The Flash Season 4, Episode 11: The Elongated Knight Rises

This week on The Flash we get another episode with a decidedly schizophrenic tone. It's part campy throwback to the 1990 The Flash series, and part Orange Is The New Flash as Barry adjusts to his new life in prison. It's enough to give the audience whiplash as the episode careens wildly between moods.

The Elongated Knight Rises is primarily another "Ralph Learns A Valuable Lesson In How To Become A Superhero" episode, which we're apparently going to get all season long. Thing is, we've had at least four or five of these episodes so far, but they never seem to stick. No matter what lesson Ralph learns, he seems to forget all about it a week later so it can be taught to him again.

If the writers were really that keen on doing a "hero in training" story arc, why the hell didn't they just use Wally? Why'd they ship him off to the land of wind and ghosts and then immediately replace him with an equally inexperienced character?

And wouldn't Barry's sidelining-through-incarceration be the perfect time to recall Wally and have him become Central City's new protector? I'm starting to wonder if The Flash writers have some beef with actor Keiynan Lonsdale (or vice versa).

One last thing about Ralph— I still think it's odd that his host of sleazy character traits seems better suited to Plastic Man (who started out as an ex-con in the comics) rather than Elongated Man. Ralph Dibny was a devoted husband in the comics, which makes the TV version's cheap and vulgar attitude toward women feel very out of place for the character.

For the record, TV Ralph's constant womanizing doesn't bother me, as I understand it's an attempt to make him colorful and interesting, and to give him something to overcome. But introducing such a character in our current hyper-sensitive "Me Too" climate is some EPIC bad timing. Especially right after Flash co-creator and showrunner Andrew Kreisberg was suspended after sexual harassment accusations. Ouch!

Anyhoo, it was fun seeing a throwback to the 1990 Flash series this week, complete with an appearance by Corinne Bohrer as Prank, partner of the original Trickster.

Barry's side of the episode was handled very well, as we saw him struggling to adapt to life behind bars. Grant Gustin did an amazing job portraying the sheer frustration Barry feels as the fastest man alive, who's prohibited from running. Well done!

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
We open in Iron Heights Prison, where a riot's going on. Inmate #3562, er, I mean Barry Allen, watches helplessly, afraid to intervene and reveal his true identity as the Flash. Finally he can't take it any longer and zips all the inmates back into their cells at superspeed, faster than the eye can see.

Elsewhere, Joe's negotiating with a bank robber— complete with bomb strapped to his chest— who's taken several people hostage. As the robber gives Joe his list of demands, Ralph stretches his arms into the bank and quietly snatches the hostages away. He then confronts the robber, grabbing his bomb and wrapping his elastic body around it. The robber detonates it, but it explodes harmlessly in the folds of Ralph's body. The robber passes out from shock, or something.

A news crew interviews Ralph, who realizes he hasn't come up with a cool codename for himself yet. The reporter dubs him "Stretchy Man," much to Ralph's chagrin.

Meanwhile, Barry's in the prison yard trying to stay out of trouble. He runs into Axel Walker, aka The Trickster 2.0 (son of the original Trickster, and last seen in the Season 1 episode Tricksters). Axel eats a pudding cup (Plot Point!), as he tells Barry they should team up and be pals. Barry politely declines his offer and leaves. 

Unfortunately Barry then trips and dirties the shoes of a psychotic Gang Leader, who threatens to kill him until a guard intervenes. The guard says Barry's 1:30 visitor has arrived. He enters the visitor lounge to see Iris waiting. She tells him they're doing everything they can to prove his innocence, but it'll take time.

Axel becomes ill from his tainted pudding cup, and is taken to the prison infirmary. The nurse knocks out the guard and reveals she's really Zoey Clark, Axel's mother. Twenty years ago she was also known as Prank, partner of the original Trickster. Not sure why Zoey and her son have different last names, but whatever. Later on Joe visits the prison to check on the breakout, and sees Barry mopping the halls. He tells him to hang in there.

Meanwhile, Zoey brings Axel to her abandoned hideout, located in a defunct Clarx's toy store, which is filled with the Trickster's old tech. Axel's anxious to be reunited with his father James Jesse (aka The Trickster) as well. Zoey tells him to forget about his deadbeat dad, as he walked out on her and isn't returning (until Mark Hamill's schedule is free). She wants the two of them to flee Central City, but Axel has a better idea— he'll commit a crime as the Trickster 2.0, which will get the attention of his dad and make him come a runnin' back.

Barry's in the workout room lifting weights when the Gang Leader and his goons approach him again. They're knocked out by an enormous, hulking inmate called Big Sir. Barry's grateful but perplexed as to why this behemoth would help him.

At STAR Labs, the Gang discusses Ralph's recent antics. Just then The Trickster 2.0 hacks into all screens in Central City, blowing up a few cars and challenging "Stretchy Man" to stop him. Ralph suits up and confronts The Trickster. He easily dodges his first couple of attacks, but is eventually hit by a stream of "axid" (acid with a special X ingredient) that severely burns his leg, causing him to curl up into an ineffectual ball. Cisco has to open a breach to rescue Ralph before he's killed.

Back at STAR Labs, Caitlin treats Ralph's burns as he whines like a little girl. He's stunned by the idea that he can be hurt, as he thought his body was indestructible. Harry tries to explain that Ralph's cells are polymerized and can stretch to ridiculous lengths, which is completely different from being invulnerable.

At Iron Heights, Barry sees Big Sir in the courtyard and asks why he saved him. He says it's because his father Henry Allen helped him once, so he returned the favor to Barry. He says they're even now, which isn't the least bit ominous.

The Trickster hacks the airwaves again, as he and his mother— now dressed as Prank— host a twisted gameshow called Wheel Of Misfortune. They place two Central City hostages under an axid bath, and announce that Stretchy Man has one hour to turn himself in, or the innocent citizens get it. At STAR, Cisco presents Ralph with a new super suit, since his old one was destroyed by axid. Unfortunately Ralph gives it back, saying he's out of the superhero game for good, now that he knows he can be hurt or killed.

Ralph morosely walks out of STAR Labs, but then gets an idea. Cut to Iron Heights, where Ralph secretly stretches into Barry's cell. He wants Barry to use superspeed to break out of prison, rescue the hostages and come back before the guards even realize he's gone. Barry tells him that's not gonna happen, and gives Ralph a Patented The CW Pep Talk™, telling him death and dismemberment are a risk every superhero has to take.

At STAR, the Gang discovers where Trickster & Prank's broadcast is coming from. Cisco and Harry prepare to move out, but first they tell Caitlin they need the "Ice Queen." They then force her to change into her Killer Frost persona against her will (!). 

Meanwhile, Barry can't seem to leave Big Sir alone, and pesters him to find out just how his dad helped him. Big Sir says a few years back he had a bout of appendicitis, and the prison doctors had all gone home for the night (?). Henry convinced the warden to let him operate on Big Sir (which would never, ever happen), and saved his life. That's why he helped out Barry earlier.

Cisco & Killer Frost sneak into The Trickster's lair, while Harry heads to the roof to neutralize their tank of axid. Elsewhere, Ralph was apparently greatly inspired by Barry's speech. He returns to STAR Labs and grabs his new costume.

At the prison, Big Sir's ambushed by the Gang Leader and his goons in a dimly lit corridor. Barry hears the scuffle and comes to the rescue. He uses his superspeed to make the goons knock each other out, and easily disarms the Gang Leader. He tells Big Sir that he now owes him!

Trickster & Prank neutralize Cisco and Frost's powers and easily capture them. They dump their original hostages and place Cisco and Frost under the axid bath. Just then Ralph enters, striking an heroic pose. He tells the duo to let his friends go, but The Trickster fires a shot of axid at him again. Ralph easily dodges it, and knocks him out. 

This enrages Prank, who pulls the lever on the axid shower. Before the caustic liquid can rain down on Cisco and Frost, Ralph forms a protective shield over them. He screams, expecting to be melted alive, but is surprised when the liquid pours harmlessly off his back. Fortunately for him, Harry was able to neutralize it at the last possible second.

Joe arrives and takes The Trickster & Prank off to jail. The press surrounds Ralph, who says his name isn't "Stretchy Man." When they ask what he'd like to be called then, he starts describing himself, saying, "I elongate, man." The reporters take this to mean "Elongated Man," and the name sticks.

