“Harry, are you okay?” asks Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker). “No, he’s not,” replies Cisco (Carlos Valdes) as Harry is about to tell Team Flash what’s happening to his brain in season four episode 20 of The CW series, The Flash.
The episode begins with a flashback to when DeVoe (Neil Sandilands) and Marlize (Kim Engelbrecht) first met during a back and forth at a panel discussion. Immediately taken with her, DeVoe asks Marlize out on a picnic where the two start to fall in love.
Back in present time, Cisco gets a message from Gypsy (Jessica Camacho) telling him that her father needs an answer on the job offer as soon as he can get back to her and that “it’s fine, whatever” so obviously he’s in big trouble.
Cisco’s relieved when Harry calls to ask for his help with Caitlin. Harry (Tom Cavanagh) is working with Caitlin and Cisco to try to get Killer Frost to come back out. They believe if they can increase her heart rate and make her feel a rush of adrenaline, Frost might appear. Cisco gets ready to hit Caitlin with a soft Vibe blast, letting her know he lowered the amps on his power gloves. Cisco softly blasts Caitlin, but nothing happens.
Harry asks Cisco to hit Caitlin again but with slightly more power, so Cisco does but still nothing happens. Frustrated, Harry tells Cisco to go full power and that’s when Barry (Grant Gustin) says, “Wait! Hold on, hold on, we don’t want to blast Caitlin across the speed lab.”
Harry insists it will work but Barry and Iris (Candice Patton) remind Harry there’s no more dark matter in Caitlin and they’re only trying to spike her heart rate. Confused, Harry asks what Barry means about the dark matter being gone and realizes he’s forgotten that conversation. Team Flash realizes something’s wrong with Harry and he’s forced to tell them the truth.
Harry tells Team Flash about losing his intelligence and Cisco lets them know it should, hopefully, be reversible. Caitlin says she’ll work on it but Harry tells her no because she has to get her powers back and he has to figure out what DeVoe’s major plan is. He insists that time is running out. Barry calms him down and eases the tension by telling everyone the way they’re going to defeat DeVoe is by sticking together. “We’re family – that’s how we will beat DeVoe,” says Barry.
DeVoe and Marlize portal into a facility to steal equipment he needs for “The Enlightenment,” as they call it. On their way out, a young security guard stops them and draws his weapon. Marlize tries to tell him he should just let them go, but he says he can’t. DeVoe, using one of his many meta powers, forces the poor young man to turn the gun on himself and fire.
Joe (Jesse L. Martin) brings in Team Flash to check the area because of the weirdness of the crime. He suspects it’s DeVoe. Barry does some speed investigating and discovers he stole a very powerful solar panel. Barry wants Cisco to try vibing the panel, but Cisco won’t because he knows it won’t work. He believes DeVoe is too strong and he would need to double his vibing power. Barry suggests he should get Gypsy to help, however Cisco’s against that since he’s not ready to deal with her dad’s offer to replace him as the Breacher on Earth-19. Barry won’t let up so Cisco ultimately agrees.
Gypsy agrees to help, and she and Cisco vibe together and see a container on the docks. The container is number 16. They realize that whatever DeVoe needs is in the container so Barry, Cisco, and Gypsy leave to stop him.
Meanwhile, Joe meets with Harry and asks him for a favor. Joe wants Harry to distract Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) so he can plan a surprise for her, but he can’t tell him what it is because she’ll read his mind and know. Harry’s not happy to be a baby sitter but agrees to do it. Joe reassures him that Team Flash will find a way to fix his mind, telling him, “They love you, Harry, and they will never stop trying to help so don’t lose hope.”
The Flash, Vibe, and Gypsy show up on the docks at the container, but it turns out they are too late. They discover it was actually the container across from #16 – #18 – which had what DeVoe was looking for and has now obtained. DeVoe taunts them about their failure while standing on top of the container. The Flash tries to speed over to grab him but DeVoe portals him to the North Pole. Vibe and Gypsy try power blasting him, but he uses some of his meta powers to knock them into the container. “Thanks for the short work out,” says DeVoe as he portals out.
Cisco and Gypsy start arguing over what happened. She blames him for losing focus and Cisco blames her for letting DeVoe get away. The Flash speeds back and is trying to get them to stop fighting when he overhears about the job offer Gypsy’s dad made to Cisco.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry and Cisco talk about Breacher’s offer and Cisco says he wants to be with Gypsy more than anything. Barry reminds Cisco they cannot stop DeVoe without him. “You’re our secret weapon,” says Barry. Wanting to help, Barry says he’ll talk to Gypsy. Before Cisco can tell him not to, he speeds off.
Another flashback shows DeVoe and Marlize moving in together. She mentions she’s hungry so he leaves to get dinner. When he returns, Marlize confronts him about what he’s written in his journal. She’s discovered his outline for “The Enlightenment” which is DeVoe’s plan to reboot humanity’s brains back to a primitive state and get them off their dependence on technology. Frightened and angry, Marlize leaves a surprised and upset DeVoe.
Cecile visits Harry in the lab and he tells her he needs to alter/recharge her mind-reading device. While they talk, Harry realizes that the more he tries to use his mind, the faster he loses it.
Barry finds Gypsy at Jitters and speeds her back to S.T.A.R. Labs to talk things through with Cisco. Gypsy isn’t happy with Barry for doing that and just as they’re about to talk, the alarm goes off. Gypsy and Cisco try to vibe together and end up getting blasted across the room. Caitlin tends to them and tells a concerned Barry that physically they’re fine but as a couple they have some things to work out. Barry wants to talk to them but Iris holds him back, believing he needs to let them figure it out on their own.
