Another bus meta’s life is on the line in this episode of The Flash. Once Barry realizes that she may be able to help them stop DeVoe, he pushes her a bit too far, leaving it up to Ralph to be the one giving the inspirational speeches. (And no, Ralph, that’s not something they draw straws for, so get out into that hallway and stop her from getting on the elevator.)
Elsewhere in “Subject 9,” Cecile’s inability to sleep because of Joe and her ability to read his thoughts, including his crazy, fast and very loud dreams, leads to Harry having a breakthrough with something that could help against DeVoe … or at least he hopes.
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Also, Barry learns that he can’t just go back to his regular life following his stint in prison, even though he’s not guilty and DeVoe is seemingly alive and well. There are some people who just won’t believe it’s actually DeVoe, especially in a city of metas (and who can blame them?), so Singh asks him to agree to take a leave of absence, requested by the new mayor, indefinitely. But, hey, he has a new job by the episode’s end, working as a PI with Ralph. So does that make him Ralph’s permanent buddy, meaning Cisco doesn’t have to suffer through spending any more time in his apartment?
Believe in the Buddy System
The team gets to work trying to track down another bus meta before DeVoe takes his or her life as well, by sorting through the lost and found box from the bus. Cisco vibes a CD with Izzy Bowin’s name on it and sees her playing a gig at a bar. Barry and Ralph try to convince her that she’s in danger because of how she got her powers, but she dismisses the warning and uses her ability to control sound waves to blast them back and leave.
They are right to be worried about her, however, because DeVoe does have his eye on her, especially her body, since Becky’s is deteriorating rapidly, due to the additional dark matter from the metas’ powers he’s absorbed. Even though Izzy’s not ready, he doesn’t have a choice. (It’s super convenient that they found Izzy’s CD just as DeVoe’s targeting her since she hasn’t done anything to call attention to herself.)
But can Barry, Ralph and Cisco get to Izzy before DeVoe does? They do, once they do what any normal person would (instead of using satellites or running all over the city) and check her website for her next gig. Suited up, the three of them tell her she’s in danger. That’s not news to her, but she doesn’t even consider that two of the three people talking to her are the same people who approached her earlier. DeVoe joins them, but to everyone’s surprise, Izzy’s able to blast him back. After that, Marlize appears and gets him out of there.
They take Izzy back to S.T.A.R. Labs and fill her in on why DeVoe’s after her, and despite Iris’ protest, Barry unmasks to convince the meta to stay and let them train her. Her powers weakened DeVoe, so she may be their best shot at stopping him. When she still refuses, it’s Ralph who follows her and gives her the inspirational talk to get her to stay. He tells her he’s in the same position she is, and the people there will keep her safe.
Meanwhile, Becky’s body continues to deteriorate rapidly, especially after being blasted by Izzy’s powers. Marlize worries about her husband’s mind, questioning if the repeated transference has affected his cognitive functioning. “There is nothing wrong with my mind,” DeVoe insists.
The team provides Izzy with an instrument to focus her powers, and Ralph plays target for her training. But after six hours, Barry feels like she needs to step it up and takes over, running and throwing discs for her to hit. One ends up hitting her.
Izzy’s not the only one who needs an inspirational talk in this episode. Barry does as well because Iris thinks he’s being too hard on Izzy. But after seeing up close what DeVoe does to the bus metas and being unable to do anything, he feels like he can’t go easy on Izzy. However, Iris reminds him that DeVoe will sacrifice anyone and anything and that heroes aren’t made overnight.
And by pushing Izzy as hard as he did, Barry pushes her away completely. Though Ralph tries to stop her, she leaves S.T.A.R. Labs, convinced that since she hurt DeVoe by herself without them, she can do it again.
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Someone Help Cecile Get Some Sleep ASAP
Meanwhile, Cecile’s in desperate need of the one cup of coffee she’s allowed to have a day when she runs into Harry. She explains that she can’t sleep because she hears Joe’s dreams. Harry offers to build her something to help, but the first version of it is 10 pounds. And she’s supposed to wear this Mental Activity Dampener on her head while she sleeps.
She gets angry, and he gets frustrated and throws things, but that doesn’t mean that, after an apology and a much smaller device, they can’t maybe become friends. In fact, it’s while he’s trying to befriend her and she reads his thoughts that he thinks to adapt the dampener he made for her to use against DeVoe.
Later, Cecile is the one he confides in (thanks to her ability to read his mind) about his concerns about Jesse. As she points out, he won’t know if she’ll come to this Earth if he doesn’t invite her.
You Win Some, You Lose … Yeah, They Lost This One (Mostly)
Harry brings his idea about his dampener to the team, explaining that they can use it to keep DeVoe from projecting his consciousness into new bodies. He wants to call it the Cerebral Inhibitor, which, hey, that’s what Savitar said they’d use against DeVoe. (Harry wishes they’d told him that sooner since it’s so hard to name things.)
Cisco vibes Izzy’s location, but after DeVoe knocks him back, Caitlin has to stay behind in S.T.A.R. Labs to take care of him. That leaves Barry and Ralph to go after DeVoe themselves, and DeVoe quickly uses Dominic’s ability, to give Barry a taste of what a brain aneurysm feels like, and Sylbert’s to throw a dumpster at Ralph. But Izzy, rather than run like Ralph told her to, picks up the dampener and puts it on Becky’s forehead.
It seems to be working … until DeVoe uses Deacon’s powers and it falls off. DeVoe traps Izzy and gets her powers and body, while Ralph can only watch. (But he does try to punch the barrier separating them, so that’s something.) With the new body acquired, their plan is back on track, the DeVoes celebrate in their lair and they just have a few more subjects left to locate.
Speaking of their lair, Cisco figures out where that might be located, thanks to what it looks like when DeVoe disappears: the warping signature of someone moving into a pocket dimension. That explains how DeVoe captured Barry and then brought him out above the city. Now Cisco just needs to figure out a way to track DeVoe and find it.
And after DeVoe’s latest move, Ralph has become determined to be the one to take him down.
Did you find yourself not hating Ralph in this episode? Did you enjoy Harry and Cecile’s scenes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Flash season 4 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of The CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
If it’s on TV — especially if it’s a procedural or superhero show — chances are Meredith watches it. She has a love for all things fiction, starting from a young age with ER and The X-Files on the small screen and the Nancy Drew books. Arrow kicked off the Arrowverse and her true passion for all things heroes. She’s enjoyed getting into the minds of serial killers since Criminal Minds, so it should be no surprise that her latest obsession is Prodigal Son.
