A fire is blazing in Central City at a waterfront property and Murphy and Bellows are among the police officers keeping the crowds back. Murphy wants to start a pool on Flash sightings even though he doesn't believe the vigilante exists. Fosnight and a friend, Sadie Grosso, are in the crowd and Sadie says that it's the third major fire in three weeks. Fosnight is picking pockets while Sadie talks about how her husband used to run hooch out of the building during Prohibition. A woman shoves by them, taking video and insisting that she's doing her job.
The crowd spots two kids up on the second floor and the Flash arrives to speed up the fire escape and carry the two boys to safety. As he takes them to the sidewalk, the woman with the camera, Megan Lockhart, gets him on video and notes that a fireman she's been watching is also present. She goes back to her van, ignoring Murphy, and tears up her photo of the fireman. When Megan calls the station and asks for Barry, the operator tells her that he isn't in and she takes out a photo of Barry and wonders how he looks in red.
The next day, Joe Kline is among the reporters gathered at the courthouse as alleged racketeer Arthur Simonson is found innocent on all charges. He tells the reporters that he's a legitimate businessman. Garfield comes out with the DA, Thomas Castillo, who complains that Garfield's officers botched the testimony. Garfield defends his men, saying they were working three straight double-shifts, but Castillo isn't impressed and promises to nail Simonson with or without the police.
Simonson goes back to his club and is surprised when Castillo comes in. he demands to know why the racketeer didn't tell him that his bogus corporations were going to buy up the torched properties. The DA says that he needs to win a few cases and Simonson promises to set up someone to take a fall and make Castillo look good. Castillo wants more money but Simonson refuses to pay and tells him to go home.
As they go to question Sadie, Julio tries to set Barry up on a date. Barry says that he's too busy working the arson case as they go into Sadie's pawnshop to question her about the fire. She explains that they're putting together a contribution to rebuild the local park, and Barry confirms that she saw all three of the fires. Sadie owns a deed for the last building and she hoped that the developers would buy her out. Barry gets her description of the fire ignition patterns and finds it significant. As they head out, Barry agrees to go on a blind date with Sabrina's friend Julio. They're unaware that Megan is in her van following them.
That night, Barry waits at the bar and gets stood up. Megan takes photos of him and a lounge lizard insists on sitting down with her. She ends up kneeing him in the groin and Barry comes over and offers to help if she wants to press charges. She refuses and walks away, and Barry tries to go after her. Julio, Sabrina, and Judith arrive and Judith tells him that she can see his aura and realizes that he had a near-death experience.
When Megan returns to her office, she finds Castillo waiting for her. He wants answers about who the Flash really is and Megan assures him that he's getting his money's work. She figures that Castillo plans to use the Flash in his re-election candidate and tells him that she has one likely suspect. Megan doesn't have hard evidence yet but tells Castillo that she'll get it for him by Friday. Once he leaves, Megan takes out the photo of Barry and makes plans to confirm her suspicions.
Barry and Julio arrive at work the next day and Murphy offers them the chance to get into his Flash-sighting pool. He informs Barry that his cousin at the fire department confirmed that the warehouse fire was arson. They get a report from the FBI confirming that the fuse was from a Saigon manufacturer and Barry figures that their arsonist was a member of the Fire Lords, a U.S. demolition team that used the same fuses.
Fosnight is running a three-card monte game on the street when Barry breaks it up, revealing all three cards are the queen. The street hustler complains until Barry introduces himself and reminds him that he worked with his father and brother on the force. Fosnight offers his condolences for Jay and agrees to help Barry to find out anything he can on the Fire Lords.
Megan is watching Joe Kline on the news reporting the Flash sightings. She notices a Star Lab van in the background and confirms that it was at other Flash sightings as well. Megan then goes to Star Labs, posing as a temp intern assigned to work with Tina. Once she's alone, Megan hacks Tina's computer and discovers that she's working in hyperkinetic field studies.
Simonson's hired arsonist, Noble John Spanier, comes to see his employer. The racketeer plans to buy up the waterfront property and needs Spanier to burn down the buildings that the city has set aside for historical restoration. Simonson tells Spanier to burn up the customs house on Bleeker.
Posing as a cable TV repairman, Megan breaks into Barry's apartment and plants a video camera in the air vent. When Barry comes in, she tells Barry that the landlady let him in. He recognizes her from the bar and asks her out, and Megan turns him down. She refuses, saying that she's involved with triplets, and quickly gets out as the phone rings. It's Fosnight, who tells Barry that he's spotted Spanier by the Old Customs House and warns that he was a Bible thumper until he joined Special Forces and the Fire Lords.
The Flash speeds to the customs house and finds a timed incendiary device counting down. He throws it outside where it harmlessly detonates.
Megan watches the video feed from Barry's apartment and sees him change into the Flash at superspeed.
Later, Castillo barges into Barry's apartment at 3 a.m. and tells him that they have to talk. The DA says that he knows Barry is the Flash and offers to be his patron and mentor to unofficially guide him. Barry denies it but Castillo warns that if his enemies found out then his family and friends would be in danger. The DA tosses a grenade on the floor and Barry grabs the pin at superspeed and puts it back in. Impressed, Castillo gives Barry 24 hours to think it over before he says he'll give the video from the apartment to Kline. Once he's alone, Barry finds the camera and realizes that Megan planted it earlier.
Barry goes to Star Labs to tell Tina what's happened and admits that he doesn't have a chance. Tina assures him that she can take care of herself but Barry goes to Castillo's office and tells him to shut down Simonson's casino. Barry goes in posing as a high-roller and buys a single $100 chip. He sits down at the roulette table, places his bet on double-zero, and rigs it at superspeed to win. Barry moves on to the craps and blackjack tables and continues winning. Simonson soon takes notice and goes down to warn Barry that he's watching. Barry loses the next hand and Simonson tells him to get out and stay out. As he goes, Barry invisibly superspeeds through the casino and makes sure that everyone wins, forcing Simonson to shut the place down.
As Simonson assesses the damage, Castillo barges in and informs him that they're now partners. He warns the racketeer that he can arrange for the Flash to break him because the speedster is working for him now.
Megan is running video surveillance on a divorce job from her van when Barry tracks her down and demands to know how she could ruin his life. She points out that he gave her the right when he decided to put on a mask but Barry insists that he wears a mask to protect his friends and family. Megan tells him to see a psychiatrist, but Barry tells her that Castillo is threatening his family and friends and forcing him to do the DA's dirty work. On the monitor, the cheating husband's wife comes into the hotel room with a gun and Barry superspeeds in to stop her and then looks up at the monitor as Megan realizes what she's done.
The next day, Barry is at the lab when Castillo comes in to talk to him privately. He congratulates Barry on the job and asks for the cash, and Barry says that he donated it to the Riverside Park Fund. Barry also tells Castillo that he's done with him and the DA threatens his family again. He wants his opponent Paul Van Duzer's list of political donors and any dirt Barry can dig up on him, figuring that everyone has something to hide.
That night, Megan hacks Castillo's computers and discovers that he's working with Simonson. She listens in as Castillo goes to his office and tells his men to wrap up the loose ends and dispose of both Tina and Megan.
The Flash goes to Van Duzer's political headquarters but refuses to go through with Castillo's plan. Instead he papers posters for Van Duzer all over Central City.
Megan drives to Star Labs and goes inside, putting on a lab coat. When Castillo's goons come in, she pretends to be Tina and tells them that there's a radioactive lab. However, Tina comes in and Megan gets her out to her van and they make their escape. They go to Barry's lab and Megan admits that she was wrong. Barry explains that there's a bill in the state senate to legalize gambling, which would put Simonson out of business. Simonson hired Spanier to torch the waterfront so he can buy the property and use it for a casino strip, putting him back in business. Fosnight has called and told Barry that he's spotted Spanier at the waterfront, so Barry plans to catch him in the act and bring Simonson and Castillo down. Megan offers to help but Barry refuses and speeds away.
The Flash soon finds Spanier, who assumes that he's a demon and tries to shoot him. The hero easily dodges the bullets and punches him, causing him to drop his incendiary and setting off a blaze.
Megan breaks into Simonson's office and records Castillo and Simonson discussing their plans to push their paid senator to do what they want. However, Simonson's thug finds and captures Megan.
As the flames rise, Spanier believes that he's been sentenced to Hell. The Flash finally knocks him unconscious and then puts out the flames. He then tells Spanier to tell the police that Simonson hired him. When Murphy and Bellows arrive, Sadie is there and says that Spanier is the arsonist and that she saw the Flash capture him. Murphy is annoyed to discover that Bellows had the neighborhood in the Flash sighting pool.
Castillo tells Megan that he used her because nobody would miss her. She kicks him in the crotch and Simonson has his man take her outside to shoot her. The Flash arrives and knocks him out and then runs inside and disposes of the rest of Simonson's goons. When Simonson tries to shoot him, the Flash deflects the bullet with a roulette wheel and then throws it at the racketeer, knocking him out. He gives Megan Simonson's gun and tells her to watch the mobster while he goes after Castillo even though the DA will expose him.
When the Flash confronts Castillo outside, the DA says that the only way to stop him is to kill him and that he knows Barry is too much of a Boy Scout to do that. However, as he turns on his car, a bomb goes off. Megan comes out and they figure that Simonson planted the bomb to eliminate his partner.
Later, Megan is packing to leave town with Barry's help. She points out that if he hadn't gotten involved then he never would have nailed Castillo and Simonson. Barry wonders how he can trust her with his secret and she points out that she owes him for saving her life. Megan finally admits that Barry taught her a lesson and she's decided to figure out what to do with her life before investigating other lives. She gives Barry all of the footage she has of him and gives him a kiss, assuring him that the night they had was a great first date.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 3, 2018