History Recap / TheFlash2014S3E19TheOnceAndFutureFlash

* PeekABangs: Future Barry's hairstyle has these, which to some fans brings to mind "Emo Peter" from ''Film/SpiderMan3''.

** Cisco's robotic hands may be a reference to the fate of his comics counterpart. Back during the infamous [[DorkAge Justice League Detroit]] era, when Vibe was an EthnicScrappy, his career as a superhero met a grisly end when he was brutally strangled to death by the robotic hands of [[MadScientist Professor Ivo]]. Needless to say, AlasPoorScrappy was felt by even his harshest of critics.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack Gotta get back... back to the past...]]'']]

** Additionally, Future H.R. signified Team Flash coming back together by everyone putting their hands together in a circle. He tries this in the present, for everyone to dismiss it.

* IHatePastMe: Future Barry is... not overjoyed to see his past self, to say the least. The feeling winds up being mutual, as 2017 Barry chews him out for wallowing in grief over Iris and pushing everyone else he loves away. By the end, Future Barry has come around enough to help.

* InternalReveal: Killer Frost finds out who Savitar is... while the audience ''doesn't''. However, the promo for next week hints that Barry finally figures it out on his own.

* StealthSequel: To the ''Legends of Tomorrow'' episode, [[Recap/LegendsOfTomorrowS1E6StarCity2046 Star City 2046]], which depicts what's left of Team Arrow in a BadFuture too.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack Gotta get back...back to the past...]]'']]

** Additionally, Future HR signified Team Flash coming back together by everyone putting their hands together in a circle. He tries this in the present, for everyone to dismiss it.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: At the end of the episode when HR was suggesting Team Flash put their hands together no one takes him up on the gesture except (and only at the last moment) [[OnlyFriend Wally]]. And HR has already given up even before Wally could put his hand in.

* IHatePastMe: Future Barry is...not overjoyed to see his past self, to say the least. The feeling winds up being mutual, as 2017 Barry chews him out for wallowing in grief over Iris and pushing everyone else he loves away. By the end, Future Barry has come around enough to help.

** Lampshaded by Killer Frost when Cisco, HR, and Julian try to hide from her in the Pipeline, and just behind the main door; they could at least have gone further in.

** Barry rushes in to save Cisco, HR, and Julian and tries to talk Killer Frost down instead of putting her into a cell. In fairness, that ''did'' actually work last time, but he really should've been more careful.

* InternalReveal: Killer Frost finds out who Savitar is...while the audience ''doesn't''. However, the promo for next week hints that Barry finally figures it out on his own.

** Scudder has no qualms calling Central City "his town", with Dillon snidely correcting him with "''our'' town". Captain Cold, Scudder's rival, and Heatwave have the same exchange in Season One's "Rogue Time", only replace town with city.

* StealthSequel: To the "Legends of Tomorrow" episode, [[Recap/LegendsOfTomorrowS1E6StarCity2046 Star City 2046]], which depicts what's left of Team Arrow in a BadFuture too.
* StepfordSmiler: It's implied that Future Cisco is this. While he still seems hopeful despite the West family falling apart and he himself losing his friend Caitlin and his hands (With the use of his powers) to Killer Frost, the way he's messily dressed suggests that on the inside, he's just as depressed as everyone else.

* SpoilerTitle: The episode title is a giant {{Foreshadowing}} of [[HandlingSpoilers a major reveal next episode]].

* IronicEpisodeTitle: The episode title fits really well with the succeeding episode ([[HandlingSpoilers which will not be tackled here]]).

** Present Barry chews out his future self for abandoning his friends and family when they needed him the most.

* YouCantFightFate: Future Barry believes this, as he flat-out tells Barry that nothing he tried to save Iris worked, so he should just accept her death and focus on spending time with her. He changes his mind at the end, though.

* MeaningfulReleaseDate: ''Possibly'' coincidental, but this episode has Barry travel to the year 2024, and airs on April 25th. [[Recap/TheFlash2014S1E1Pilot Eobard Thawne's newspaper from the future]] (which is still in the time vault) is from April 25th 2024, and says that the Flash will vanish during the "Red Skies" crisis. However, this episode itself takes place on February 2024, two and a half months before that fateful night.

* DirtyOldMan: Assuming that all the Harrison Wellses were born on the same date as their actor, then 2024 H.R. is still gladly fooling around with several young women at 60.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Creator/TomCavanagh was born on October 26, 1963 while this episode is mainly set on February 2024[[/labelnote]]

* DirtyOldMan: Assuming that all the Harrison Wells were born on the same date as their actor, then 2024 H.R. is still gladly fooling around with several young women at 60[[labelnote:Explanation]]Creator/TomCavanagh was born on October 1963 while this episode is mainly set on February 2024[[/labelnote]].

* TheStinger: Savitar comes to Killer Frost to forge an alliance, and to get her to trust him, he opens his armor and reveals himself to her...[[TheUnRevealjust not to us yet]].

* TheStinger: Savitar comes to Killer Frost to forge an alliance, and to get her to trust him, he opens his armor and reveals himself to her...just not to us yet.

* AllForNothing: Barry finds out his future self never learned Savitar's real name, thus losing the original reason he came to the future.

** Caitlin destroys Cisco's arms, effectively ending his superhero career by 2024, since he can't access his powers with his prosthetic hands.

* KnightInSourArmor:2024 Cisco's outlook in life barely soured despite everything that has happened.

** Additionally, Future HR signified Team Flash coming back together by everyone putting their hands together in a circle. He tries this in the present, for everyone to NoSell it.

* RevengeBeforeReason:

* FridgeHorror: Future Barry gets a visit from his past self in February 2024 and, by the end of the episode, appears to be willing to get back on his horse and fight the good fight. But we know from past episodes that he vanishes in April 2024 during the Red Skies crisis. Has Barry unwittingly just put himself back into the fight only to doom himself?