“All of them,” says Amunet (Katee Sackhoff) to Warden Wolfe (Richard Brooks) in response to how many of the metahumans, including Barry Allen, she wants to buy from Wolfe’s prison in season four episode 13 of The CW’s The Flash.
Barry (Grant Gustin) has no intention of being sold on the black market, so he’s left with no choice but to plan an escape. Barry plugs his toilet so that when the maintenance man is clearing it, he can swipe two batteries from his supplies. That plus some bottled water, a spring from his bed, and a few other handy items, and Barry’s able to make an acid that he uses to eat through his cell lock. That allows him to escape his cell and to let the other meta convicts out of their cells.
While Barry’s working on his brilliant prison break, Iris (Candice Patton) and Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) head to the prison to talk to Barry about his appeal. Warden Wolfe informs them they can’t see Barry because he was in an altercation with another inmate. Even though he didn’t start it, rules are rules and he’s in solitary confinement. While Wolfe is talking, Cecile reads his mind and realizes he’s selling Barry to Amunet at midnight.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Team Flash is trying to figure out a way to save Barry from being sold on the black market when Ralph (Hartley Sawyer) comes in late, complaining about an old sleazy partner who showed up at his office and how he tried to pull him into a scam. While complaining about him, Ralph accidentally shape-shifts into him – voice and all. This gives Iris an idea of how they can save Barry. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) coach Ralph on how to control his powers and manipulate his body into looking like Wolfe.
In The Thinker’s lair, Marlize (Kim Engelbrecht) is concerned about Amunet and Wolfe’s business deal which might threaten DeVoe’s (Kendrick Sampson) plan. When she asks why he didn’t foresee it, he dismisses her concerns by saying his wisdom is infinite. Marlize is getting more and more uncomfortable with her husband’s changing attitude, along with being in another man’s body.
In Iron Heights, Barry and the group of meta convicts are using the sewer system to try to get to freedom. Once far enough away from the power-reducing meta cells, Barry and the others will be able to use their powers to get away for good.
Back at The Thinker’s lair, Marlize made a few adjustments to DeVoe’s chair. He tries to read her mind but only hears “their song” and they reminisce about when they first danced together. It’s clear DeVoe knows that Marlize is using the song to block him from reading her mind.
Ralph as Wolfe goes to the bar where Amunet’s point man hangs out to set up a meeting about the sale of metas. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Joe (Jesse L. Martin) is talking to Ralph via earpiece, giving him pointers on how to behave like the badass Wolfe is.
Amunet agrees to meet with Wolfe and he tells her the sale of the metas must be delayed because he suspects the CCPD got wind of it somehow. Amunet becomes suspicious and then Ralph loses control of his shape-shifting abilities and turns back into himself. He makes a run for it and Amunet just misses killing him with her metal debris. She calls Wolfe to tell him what happened and he assures her the metas she wants are locked up in their cells. When Wolfe gets off the phone, he yells at his guards to find the escaped metas.
As Barry and the other metas make their way through the sewer, they come across a maintenance worker. Two of the metas are about to kill the poor guy when Barry quickly knocks him out and assures them that now he’s not a threat to them. Later, Becky Sharpe (Sugar Lyn Beard), one of the metas in the group, treats Barry’s hand and tells him she knows he couldn’t have killed anyone because he’s different than the others and seems to really care about people. She admits she’s afraid of hurting people out in the real world with her power. (She has the ability to control luck on a quantum scale.) Barry says, “Our powers don’t decide who we are, we do.”
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Iris believes the only way to save Barry now is for Cisco as Vibe, Caitlin as Killer Frost, and Ralph to breach into the prison and free Barry. That means they’ll have to take on the warden, Amunet, and crooked guards. Ralph apologizes but tells them that he’s sitting this one out and that they’re better off without him. Cisco tries to give him a pep talk but gets shut down by Ralph.
Later at Ralph’s office, Caitlin walks in and wakes him up. He tells her that if a pep talk from Cisco won’t help, that one from her won’t do anything either. So, Caitlin injures her hand to bring out Killer Frost. “Hi, Stretchy,” says Frost, calling him pathetic for bailing out. Ralph tells her she’s mean and he won’t miss her when she leaves. Frost realizes Ralph’s afraid of losing his friends which he admits. “This time the people who are going to leave are actually friends. There the first ones I’ve had in a really long time,” says Ralph.
“I’m the queen of letting these people down, but you know what? They’re still here. No matter how much I disappoint them, they still show up for me. I don’t really understand it, but I think it’s part of this whole friends thing. So unless you do something worse than kidnap and stab them, I think you’re going to be just fine,” replies Frost. The pep talk from the ice queen works and gives Ralph an idea on how he can help Barry.
