It’s come to the crunch; in 2049, Thawne warns Nora that if they don’t stop Cicada now a new timeline will force its way into existence. In the present, Nora realizes an upcoming clash with Acid Master is the final recorded battle between Cicada and the Flash. Now’s the time. Or so they all think…

The core of this episode is Barry’s fundamental decency and were it any other show that would be so corny. But this is the Flash, Central City’s cool older brother camp counsellor superhero and so an A plot where he’s trying to work out what to say to Cicada really makes sense. It also cleverly reinforces Nora’s faith in her dad and Barry’s distance from Ollie. Ollie punishes those who’ve lost their way. Barry sits them down and gives them a road map.

It works too! And Chris Klein has never been better than this episode as we suddenly see Cicada’s actions and the man as two different things. That makes the ending, where a second Cicada breaks him out all the more shocking. Too late, the new timeline is here. It’s a smart bait-and-switch on bad guys, made all the more so by the reveal that the new Cicada? Grace, from the future.

Verdict: Rounded out by some solid Sherloque detection this episode clever re-frames the overall structure of the season and sets us towards the endgame. Grim, fun and action packed. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart