Flash 1.17

Tricksters

Who is Dr. Wells? That is the question that is at the center of this episode. One could even say that the title is in part a reference to him. More clearly the title is a reference to The two villains known as the Trickster. The original Trickster (Mark Hamill) is in Iron Heights serving time for his crimes. He has been there for 20 years, give or take. The new Trickster is threatening the city with miniature bombs that pack a real punch.

Joe and Barry go to visit the old Trickster in prison. They hope that he can help catch the new trickster. They interrogate him in a scene that, at least for a moment looks like it was lifted from Silence of the Lambs. Old Trickster is enraged. He send them to his old hideout. They almost get killed by a bomb, I loved Mark Hamill in this role. He plays it a little crazy and at moments seems like he is about to slip into the Joker but he never quite does.

In the opening scene there is a flashback to the night that Barry's mother was killed. The Flash and the Reverse Flash fight in the Allen household. The Reverse Flash escapes but takes quite a beating. He discovers that he has lost the ability to move fast and time travel. He takes off his mask. The face underneath is not that of Dr. Harrison Wells.

I love this twist in the tale because just when it seemed like something had been resolved, who killed Barry's mother, something happens to cast doubt on that theory. Joe and Barry don't have this bit of information yet. They are proceeding under the theory that Dr. Wells is the killer. They have a hard time talking to Dr. Wells, especially Barry. Dr. Wells asks Joe what's bothering Barry? What's wrong is that Barry is having trouble at that moment seeing Dr. Wells as anything other than a killer.

The new Trickster helps the old one to escape from prison. They take a hostage, Henry Allen, Barry's father. They poison the champagne at a fundraiser for the Mayor's re-election. Iris is at the fundraiser. She warns her father, who is at STAR Labs at the time. Barry speeds to the fundraiser but the Tricksters are one step ahead of him. They strap a bomb to his wrist that will detonate if he moves slower than 600 mph. Barry doesn't know what to do so he calls STAR Labs for help.

Four years ago, Dr. Wells and his wife were in a car accident. The man who caused the accident was Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash. Dr. Wells wife is killed and Thawne uses some sort of future tech to kill Dr. Wells and make himself look just like him. So, I guess the answer is both yes and no, Dr. Wells did and did not kill Barry's mother.

Back in the present Dr. Wells advises Flash on how to get rid of the bomb on his wrist. He tells him to phase through a wall, something that Barry doesn't believe is possible. Dr. Wells talks him through it and invokes the name of the Speed Force. I believe this is the first time the Speed Force has been mentioned on the TV show. Barry is torn but follows Dr. Wells advice and it works. Barry goes through the wall but the bomb comes off his wrist. Now Barry isn't sure what to believe. He's convinced that Dr. Wells killed his mother but by the same token he can't deny the good things that Dr. Wells has done. Barry zips back to the party, inoculates everyone from the poison in the Champagne and captures the two Tricksters, This seems like it could be the end of the episode but there is still a little more.

Earlier in the episode Iris separately asked Eddie and the Flash to look into the disappearance of Morgan Bridge. She is convinced that something happened to him. Of course she is correct, she just doesn't know what that something might be. Eddie shrugs it off but the Flash agrees to help her. Towards the end of the episode, after the Tricksters have been captured, Flash and Joe have a meeting with Eddie. Barry takes off his mask and tells Eddie that he has to convince Iris that her coworker is okay. I thought it was kind of sudden for Barry to unmask like that but I guess now that Eddie knows the show could get more interesting.

It was nice to get a one-and-done story. The past few have been two-parters. There was a lot here that got me excited and eager to see how the rest of the season plays out. As usual I thought somethings happened a little too quickly but that didn't diminish my excitement. I love how things sometimes get discovered when two characters (Barry and Joe in this case) just talk something out. Of course it turns out that they only know part of the story.