In the sewers of Iron Heights, Barry and the metas reach the yard where they can use their powers again. Unfortunately, Wolfe is waiting for them and shoots Barry with a power-reducing ankle lock. The metas are about to attack when the warden outs Barry as The Flash. They turn to attack Barry and Becky protects Barry and uses her “bad luck” power to take the metas, Wolfe, and Amunet down. Just then The Thinker shows up in his new and improved hover chair.
The tentacles come out and attach to Becky and the other four meta convicts. He drains the life and possibly their powers (it’s not exactly clear) out of them and transfers his consciousness into poor Becky as she’s reaching for Barry, asking him to help her. He still has the power-reducing ankle lock on and can’t get to her in time. Before he leaves, The Thinker also uses one of the tentacles to drain the life out of Wolfe. Marlize, who’s watching back at the lair, is horrified by the murder.
Cisco and Killer Frost breach into the yard just after The Thinker has left. They see all the bodies and ask what happened. “DeVoe,” answers Barry. Frost freezes the power-reducing ankle lock and Cisco tells Barry they need to go but Barry tells them he’s staying. He only tried the prison break so he wouldn’t be sold on the black market, but with Wolfe dead and Amunet about to be captured that won’t happen. He’s staying until they find a way to clear him of the murder. “This is who I am,” says Barry to his friends and he speeds back into his cell.
In court, Cecile’s trying to stall the judge from throwing out Barry’s appeal because they have no new evidence. Just as the judge is about to do just that, in rolls Clifford DeVoe (Neil Sandilands). Everyone’s shocked except Cecile who’s in on the plan. It’s really Ralph shape-shifting into DeVoe who tells the judge and the court that, yes, he was stabbed after hearing a voice talking about framing someone and that he woke up at home today. The judge finds it hard to believe but Cecile reminds him that there have been cases of people believed to be dead showing up very much alive before and that “Central City is home to the impossible.” The judge clears Barry Allen of all charges and orders his immediate release from Iron Heights.
Everyone celebrates barry’s release at Joe’s house and as they make a toast Caitlin notices something is bothering Barry. When she asks him about it, he tells everyone that DeVoe could have taken all the metas from Iron Heights but he only went after the ones who were on the bus the day he came out of the Speed Force. “We know a meta who was on that bus,” says Cisco. Just then Ralph walks in apologizing for being late and sees everyone looking at him. “Why is everyone looking at me like I’m a dead man?” asks a taken aback Ralph.
The last scene of the episode is in The Thinker’s lair. Marlize is upset with DeVoe (now in the body of Becky Sharpe) for killing Wolfe. She continues to focus on their song to keep DeVoe from reading her mind. Annoyed by this, DeVoe slips the love drug into Marlize’s drink and when she drinks from it becomes infatuated with DeVoe again, much to The Thinker’s delight.
The Flash Season 4 Episode 13 Review:
Surprising, suspenseful, and smartly written, episode 13 titled “True Colors” gets the series back on track with a clever prison break, the return of some interesting and fun characters, and the introduction of Ralph’s previously unknown extra abilities.
There are a couple stand-out performances in this episode. First, Hartley Sawyer shines once again as Ralph, bringing not only laughs to the show but also a real energy that’s been missing since the first season. He has great chemistry with the entire cast, and the growth of his character from sleazy PI to a struggling hero has been one of the strongest storylines in season four.
The second stand-out performance was delivered by Grant Gustin as the incarcerated Barry who relies on his brains and sleight-of-hand to come up with a way to get out of his cell and escape the prison. Even among dangerous cons, he’s able to control the escape and keep them from killing anyone. Grant shows just how much Barry has matured and has become a real leader no matter what the situation and how he still is the moral compass of the show, refusing to escape once the danger of being sold on the black market is gone.
With Barry finally free from prison and his name cleared and Ralph being a target for The Thinker, it will be interesting to see how Team Flash figures out what The Thinker’s master plan is and how they’re going to stop him.
GRADE: B
More on The Flash Season 4:
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 1 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 2 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 3 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 4 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 5 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 6 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 7 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 8 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 9 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 10 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 11 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 12 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 14 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 15 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 16 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 17 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 18 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 19 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 21 Recap
– The Flash Season 4 Episode 22 Recap
– Grant Gustin Interview
– Danielle Panabaker Interview
– Candice Patton Interview
– Todd Helbing Interview
– Tom Cavanagh Interview
– Keiynan Lonsdale Interview
– Carlos Valdes Interview
