We meet “Plastique” this episode of Flash, another meta-human, with an explosive ability! Iris and Barry also seem to be on rocky ground this episode. Check out Josh’s episode recap of Plastique, along with thoughts by both Josh and Violet, after the jump!
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Episode Recap of The Flash, Season 1 Episode 5: Plastique
This episode of The Flash begins with Barry hanging out with some friends in a bar. Caitlin, Cisco, and Iris are all there, plus Eddie. Barry is lamenting is unrequited love of Iris, meanwhile, Barry learns he can’t get drunk–at all. He talks to Cisco about Caitlin about his problem. Caitlin feels it has to be his hyper-metabolism–poor Barry.
Our villain of the week makes her appearance, who somehow creates an explosion in a building. It isn’t quite clear how it happens, but she disappears.
Eddie gets a call about the explosion, and heads to the scene. Barry heads out, and finds that a security guard is dangling from the building. He resolves to running up the side of the building. He is able to accomplish the task, just as Iris walks up to witness the rescue. Barry does the “virbating face” thing to hide himself, and he speeds off.
Later, Barry is investigating the crime forensically, but can’t find what the bomb was. Eddie figures the motive was to steal a file, and Barry does his “thing”, and does a speed search.
At the station, General Eiling comes in to investigate the bombing. Joe gives some resistance, but eventually gives over evidence to the General. Barry hands it over, but “super-speeds” the file folder out of the box. Joe asks some “civilians at Star Labs” to do some research. Joe then gets word Iris was at the scene, and he has a conversation with Iris. He tries to convince her there is no “Streak”, but she is intent on writing about it.
Barry, at Star Labs, talks about the bombing. Professor Wells tells Barry that he worked with Eiling until he disapproved of his methods. Cisco identifies the woman who did the bombing, and Barry heads out to investigate.
Barry finds the girl bomber, and she touches his chest. She tells him to get his clothes off, and the Flash speeds off, and we see an explosion milliseconds later–turns out this girl is able to create spontaneous explosions.
He returns to Star Labs, and Barry breaks the news that the suit is “gone”. Joe comes in, and he overheard the conversation. Joe pulls Barry aside, and tells him to get Iris to back off her passion for the “Streak”. He speeds off to talk to Iris, and Barry tells her he doesn’t exist. She gets a little offended that Barry doesn’t believe her, and can’t believe he has changed his views on the “supernatural”.
Cisco calls up Barry, and tells him that this meta-human is heading to a doctor who performed several surgeries on her. She blames him for what happened to her. Outside, Eiling is set up, and Barry gets there in the nick of time to get her out of there. Eiling is not happy she got away.
At Star Labs, the professor explains to Sans Souci that the particle accelerator is responsible for her powers. She was convinced Eiling did this to her, but the gang explains it couldn’t have been him. The group analyzes her, and finds that she is full of bomb particles from her accident in the military.
Caitlin finds that a tracker was placed in Sans Souci, and Eiling shows up on Star Labs’ doorstep. Professor Wells and Eiling have a confrontation, and the General demands the girl. Wells plays dumb, and the General leaves.
Cisco and Caitlin have her blow stuff up, and they run some tests. Sans Souci and Barry have a heart to heart about their powers. She asks if he would get his powers removed if he could, and he tells her that his powers must be for a reason, so he plans to use them for good.
Their conversation is interrupted by a phone call from Joe, unhappy that Iris has gone more public with her blog, signing her own name to it now. Barry’s solution? To visit Iris as the Flash. He tells her to stop writing about him. She asks questions, but he remains mysterious about his origins.
Back at Star Labs, it looks like Sans Souci is stuck as a meta-human–she can’t be “fixed”. She is distraught, and leaves. Barry wants her to join the team, but the group doesn’t seem keen on inviting her due to her destructive nature. Barry isn’t happy that the solution might be to send her to Eiling.
Barry meets with Joe again, and he breaks the news that Iris is pursuing the “Streak” because she wants to help Barry. Barry wants to tell Iris, but Joe isn’t happy about that happening. Joe does know that Barry is in love with Iris though, and has known for a long time.
At Star Labs, Professor Wells talks with Sans Souci. He convinces her to stop Eiling–to kill him. Barry returns to Star Labs, and no one knows where Sans Souci has gone. Moving to Sans Souci, she is turning herself in–or pretending at least. Cisco is able to locate her, and Barry heads to her.
