Barry and Iris wait for Nora to show up, and Iris figures that Nora isn't coming... just like she hasn't for the last two weeks. An alarm goes off at the Central City Art Gallery.
The thief speeds through traffic on a motorcycle with the police in pursuit, and another motorcyclist joins him. Flash speeds there as Iris provides directions, while the motorcyclists hand off the stolen painting and split up. The hero takes out one motorcycle and discovers that he doesn't have the painting. XS speeds in and says that she'll handle it, turns off her radio, and captures the other motorcyclist. His motorcycle skids toward a couple, and Flash gets them out of the way just in time as XS looks sheepish.
Back at STAR Labs, Iris lectures Nora on cutting them off. Nora says that she can't listen to Iris anymore because she's condescending, and Iris never changes. Iris walks out, and Barry tells Nora that he wishes she'd try and understand who Iris is today instead of who she becomes in the future.
Later, Sherloque gives the team his bill for trying to solve the mystery of who Cicada is, and the formula he's worked out to calculate who could have been hit by the satellite shrapnel. The detective has worked out a parameter, but Ralph points out that they need the satellite to identify the person. Caitlin tells Cisco that they also need the satellite to locate her father Thomas. Cisco says that he can use his vibe powers to find Thomas and touches the papers. He sees Thomas in an office working out equations, and tells Caitlin what he saw. Sherloque has Cisco describe everything that he saw, and works out that it was Hudson University where Stein worked. Caitlin thanks Cisco for helping her, and she leaves with ralph and Sherloque.
That night, Jerry Winehouse gives his fiancee Natalie necklace for their upcoming wedding. The wedding presents sit nearby, including a large box. After the couple leave, a man dressed in a Rag Doll costume emerges from the box, unfolds himself, and smashes his finger flat. He then takes the necklace, holds it up to his neck, and leaves. Natalie comes back and sees the thief. He twists his head 180 degrees around, wishes her Mazel Tov, and leaves.
The next day, Barry checks out the crime scene and lifts finger print from the surfaces. Iris talks to the couple and Natalie says that the thief was barely a man. Barry come out and talks to Iris, who is reporting on the story. He suggests that they pool resources and solve it together, and Iris reluctantly agrees.
Nora is at the West house and tells Cecile that she could stay there forever. She complains about Iris' nagging, and Cecile says that every West is given respect including Iris. Nora tells her that Iris raised her to be afraid of the world, but insists that she's a hero like Barry. Cecile gives her a screwdriver and says that she's going to finish rebuilding the table. For every chore Nora tells, Cecile offers to tell her one story about Barry that didn't make it into the Flash Museum. Nora puts the table together at superspeed, but the table collapses and Cecile holds up the bag of screws that Nora didn't use.
Cisco goes to Thomas' office with Caitlin, Ralph, and Sherloque. Sherloque suggests that cisco vibe the chalkboard, and Cisco sees more of Thomas writing down equations. He writes the equations about oxygen molecules bonding to water at absolute zero, and Sherloque figures that it's ice. The equation spells out "Khione", and Sherloque sketches out an image of Khione, the Child of the North Wind. Caitlin realizes that Thomas knew the truth about Killer Frost and who Caitlin is. Cisco assures Caitlin that Thomas didn't leave because of her and vibes the sketch, and gets an image of Thomas working at Viera Chemicals. The place has been shut down for years, and the group heads there. Caitlin looks at his hands, which are bleeding where he was recently injured.
At STAR Labs, Barry tells Iris that it's good to see her working. They analyze a trace of human hair that Barry found at the crime scene but he can't pull any DNA from it.
At Seaver Architects, William Seaver is talking to his prospective client on the phone. Rag Doll slips in via the grille over an air vent, and Seaver turns when he hears him.
Barry tells Iris that he found lines on a box that was opened from the inside. A bomb threat comes in from Seaver Architects, and Flash speeds there. Seaver is tied up and Flash frees him. Rag Doll is climbing back through the air vent, and he says Flash's name before he slips away. The bomb goes off and the building collapses, and Flash gets Seaver out just in time. Out of their sight, Rag Doll emerges from the wreckage, unharmed.
Back at STAR Labs, Barry tells Iris what happened. He figures that the lines are fingerprints and unstretches them using the computer. The fingerprints belong to Peter Merkel, who was arrested two years ago for breaking and entering. Peter is the son of billionaire Theresa Merkel, who is hosting a gala. Barry figures that they can easily handle Rag Doll and have a date night in the process.
The group arrives at the chemical warehouse and find it destroyed by a fire. They wonder if Caitlin's mother Carla was involved in Thomas' cover-up, but Sherloque says that it wouldn’t do any good. He and Ralph argue, and Cisco grabs the sign with Carla's name on it and tries to vibe it... and passes out.
