Barry and Iris start to put together the pieces of what's happening in Central City and believe they know what the Rogues are after. Team Flash works together and recruits some unlikely allies to help, and the plan does not go as Team Flash expects. Meanwhile, Allegra does her best to avoid having a conversation with Chester.
Tropes
- Badass in Distress: Possibly the fate of Ryan Wilder, who went out for a patrol some weeks back and never returned.
- Beam-O-War: Jaco and Fiddler engage in one.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: In the episode's final scene, Red Death quotes the first three words of Batman's well-known line: "I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!"
- Dramatic Unmask: At the end of the episode, Red Death slowly removes her mask to reveal the face of none other than Ryan Wilder.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Team Flash figures out that everything that was stolen by Red Death's henchmen so far was to build a Cosmic Treadmill.
- Evil Versus Oblivion: Whilst Goldface claims that loving an underdog story is the reason he agrees to help Team Flash against Red Death, Hartley notes that this trope is likely in effect since all of Goldface's operations are based in Central City.
- The Faceless: Much like Rag Doll, Murmur never once removes her mask, which just adds to the creepiness.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Chester reveals that Ryan has gone missing while on patrol in Gotham. The final scene after that shows that she is Red Death.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Mark returns to his old ways after failing to get Frost back, betraying everyone to Red Death in return for bringing back Frost. Downplayed since he was never much of a hero to begin with, and it's implied he's only working with Red Death to get Frost back.
- Internal Reveal:
- Both Goldface and Jaco learn that Barry is the Flash (or rather, Jaco already suspected, since they have the exact same Jitters order).
- Team Flash learn of the existence of this new evil speedster, and that they're behind the new Rogues.
- Legacy Character:
- Michelle Amar is one to the similarly named Michael Amar, a.k.a. Murmur, from seasons 3 and 4 of Arrow.
- Barry and Iris fear the new speedster is this for Eobard Thawne, given that they also make use of the Negative Speed Force.
- Lighter and Softer: To its
spiritual predecessors Rouge Air and True Colors, since it featured some of the least threatening antagonists in the show's history, the Big Bad didn't kill anyone and at the end three of the villains actually agreed to help Barry in the future. - MacGuffin Delivery Service: Barry and Hartley decide to steal a device from the DOD to keep the Rogues from getting it. Of course, the Rogues just let them do all the work and then steal it from them.
- Moving the Goalposts: In what is likely a Shout-Out to The Empire Strikes Back:Mark: All right, look, I kept my end of the bargain. It's time for you to give me what I want. Mm... All right, fine. Guess I'll take this little puppy over to the Flash, then.
Red Death: That would be a mistake.
Mark: Then give me what you said you would, a way to bring Frost back.
Red Death: After my mission is complete.
Mark: That wasn't the deal.
Red Death: It is now. - Mythology Gag: Someone wearing a Bat on their armor declaring that "I am vengeance?" Sounds familiar.
- No Honour Among Thieves: Goldface turned State Witness and sold out his supposed soulmate Amunet.
- No-Sell: Hartley's attack has no effect on Amar.
- The Reveal: Red Death is revealed to be Ryan Wilder, or at least a version of her or someone using her form.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Jaco deduces that Officer Barry Allen and the Flash are the same person because... they both have the same Jitters order. Apparently no one else in the entire neighborhood takes coffee like he does? Of course, it could also be that once you know what to look for, Barry's mask only hides so much of his face.
- Samus Is a Girl: In-Universe. While Barry refers to Red Death as a guy, the end reveals Red Death to actually be Ryan Wilder, who is female.
- Ship Sinking: Goldface sold out Amunet in exchange for amnesty in the CCPD takeover, claiming that his one true love is money.
- Shout-Out: While the evil red speedster that resembles Ryan Wilder isn't yet referred to as "Red Death", Goldface quotes The Masque of the Red Death from Edgar Allan Poe in the Dénouement.
- Superman Stays Out of Gotham: While Ryan Wilder has been missing for weeks after a night on patrol, Luke has apparently not yet turned to the other Arrowverse heroes for help on this matter.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Recruiting a bunch of criminals, none of whom like or trust the others, and most of whom don't like Barry all that much, to temporarily steal a valuable piece of equipment and then not let any of them keep it for themselves, was never going to work out well.
- Moving a piece of technology from an ultra-secure Department of Defense vault to STAR Labs, with its infamous Swiss cheese security, was probably not the best idea either.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Carver tells Barry and Hartley that Goldface doesn't stay up all night reading Doctor Zhivago, then sobbing when Yuri dies before finding Lara.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork:
- The Rogues keep bickering during their meeting with Barry. Then, they cut Barry out when he changes the plan due to lack of trust.
- Mark and the Rogues working for Red Death all hate each other.
- There Are No Coincidences: Team Flash believes there's a connection between Ryan's mysterious disappearance some weeks back and the appearance of a new evil speedster wearing the Bat-symbol on their armor and armed with tech from Wayne Enterprises. And this is without them even learning of this speedster's true appearance.
- Token Evil Teammate: While it initially appears that Goldface is the worst member of Barry's team, still a bona fide gangster who is Only in It for the Money, it turns out that Mark is actually outright The Mole for the Red Death.
- Villainous Crush: Jaco and Fiddler start flirting while fighting each other due to their mutual taste in music.
- We Can Rule Together: Murmur offers Hartley to join Red Death's team. He declines.
- You Can't Thwart Stage One: Barry and the team fail to keep Red Death from getting the device.
