History Recap / TheFlash2014S1E17Tricksters

* MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight: As part of his plan to return to his time, Eobard Thawne replaces Harrison Wells to sabotage Wells' proposed particle accelerator, which was activated successfully in Thawne's own timeline.

** The speed and effectiveness of poison is highly dependent on a number of factors, like the dosage of poison and the person's weight and heart rate. Here, everyone gets the same one-hour clock regardless of their body type or how much champagne they drank.

* {{Adorkable}}: Harrison Wells. Real and Fake, that is. We see evidence of Eobard Thawne's geekiness throughout the season, and in the flashback, the real Wells is no slouch, either.

* TwoLinesDifferentTimes: The show alternates between the present day Tricksters story and flashbacks showing what happened with the Reverse-Flash and Harrison Wells after the former killed Barry's mother.

* ImpersonationExclusiveCharacter: Almost nothing is known about the real Harrison Wells besides what is revealed in this episode.

* TwoLinesDifferentTimes: The show alternate between the present day Tricksters story and flashbacks showing what happened with the Reverse-Flash and Harrison Wells after the former killed Barry's mother.

* RoleReprisal: Creator/MarkHamill reprises his Trickster role from the [[Series/TheFlash1990 1990 Flash series]].

* MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight: As part of his plan to return to his time, Eobard Thawne replaces Harrison Wells to sabotage Wells's proposed particle accelerator, which was activated successfully in Thawne's own timeline.

** The original Trickster is said to have been a terrorist 25 years ago... the number of years between the previous Flash TV series and this one. Furthermore, his original costume appears, and the old picture of the Trickster is actually a shot from the 1990 series.

-->'''Gideon:''' Your latest time jump against the Flash caused a massive drain on your powers. Your cells contain no trace of the Speed Force... Your ability to move at super-speed as well as travel in time has been completely depleted.

** A parallel of the fate of the real Harrison Wells can be made to ''The Return of Barry Allen'' storyline, where pre-villainy Eobard Thawne went through futuristic surgery to make himself an exact doppelganger of his "idol", Barry Allen. Both storylines also feature the Flash gradually getting disillusioned with their mentor before figuring out it was really Thawne in "disguise".

* MoodWhiplash: What starts off as a fan-friendly campy episode honoring the 1990 series -- look kids! Creator/MarkHamill! -- turns in to a major storyarc episode [[WhamEpisode once Thawne confirms his knowledge of the Speed Force]].

* {{Irony}}: Eobard Thawne is revealed to have been [[BigBad deliberately responsible for every villain on the show thus far]]... except this episode's villains.

* AntagonistTitle[=/=]DoubleMeaningTitle[=/=]MultiCharacterTitle: The title refers to both James Jesse and Axel Walker, as well as Eobard Thawne, who tricked the world into thinking he was Harrison Wells.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine
** PlayedForLaughs. Barry saves everyone by jabbing them with the antidote to the Tricksters' poison--seemingly using the same syringe for everyone.
-->'''James:''' That wasn't very sanitary.

* {{Irony}}: Eobard Thawne is revealed to have been [[BigBad deliberately responsible for every villain on the show thus far]]...except this episode's villains.

* MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight: As part of his plan to return to his time, Eobard Thawne replaces Harrison Wells to sabotage Wells' proposed particle accelerator, which was activated successfully in Thawne's own timeline.

* MoodWhiplash: What starts off as a fan-friendly campy episode honoring the 1990 series - look kids! MarkHamill! - turns in to a major storyarc episode [[WhamEpisode once Thawne confirms his knowledge of the Speed Force]].

** Future!Barry is wearing the classic incarnation of the Flash costume, evidenced by the white ChestInsignia.

*** Wears a trenchcoat when he goes to STAR Labs, like his Barry habitually did. According to Mark Hamill (via Twitter), the trenchcoat is the same one used in the older show.
*** Mentions that half of what he saw at STAR Labs didn't exist when he was practicing. In-universe, he means medicine, but it can also apply to the fact that the tech didn't exist when he was the Flash.

* RedHerring:
** After Jesse reveals to Axel that he's his father, it's set up like another of the Trickster's tricks, but isn't refuted by the episode's end.

** Aside from the above mentioned ''Star Wars'' reference, the Trickster's haircut while in jail highly resembles Luke Skywalker's hairstyle in ''Film/ANewHope''.

--->'''James Jesse/The Trickster''': (talking about his evil plan) Its going to be my masterpiece, my ''Mona Lisa'', my ''Series/BreakingBad'' season 5.

-->''You're the bus and that's the bomb!''
** The part with Eobard connecting to Harrison in order to KillAndReplace him is reminiscent of the blood transfusion at the beginning of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' - although there, it's done to ''Save'' and Replace, and a plane crash is used instead of a car.
*** He does it using a device a lot like the ones used by the dopplegangers on ''Series/{{Fringe}}''.

--> '''Gideon:''' Your latest time jump against the Flash caused a massive drain on your powers. Your cells contain no trace of the Speed Force.....Your ability to move at super-speed as well as travel in time has been completely depleted.

* WhatTheHellHero: While he doesn't start anything because they have more important things right now, Eddie is not happy that Iris is LockedOutOfTheLoop.
--> '''Joe''': Keeping her in the dark, it's for her own safety.\\
'''Eddie''': That's debatable, and we will have that debate.

-->'''Trickster:''' That wasn't very sanitary.

Barry allows his suspicions of Harrison Wells to affect his judgement while dealing with an imprisoned terrorist from 25 years ago who has a modern imitator.

