Barry and Ralph go to the lot where the bus that was exposed to the dark matter and check the bus for clues to locate Edwin Gauss, scanning dark matter anomalies. Ralph finds his Big Belly punch card and suggests that they kill Thinker. Barry says that they're not going to kill him, and tells Ralph that people with their powers can always find another way. He continues scanning and picks up Edwin's location on the bus when the dark matter hit. Ralph remembers Edwin paying his bus fare, and the residue appears and disappears.
Harry calls the two men back to S.T.A.R. Labs to show them a metal handheld device that he says will help him defeat Clifford. He explains that the device will let him simulate Izzy's sonic powers, has everyone step back, and uses the wander device to blast his dummy of Clifford back. Harry explains that with two strikes of his "Sonic Scepter", Clifford will die. There's no tech so Thinker can't affect it with Kilgore's powers. Harry has also scripted a subroutine on the pocket dimension predictor to find out Clifford's next location. When Caitlin points out that Harry said that the day before that it was impossible, Harry puts on the Thinking Cap and says that he's kicking at full gear. Once the others leave, Joe tells Cisco that Harry seems attached to the Cap.
In the Cortex, Caitlin tells Iris that she's figured out what activated Killer Frost. All she needs is a shot of epinephrine to summon Killer Frost, and tells Iris that she and Killer Frost leave notes for each other to communicate. An alarm goes off as the pocket dimension starts to open.
Flash, Vibe, Elongated Man, and Killer Frost breach to the location and find the wormhole. Edwin comes through wearing a bathrobe, mails a letter, and falls back into the portal.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, the team reviews what little they know about Edwin. He has no digital footprint, and cisco explains that Edwin can travel through his own pocket dimension. If Thinker has Edwin's powers then he won't need his chair to access his pocket dimension. Harry comes in and brings up the map of pocket dimensions, and determines which ones are Thinkers and which are Edwin's. The team splits up to search them for Edwin, and iris tells Harry to stay there.
As Harry walks off, Joe follows him and asks if he needs anything. He points out that Harry is holding the Cap close, and asks if he can borrow it. Harry refuses, saying that it's not a good idea, and admits that it's dangerous. Joe points out that he uses it to make breakfast, and Harry insists that he's not addicted to using it. He explains that he promised now to use the Cap with dark matter and has kept his promise, and Joe apologizes for his suspicions. Once Joe leaves, Harry enters the vault and Joe secretly watches shim.
Joe, ralph go to a hippie compound and one hippie says that he's seen Edwin's aura. They call him the "folded man" because he's everywhere and nowhere. The hippies leave for reflection hike, and the team members split up to search for Edwin. Barry and Ralph go up and Ralph suggests that they may have to kill Clifford if they can't catch him. His mentor insists that there's always a way, and Ralph reluctantly agrees.
Caitlin finds Edwin and he runs, and Barry easily outruns and stops him. He says that they're there to protect him, just as a Samuroid stabs Caitlin in the shoulder. Barry takes the android apart and takes Caitlin to S.T.A.R. Labs for treatment, and Clifford speaks through the robot's severed head, saying that he'll cut through Team Flash and there's no escape.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin says that the wounded started healing before she got there. She insists that she's fine and goes to help Cisco. Barry says that they got lucky, and Ralph points out that Thinker has successfully attacked metas before. Edwin has agreed to stay in the Pipeline, but Ralph figures that Thinker will get to him and take his body. Barry and Ralph argue until Iris stops them, and Ralph points out that they're just using the same plan as before.
Ralph goes to the Pipeline to eat some Pringles, and Edwin calls to him from his cell. He rambles on until Ralph offers him some Pringles, and Ralph complains that they have to follow more rules than cops. Edwin describes how he "folded" and how he once ended up in Thinker's lab. Ralph asks what else Edwin remembers, and he says that Thinker had one of the robot samurais. The Folder Man says that some places are harder to get to than others, and tells Ralph that he can get them back there.
Cisco is building a model when Harry comes in and asks where the Cap is. He figures that Cisco has it and accuses Cisco of being jealous of him. Harry slaps the model away and grabs Cisco. Joe comes in with the Cap and tells Harry that he definitely has a problem. He says that he saw the same signs with Francine but he didn't intervene because he didn't want to see the signs in someone he cares about. Joe asks Harry to take a long look at what the Cap is doing to him and how he treats the people he cares about, gives Harry the Cap, and walks off. Cisco goes with him, ignoring Harry when he tries to apologize.
Elongated Man, carrying the Scepter, tells Edwin that he's going to take him to Thinker's lair. Flash arrives and says that Cisco's motion sensors picked them up. Elongated Man insists that he can stop Clifford once and for all, and puts the Scepter into his chest. He attacks Flash, who speeds out of the way. Flash runs up the wall and turns around, punching Elongated Man unconscious.
When Ralph wakes up, he finds Barry at his bedside. Barry tells him that he understands that Ralph is worried about Thinker, but insists that there are some lines that they can't cross. He warns Ralph that his killing Thinker would be throwing everything he has. Ralph says that he's afraid of what Thinker will do to all of the others. He knows that killing Thinker would throw away everything he's learned, but the team is the only family that he's ever had and he'd do anything to keep them safe. Barry asks about what they want, and says that they don't want to lose what Ralph has become. He asks Ralph not to take the Ralph they like away from them and leaves.
That night, Barry tells the team that Ralph's idea to use Edwin to get to Thinker's lair was a good idea. The others agree to go, and Edwin opens the portal to the pocket dimension with instructions to open it again in 15 minutes. Flash, Killer Frost, and Vibe go through and use the Scepter on Thinker. It has no effect, and Thinker says that she's a hologram.
Thinker and Mechanic teleport into the Cortex to attack the others. They take over the systems and lock the building down, and they realize that Thinker planned the whole thing to split them up. Iris uses a miniature explosive Cisco made for her to get them through the door. Harry goes to get his encryption codes and Joe sends Iris to get to the chair. He opens fir on Samuroid, which deflects the bullets with its sword.
Thinker finds Elongated Man waiting for her, and she uses Dwarfstar's and Black Bison's powers to enlarge a t rex and send it after Ralph.
Harry gets his encryption keys and sees the Cap, and grabs it.
Iris gets to the Cortex and finds Mechanic waiting for her with an electrified sword. Iris grabs a gun and opens fire on her, and Mechanic deflects the bullet.
Harry goes to the vault and plugs the Cap in, and has Gideon increase the Cap's dark matter feed. The AI warns that the safety capacities are being exceeded, but Harry ignores it and the Cap overloads.
The skeleton chases ralph down the hallway, and he just manages to stay ahead of it. He then turns, enlarges his fist, and smashes the skeleton apart. He turns to the pipeline and discovers that thinker has taken Edwin's body. Elongated Man leaps at him, and Thinker teleports them back to the speed lab. He launches a psychic power at Ralph, paralyzing him, and says that Ralph will die for him. Ralph removes the Scepter for Flash tells the immobilized Ralph that he'll save him. Ralph says that Flash already did and collapses. Vibe creates a breach to the speed lab, and Flash vibrates through the floor then comes back and grabs the Scepter. Thinker blasts him away, and uses a portal to knock Vibe away. When Frost grabs him, Thinker removes her powers and blasts her away, and thanks Flash for training Ralph so that he can use his new body effectively. With that, he teleports away.
Later in the Cortex, the team realizes that they failed to save the bus metas. Barry speeds away, and Iris tells her father that she knows where her husband is going. Once Joe leaves, Caitlin tells Cisco to get Harry because something is wrong with her. They examine her and Cisco realizes that Thinker drained the dark matter from her body using Melting Point's powers.
Barry goes to Ralph's office and is packing up the files when Iris comes in. He tells his wife that he just needs to pack up and doesn't want to talk. Once Iris leaves, Barry finishes packing up Ralph's things and says that he'll keep the team safe as he pours himself a drink from Ralph's bottle of Scotch.
In the Thinker's lair, Thinker and Mechanic share a toast to their success. Thinker says that his new host body is immune to the ravages of his immune to his mind, and changes into his original form of Clifford. Clifford tells mechanic hat he's nothing without her, and all of him is with her once more. The couple kiss and Clifford says that their plans have yet to reach their apex. He takes out a vial of dark matter that he took from the vault, and says that the fire that burns down Team Flash will also light the path to Enlightenment.
Written by Gadfly on Apr 18, 2018