Shout Out / The Flash (2014)

• In the pilot, Cisco wears a shirt with the catchphrase "Bazinga!" from The Big Bang Theory. The catchphrase is a mannerism of Sheldon Cooper, who is a big fan of the Flash and wears a Flash shirt. There's a bit of Celebrity Paradox in play.
  • According to the DVD commentary of the pilot, the shirt was actually sent to them by the makers of The Big Bang Theory.
• In episode 2, Multiplex's doubles bring to mind Agent Smith's doubles fighting Neo.
• Also from episode 2, Cisco's blunt remark of "You got blood on my suit."
• In "Things You Can't Outrun" Barry says it's "not like I want a museum built in my name". In the comics, the Flash does indeed have a museum in Keystone dedicated to him, built by a grateful populace.
• In the same episode, a flashback shows Caitlin suggesting that she and Ronnie watch Orange Is the New Black to kill time on their flight to Tahiti.
• In "Going Rogue" Barry names their trivia team "E=MC Hammer".
• An opposing trivia team answers a Star Wars question and is named "Pride and Padawans".
• "The Flash Is Born"; Iris describes Tony Woodward as having an "Iron Fist".
  • He's also referred to as a "man of steel".
• In "Power Outage", the metahuman's line "I have to feed", its tone, and his reaction upon sapping Barry's powers are very similar to Parasite.
• "Flash vs. Arrow", Wells mentions Bivolo's power of inducing "anger, hate, aggression", and Cisco responds with "A Jedi craves not these things", complete with Yoda voice.
• In "Revenge of the Rogues," the tactic of making Heat Wave and Captain Cold cross streams comes up, complete with Ghostbusters (1984) reference.
• In "The Sound and the Fury", Cisco is seen wearing a "Keep Calm And Han Shot First" T-shirt during a flashback. This is followed by Dr Wells saying he has "a good feeling" about Cisco, which may have been an intentional reference on his part.
• Just before the battle with Firestorm in "The Nuclear Man", Barry tries to calm him down and asks him not to "flame on".
• After Barry brings her home from a karaoke bar in "Crazy for You", a tipsy Caitlin praises Barry's singing voice.
• Cisco uses Terminator and Back to the Future to explain time travel theories to Joe. Thawne then shows himself to be Not So Above It All and does a brief Doc Brown impression, and declares Back to the Future a "tremendous picture".
• Mason Bridge references the Dothraki language from Game of Thrones.
• The first thing out of Barry's mouth after time travel? "Oh boy."
• Speaking of time travel, it's interesting that a time traveler stole the identity of someone who happened to be named H. Wells.
• In "Tricksters", James Jesse mentions masterpieces, including Season 5 of Breaking Bad. Also in that episode, Eobard Thawne steals the real Harrison Wells' face using a device a lot like the ones used by the dopplegangers on Fringe.
  • Not to mention the significance of Mark Hamill telling a character that he is their father.
• In "All Star Team Up", A.T.O.M.'s arrival to Central City is pre-empted by Caitlin and Cisco wondering if it's a bird or a plane. Of course, A.T.O.M. (AKA Ray Palmer) is played by Brandon Routh of Superman Returns fame. The same episode also has Ray say "we have the technology".
• In "Who is Harrison Wells" There's a roundabout one to The Princess Bride. Eddie Thawne is not left-handed. Barry Allen is not left-handed either. And that's the giveaway when the shapeshifter is borrowing someone else.
  • Cisco says "What the frak" after The Reveal.
• At the start of "Grodd Lives", the robber who attempted an attack on the Federal Reserve depot is dressed up similarly to Alpha and Bravo from Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel.
• Grodd still hates bananas, just like in Justice League.
• When finding out of the potential devastation that could happen if Barry's plan is unsuccessful in the first season finale, Cisco mutters "so long, and thanks for all the fish".
• Stein mentions that mentions that if he sees Barry travel, he might shout "Eureka" or "excelsior".
• Regarding the entire Story Arc of Season 1, tell me if this sounds familiar. A man in a wheelchair orchestrates an accident with intent of creating superheroes, and then proceeds to train said superheroes until he is eventually found out. See Unbreakable and Doom Patrol.
• In the episode guest-starring Michael Ironside, Barry takes the moniker "Sam". Ironisde plays a burglar, not altogether unlike the spy he played in Splinter Cell.
• Two in "Running to Stand Still" (S2E9):
  • Wells and Cisco go to retrieve a bomb hidden in a Christmas present by the Trickster. A kid answers the door. Wells: "Your toys. Give them to me."
  • After sending said bomb through a dimensional rift, which somehow pulls all the other hidden present bombs through after it, Cisco quips, "How you like them magnets, bitch?"
• In "The Reverse-Flash Returns", Cisco tells Thawne "Bye, Felicia!"
• Barry and Oliver's relationship is very similar to the dynamic between different incarnations of Superman and Batman.
• When The Trickster straps the kinetic bomb to Barry and tells him that if he slows down the bomb will detonate is similar to Justice League: Doom and Batman's stolen and modified contingency plan for The Flash. He even gets the bomb off the same way by learning to vibrate his molecules and phase through an object
  • It's also rather like the movie Speed, which the Trickster points out while explaining the device.
• In "Fast Lane", Tar Pit first rises from the floor in a very T-1000 manner.
• In "Rupture", Cisco shouts out a Leeroy Jenkins. And then later calls out, "Expecto Patronum!" and "Great Scott!"
• The Man in the Iron Mask is a book about the twin brother of the King of France, who was imprisoned by his brother to avoid competition for the throne. The Man in the Iron Mask in the show turned out to be Jay Garrick, whose name and title were copied by Zoom, followed by Zoom locking him away in an iron mask to hide his identity so there wouldn't be anyone to fight against him being The Flash
• When discussing time travel and whether or not the future is fixed with Barry in "Borrowing Problems From the Future," HR says that "A man often meets his destiny on the very road he takes to avoid it," quoting Master Oogway almost word-for-word^note Who in turn got it from the French poet Jean de La Fontaine.
• In "The Flash Reborn", Cisco refers to the Samuroid as Samurai Jackass.
  • In the same episode, he ponders whether barry discovered the answers to life, the universe & everything.
• Ralph refers to Cisco's vibe powers as ESPN, the same Malaproper that Karen uses in Mean Girls.
• In "Null and Annoyed", the two security guards at the museum have a striking resemblance to the duo, Jay and Silent Bob. This makes sense considering Kevin Smith directed the episode.
• Ralph refers the portal to enter Devoe’s mind as the Hellmouth.
• Nora, being from the future, is fond of the phrase schway.
• Sherloque Wells is obviously one to Sherlock Holmes. Later episodes reveal that he comes from Earth-221 and used to have an assistant named Watsune, and give him a love interest named Renee Adler.
• The first time Nora tries to use her powers, she crashes into a laundry truck bearing the name Gambi & Sons.
• In "Think Fast", Harry knocks on Iris' door in a very Sheldon-like manner.
  *knock knock knock* "West-Allen!" *knock knock knock* "West-Allen!" *knock knock knock* "West-Allen!"