The team make a major breakthrough in the search for Cicada. Iris and Nora’s issues come to the fore when a meta-human tabloid journalist brainwashes Nora.

Caitlin’s plot takes a back seat here (which means it’s going to be vital to the overall plot in abouuuuut ten episodes I’d guess). Instead we get a surprisingly fun Ralph and Sherloque story and some major Allen family angst.

No wait, come back! It’s actually good!

Seriously, the show does two things here that it would ever have dared to try a couple of years ago. The first is its willingness to explore the complicated ethics of a family learning how to be together in temporally reverse order. The second is to have characters actually sit down and talk to one another.

We get a very good idea of Nora’s damage where her mum is concerned this week and it’s surprisingly nuanced. It also ties neatly into the show’s ongoing exploration of Nora’s problems. She isn’t a liability, and is clearly vastly good-hearted and enthusiastic. But she’s also… off. Wells spotted it last week and this week it’s Barry and Iris who find themselves on one side and their daughter on the other. I’m not prepared to call her as an impostor, but her story is more complex than we’ve been led to believe for sure and the show is far from done with the reasons she’s in the past. Even better, all three principal cast members act their socks off here and that, balanced by the smart writing (and a great Joe and Cecile cameo!) gives the episode a real heart. Which helps as the meta-human plot is a little slight, but does have a pretty major revelation for the show. The idea of meta-infused objects, and the satellite debris essentially creating a city full of meta-human unexplored bombs is a brilliant set up for the season. I look forward to seeing what role Cicada plays in that and why he has a mad on for Team Flash.

Verdict: Rounded out, as I say, by the surprisingly fun Ralph and Sherloque plot, this is a slight gear change downwards but it’s still great fun. Worth your time and another strong entry in the season. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart