Line #18 Recap/TheFlash2014S7E13Masquerade


1	Cecile is forced to confront her past in order to break free from a psychic prison. Meanwhile, Chester takes over for Cisco but makes a mistake that puts Barry in serious danger. Joe investigates Kristen Kramer's old military ties and discovers an unsettling truth.
2	----
3	!!Tropes:
4	* ArtifactOfDoom: The golden mask itself seems to have a mind of its own, and a malevolent one at that.
5	* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Cecile fights the Mask's influence in one of these.
6	* BeenThereShapedHistory: The Mask has been used by various historical figures.
7	* BlatantLies: Barry and (visibly disheveled) Iris trying to deny that Chester walked in on them having sex in the [=STARchives=].
8	* TheBusCameBack:
9	** Sue returns in this episode to assist in the heist of the Golden Mask.
10	** [[Series/Elseworlds2018 Roger Hayden/Psycho-Pirate]] plays a large role in the backstory, with the [[ArtifactOfDoom mask]] he wore taking center stage as the episode's primary antagonist.
11	* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]]. Roger Hayden is finally referred to by his moniker of "Psycho-Pirate" (despite him [[TheGhost not actually appearing here]]), but the mask isn't referred to as the Medusa Mask like it is in the comics.
12	* ContinuityNod:
13	** Chester brings up Cisco's supervillain card album.
14	** One of Cecile's clients is Eric Frye.
15	** The Mask is trying to take control of the Thinker Chair to form a permanent bond with Cecile.
16	** Both Barry and Chester (at different points) bring up the time Grodd trapped Barry in his mindscape.
17	** Barry dismisses the idea that Bashir/Psych could be the one who trapped him in the mindscape since he and the other Forces are allies of Team Flash now.
18	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Cecile had a mental breakdown after her mom died of cancer and spent some time in a mental hospital as a result.
19	* ADayInTheLimelight: A joint one for Cecile and Chester.
20	* DistaffCounterpart: Sue seems to have become Team Flash's go-to [[PhantomThief master thief]] in place of the various Leonard Snart(s).
21	* DoingInTheWizard: Chester states that the legend of the mask says that [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]] imprisoned a powerful demon inside it, then adds that today the being would be considered a psychic metahuman. This is despite the fact that actual, literal demons [[Series/{{Constantine}} canonically]] [[Series/LegendsOfTomorrow exist]] in this universe. (That said, Chester probably doesn't know that, being fairly new to the world of superheroing, so he may just be unwittingly viewing an OutsideGenreFoe in a context more familiar to him.)
22	* EurekaMoment:
23	** Iris is the one who realizes that Cecile is not herself.
24	** Chester realizes that the Mask wants to use the Thinker's chair to form a permanent bond with Cecile.
25	* GuestStarPartyMember: Sue only appears to be this at first, but at the end she decides to stick around for a while, at least for the time being.
26	* HydePlaysJekyll: What the Mask does with Cecile's body.
27	* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: "Cecile" is a lawyer, not a cat burglar.
28	* LaserHallway: Sue faces one, though instead of the usual "laser gymnastics" techniques to get through the laser grid, she uses ''ballet'' moves.
29	* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Chester walks in on Barry and Iris having a moment in the [=STARchives=].
30	* MyGreatestFailure: Cecile wasn't there when her mom died, which caused her immense guilt.
31	* NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech: Cecile gives an epic one to the Mask, explaining how she has overcome her pain, before taking back control of her body.
32	* NoodleIncident: Sue makes an offhand remark about a job she and Ralph had in Tunisia.
33	* OutsideGenreFoe: While the series usually deals with villains in the realm of science-fiction, the episode's villain is a mystical AncientEvil sealed within a golden mask.
34	* PresentAbsence: Cisco's absence is a plot point in this episode, as Chester struggles to replace him.
35	* PutOnABus: Not that she had much focus before, but Baby Jenna is now staying with Cecile's aunt.
36	* TheReveal:
37	** It turns out that it wasn't a blast of Sage Force that hit Cecille the night of the Force Storm, but the Mask psychically possessing her using the storm as a cover.
38	** Cecile has been carrying around a lot of emotional baggage, not being there when her mom died and spending time at St. Carmine's Psychiatric Hospital after a breakdown.
39	** Cecile and Joe uncover that Kristen Kramer lead a unit of hers into an ambush years ago, being the only survivor. They suspect she is covering up working for the enemy.
40	* SoleSurvivor: Kramer's last mission resulted in her entire squad falling into an ambush, with Kramer herself as the last one standing. However, Joe suspects that Kramer herself set up the ambush.
41	* SpottingTheThread: Sue is the first one to spot that something is wrong, as everything is going too easy.
42	* StepfordSmiler: Turns out Cecile has been hiding a ''lot'' of guilt and pain behind her seemingly cheerful personality.
43	* TakingTheBullet: Barry takes a psychic blast for Cecile.
44	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Sue, word for word, when the possessed Cecile is forcing her to shoot herself with a tranquilizer.
45	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre:
46	** Barry gives Cecile the pep talk needed to break out of her mindscape.
47	** Iris encourages Chester not to feel disheartened by Cisco's absence and feeling inferior to him. He takes it to heart and helps saving the day by destroying the Thinker Chair with the Samuroid sword.

Context Recap / TheFlash2014S7E13Masquerade