Iris visits Barry in prison and fills him in. She's sad that they can't touch, so Barry phases his arm through the glass so they can briefly grasp hands.

Cut to Cisco and Ralph at Jitters, as they both realize they don't have any cash on them. Suddenly a young woman appears and offers to pay. We see she's the same mysterious woman we saw in Crisis On Earth-X Part 1, who appeared at Barry & Iris' wedding and absolutely isn't their daughter from the future.

Thoughts:
• The writers were obviously amusing themselves this week by using the word "stretch" as often as possible:

Ralph: "Let this be a lesson to all of you would-be criminals out there. Catching you won't be too much of a stretch."

Barry: "Having the ability to help someone, but do nothing. That is a far worse death than anything that Trickster has for you. But rising above that fear and saving those lives, that's a greater life. All right, so rise up. I don't think it's a stretch for you."

Cisco: "A nice, beautiful girl, and Ralph Dibny doesn't offer her a delicious crustacean buffet?"

Ralph: "Mmm, I think she's too smart for me."

Cisco: "Self awareness from Ralph Dibny? I think there's hope for you yet."

Ralph: "That's a stretch."

Cisco: "Is that where we freeze frame?"

• During the prison riot, we see Barry in his Iron Heights cell, practically vibrating with tension and nervous energy.

This was a very well-done scene, perfectly illustrating the frustration Barry feels from being a superhero who's powerless to help.

Prison's no fun for anyone, but it'd be especially nightmarish for a speedster like Barry. He has the power to run at incredible speeds, but he's stuck in a tiny cell, unable to move more than a few feet at a time.

• At one point we see Barry's keeping track of the days on the wall of his cell. Apparently he doesn't know how to make hash marks. You're supposed to draw groups of four lines with a diagonal fifth through them, to make them easier to count. Don't they teach this in school anymore? How the hell can you look at a series of random slashes and understand how many there are?

Rey had the same problem keeping track of her days on Jakku in The Force Awakens.

• Ralph confronts a terrorist/bank robber who's holding hostages inside a Central City bank. At one point Ralph grabs the robber's bomb and wraps his elastic body around it. The robber then detonates the device, but it explodes harmlessly within the folds of Ralph's body. A couple things here:

First of all, the robber brags that his bomb will take out the entire city block. He was obviously exaggerating, as Ralph's able to easily contain the mild to moderate blast. I doubt it would have destroyed the bank, much less the whole block!

Secondly, did the bomb penetrate Ralph's gut? After he absorbs the force of the blast, he comically grimaces and burps out a wisp of smoke. The only way that could have happened is if the blast actually permeated his body and entered his upper G.I. tract. Yikes! Seems like that might smart a bit, yet Ralph seems to feel little or no discomfort.

Same goes for when Ralph confronts the Trickster 2.0 later in the episode. The Trickster lobs a bomb at him, Ralph catches it, and it detonates in his hand. Obviously the bomb generates heat and even flame, as we see it light up his hand from within. Again, his face registers zero pain.

Nor does he feel these razor sharp throwing stars the Trickster lobs into his chest.

I get that Ralph's malleable cells are nearly impervious to harm, but that doesn't mean he can't feel pain. Why, it's almost like the writers don't understand the difference between impenetrable and invulnerable!

We know for a fact he's capable of feeling pain, because he shrieks and writhes in agony when the axid burns his knee. So you'd think a bomb detonating inside his fist or a throwing star puncturing his skin would warrant a mild "ouch" at the least!

• During Barry's absence, the STAR Labs Gang decides to protect Central City by trusting in the abilities of the inexperienced and incompetent hands of Ralph Dibny. You know, rather than using Cisco or recalling Wally or Jesse Quick. Brilliant!

OK, I get the real world reason why they do this— the writers are desperately trying to give Ralph something to do on the show. But what's the in-universe reason for relying on him?

• Zoey Clark, aka Prank, is played here by Corinne Bohrer.

Bohrer actually played Prank (alongside Mark Hamill's Trickster 1.0) back in the 1990 The Flash series! How cool is that! She looks remarkably well preserved too, despite the fact that nearly thirty years has passed since she last played the character!

Bohrer's at least the fifth actor from the 1990 series to reprise their role on the current show. John Wesley Shipp, Amanda Pays, Alex Desert, Mark Hamill and Vito D'Ambrosio have all shown up on modern series (often playing versions of their 1990 characters!).