Gypsy and Cisco finally do talk and he confesses he doesn’t want to take the job which makes Gypsy happy because she likes working on her own and doesn’t want things to change. This upsets Cisco who admits he’s tired of hardly ever seeing her and that he doesn’t want to have to breach to another Earth to see the woman he loves. He wants to wake up with her every morning.
While spending time with Harry, Cecile realizes she can read Harry’s thoughts and write them down before he loses them. Together they start working on figuring out DeVoe’s plan.
Another flashback shows Marlize working in Kenya helping the locals as part of a humanitarian project. She receives a call from DeVoe begging her to come home. “I’m nothing without you,” he says. She tells him she can’t and doesn’t think she can be with someone who wants to reboot humanity. Suddenly, shots are fired and DeVoe calls to her over the phone but she doesn’t answer.
Barry figures out that what DeVoe is building are satellites and will need quantum computers to get them to talk to each other.
DeVoe and Marlize enter Mercury Labs and DeVoe uses his powers to minimize the very large quantum computers. Team Flash breaches into Mercury Labs to confront DeVoe. For once, they actually get the upper hand on him. The Flash hits him with a bolt of lightning and Gypsy’s vibe power blasts him. Cisco’s behind Marlize telling her not to move or else. (Seriously, why not just knock her out?!) Marlize, in an unexpected move, knocks out Vibe so Gypsy turns her blasts onto her which gives DeVoe the seconds he needs to pin Barry to the ground with his powers and blast Gypsy off her feet. This is when Caitlin surprises everyone by blasting DeVoe with the cold gun, freezing him. (She tagged along on the breach.)
It looks as though Caitlin’s stopped him but then Iris, back at the S.T.A.R. Labs Cortex, tells her to watch out. DeVoe’s using a sonic sound to blast free and then uses his powers to freeze Caitlin like a statue. He tells her that he’s onto her plan to try to bring back Killer Frost and he’ll help by killing a member of Team Flash in front of her.
Barry pleads with DeVoe not to do it, but he still can’t move. DeVoe brings Gypsy to him and uses his meta powers to choke her, Darth Vader style. Marlize reminds DeVoe they have what they came for and they don’t need to kill anyone. She reminds him they’re supposed to be saving them. “Can’t save everyone, my love,” replies DeVoe. “Is this really the lesson you want to leave them with today?” she asks. DeVoe stops crushing Gypsy’s windpipe and drops her to the ground. DeVoe and Marlize portal exit and as soon as they do, both Barry and Caitlin are free of his powers.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Harry and Cecile enter the main cortex to tell Barry and the rest of Team Flash what DeVoe’s major plan is. Harry has figured out DeVoe will use the computers and satellites to create and then aim enough dark matter onto the entire world to make everyone simple-minded.
Cisco goes to Earth-19 with Gypsy and says goodbye to her. She wonders why she doesn’t want more of him because he’s so great.
Later, everyone shows up for Cecile’s baby shower – the surprise Joe had planned for his bride-to-be! Barry assures Cisco he thinks he did the right thing, even though it hurts. Iris heads into the kitchen to talk to Caitlin and tells her she can’t put herself in danger like that again. Unfortunately, it comes off sounding more like an order than a friend being concerned. Caitlin says, “I have to get her back,” meaning Killer Frost. “We will,” answers Iris. Caitlin responds emphatically, “No, I will.”
Yet another flashback finds DeVoe treating Marlize’s wounds after the local Kenya terrorists shot up and raided her campsite. Afraid and angry, Marlize changes her mind about DeVoe’s viewpoint and wants to be with him and help him with his plans.
In The Thinker’s lair, DeVoe tells Marlize to prepare the satellites for assembly but she refuses. She’s sitting in his hover chair and tells him that together they set out to enlighten the world but now he wants to rule it. She announces she’s leaving him. He reminds her she took a vow and she interrupts him, yelling the vow was made to her husband.
DeVoe tries to stop her but finds she created the force field between them he used against The Flash. She tells him her husband is dead. “The Thinker’s first victim,” says Marlize. DeVoe reveals The Enlightenment will take her, too, and he will be the only one who remains. “Oh Clifford, you are nothing without me,” answers Marlize as she hovers the chair backwards and escapes.
In the final scene of the episode there’s a knock on the door. Cecile receives a special delivery of diapers, with the delivery person being the young mystery girl (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Joe comes to the door and Cecile shows him the diaper bag. The mystery girl tells them it looks like it was sent by someone who understands that “time is precious and right now is all we’ve got.”
When Iris calls out to Joe and then looks to see what they just received, the mystery delivery girl is gone. Iris looks out the door but doesn’t see her. As Iris heads back inside, around the corner out of sight is the mystery girl looking sad. She then speeds away with yellow and purple lightening around her… She’s a SPEEDSTER!
The Flash Season 4 Episode 20 Review:
Intriguing and a bit surprising, season four episode 20 titled “Therefore She Is” revealed finally what DeVoe’s evil master plan is as well as the fact that the mystery girl is a speedster. The episode also showed the end of Cisco and Gypsy’s love affair.
The stand-out performance in this episode has to go to guest star Kim Engelbrecht as Marlize who finally realizes the man she loved and respected is truly gone and that all that remains is a power-crazed madman bent on destroying everyone’s minds. The flashback scenes capture how she was drawn to his intelligence and his awkwardness but how she truly became frightened after discovering how he feels about technology and people. The next to last scene in which she uses his own worlds against him and reminds DeVoe that he’s nothing without her is especially effective.
One secret which needs to be revealed and has already taken too long is the identity of the mystery girl, who we now know is a speedster who’s preoccupied with stalking Team Flash now and again. The theory is she’s Barry and Iris’ daughter, but perhaps she’s Joe and Cecile’s baby from the future. One thing that was revealed last week by those in charge of the show is her character will help set up part of the plot and storyline for season five of The Flash.
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 13 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
