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Context Recap / TheFlash2014S2E9RunningToStandStill

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1It's Christmas time again, and Weather Wizard has broken The Trickster and Captain Cold out of prison so that they may team up to get their greatest Christmas present of all: the death of The Flash, and with Barry still weakened from his terrifying encounter with Zoom, they just might get it. Meanwhile, Iris and Joe prepare for the arrival of a most surprising guest: Wally West.
2
3!!Tropes
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5* AlliterativeName: This episode has '''M'''ark '''M'''ardon aka '''W'''eather '''W'''izard, '''C'''aptain '''C'''old, '''J'''ames '''J'''esse and the debut of '''W'''ally '''W'''est.
6* AlternateSelf: Averted. Jay says that there is no Trickster on Earth-2. Caitlin says "he's one of a kind".
7* AnAssKickingChristmas: Just like last year but this time the Flash faces The Trickster and Mardon.
8* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The [[TechnoBabble explanation]] of how Team Flash managed to get rid of the bombs doesn't even pretend to be based on real science.
9* AxCrazy: James Jesse, as usual.
10-->'''Jesse:''' Deck the halls in [[BreadEggsMilkSquick body parts from a girl named]] Holly~
11* BadSanta: The Trickster dresses up as a MallSanta as part of the EvilPlan.
12* BerserkButton: Barry doesn't take finding Snart in his home well.
13* BigBadDuumvirate: Mardon and Jesse. While Snart was broken out to make the team a TerribleTrio with Mardon as TheBrute, Snart as BigBad, and Jesse as EvilGenius, Snart bails out early on, leaving Mardon and Jesse to carry out the chaos.
14* TheBusCameBack: Mark Mardon and James Jesse make their Season 2 debuts several episodes in, while Leonard Snart returns after five. Jesse Wells also returns after missing two episodes.
15* CaptainErsatz: Hamill's portrayal of the Trickster in this episode is essentially a live-action Joker. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Not that there's anything wrong with that.]]
16* ChristmasEpisode: For Season 2.
17* TheConstant: PlayedForLaughs. According to Harry, and silently agreed upon by Jay, every Earth has ''Film/TheGodfather''.
18* ContinuityNod: [[Recap/TheFlash2014S1E9TheManInTheYellowSuit Once again]], an EvilCounterpart to Barry says "Merry Christmas."
19* CurbStompBattle: As soon as Barry's team eliminate the bombs, he immediately stomps the Trickster and the Weather Wizard.
20* DeadMansSwitch: Snart has incorporated one into the cold gun. If he lets go of the handle, the core will go critical and explode.
21* DebutQueue: The episode is for Wally West.
22* DoNotAdjustYourSet: The Trickster hijacks the telecommunications systems in order to send a message to lure the Flash into a trap.
23* DramaticIrony:
24** Patty at one point tells [[SuperSpeed Barry]] that she doesn't have time to get him up to speed [on Mardon]. He notes how ironic this is, quietly.
25** Harry chastises Barry for having changed the timeline in the Mark Mardon incident. The thing is that Harry is alive because Barry did another timeline change that negated a deadly wave launched by Vandal Savage.
26** Patty is also consumed by avenging her father, mirroring Barry's past obsession to avenge his mother and save his father.
27* EnhanceButton: Team Flash uses this to determine a reflection in Trickster's eyes and figure out his location. Of course, STAR Labs could plausibly have the technology to do this, given the other superscience the team has used...but that doesn't justify Patty ''also'' doing it on a police station computer.
28* EvenEvilHasStandards: Flash insists that Snart's PragmaticVillainy listed below is really this. It's up to the audience to decide who is right. Snart didn't get any benefit from warning Barry of The Trickster and Mardon's plan.
29* EventTitle: The title refers to Mardon and James' EvilPlan for The Flash.
30* FailureGambit: Turns out, Zoom hasn't really been counting on the villains he sends through killing the Flash -- they're to drive him to get stronger and faster, so that when Zoom kills him, there's more Speed Force for him to feed on.
31* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: When Cold brings up his bad childhood Iris says that they've all had them and that he should get over it.
32* GetARoom: Cisco tells Jay and Caitlin to kiss already.
33* HeroicBSOD: Just as Iris predicted, Joe loses it when he learns about his son. This puts Joe MIA for most of the episode.
34* HiddenAgendaVillain: The end of the episode reveals that Zoom hasn't been engaging in BondVillainStupidity, but has been pushing Barry to get faster so that Zoom can steal Barry's powers.
35-->'''Harry:''' You're fattening him up like a Christmas goose.
36* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Luckily averted thanks to Flash convincing Patty that Mardon can't take away any more of her loved ones; plus killing a criminal is not worth going to jail and losing everything Patty worked for since her father's death.
37* ILetGwenStacyDie: Patty revealed that she felt guilty for letting her father getting killed by Mardon because she ditched out on helping her dad deposit the money at the bank.
38* InSpiteOfANail: Apparently, one of the constants in the multiverse is ''Film/TheGodfather''.
39* InternalReveal:
40** Iris tells Barry and Joe about Wally.
41** Barry finds out about the Mardons killing Patty's father.
42* ImprobableWeaponUser: The Trickster attacks Flash with exploding dreidels.
43-->'''Trickster:''' Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. I made you out of [[MadBomber C4]]!
44* {{Irony}}: Meta example: WordOfGod claimed that the RaceLift of the TV Wests was the reason why comics Wally is given a RaceLift upon returning to the DCU. Yet it took ''this'' long for them to introduce TV!Wally?
45* KickTheDog: To coerce Wells into helping him, Zoom brings Jesse to prove she's alive. As Wells is comforting his crying daughter and promises to not let her be taken away again, Zoom instantly takes her back to Earth-2 and demands Wells to comply.
46* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Joe reveals to Barry the real reason he kept the truth about Francine was because he had given up on her and thought it was better for everyone she GetOut. Now he admits he should have tried harder to get her back because his son had to pay for it by growing up without a father.
47* MythologyGag:
48** Mardon utilizes the [[KryptoniteRing wizard's wand]] just like the way his comic book namesake uses it: as a conduit for his powers.
49** The company that made the toy dolls The Trickster used for his bombs is called the Okamura Toy Company. In the comics, Hiro Okamura was the superhero Toyman (not to be confused with the supervillain).
50** Mardon's supervillain team of himself, Snart, and Jesse is a gag to the fact that the three of them were members of several iterations of the Rogues. Also related to this, Snart bails from the operation, which involves killing a bunch of people. Comics!Snart lived by a ThouShaltNotKill mindset, and this show's Snart [[Recap/TheFlash2014S1E16RogueTime was challenged by Barry to do the same in Season 1]], so this may or may not be a sign of his transition.
51* NeckLift: Zoom gives one to Harry at the beginning of the episode in a very scary fashion, with Zoom remaining disturbingly silent as Harry begs him to spare his daughter Jesse (who he's holding captive). Zoom lets Harry down, and then says "Merry Christmas" in an even creepier tone.
52* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Snart refusing to join Mardon and Jesse robbed us from seeing a formidable evil badass PowerTrio and proto-Rogues team.
53* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Wally is entering the West house before the scene cuts to TheStinger, robbing the comic fans to see [[Franchise/TheFlash Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and Wally West]] together for the first time in live-action. Granted, they still have next year, but it would've been a great Christmas present to show it earlier.
54* OddNameOut: Leonard Snart is the only one of the villains who doesn't have an AlliterativeName as a given name. He's also the only one who's not associated with the name "Mark" [[note]] James Jesse is played by Creator/MarkHamill [[/note]]
55* OhCrap:
56** Team Flash, upon seeing that Mardon has learned how to use his powers to fly.
57** Jesse, on realizing that the Flash is about to kick his ass.
58* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Barry notes that Snart is playing a lousy villain ''this week.''
59* PapaWolf: Joe recalls a time where, during a steak lunch, he got a feeling in his chest that something was wrong. He called Barry and Iris' school and learned Iris was ill. He brings this up to admit shame he never felt this way about his own son.
60* PragmaticVillainy: Snart doesn't join forces with the other two supervillains because he claims there's no profit in it. That, and he refuses to work with a lunatic like Jesse.
61* RevengeBeforeReason: Patty is perfectly willing to disable the Flash and kill Mardon in cold blood if it means avenging her father. Fortunately, she gets talked down.
62* SadisticChoice:
63** Mardon and Jesse give Barry the option of letting them kill him, or them blowing up a lot of innocent people.
64** Zoom finally capitalizes on holding Wells' daughter hostage -- either Wells helps him kill the Flash, or she dies.
65* ShoutOut:
66** To ''Film/TheGodfather'' directly.
67-->'''Cisco:''' Earth Two has ''The Godfather''?\
68'''Wells:''' Every Earth has ''The Godfather'', Vito.
69** Cisco shouts [[Series/BreakingBad "Magnets, bitch!"]] Amusingly it's something of a CallBack, since in the Trickster's previous appearance, James Jesse revealed himself to be a big fan of the show.
70** The Trickster calls Mardon "[[Creator/MarkWahlberg Marky Mark]]."
71* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Snart and Iris go at it.
72--> '''Snart''': Read your article on the disappearing middle class. Strong point of view, nice prose style.
73--> '''Iris''': Yeah, well, who needs a Pulitzer when you have a [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame homicidal maniac seal of approval]]?
74* StealthPun: Another not so subtle ActorAllusion is made to Creator/WentworthMiller, as Snart is once again involved in a Series/PrisonBreak.
75* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Cisco does it in a glorious ''Series/BreakingBad'' ShoutOut that would make Jesse Pinkman proud.
76* TimeSkip: The episode skips a few weeks from the ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' {{Crossover}} as its now Christmas Eve.
77* TookALevelInBadass: Barry is pretty confident about facing off with Mardon again - until Mardon casually steps off the roof.
78-->'''Barry:''' Uumm...guys? He's ''flying.''
79* TrappedInVillainy: Implied to be Earth-2 Wells' role from here on.
80* {{Troll}}: Jay feigns ignorance about Christmas and mistletoe just so he can be amused by Caitlin trying to explain them.
81* VillainExitStageLeft: Snart opts out of Mardon's VillainTeamUp, warns Barry about his plans, and then leaves.
82* VillainTeamUp: Mardon breaks Snart and Jesse out of prison so they can work together to take down the Flash, though Snart doesn't go along with it.
83* WhamShot: Wally showing up on the Wests' doorstep.
84* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There's no mention of the second Trickster, with Jesse seeming perfectly content to let his son keep rotting in prison.

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