• Iris looks up Zoey Clark in the STAR Labs database. It's a bit hard to see here, but if you look closely above the "CLARK" you'll see that in Central City they apparently spell "license" with two Cs.

Technically this isn't a typo, but the show's Canadian roots showing through. The Flash is filmed in Vancouver, where for some reason they spell the word as "licence." In fact it's spelled that way in England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Pretty much everywhere except America!

• According to their rap sheets, Trickster 1.0 and Prank were responsible for the destruction of the Gadzooka Bubblegum company. Com-O-Dee!

• When the Trickster 2.0 goes on his little rampage, Cisco pinpoints his location at the corner of Demeo and Bilson. 

As we all know, The Flash lovvvves giving streets and buildings the names of famous comic book creators. This time they honored Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson, the creators of the 1990 series. Appropriate, since this episode features characters from that show.

Not sure why they misspelled Paul De Meo's last name though (they forgot the space between the "e" and "m"), but whatever.

• There's something very Watchmen-like about the Trickster 2.0's costume. Maybe it's the domino mask, which reminds me of The Comedian?

• Inside Iron Heights, Barry's saved by fellow prisoner Big Sir, played by Bill Goldberg. He does a pretty good acting job too, which isn't surprising, considering he's a former WWE wrestler (burnnnnn!).

There was actually a Big Sir in the Flash comics, who debuted in 1984. As you might imagine, he looked absolutely nothing like the TV version.

In the comics, Big Sir's real name was Dufus P. Ratchet (no, really). A faulty pituitary gland caused him to grow to mammoth proportions, while giving him the intelligence of a small child. He was taken in by the Flash's Rogues Gallery, who outfitted him with a high tech armored suit.

During the Trial Of The Flash storyline, Big Sir attacked Barry Allen. The Flash managed to subdue him, and took him to Gorilla City, where their advanced tech was able to correct Big Sir's mental deficiency. Comic Books!

I assume "Big Sir" is a play on "Big Sur," a rugged stretch of California coastline known for its cliffs and winding curves. If so, that pun's probably lost on anyone who lives outside of California.

• When Barry asks Big Sir why he helped him, he replies that Henry Allen once save his life. According to Big Sir, his appendix was about to burst, but the prison doctors had all gone home for the night. There was no way they could make it back in time (?), so Henry convinced the Warden to let him operate on Big Sir. Amazingly the Warden agrees, and Henry successfully removed Big Sir's inflamed appendix. Sooooo many problems here.

First of all, I'm not an expert on prison infirmaries, but I can't imagine they're set up to handle major operations. They're probably small clinics intended for rudimentary medical care only.

Secondly, what the hell's the point of having an infirmary if the doctor clocks out at 5pm? Surely there's at least one person on duty twenty four hours a day.

Lastly, there is no way in hell that any warden anywhere would allow an inmate to perform major surgery on another— even if one of them was formerly a doctor! Think about it— we in the audience know Henry Allen didn't really kill his wife Nora, but Warden Wolfe doesn't have that info. As far as he's concerned, Henry's a convicted murderer. What guarantee would he have that Henry wouldn't kill Big Sir during the operation?

And who assisted Henry during this procedure? He couldn't possibly do it all alone. Did Warden Wolfe act as his anesthesiologist?

Plus Henry Allen likely lost his medical licence, er, I mean license, once he was incarcerated. That means by authorizing the procedure, Warden Wolfe would be guilty of violating the law, and would likely lose his job.

I know, I know, I'm assigning real world logic to a comic book show again. But c'mon! You've got to ground the series in a tiny bit of reality!

• Trickster 2.0 attacks Ralph with his "axid," an acid of his own design. The axid severely burns Ralph's leg, causing him to wail like a two year old baby.

Back at STAR Labs, the Gang analyzes the axid residue on Ralph's leg:

Harry: "It's got a ph level in the negative 50s, and all it did was burn through your skin?"
Cisco: "God, if it were anybody else, it would melt right through them like xenomorph blood."

I think the writers are a bit confused here. The ph scale only goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. So an acid with a ph of -50 would be very corrosive indeed! It'd also likely be physically impossible! The world's strongest known acid is Hydrofluoric Bromide, which has a ph of -20. It's so corrosive it needs a special container just to hold it. So the Trickster's axid is somehow even more powerful?

I think maybe the writers got ph confused with the Hammett Acidity Function, which is another way of measuring corrosiveness. In that system, the higher the negative value, the stronger the acid is. Sulfuric Acid has a value of -12, while the even stronger Fluoroantimonic Acid comes in at -31. I could see the axid scoring a -50 on this scale.

Based on this scale, Cisco's right that Ralph's leg really should have melted!

• When Trickster 2.0 returns to his secret HQ, he's met by his mother, who's acting decidedly different than before. Trickster 2.0 and Prank then have the following conversation:

Prank: "You're the real Trickster, boo-boo."
Trickster: "What's gotten into you?"
Prank: "Okay, I didn't take my meds."Trickster: "Mom, you did that for me?"
Prank: "I would do anything for you, boo-boo!"
Trickster: "Would you kill with me?"
Prank: "It's like riding a tricycle. You never forget. Let's paint the town red."
Trickster: "I know whose blood we should use."

Cue complaints from advocacy groups over this "offensive and insensitive" portrayal of mental illness in 3, 2, 1...

• And now it's time to talk about my least favorite part of the episode, and something I've had a problem with all season— Killer Frost. Or should I say, "The Gutting Of Killer Frost."

In the third act, Cisco decides he needs Killer Frost's help to take down Trickster 2.0 & Prank. He and Harry then shout a special code word at Caitlin ("Lexi La Roche," the name of her childhood bully) which transforms her into Killer Frost.

I don't consider myself to be politically correct in any way, but even I'm bothered by this! Cisco and Harry are literally using Caitlin here. They're forcing her to bury her own personality against her will and let her evil, criminal dark side take control. Jesus Christ!

The whole thing's creepy, disturbing and degrading. And if you don't believe me, imagine you're a woman with a condition that makes you uncontrollably black out any time you hear a particular word. Now imagine that one of your male friends knows that word, and regularly says it in front of you for his own purposes. Would you be OK with that?

Worst of all, the whole thing's played for laughs! How the hell does this not bother the easily offended SJW crowd?

If all that wasn't bad enough, it doesn't even match what's already been established on the show! When Killer Frost first appeared, she was a major and legitimate evil threat. She literally tried to kill Team Flash on multiple occasions.

Suddenly in the past couple of episodes she's become a Hot Topic "bad girl" who's about as threatening as a basket of kittens. And incredibly, she seems to have no problem working alongside the Star Labs Gang. In fact a few episodes ago Cisco and Harry were giggling and talking about how much fun Killer Frost could be. They even shared private jokes with her! What the hell?

Why the hell did the writers think it would be a good idea to neuter the character? Whatever their reasoning, they've succeeded in ruining Killer Frost.

If the producers had any idea what they were doing, they'd immediately take steps to restore Killer Frost as a formidable and unpredictable threat. One who's absolutely, unrepentantly evil. Releasing her would be a last resort, as she'd cause almost as much death and destruction as the threat she was allegedly facing. 

She should never work with the heroes, but occasionally join forces with them when it suits her own nefarious purposes. Once the mission's over though, she should instantly turn against them again.

Also, Killer Frost should only be used occasionally, so that when she does appear, the audience knows it's a Big Deal. And every time she shows up, it should be a little harder to get her to change back into Caitlin.

Unfortunately I don't see that ever happening, as we're likely stuck with "Mean Girl" Killer Frost. Feh!

• Cameo Alert! Beebo makes a surprise appearance in this episode! Actually there are four of him! Awesome!

"Cuddle Me Beebo" made his first appearance last month over on Legends Of Tomorrow.

• At one point Trickster 2.0 demonstrates his axid by spraying it onto a Beebo doll that's sitting in a chair. The Beebo doll is melted into nothing, but the chair remains oddly unaffected.

A bit later Harry spots a galvanized steel bath filled with axid on the roof of the old Clarx Toy Company. So maybe Beebo's chair was made of galvanized steel as well?

• Several times during the Trickster 2.0's Wheel Of Misfortune show, we hear a few familiar bars of music from the original 1990 The Flash TV show. I'm impressed the producers actually took the time to include the old music! Pretty cool!

