The Flash Season 5 Episode 8: What’s Past Is Prologue Review

If you would like to read my review of the last episode of The Flash, click here.

Synopsis: Barry and the team come up with a plan to stop Cicada, but it calls for Barry and Nora to travel back in time to gather some key necessities; Barry hesitates, concerned about his daughter seeing certain parts of his life. (TVGuide)

Writers: Todd Helbing and Lauren Certo

Director: Tom Cavanagh

Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 43mins

Airs: Tuesdays at 8pm on Space (Canada)/The CW (United States)

The Flash celebrated it’s 100th episode this week–and it was epic! Seriously, it’s been a while since we’ve had an episode this great, and it was everything fans could have wanted from a milestone episode. There were throwbacks, some classic time traveling, and an O-M-G moment we have been waiting for since last season. Oh, and it was directed by Tom Cavanagh which makes it all the more exciting.

Cicada’s identity is now known, and Team Flash is determined to track him down. However, defeating him is easier said than done, and it’s going to require one hell of a plan. Let’s not forget that his lightning bolt dagger has the ability to dampen powers, so it makes it near impossible to even make an attempt to capture him.

However, Nora suggests a plan that is entirely too complicated for her to have come up with it herself. Even Sherloque was giving her the side eye, but then again he has been this entire time. Either way, the plan has some value to it and just may work–but it requires a lot of time traveling.

After all of their horrendous encounters with mucking around in time, you would think Team Flash would stray away from it. But nope, it’s exactly what Barry intends to do in order to take down Cicada once and for all. The plan requires three very specific items that they hope will dampen Cicada’s dagger/powers. Everything they need they’ve come across at some point in the past and it includes: a powerful alloy (Savitar’s suit), a dark matter remover (the Speed Force Transmitter), and some sort of a cataclysmic event that possesses dark matter (the O.G. particle accelerator explosion).

Initially, Barry has no intention of taking Nora along with him. However, Mama Iris convinces him that she will be of value and can help him out. She did come up with the plan after all (or did she?). Barry and Nora first head to the moment that Barry defeated Savitar to collect a piece of his suit. And then they’re off to retrieve the transmitter that Zoom leaves behind in S.T.A.R. Labs.

While there, Nora finally witnesses a moment between her parents that’s 100% representative of who they are–full of love and support. But there isn’t much to be sentimental because Zoom shows causing Barry and Nora to run back into the Speed Force. Did I mention there is a Time Wraith on their tail?

Trying to make a getaway, they fall into a wrong time that they didn’t intend to go to. Unfortunately, the transmitter breaks in the process and Nora suggests that they go ask Thawne for help. And this is the point where things really pick up in The Flash 100th episode.

Barry and Nora vibrate into the vault to visit Thawne/Wells, and it appears he already knows all about them. Can I just say that seeing Cavanagh as Thawne again was everything–seriously, can he go back to this role full-time? As much as Thawne doesn’t want to help Barry out, he realizes he no other choice. Because helping Barry means returning to his own time.

While fixing the transmitter, it becomes obvious that Thawne thinks Nora is a bit shady too. Like, seriously, how did she come up with this epic plan? There isn’t much time to dwell on that, because as soon as Thawne fixes the transmitter, Barry and Nora head back in time to the moment the particle accelerator explosion was going to happen.

While in the vault, Nora is taken aback by Thawne’s Reverse Flash suit and learns that he was responsible for killing Barry’s mom. I wonder why she didn’t know this already? Anyway, as soon as the explosion happens, Barry waits for the dark matter to be collected while we are treated to all the crazy events of that fateful night. Ahh, how nostalgic was this episode?!

Father and daughter head back to the present to start taking care of the Cicada problem but not before they place their priceless weapon somewhere they can get to it later. When that moment arrives, Cicada’s dagger loses it’s power and Cisco vibes it into space. But that doesn’t do the trick and instead, Cicada is able to call the dagger right back to him. Before he can do any damage, Killer Frosts shows up which rattles Cicada enough to leave the fight.

Now, are you ready for the Nora reveal? The entire episode Sherloque was busy trying to figure out the code in Nora’s journal. A note of codes that she uploads to the computer every day apparently. She intends to send a message with the notes but decides she is going to deliver the message herself.

We find Nora in 2048 going to Iron Heights to visit–Thawne! Nora now knows he killed her grandmother, but what does that matter?! We just learned that Nora is working with THAWNE! Ughhh, why! If you were paying attention, Thawne’s name was mentioned here and there during the season, so it was the perfect reveal. Perhaps one of the best The Flash has had.

So where is Cicada? And what’s going to happen with the Nora/Thawne storyline? Given the crossover is next week, looks like we’ll have to wait until next year to find out!

Score: 8/10

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