Nora is back and on the wrong side of the law. Nora is going to need some help. And Nora has some ideas about who to call…

Let’s rip the Band-Aid off here and say that if you were expecting evil(ish) Nora to be around for a while, you’re going to be disappointed. She’s back on Team Flash’s side by the end of the episode (and in fact was always there) and that’s going to disappoint some people. Others however, will find a lot to enjoy here because there is a lot going on.

In the D plot, we get a deeply lovely moment between Ralph and Caitlin which Ralph treads all over in the best way. You also get some very specific frontloading of Sherloque’s personal damage, making him one of the most interesting Wells we’ve had on the show in a while. Where last week the Icicle stuff felt forced, this feels natural and sensible and is fun to watch.

In the C plot we get an interesting consequence to Cisco’s cure: namely that it’s been stolen by Cicada. This, along with the subtle hint Cisco may be done being Vibe, seems to confirm we’re about to lose a core member of Team Flash. I hope not permanently. Carlos Valdes is great and Mr Ramon should always have a place at Star Labs.

The B plot, or perhaps Bee plot (sorry… actually, no I’m not), sees a welcome return for Bug Eyed Bandit, Rag Doll and Weather Witch as Nora recruits them. This in turn leads to some welcome perspective on the New Rogues. They’re not good… but they’re also people whose damage is contextualized and understandable. Nora’s ability to work with them speaks to a more nuanced approach to good and evil than her dad’s which in turn speaks to the strength of DC’s decades-long commitment to legacy characters which is subtle and interesting and very well done. Plus Rag Doll dislocating literally everything to fit inside a tiny pipe is magnificently disgusting.

And finally the A plot where we find out what Cicada has planned, how to stop her and like I say, the tiniest hint of what that might cost. It’s a clever idea that ties together multiple plot threads and looks set, potentially, to jump seasons. If it does, that in turn will emphasize the scope of the issue and set up what looks to be an apocalyptic pre-Crisis year for the Arrowverse. Which is going to be terrible for them but, based on this, fun for us.

Verdict: Clever, complex and entertaining stuff with a big heart and a bigger brain. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart