said flawless Iris.

When the Flash shows up, Trickster attaches a Keanu device inspired by the film Speed: if Barry isn’t moving at 600 mph it would explode. Wells whispers in his ear to run through a wall. Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco are like “WHAT?” and the audience is like, “OH SHIII NO WAYYY!”

Wells wants Barry to phase through a wall. He talks him through it. Eobard/Wells, we know now, tells him to vibrate at the same frequency as air; it’s a trick that he’s been keeping a secret until now. The glasses come off. His voice lowers a register. “May the Speed Force be with you.”

“Feel the lightning. Nnnnnnghh..” -Harrison Wells

Despite Barry feeling a little uncomfortable by the tone in Wells’ drooling voice, he does it! Barry phases! I hope that in future episodes, Barry will solve problems even more quickly. (I mean, there’s just no excuse now that he can Shadowcat through walls.)

Wells said a wall, Barry. Not a fuel tank. Jeeze.

Barry speeds over to the Poison Party and injects everyone with an antidote. Yes, it’s gross and unsanitary, but he saves everyone’s life. The Tricksters are apprehended, but I hope we seem them again! They’re a fun daddy-son duo to watch, unlike the sobbing that usually transpires after I experience Joe/Barry scenes and Henry/Barry scenes.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/10ddd80aa5320e1ae3a2cf848ced6f68/tumblr_nm4ccoxCtd1sjcg5bo3_r1_500.gif

Here come the two big reveals (literally):

  1. Barry finds out where his dad is and tells Henry Allen what he already knows: Barry is the Flash.
  2. Joe asks Eddie to keep a big secret from Iris in order to “protect her:” the Flash appears and lowers his hood. 
  3. Iris is being lied to by the three most important men in her life. Although she hits on the masked speedster during their clandestine coffee meetings, she doesn’t know his true identity. 

Easter Eggs:

  1. https://38.media.tumblr.com/7cb813c1e9dffa95ab7ffcff8cc2d700/tumblr_nm4ro72NEM1qe3m04o2_540.gif

  2. 52nd Street = The New 52

  4. Phasing and the Speed Force

  6. Hamill getting to act out some of his pent up Joker through the Trickster

BEFORE I GO:

Firstly, everyone needs to make sure they’ve seen this, or they will be very lost:

Flash + Arrow + ATOM + Firestorm…. I wonder if that’ll be the finale or the penultimate episode. Until then, superfriends.

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