Recap / The Flash 2014 S 4 E 9 "Don't Run"

Iris is placed in a no-win situation, when Amunet kidnaps Caitlin and forces her into performing an unethical medical procedure, while at the same time The Thinker captures Barry, trapping him in a prison able to withstand his speed. With time against them, who will she and Team Flash rescue?

---

• All-Loving Hero: In typical Flash fashion, Barry tries to convince Marlize to walk away before her husband's Evil Plan destroys their marriage. She doesn't take it well.
• Badass in Distress: Amunet has kidnapped Caitlin and the Thinker has Barry imprisoned.
• Big Damn Heroes: Cisco and Ralph arrive just in time to save Caitlin and Dominic from Amunet.
• Bookends:
  • Cisco sending a Christmas present to Gypsy (she can't come for Christmas because she's working over the holidays). He receives his own present from her near the end.
  • Iris musing that Barry hasn't been using his powers to do their chores, and him telling her that he never had felt the need to run anymore. When SWAT comes literally knocking down his door, Barry literally hears himself telling him not to run.
• Brick Joke: When Barry and Iris are opening their wedding presents there are numerous boxes of toasters lying around. This sets up a small punchline a little later.
• The Bus Came Back: Ralph after a glaring, five^note this includes an episode apiece of Supergirl, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, via their Earth-X tie-ins-episode absence.
• Call-Back:
  • As a reminder of how only half of Team Flash know about the absent (and imprisoned somewhere else by the Thinker) Weeper, DeVoe labels the bus-meta Dominic as Subject #6.
  • Savitar once mentioned how the team had to build a neural inhibiter to stop DeVoe. We learn that what was initially thought to be a suppressor for his Super-Intelligence was really for his newly-gained telepathy instead.
• The Cameo: Gypsy in a Sexy Santa Dress thru a hologram present from her to Cisco. And she's very flirty...
• Casanova Wannabe: Ralph takes a chance at hitting on Amunet before being dragged back through the breach by Cisco.
• The Chains of Commanding: Iris is confronted with a hard choice, as she has to decide to concentrate on finding Caitlin or Barry.
• Chekhov's Gag: Guess that life raft Cisco installed in Barry's suit came in handy after all.
  Barry: [panting while bobbing up and down in the river] Good idea on the life raft, Cisco.
• Chekhov's Gun: The single knife Barry and Iris recieved as a "wedding gift" anonymously was actually from the DeVoes and used to implicate Barry in Clifford's murder.
• Christmas Episode: The annual and just like always the villain has a special gift for Team Flash.
• Cliffhanger: The Thinker sets up Barry in a murder charge on his old body, and later meets up with Marlize to prepare Central City for the Enlightenment.
• Commuting on a Bus: Guess Wally was only in town for the wedding, as Joe mentions he is currently in Cambodia.
• Continuity Nod:
  • In the Season 1 finale, Barry saw a glimpse of himself in prison; in this season premiere, time-scattered Barry was proclaiming his innocence. Why? Because DeVoe set him up for murdering him.
  • Kadabra and Savitar once mentioned DeVoe as one of his worst enemies. Looks like we finally have the seed sown for the enmity between them.
  • Cisco was able to procure his Christmas gift for Gypsy with assistance from Harry 2.0.
  • Killer Frost is hailed as a hero because she joined the final battle in Crisis on Earth-X. Now, she has her own iced-mocha drink at Jitters, alongside The Flash's cappuccino infusion.
    Amunet: [taking a sip] That's actually quite good.
  • Cisco thinks he's received a break-up cube from Gypsy, just like Wally, except it's not.
  • Barry basically copied Dr. Light's idea of using his powers to trick his captors into thinking he escaped. (she used light refraction; Barry with super-vibration)
• Curbstomp Battle: During their first battle, DeVoe surprises Barry with his floating chair's combat proficiency and captures him easily.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Yes the two are absolutely vile human-beings, but Clifford and Marlize DeVoe's undying love for one another is still apparent, as they happily decorate their home for Christmas.
• Evil Gloating: DeVoe (as Dominic) calls up Barry to gloat over framing him with his old body. This seems a rather foolish choice for a smart guy, since he gives away his new identity to Team Flash instead of possibly being accepted as an ally. And Flash could have easily recorded the whole confession, ruining the entire frame up. Though it does manage to avoid another cliché the show is infamous for, Bad Guy pretends to be an ally and works (or used to work) with Team Flash, with none the wiser.