At the gala, Barry and Iris arrive in formal clothes. They spot Theresa and go over to talk to her. Theresa knows that Iris is a reporter and isn't impressed. She figures that Iris is there on assignment and gives her two minutes. Iris asks when she last saw Peter, and Theresa says that Peter broke into the house two years ago and the staff had him arrested. She explains that she gave Peter everything but he never appreciated it, and walks away. Barry suggests that they have one dance and Iris agrees. As they dance, Barry points out that they ever had their first wedding dance. After a moment, Iris excuses herself and walks out. Barry goes after her and Iris says that she's not enough like Nora. Her husband assures her that she's nothing like Theresa, but Iris points out that she prevented Nora from living the life that she deserves. Barry insists that Iris will never be the person that Nora knows, and Iris says that she's already become that woman and never had a choice. On the roof, Rag Doll watches everything.
Caitlin takes Cisco to the med scanner at STAR Labs and scans his wounds. When he wakes up, she says that there are remnants of Cicada's dagger still fused in his hands. Caitlin warns that when Cisco vibes or breaches, the dark matter fused with his nervous system causes him more pain. She realizes that Cisco was in pain the entire day, and Cisco says that he's her friend and couldn't let her down. He wonders what else he can do, and says that if he can't take the pain then Cicada wins. Caitlin tells him that she understands because Thinker took away Killer Frost, but she's still there and Cisco is still a genius engineer. She insists that Cisco is the guy that she needs, not Vibe, and Cisco cheers up.
Barry finds Iris going over the newspaper articles on Peter and Theresa, trying to work out what peter is trying to do. She tells Barry that she doesn't know what to do about Nora, and Barry says that it isn't like what happened with Iris' mother Francine. Iris isn't so sure, and says that she pushed Francine away when she came back and lost her chance to connect with her. Barry tells her to make a different choice and not be the person that Nora becomes in the future, and tells her to reconnect with who she is now. Iris looks over the newspaper article about Theresa, and tells Barry that she'll see him later at home after she follows up a lead.
Cecile tells Nora stories about Barry's childhood, and Nora finally realizes that Cecile has been telling her stories about Iris. Her host tells Nora that she needs to get to know who Nora is in the present, and the stories are what made her fall in love with the West when she realized how special the family was.
Barry is at home and hears something moving. Iris calls and says that she spoke to Theresa and all of the things meant something personal to Peter. He wants to deal an emotional below to his family just like they did to him. Rag Doll knocks Barry out and tells Iris to come and get her husband.
Iris tells the others what happened and tries to call Nora, but gets no answer. Cisco traces Barry's cell and discovers that he's on the roofs of an apartment building. Cisco suggests that they use the extrapolator to breach in, and Sherloque admits that he broke it. Ralph comes in wearing his costume and says that they have him. Iris grabs a blaster, and the two of them leave.
Elongated Man stretch-swings across the city with Iris holding onto his back.
Barry wakes up and finds himself on a chair next to the edge of the roof with power-dampening cuffs on. Rag Doll comes over Rag Doll says that he was crashed by shrapnel on the night of the enlightenment, and Barry says that he knows people who can help his suffering. The villain says that suffering can't be stopped and he just wants to hear Iris' pain. Iris and Elongated Man arrive, and Iris surrenders rather than have Rag Doll hurt Barry.
Nora discovers that Iris called and calls Caitlin.
Rag Doll pushes Barry over the edge and iris dives after him. She catches up to him and unlocks the power-dampening cuffs, and Barry lowers them both down at superspeed. XS arrives and is impressed that Iris threw herself off a building to save Barry. The couple kiss and Elongated Man lands on a nearby car, having inflated himself into a giant balloon with Rag Doll inside.
Later back at STAR Labs, Barry and Iris tell the others what happened. Nora leaves, saying that there's something she needs to do but she'll be back. Barry and Iris realize that she looks happy. Iris finds Nora in the speed lab, and Nora explains that she was writing about what Iris did. Nora has the West scrapbook, and says that it's Iris's life. She points out that Iris never talks about it in the future and has forbidden Nora from asking about it because it's off-limits, and Iris tells her daughter that she's not that person in the future and nothing is off-limits. Iris says that they won't have any secrets and lies, and Barry secretly watches them from the door as mother and daughter bond.
Ralph and Sherloque tells Cisco and Caitlin that they worked out that if Carla was involved, Thomas must have hidden at a Tannahauser safehouse. Cisco works out how to use DeVoe four other satellites to scan the planet for whatever they want and determine which fragment hit Cicada and where he was at the time. Once Ralph and Sherloque leave, Cisco tells Caitlin that they can use the satellites to locate Thomas. Caitlin admits that she isn't ready, and Cisco says that they can proceed when she is.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 14, 2018