All it took was having a kid for Barry to realize that "sometimes the most impressive ability is restraint." Sounds about right. This article contains spoilers for The Flash Season 5 episode 2, "Blocked."
The episode packs all the humor in the top half. Cisco is still trying to get over Gypsy, XS starts interning as a CSI and Barry goes to Joe for advice about his new child from the future. Meanwhile, Iris investigates a story about Gridlock. Barry and XS take down villain-of-the-week Vanessa Jansen (played by Erin Cummings), who Cisco calls "Blocked" because she turns her victims into cubes of ice and flesh. And in the final moments, this season's main villain (played by Chris Klein) shows up for his first battle with Team Flash.
If Season 5 can make Cicada more interesting than villains of the recent past, and fast, the series might be onto something. In the meantime, more XS would help. Here's six questions we have about "Blocked."
Who is Cicada?
Iris figures out this season's villain, one of the worst serial killers in history, makes the same noises as an insect: a cicada. His dagger contains insane amounts of dark matter, and he can negate metahumans powers. (Cisco, Vibe and Elongated Man find this out the hard way.) He can also control his lightning-shaped dagger, just like Thor calls for his hammer. Nora admits she's familiar with Cicada, but the episode ends before she explains her worried face.
Nora clearly knows something about Cicada, and her reaction to hearing his name doesn't sound good. Cicada stopped beating up a powerless Vibe, Elongated Man and The Flash when XS arrived on scene. They had a moment, and then he left before the police came. Interesting…
Cicada is also a serial killer with lightning bolt daggers in the comic books. He was struck by lightning and he has a vision that one day his wife would be resurrected (he killed her). But there's a catch: in order to extend his own life, he must suck the life out of others. His cause becomes a cult. Believing his powers are tied to The Flash due to the "lightning" connection, Cicada began targeting all the people The Flash saves.
Does Jenna West Have Powers?
Cecille's powers fade away completely in "Blocked," but there's always the chance they were never her powers to begin with. Cecille gained telepathic abilities when she got pregnant, so maybe they are actually baby Jenna's powers.
Caitlin's Dad?
Who forged Caitlin's father's death certificate? Caitlin sees her mother when Cisco vibes her back in time. How is her mother involved in the mystery of her father?
Killer Frost's origins?
Last season, a suppressed memory revealed Killer Frost has been inside Caitlin since childhood, way before the particle accelerator explosion. It seems like Caitlin's whole life was a lie and we need answers.
How powerful is Nora?
Nora was running so fast when she saved the satellite, Barry didn't even see her. That's impressive. Nora also learned to phase a plane through a building on first try. How powerful is she in the future?
When will Iris' career take off?
Between that "Flash Missing for 25 Years" headline from the Season 5 premiere (which we still need to know more about) and Iris' new journalism investigations about Gridlock, when will she turn her blog into The Central City Citizen?
The trailer for The Flash Season 5 episode 3, "The Death of Vibe' teases Harrison Wells' return to help track down Cicada. But things don't go so well when Cicada's dagger hits Cisco during the fight. The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Autumn Noel Kelly started as a staff writer for Newsweek in 2015. She covers anything in the comic book world—TV ... Read more
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