• Evil Is Petty: In the ultimate act of pettiness, DeVoe arranges for his old body to be found in Barry's apartment to frame him for murder.
• Fanservice: What Cisco thinks is a breakup cube from Gypsy ends up being a strip-o-gram.
• Foregone Conclusion: Barry and Iris on returning the 40 toasters that Rory had sent them as a wedding gift. Iris wonders why Mick would ever think they needed that many...
  Iris: [blankly] He stole them didn't he?
  Barry: Definitely stole them.
• Foreshadowing: Clifford's remark to Marlize implies what he's about to end up doing.
  DeVoe: The words are still mine, even if the voice isn't.
• Frame-Up: The cliffhanger has Thinker framing Barry for DeVoe's murder.
• From Bad to Worse:
  • After witnessing DeVoe make off with Barry, Iris immediately returns to S.T.A.R. Labs and learns that Amunet has captured Caitlin. It gets worse when Harry informs her that they do not have enough resources to locate them both, and Iris must decide between the two who they will save.
  • Barry finds DeVoe's corpse in his apartment, made to look stabbed. Then Captain Singh and the SWAT Team starts knocking.
  • DeVoe was already incredibly dangerous, but now he has telepathic powers to boot!
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Amunet used to be a stewardess, and the first people she killed with her powers were colleagues who sexually harassed her.
• Grand Theft Me: One of the metahumans DeVoe engineered to be created is a telepath. Knowing this, he arranged for his capture so he could exploit his unique abilities and transfer his mind into his body.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Ralph isn't too keen on another newcomer to the team, especially when he's still trying to find his place on it.
• Headbutting Heroes: There is some friction between Cisco and Ralph, though they do sort it out during the episode.
• History Repeats: Once again, an Allen has been framed for stabbing someone to death in his own home.
• I'll Be in My Bunk: After seeing Gypsy's holographic stripogram, Cisco asks Joe if he could borrow a room upstairs for a little while. Joe understandably tells him to watch it in his own house.
• It's All My Fault: Ralph on Caitlin's abduction, feeling if he hadn't driven her away with his playful teasing she never would have been at Jitters in the first place.
• Innocently Insensitive: Ralph's enjoyment and attraction for Killer Frost, and continued playful jabbing at Caitlin, long after Cisco and Harry stop, ends up hurting Caitlin's feelings.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: After learning how much he hurt Caitlin, Ralph makes it clear, he may like hanging out with Killer Frost, but Caitlin is his friend.
• Kick the Dog: DeVoe-Dominic throws in a jab that his actions against Barry will also end up hurting his family.
  Dom: [looking directly at Iris] You're gonna need someone to miss you when you're gone...
• Let's Get Dangerous!: While we saw a minor glimpse of it before, it turns out DeVoe is quite a formidable combatant, even for The Flash, thanks to his Cool Chair.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Being a separate personality from her, Caitlin doesn't remember whatever Killer Frost was up to with Cisco, Harry, and Ralph that led to them to shout "baking soda!"
• The Medic: Amunet kidnaps Caitlin, not for her frosty alter-ego, but for her skills as a doctor.
• Mundane Utility: Averted and discussed. Iris is surprised to see Barry cleaning up like an ordinary person, and notes that he never once used his speed on their honeymoon. Barry explains that he's been so relaxed around her he just hasn't felt the need to run.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Barry was arrested in the comics once for accidentally killing Thawne when he attempted to kill Barry's second fiancée, Fiona Webb, on their wedding.
    • The fact that the whole thing was set up by the Thinker may make a whole lot more sense in comics, where DeVoe was a lawyer before investing his smarts into supervillainy.
  • Heatwave's wedding present to the West-Allens are 40 (most likely stolen, knowing Mick) toasters. There's a notorious meme regarding another DC supervillain stealing 40 cakes.
  • Apart from his (perhaps natural) Super-Intelligence, Thinker of the comics also has psychic and telepathic powers. The TV series' version of Clifford DeVoe does not have them...until now.
• The Nicknamer: Cisco gives Dominic (actually DeVoe) the nickname "Brainstorm" mere moments after meeting him for the first time, prompting Ralph to complain that he's been a member of Team Flash for weeks and hasn't yet received a nickname of his own.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Whatever hijinks that occurred with Killer Frost that led to Harry, Cisco, and Ralph to coin an inside joke about baking soda. Played for Drama in that it leaves Caitlin feeling left out and envious of her alter ego.
  • Harry recognizes that Cisco's gift from Gypsy is different from a break-up cube. That Harry also warned Cisco not to open it in front of everyone implies Harry knows exactly what it is.
• No Social Skills: Ralph admits to Cisco it's been so long since he's had friends, he's still rusty at being one, and he never meant to hurt Caitlin's feelings.
• The Nth Doctor: Due to pulling a Grand Theft Me, DeVoe is now played by Dominic's actor.
• Number Two: Fully demonstrated as Iris has to make the difficult decision between rescuing either Barry or Caitlin when Harry informs her they don't have the resources to search for both.
  Iris: Harry, I made a vow to protect and love Barry, how can I choose between my husband's life and my friend's?
• Papa Wolf: What's Joe's reaction when the Thinker kidnaps Barry? Waltz right to DeVoe's house and demand his release. It doesn't matter if he's putting his career on the line — you don't mess with Joe's kids. Ever.
  DeVoe: Now, I do have a restraining order against your son. Shall I add you to the list?
  Joe: If something happened to Barry, there ain't a restraining order on Earth that would keep me from getting you.
• The Resenter:
  • Iris lets it slip she isn't entirely okay with Olicity's hijack of her and Barry's wedding ceremony.
  • It's subtle, but it's clear that despite her claims to the contrary, Marlize is growing more than a little resentful of how her husband is treating her, despite supposedly being partners.
• Running Gag: When entering the West household, Dominic joins the mass of the now infamous banter, "This house is..."
• Sadistic Choice: When all of Team Flash's resources are stretched to the limit trying to find Barry and Catlin, Iris is faced with the difficult decision that she must focus on only one.
• Sexy Stewardess: Amunet reveals she used to be one before the particle accelerator explosion. After becoming a meta, she paid those pilots back for all the unwanted touching.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: Both Clifford and his wife are not interested in the slightest in the heroes lecturing and keep cutting them off.
• Some Kind of Force Field: Barry's force-field prison is invisible unless he's actually touching it.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
  • Iris did not think highly of Felicity hijacking her wedding with Barry to have her own with Oliver. As a result of the insensitivity, they put the Queens' wedding gift in the return pile.
  • Killer Frost's acts of heroism in Crisis on Earth-X earns her the respect and admiration of Central City and her fellow heroes, but being an entirely separate and autonomous personality means Caitlin is unable to claim credit for her accomplishments and consequentely starts to feel overshadowed by her alter ego.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Barry innocently remarks that Marlize doesn't have to help her husband with his evil plan, she goes on a huge rant how she's not a helper or a secretary but her husband's equal partner.
• This Cannot Be!: The one and only time DeVoe seems slightly unnerved is when he doesn't find Barry in his cell (having vibrated so fast that he is invisible and then escapes after Clifford opens the barrier).
• Title Drop: It's Barry's advice to himself when the CCPD come barging into his apartment.
• Villain Teamup: Marlize has enlisted the aid of Amunet Black for helping capture Dominic.
• Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: Amunet thinks Caitlin to be ungrateful, as she hasn't tried to murder her...today!
• We Hardly Knew Ye: We don't meet Dominic for very long before his mind is overwritten by that of DeVoe's.
• The Unreveal: DeVoe meets up with Marlize and lets her know it is time to prepare for the Enlightenment. Whatever that is will have to be seen after the winter break.
• Wham Episode: DeVoe has a new body, and has set Barry up for murder with his old one.
• Wham Shot: Barry discovers DeVoe's bloody corpse in his apartment, with the knife Barry and Iris received as a "wedding gift" on the floor nearby.
• What He Said: After Cisco delivers the line below, Ralph doubles back through the portal to add, "Yeah! What he said!"
• X Called; They Want Their Y Back: A variation.
  Cisco: [to Amunet] Are you a time traveler? 'Cause those white-girl dreads came straight from the Nineties!
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • Harry assures a glum Caitlin that her friends love her for her, not for Killer Frost.
  • Likewise Amunet delivers a dark version, as she chose Caitlin, instead of some random doctor, to perform the procedure on Dominic for her brilliance as surgeon.
  • Cisco points out to a guilty feeling Ralph that he was just lashing out due to Caitlin and Barry's abduction, and that his contribution to The Team is his want to contribute and help save their friends.