• This is some reeeally over the top nitpicking, but whatever. Whenever Ralph stretches his neck to ten or twelve feet long like this, the sound of his voice ought to be affected. I think it should probably sound higher, since his vocal chords would be elongated to many times their normal length.

• When Ralph first appeared on the show, I thought that actor Hartley Sawyer looked like the impossible love child of Jim Carrey, Dick York and Bruce Campbell.

Apparently I'm not the only one who noticed his slight resemblence to Campbell. When Ralph finally finds his courage, he returns to STAR Labs and Iris tosses him his costume. Ralph catches it, cocks an eyebrow and states, "Groovy."

That HAD to be an homage to Bruce Campbell's catchphrase in the Evil Dead movies!

• Ralph finally gets a proper costume at the end of this episode.

It's about time too, as I was getting tired of looking at his ill-fitting gray bodysuit. Actually that one looked more like his comic book costume than the new one does! I think maybe the new one is kind of purplish, but it's honestly hard to tell with all the neon lighting in this episode. 

The new costume's OK, I guess. Oddly enough it looks a lot like the original Firestorm costume worn by Ronnie Raymond back in Season 1!

When I first saw the new costume, I thought Ralph was wearing some sort of funky sunglasses. On closer inspection, it appears he's wearing oversized empty frames, and has painted the huge area around his eyes with pitch black makeup!

Let's all hope Ralph never needs to change into Elongated Man in a hurry! The villains'll be able to make a clean getaway while he's still in the bathroom applying his face paint!

• When Ralph bursts through the ceiling of the Trickster & Prank's hideout, he does the Superhero Landing!™

• I knew that at some point in the episode, Barry would end up phasing through the glass in the prison visitation room so he and Iris could hold hands.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around just what's happening here. As near as I can tell he started vibrating his hand and phased it to the glass. Then he stopped vibrating his hand so Iris could grab it, but continued vibrating just his wrist so he could continue sticking it through the glass. Weird.

• At the end of the episode, Cisco and Ralph encounter a mysterious young woman who pays for their coffee.

If you thought, "Say, that looks like the same bubbly gal who popped up at Barry & Iris' wedding," then you'd be right.

Most fans are convinced this mystery girl is either Barry & Iris' future Dawn Allen, who lives in the 30th Century and is a member of the Legion Of Superheroes. Or she's Barry & Iris; grandaughter Jenni Ognats, who also lives in the future and is a member of the Legion.

A few seconds later we see the young woman writing some sort of futuristic language in her journal. Note that the symbols here are identical to the ones Barry was scribbling on the wall after he returned from the Speed Force in The Flash Reborn.

So what does this all mean? I'm honestly not sure yet, although I'm starting to think Barry got a glimpse of the future when he was inside the Speed Force. When he first emerged he said things he later repeated in his trial, and now we see the symbols he was writing are most likely a futuristic language. Did Barry visit the far future in the Speed Force?

• This Week's Best Lines:
Ralph: "Relax, ladies, my cells are completely polygamized."

Caitlin: "Polymerized?"

Ralph: "Yeah, that."

Cisco: "Hey, how about you hook me up with some of that gum?"

Harry: "Why don't you breach yourself?"

Cisco: "That sounds like an insult."

Harry: "Kind of was."

Trickster 2.0: "Hello, Central City! It's been far, far too long since my beautiful face graced your screens."

Ralph: "Whoo, this kid's got a face for radio. It definitely hurts."

Iris: "Well, now we know what your kryptonite is."
Ralph: "What the hell is kryptonite?"
All: "What?"
Harry: "Oh, come on."

Ralph: "Think I'm gonna heal?"
(at the same time) Harry: "Probably." Caitlin: "Eventually."
Ralph: "Probably?"
Harry: "Well, you know."

Cisco: "Is there anything you can't suck the fun out of?"
Harry: "Leaf peeping."

Reporter: "But I'm sure the people of Central City would love to thank you, Stretchy Man."
Ralph: "That's not my name."
Reporter: "Then what should we call you? I mean, you do stretch."
Ralph: "No, I don't stretch, I contort. I elasticize, I elongate, man."
(actually, Ralph most definitely DOES stretch, but whatever)