In Review: The Flash – The Girl with The Red Lightning

Synopsis: Team Flash is on high alert after Cicada II threatens to unleash a dangerous virus that would put all meta-humans at risk.

Review: Things unravel in this penultimate episode of the season as Team Flash begin to put the pieces together.

The Story

Following up closely on events of last week. Cicada II or Shecada as she has now been called has got hold of a lethal virus from Starlabs, which has the potential to kill everything meta-human. But she needs to shop around for various components to create a means of releasing the virus to maximum effect.

Team Flash are racing to stop her and as a contingency, they have offered the metahuman cure to every metahuman that wants it in the hopes of saving some lives.

Nora has discovered that she can track Cicada II using elements of her connection to the negative speed force, which enables the team to be in the right place at the right time.

The team has come up with a way to neutralize Cicada’s dagger, which turns out to have a mysterious origin of its own, but will the team figure it out in time.

Meanwhile, in the future, Thawne is about to be executed and seems very calm and smug for a man who is about to die.

The Acting

Lots of great performances this week. But for me the stand out actors this week is Tom Cavanagh and Jesse L. Martin.

Cavanagh has some wonderful scenes with Sherloque’s girlfriend Renee Adler who he tries to protect by sending her to his version of the Earth. But it is also his role the guy that encourages the team and the fact that he is pulling double duty that makes his performances so nuanced.

Jesse L. Martin is back on form as the caring Detective Joe West who has some doubts about his ability to lead in this week’s show.  The speech he delivers to a room full of scared people is brilliantly done with equal shares of compassion and strength.

Overall

A solid episode with great performances and a lot of plot twists, most of which fans will have seen coming, but its how they are delivered that is what matters most.

I loved the fact that it was Ralph Dibney that figures out the truth with regards to Cicada’s dagger. It really shows us some growth in the character who was introduced last year as comic relief.

This week is all about setting up the finale and by the looks of things. The season 5 finale could wind up being one of the better ones we have had. Let us hope we are not disappointed.