The Flash 5x14 "Cause and XS" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Season Five has to figure itself out. I know where to begin, this is a Groundhog Day’s episode, but the show is kind of spinning their wheels here with Cicada. They have fully-fleshed out his character a few weeks ago, but Team Flash has to wait around to stop them. Barry has to stay in the Speed Force for most of the episode, and Nora is left with the responsibility to protect everyone.

I loved Jessica Kennedy Parker’s performance during this repetitive hour of television. The Flash may have gone overboard with repeating the scenes a bit with Cisco’s personas, but watching Sherloque Wells get more suspicious with each new reboot made me appreciate his character so much. Her increasing panic and nervous breakdowns felt so natural. I mostly found entertainment in pointing out the small changes Nora would try next, and how at least one person is destined to die. Killer Frost dying was my favorite because it was the first one.

Cecile even had a brief cameo, which is odd considering she’s a series regular.

With Joe West’s leave of absence, I understand the writers are probably having a hard time figuring out a place for her. A possible consequence to time travel is the best they can do at the moment.

Cisco got a lot of screentime in this episode. After two episodes of being gone from the action, he finally returned with the meta-human cure. The problem is they have to wait 30 days for the cure to work. Stop spinning your wheels, get Cicada out and bring Thawne in. Oh, and explain what’s going on with Gracie and the dark matter coma. I’m very needy.

When Barry eventually did return, he taught Nora an important lesson on time traveling and showed her the cup analogy. He is passing on the wisdom he learned from Jay Garrick to his future daughter. I was impressed with that scene.

Thawne’s plan, or what Nora will gain from his plan, is revealed. They are trying to defeat Cicada, destroy the dagger, and save Barry from the Crisis on Infinite Earths. So, we know this Thawne / Nora partnership will have some connection to next year’s crossover. We all knew Reverse Flash would play a major role in that story, and having Tom Cavanagh portray him was a smart move acting-wise. I hope the writers are figuring out a reason for why Thawne is wearing Harrison Wells’s face again.

Character performances were outstanding, but the logic behind what everyone was doing in the final fight scene took me a minute. I understood when Nora jumped into the breaches. They were literally slowing her down… It was so ridiculous. Overall, an episode that didn’t add much to the plot, and a harsh reminder that Cicada has run out of stuff to do.