* {{Adorkable}}: Harrison Wells. Both of them, that is. We see evidence of Eobard Thawne's geekiness throughout the season, and in the flashback, the real Wells is no slouch, either.

* BaitAndSwitch: After the opening credits where a different person is in the Reverse-Flash costume, you'd expect Harrison Wells to be a RedHerring, right? Wrong! It's pre-transformation Eobard Thawne.

* FacialHorror: Thawne's transformation into Wells, and Wells' face decaying as it happens.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: When Cisco comments on the Trickter's costume from the old photos, Wells utters his own "Wow" when he sees the photos and looks like he's about to break out laughing.

* HeroicBSOD: Barry blaming himself for Henry getting kidnapped by the Tricksters because he didn't listen to Wells' advice.

** Barry also tells Eddie his belief that Wells is the Reverse-Flash.
* {{Irony}}: The true Eobard Thawne is revealed to have been [[BigBad deliberately responsible for every villain on the show thus far]]...except this episode's villains.

* LongGame: Lampshaded by Joe, who points out to Barry that whatever Wells is planning, he's been working towards it for ''15 years''.

* MeaningfulLook: Wells looks at Barry suspiciously throughout the episode after Barry displays his bad attitude, Barry glowers at Wells almost the entire episode, and when they shake hands and smile at the end, both of them lose the smile when the other looks away.
* MoodWhiplash: What starts off as a fan-friendly campy episode honoring the 1990 series - look kids! MarkHamill! - turns in to a major storyarc episode [[WhamEpisode once Wells exposes his knowledge of the Speed Force]].

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: In talking Barry through how to access more of his powers, Wells reveals that he must know what it's like to have that power, providing Barry the evidence he needs to conclude that Wells has to be the Reverse-Flash.

** When the Reverse-Flash unmasks at the start of the episode, he is clearly ''not'' Harrison Wells, which looks like it will support the "second Reverse-Flash" theories.

** Eobard Thawne assumed the identity (and duplicated body down to the genetic level) of the real Harrison Wells after his attempt to kill Barry as a child fails, explaining why the DNA at the crime scene didn't match that of Wells and how Wells had a history prior to 15 years ago.

* SayingTooMuch: Wells speech coaching Barry through running fast enough to phase through matter contains ''far'' too much detail on what it feels like to use super speed. It's what tips Barry off to him being a speedster, and therefore the Reverse Flash.
-->'''Wells:''' Listen to me, Barry. Breathe. Breathe. Feel the air. Feel that wind on your face. Feel the ground, your feet lifting you up, pushing you forward, and the ''lightning'' Barry, feel the ''lightning''. Feel its power. Its electricity pumping through your veins, crackling through you, traveling to every nerve in your body, like a shock. You're no longer you now. You're part of something greater. You're part of a '''Speed Force'''. It's yours. Now ''do'' it.

* WhamShot: When the Reverse-Flash unmasked himself after using all of his speed to battle the Flash, he is not Harrison Wells but someone unrelated to him.

* BlondGuysAreEvil: The Reverse-Flash was originally blond, as is the comics version of the character.

* BigBad: Eobard Thawne, as played by Matt Letscher, is revealed as the true villain behind everything, and the main antagonist of the first season.

* CastingGag: Mark Hamill reprises his role from the [[TheFlash1990 1990 Flash series]] and Hamill seems to be channelling SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, Hamill's later, and most famous supervillain role.

* ReunionShow: A trifecta of {{Role Reprisal}}s (Hamill, Shipp, D'Ambrosio) from the 90s Flash series.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: PlayedForLaughs. Barry saves everyone by jabbing them with the antidote to the Tricksters' poison--seemingly using the same syringe for everyone.

* BallroomBlitz: The two Tricksters crash the Mayor's gala full of wealthy guests and poison everyone's champagne. The old Trickster tells them unless they transfer their money to his bank account he won't give them the antidote and they'll die within an hour.

* LukeIAmYourFather: James Jesse tells Axel that he's Jesse's son. Doubles as an ActorAllusion since this is [[Franchise/StarWars Luke Skywalker]] we're talking about. You can just tell that Mark Hamill has been waiting 35 years to say that line from the way he says it, along with the soundtrack in the background.

** The original Trickster is said to have been a terrorist 25 years ago... the number of years between the previous Flash TV series and this one. Furthermore, [[PropRecycling his original costume appears]], and the old picture of the Trickster is actually a shot from the 1990 series.

*** Wears a trenchcoat when he goes to STAR Labs, like his Barry habitually did. According to Mark Hamill (via Twitter), the trenchcoat is [[PropRecycling the same one]] used in the older show.

** The original Trickster is said to have been a terrorist 25 years ago...the number of years between the previous Flash TV series, and this one. Furthermore, his original costume appears, and the old picture of the Trickster is actually a shot from the 1990 series.

*** Wears a trenchcoat when he goes to STAR Labs, like his Barry habitually did.

*** According to Mark Hamill (via Twitter), the trenchcoat Henry wore at STAR Labs is [[PropRecycling the same one John Wesley Shipp was constantly wearing in his run as Barry Allen]].[[invoked]]

** Future!Barry is wearing the classic incarnation of the Flash costume.

* DarkerAndEdgier: To the [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague last time]] Mark Hamill played the Trickster. There, he was basically a harmless villain who only committed crimes at all when off his medication. Here, he's basically Hamill's Joker with some Hannibal Lecter thrown in.

* CastingGag: Mark Hamill reprises his role from the [[TheFlash1990 1990 Flash series]] and Hamill seems to be channeling SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, Hamill's later, and most famous supervillain role.

* DarkerAndEdgier: To the [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited last time]] Mark Hamill played the Trickster.