We get the secret origin of Cicada, at the same time as Weather Wizard makes a return. Or does he? Also Thanksgiving happens to varying levels.

This is one of those episodes the show does a few times a season where it hides something vital inside a relatively innocuous plot. The Weather Wizard stuff is a nice thematic callback to the pilot and the very clear threat level Barry faced there. It also gives the show the chance to bust out its first legitimately dodgy piece of meta-tech. The phone was fine, Cicada’s dagger was fine but… a weather vane? For the storm chaser daughter of a weather controlling meta? There’s on the nose and then there’s buried in the nose and this is very much that.

The good news is the episode has a lot of fun with that. Breaking the Weather Wizard out to kill him is a smart twist which is compounded on a couple of other times as the show remembers its past and the various toys in the attic. It also gives some welcome context to the first Nora plot that was in severe danger of collapsing. Her terror at seeing her dad actually die for a few seconds but the positioning in the season means it feels suspiciously like a reset button for half an episode as she’s straight back to side-eying her mom. Thankfully, the ending lands it successfully and the episode ends up doing some good work exploring the dangers and obligations of a heroic legacy.

But the episode belongs to Chris Klein. There’s nothing in the origin of Cicada that’s surprising but that doesn’t matter when it’s played this well. Klein nails his role here as a not especially likable shlub who gets scared straight by inheriting a kid, does his best and…then loses her when the satellite falls. His anger is understandable and that, given the people we’ve seen him kill, is deeply nuanced and interesting. Plus Klein is so fundamentally likable you can’t help but root for him just a little.

That plot raises the episode massively, as does the fact it’s one of those weeks where everyone makes smart choices and a major lead in the case breaks early. They know who Cicada is now and there’s a good chance he knows who they are too. Which means right after a deeply weird side trip next episode, sparks are going to fly…

Verdict: Hiding major revelations inside a fairly low key plot this isn’t the season’s loudest episode but it’s still got a strong, fun core. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart