The Flash S05 EP05 Spoiler Review
(Thanks to this guy, I'm gonna be forever scared of chimneys and big present boxes)
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This episode gave us a new villain in the form of Peter Merkel, or as Cisco called him: Ragdoll. A metahuman will the ability to contort, bend, and flatten his body without issue, he was portrayed as a straight up psychopath who only wanted to cause misery and suffering which set him after Barry and Iris after seeing them as husband and wife. His presence made for a very creepy episode with each of his scenes being disturbing; this episode would have definitely worked as the episode that aired before Halloween. The grotesque cracking of bones only worked to make his portrayal all the creepier while the villain spun his head around, crawled down chimneys and through air vents, and rushed towards the protagonist while bent over backwards. Suffice to say, Ragdoll has made a big impression on me and is definitely my favorite villain of the week so far this season.
Apart from his story, we had Nora staying as Joe and Cecile's where she did her best to avoid her parents. Cecile told her a good amount of stories that initially she said were about Barry, a fact that kept Nora thoroughly involved, but it turned out that the stories were about Iris instead, what began to shift Nora's perception of her mother. Iris struggled with their conflict as well, as she wondered how she could ever become so cold and unloving in the future, while also being terrified that she'll become like her own mother and never be close to Nora. These scenes made for some great moments of heart between Barry and Iris, and in the end with Iris and Nora; however, I'll get into that later.
The third story of the episode revolved around the search for Caitlin's father which took a few great bounds this week. They investigated a burned down building which lead them to the conclusion that her father must be hiding out in one of several Tannhauser off grid black sites scattered across the country. There were a combination of things that lead to this discovery, the first of which being the repeated use of Cisco's powers which ultimately registered him unconscious and seizing. Turns out elements of Cicada's dagger remain in his injured hands, inflicting damage each time Cisco uses his powers. What followed was a heartfelt conversation between him and Caitlin as he wondered if he could be of any use to the team without his powers, which have become a major part of his contribution over the years. Caitlin soothed him by reminding him how amazing he is without powers, and that she went through the same thing when she lost Killer Frost. It was a tender moment between the two of them, further showcasing hos rich with emotion The Flash can be. Afterwards, Cisco took control of the remaining four satellites still in orbit after Devoe's 'Enlightenment' and returned satellite power back to the team, helping them to find the black sites, and giving them the means to find Caitlin's father finally.
Back on Ragdoll. The villain kidnapped Barry, slapped some metahuman power dampening cuffs on him, and tied him to a chair on the edge of a building. Coaxing Iris to come face him, we got a fantastic Ralph scene as he heroically announced that, "You still have me," with Cisco and Caitlin de-powered, Sherloque having broken their portable breaching device, and Nora not answering their calls. We got to see how Ralph will likely get around the city on his own from now on, using his arms as a type of webslinging akin to Spiderman. It was a great use of his powers, but the heroic moment of the episode definitely goes to Iris. After they confronted the villain, Ragdoll tossed Barry over, and Iris leapt without hesitation off of the roof to reach her husband, unlock the cuffs, and then let Barry carry them both safely to the street below. It seems like it has been forever since Iris got a stunt as big as that one, and I hope there are more like it ahead because it proved just how cool she can be! It proved it to Nora too who had finally answered Caitlin's call and arrived just in time to see it happen. They quickly realized that Ralph was alone on the roof with Ragdoll, and I honestly thought they were going to go back up and find him being beaten up; however, Ralph got to save the day as he plummeted down to meet them and I guess ate Ragdoll? I just know that the villain's hands and mask could be outlined by Ralph's belly, but thankfully he was thrown in prison and didn't stay within Ralph.
Whew, what an episode! Like I mentioned before, there was no sign of Cicada in the episode, but that didn't make it slow down. In fact, it feels to me like one of the strongest episodes of the season yet! Ragdoll was a creative and standout new villain, the tension between Nora and Iris finally resolved, Iris herself got an awesome action scene, and next week the promo shows that Caitlin's hard work pays off as they finally discover her father!
This isn't where the episode truly ends though. A final scene was cut for time but showed up online later, (seen here: https://youtu.be/43fs-1I7nAI) depicting Ragdoll being tossed in jail. Hilariously, the prison jumpsuit was put on over his suit, and the guards didn't take away his mask either, but I take it as the show's team wanting to keep him creepy. Sitting in his cell, a voice comes through the rafters from another cell telling Ragdoll that a storm is coming and when it arrives, he'll want to be on the inside with "him". That him, as he introduces himself, is none other than Mark Mardon, the Weather Wizard! My all time favorite Rogue from the show, who hasn't been seen since season 2, will finally be making his come back hopefully soon! Not only that, but it seems as though the show may finally be doing a full rendition of the Rogues! So far, Weather Wizard and Ragdoll look to be a part of it, and I can only wonder who else in Iron Heights will be joining them! Mirror Master? Tarpit? I would also love to see the returns of Mist and Abra Kadabra, even though they aren't currently in Iron Heights. I'm hoping that the fact the scene was cut for time doesn't mean it is no longer canon and the set up won't actually lead to anything, because if Weather Wizard does finally return, and the Rogues finally team up, it'll make season 5 all the more enjoyable!
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