In a parked car in Willow Haven, Megan Lockhart calls Barry and says that she needs help. When she hangs up, a figure dressed as a magician appears outside on the street and smashes her window in.
At Barry's apartment, Tina and Barry sit down to watch a movie. He notices that he has a message and checks it, and hears Megan say that she's in trouble. Tina warns Barry that he's risking bodily damage to travel the 150 miles to Willow Haven, but Barry insists and speeds off.
On a stage, James Jesse introduces his magic act to the audience of mannequins. One "heckler" stands up and James shoots the dummy dead. He then hauls out Megan, locked in a cut-in-half box. James starts up a chainsaw and demonstrates its efficiency by decapitating a mannequin.
Flash finds Megan's car, its tires punctured.
James prepares to cut Megan in half. Flash speeds in and shoves Megan out of the way, and then frees her. He unties her and James comes at Flash. He easily evades the attacks and Megan shoves the case at James. Flash punches him, slams the lid down, and ties up the case, trapping the villain within. Megan gags the villain, and Flash admits that he's wiped out. The detective explains that she was on a typical repo job and followed James across state lines. James set a trap for her and captured her.
When they return to Megan's car, the police take James away. The local detective congratulates Megan on taking James down, and James says that Flash stopped him but no one believes him. As they take him away, James says that Megan has won his heart and he loves her. Flash comes over and asks for a lift, and quickly switches back to his civilian garb. Barry waves and Megan says that they'll stop off at an all-you-can-eat joint.
Later, Barry and Megan return to Barry's apartment. Tina wakes up when they come in, and says that she has an early appointment. Megan mentions Tina's all-girl gang and Barry admits that he brought Megan up to date. Tina is disappointed that she's not the only woman who knows Barry's secrets, and quickly excuses herself. Barry insists that Megan stay there in his guest room, and Tina tells Barry that she'll call him in the morning. Once she leaves, Barry awkwardly insists that Megan takes his bedroom. Megan thanks him for saving her life and kisses him on the cheek, and goes up to the bedroom.
Barry is unable to sleep. He hears Megan take a shower and starts tossing and turning at superspeed. He finally braces himself and starts to go upstairs, but then hesitates. Megan comes out wearing nothing but a shirt, and he speeds up the stairs so that they can kiss.
The next day, the officers are taking James to the state prison. Impressed by Flash's heroic presence, James tells them to take him to Central City to see Flash. They ignore him, and James insists that Flash stole his only love from him. He manages to pick his handcuffs loose and says that there's only one man who can stop Flash. James kills the officer in the back, grabs his gun, and shoots the other. Once the car stops, James shoves the dead officer out and drives to Central City.
In Central City, James goes to a circus prop warehouse for lease and breaks in. Swearing revenge on Flash, James puts together a super-villain costume and becomes... the Trickster.
Later, Megan and Barry go to an outdoor cage. Megan explains how she went to LA after her last case in Central City. She realized that she had to do anything and did repo work to pass the time. As they kiss, Julio comes over and Barry introduces him to Megan. Julio says that he just picked up his costume for the policeman's ball, and Megan says that she might not be in town that lot. The two men talk privately and Julio wonders what's going on between Barry and Megan. Barry admits that things are happening and Julio points out Tina coming in for breakfast. She reminds Barry that they have the police costume ball, and Barry says that Megan is in town. Tina finally suggests that Barry and Megan go alone, claiming that her availability was iffy. She quickly leaves and Julio tells Barry that even though it's his day off, they need Barry's signature on some paperwork.
At the station, Bellows and Murphy are putting up posters for the ball. Barry comes in with Megan and finishes off the paperwork. The cops come over and Murphy says that Bellows thinks that he's Flash. Murphy protests his innocence, and Barry and Megan jokingly say that his resemblance to Flash is surprising. Garfield comes in and says that James got loose. Once the captain leaves, Barry figures that James is miles away from Central City. Megan nervously agrees.
At the prop warehouse, Trickster stages a conversation with a mannequin with Megan's photo taped to its head. Calling her Prank, he vows to free her from Flash's evil mental influence even if he has to lay the city to waste, and jumps into the Trickstermobile that he's finished painting.
In the city park, Megan tells Barry that James has her running scared. Barry promises to take care of her, but Megan refuses to let someone else fight her battles. The Trickstermobile pulls up across the street, towing a giant-sized present. The sides fall down, revealing a statue of Flash. Trickster says that he's there to rescue them from Flash and save Megan. Megan recognizes James' voice, and the bomb in the Flash statue's hand ignites. Two children wander over, and Flash speeds over and gets them to safety just in time rather than go after Trickster.
Later at the station, Megan tells Garfield that she was hired after James missed his car payments. Barry confirms that Jesse is wanted for murder in six states under six different names. Each time he took on a different identity, and Garfield figures that Flash brings out the costumed whack jobs. Once the captain leaves, Barry wonders if Garfield has a point. Megan tells him not to blame himself. Bellows comes in and says that Trickster has taken hostages at a costume & novelty shop, and figures that Murphy is on the case. Megan insists on dealing with James but Barry refuses to let her go alone.
At the shop, Trickster is stealing props for his newest identity. He tells the tied-up hostages to sing, pointing out the corpse of the one who didn't. Megan sneaks in, gun drawn, and Trickster figures that she's still under Flash's mind control. Flash speeds in and gets a hostage to safety, and Trickster throws down a gas bomb to cover his escape. He drops thousands of marbles behind him. When Flash goes after him, he trips on the marbles and goes down. Megan runs over and helps Flash away.
At STAR Labs, Barry has Tina check his injured ligaments. She says that he'll be fine in a few hours, and complains about her lack of a social calendar. Megan apologizes for involving them, and Tina wonders how they're going to stop him. She points out that she likes troubleshooting crime, but Flash figures that STAR Labs isn't up to it. Megan tells him to let his leg heal and she'll do her own work, insisting that she's nor damsel in distress. Once she leaves, Tina tells Barry that he can't be a hero for everyone every day before leaving in disgust.
Megan tracks down the statue and learns that it came from a theatrical warehouse... and there are several dozen in Central City.
At the lab, Barry is trying to bring up computer interstate files on James when Julio comes in. He figures that something more is going on, and Barry wonders what either woman wants from him. Julio tells him that he's not supposed to have any idea, but he's not sublimating his sex drive with food. James comes in, wearing another disguise, and introduces himself as an FBI agent, Endicott. He wants to put Megan under federal protection. Garfield comes in and says that Trickster has left another "love letter" for Megan.
Megan finds the prop warehouse James is using and the dummy of herself.
The police secure the truck that James left. Bellows and Murphy move in and Bellows tells Murphy to change into his Flash costume. As they argue, Murphy steps into a trap and a boxing glove spring knocks him out. Flash speeds in and Bellows assumes that it's Flash. Meanwhile, the speedster runs around the truck at superspeed, putting out the fireworks. There's a dummy in the driver's seat, and Flash speeds off.
When Barry returns to his apartment, he finds Earl barking at "Endicott." James says that Barry has a message on his machine, and they listen as Megan says that she found James' hideout. After a moment both men head to the address.
When they enter the warehouse, James chloroforms Barry unconscious. Megan draws her gun, and James figures that she's still under Flash's mind control. He sets off a confetti cannon by remote, distracting her long enough to punch Megan unconscious.
Trickster suspends the unconscious upside-down over a magician's water tank. Megan is tied up, dressed in James' female Trickster outfit. She claims that she loves Trickster, and Trickster says that they can kill Barry. He fills the water tank and then lowers Barry into it. Once Trickster leaves with Megan, Barry wakes up and vibrates himself free, shattering the glass tank.
Barry goes back to his apartment to recover, and Tina arrives. He tells her what happened and Tina worries about Megan. She admits that she's a little jealous about sharing her secret of Barry's secret identity, and Barry assures her that whatever happens it won't get in the way of their friendship. Tina and Barry then try to figure out what Trickster will do, and Barry says that they should think illogically. He writes out a series of notes challenging Trickster to a clash of titans at the costume ball. Barry then dons his costume and speeds off. He speeds past the earlier crime scene, putting up a note, and Bellows sees him. Murphy frees himself and staggers out of the alley, and insists that he was strung up. Bellows doesn't believe him and his partner says that they have to pick up their dates and get to the ball.
Trickster sees one of the notes and tells "Prank" that he will kill Flash and free her from the hero's mental enslavement once and for all.
At the ball, the press question Garfield about who he thinks will win, Flash or Trickster. Garfield insists that he has snipers surrounding the place to take down both of them. Murphy arrives wearing a Flash costume and claims that he is the Flash. No one believes him and Murphy tells Garfield that it's a joke.
Inside, Bellows tells Murphy that his "ruse" will convince everyone that he's not Flash. Julio is there with his date Sabrina, and the date points out that there are almost a dozen other people wearing Flash costumes. Meanwhile, James disguised as a chef wheels in a covered tray. He puts it on the buffet table and confirms that Megan is still tied up beneath the table. James then removes his chef's outfit, revealing his Trickster costume beneath. The contents of the covered tray explode, releasing smoke, and everyone panics.
Trickster puts on a gas mask and confronts Murphy, assuming that he's Flash. He assumes that Murphy is a decoy, just as Flash arrives and removes the tray. He speeds back in and Trickster shoves a cake at him. It explodes and Flash dodges out of the way, and Trickster fires a sparkler gun at him. Flash races to put out the flames, while beneath the table, Megan manages to free herself. Trickster grabs her and takes her hostage, and figures that Megan is a robot. She easily disarms him and Flash' stages a one-man superspeed juggling show with candlesticks. He finally knocks Trickster out with the candlesticks and everyone applauds.
Later, Murphy and Bellows haul Trickster to the police wagon. Bellows is satisfied that Murphy isn't Bellows since he saw them together, but Murphy jokingly points out that if he was superfast then he could be in two places at once. The wagon drives off with James, who is now insisting that he's Flash. Barry and Megan watch, and Megan assures Barry that neither one of them are at fault. He asks if Megan is ready to go home, and Megan says that she likes him more than she wants to. However, she's scared of getting too close and says that she'll write him from San Francisco... often enough to keep him interested. Barry suggests that they go back to his apartment and properly say goodbye, and Megan agrees.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 10, 2016