Sans Souci throws some projectiles, and injures Eiling–but doesn’t kill. Barry comes up to try to stop the fighting, but Sans Souci is shot by Eiling. She tries to tell Barry about Wells, but dies before she can. Her body suddenly begins to glow, and looks like it would explode. Barry has to run on water to move her away from the city, to stop any major damage. He has to out run the blast back to shore though, and it seems hazy at first, but we see that he did make it.
On TV, Eiling plays the explosion off as a military test.
Barry visits Iris, and he tells her how dangerous this blog is. Iris demands to know why Barry isn’t interested in this. Barry is frustrated, and tells her that he has put his family issues behind him now. Iris tells him that he will not stop until people believe in him. Barry decides its best that they don’t see each other for a while. They part on pretty bad terms.
At the bar, Caitlin and Cisco show up. Caitlin provides him with a super high proof drink, which seems to work, for a split second.
In the final scene of the episode, we see Doctor Wells visited by Eiling again. He now knows sbout the Flash, and he wants to work with Wells. Wells threatens him with press coverage, legal action and even death. Eiling leaves but is certain that eventually Wells will fall.
In a final flashback, Wells and the General part ways, over the treatment of a man in their care. That man turns out to actually be an ape–named Grodd.
Josh’s Thoughts: The Flash, Season 1 Episode 5: Plastique
Well, Professor Wells almost got outted this episode, by Sans Souci, and I was really hoping it would happen. I still do not know quite what his motives are, as he seems to be wanting to protect Barry at all costs, but what is the end game for him? I really want to know where he is heading. I want more on his motives!
This episode focused a lot on Iris and Barry’s relationship, and Barry’s struggle to juggle his dual lives. He obviously wants Iris safe, and Iris wants to follow this “Streak” around, and there is no way to stop her without telling her the truth as Barry suggests. It might be the thing that stops her crazy pursuit, but as we know from Spider-Man, sometimes the best way to get to a hero as a villain is through who that hero loves. We’ve seen it time and time again, so I guess I see where Joe is coming from.
I felt really sorry for Sans Souci though. Barry gets blessed with this awesome ability, and she got a really terrible side of it. When Sans Souci asks Barry if he would trade his powers in to be normal again, I thought to myself, “why would he want to?” Even if Barry didn’t have this hero complex going on, he can function in society as a normal human being. Sadly, San Souci reminded me of a blend between Gambit and Rogue from X-Men–One can’t touch anyone without physically harming them, the other is able to blow stuff up by applying energy to objects. It is too bad there was no way for her to control the ability. Then sadly Wells sends her on her death mission. Such a terrible way to go.
A villain in the coming future seems to be Grodd, as we witnessed his introduction at the end of this episode. I did not know much about him before, but reading some Wikipedia on him, he seems to be a super intelligent, telepathic ape…that should be…interesting….But for now, we will see where show takes us!
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 1 Episode 5 of The Flash: Plastique
I’m glad that this week the The Flash got back to what I most liked about the show: discovering new meta-humans, and exploring their abilities. This time, the meta-human they found was actually a “good guy.” Up until now, they’ve been bad guys. I actually liked Sans Souci, and thought she would make a great addition to the team. But alas, it was not to be, as they ended up killing her off by the end of the episode! Is the Flash not meant to work with any other meta-humans, only against them? I have to imagine that they’ll eventually come across another meta-human that’s a good guy, they can’t all be bad, right?
We also got the hint of a suggestion that Dr. Wells may be even more powerful than we thought. When he told Sans Souci to kill Eiling, it seemed like more of encouragement, and supporting what she wanted to do anyway. But then later, she seems to do a complete 180, like she didn’t know what came over her. This seems to hint that maybe Dr. Wells has the power of suggestion, that he is able to influence people to do what he tells them to do. It begs the question, what is the extent of Dr. Wells’ powers, and what exactly is he planning to do with them? We already know that he can tell the future, what else can he do?
Then there’s all the drama with Iris. If Joe and Barry really want to protect her, they should tell her the truth. Otherwise, she’s going to continue to chase the “Streak” around into dangerous situations, in an effort to get more information about him. It was kinda weird at the end how Iris and Barry essentially “broke up.” Or decided to “take a break” anyway. Who says that, unless they’re actually in a romantic relationship?? Usually, if they’re just friends, they just don’t go out of their way to hang out with each other anymore. And where does Barry live anyway? Not with Joe anymore, right? Hopefully he has his own place, or else Iris essentially just kicked him out of the house!
Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s to come for the Flash!
Scenes from The Flash, Season 1 Episode 6, The Flash is Born
Here are scenes from the next episode of The Flash, titled The Flash is Born:
