The Flash Season 5: Big Questions After "Time Bomb"

The latest episode of The Flash, "Time Bomb," took a lot of twists and turns - and raised quite a few questions about the rest of season 5. This week's episode title was apt, as the entire hour is really about secrets that have been kept - in some cases for years - that finally explode to the surface. For Vicky, the meta-of-the-week, her secret superhuman powers threaten to tear her family apart when Cicada comes looking for her; for Team Flash, the long-anticipated revelation that Nora is working with Eobard Thawne breaks Barry's heart; and for Cisco, his refusal to tell Kamilla the truth about who he is threatens to destroy their relationship. Three separate time bombs, with one still ticking down towards The Flash's season 5 finale.

Meanwhile, the new Cicada makes her presence felt in a big way. Played by Sarah Carter, the new Cicada is terrifying in a way the old one just wasn't. Where Orlin kept getting beaten by Team Flash and barely escaped several times, Grace is able to take down the heroes with ease. Her "kill all Metas" mission is, in a sense, an amusing inversion of a classic superhero origin story. Instead of being killed by criminals, and thus targeting crooks, Grace's parents died when a Meta's powers triggered unexpectedly - and now she wants payback.

Meanwhile, Sherloque Wells gets to solve the mystery of Nora West-Allen. Like any TV detective, Sherloque cares more for getting the big reveal than he does for doing right by his friends and family, and he cruelly lays Nora's secrets bare before the whole team. Now, almost all the secrets are out in the open, and it's surely only a matter of time before Eobard Thawne's real motives in The Flash season 5 are revealed.

This Page: Flash Questions About Nora & Thawne
Page 2: Flash Questions About The New Cicada
Page 3: Flash Questions About The Rest Of Season 5

12. What Is Thawne's Motive?

Eobard Thawne's shadow has loomed over The Flash season 5 for a long time, with Team Flash completely unaware that he was once again manipulating their lives. So far, it's seemed as though his focus has been on defeating Cicada - on rewriting history so the murderous Meta-hunting vigilante was erased from the timeline. But why does Eobard Thawne view Cicada as such a threat? Grace's time travel appears to have ruined Thawne's plans, to the extent that he tells Nora to reveal her secret to Team Flash. In that scene, Thawne appears defeated, absolutely dejected, unable to figure out what other force is changing the timeline. When he decides Nora needs to tell her father everything, he seems broken. But was this really the case, or was he just manipulating Nora all along? Hopefully, the truth will soon be revealed.

11. Was Flash Overreacting When He Locked Nora Up?

When Flash learns the truth - that Nora has been working for Eobard Thawne all along - he reacts in an instant, imprisoning her in the Pipeline before she has a chance to explain. It's an entirely understandable reaction, given that Barry knows just how dangerous Thawne is, and he's suddenly facing the possibility that Nora is a weapon to be used against him. Barry Allen always tends to be trusting, and by allowing Nora so close to his heart he's put himself and his family at risk. And yet, it's impossible not to watch that scene with a sense of horror. Though Barry doesn't necessarily realize it, his instinctive reaction will forever redefine his relationship with his daughter.

Even more troubling is that Barry didn't take the time to consult with Iris about this. Realistically, the decision whether or not to trust Nora - whether to give her a chance to explain what's going on - should have been made by both parents. Will Barry and Iris be on the same page about this extreme reaction, or will they find themselves divided? It's not uncommon for parents to find themselves disagreeing over how to discipline a child, but this goes far beyond normal parenting.

10. What Is The Link Between Nora and Grace?

Team Flash will undoubtedly need to let Nora out of the Pipeline sooner rather than later. During "Time Bomb," Nora learns that she has some sort of psychic link to Grace, one that triggers whenever they're in close proximity to one another. This is a result of an earlier episode, "Memorabilia," in which Nora entered young Grace's mind in an attempt to rouse her from her coma. It's a fascinating touch that positions Nora and Grace as the perfect nemeses. The Flash season 5 seems to be building to a cliffhanger in which Flash must take on Eobard Thawne once again, while it will be Nora who ultimately defeats Grace.

There's a sense in which Nora and Grace embody a classic comic book trope, one that The Flash has long exploited; the most effective villain is a twisted mirror image of the hero. Both Nora and Grace are time travelers who came back to the present to meet their loved ones, and both young women are dedicated to continuing what they see as their father figure's mission. Now they even have a psychic link, reminiscent of Harry Potter and Voldemort.

9. Why Will Thawne Be Key To Crisis On Infinite Earths?

Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover

The Arrowverse is headed towards the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover later this year, when alternate Earths will come crashing into one another. The Reverse-Flash is known to be a key player in this event, and "Time Bomb" hints at why that's the case. In one scene, Sherloque stumbles upon an old recording Thawne made, one in which he reveals his own unique relationship with the Multiverse. Thawne has discovered what he calls the "Source Code" of the Multiverse, something that doesn't change even when the timeline does. Where the timeline changes, he knows it; but how will he perceive it when realities collide?

Page 2: Flash Questions About The New Cicada

8. What Are New Cicada's Powers?

"Time Bomb" confirms that Future Cicada is far more dangerous than her present-day counterpart. Where Orlin only targeted Metas, Grace doesn't care who dies. She believes she has a mission to kill all Metas, and she'll also murder anyone who gets in her way. Orlin at least had a code, targeting Metas alone, but Grace has no qualms about killing non-Metas indiscriminately. By the end of the episode, she's even killed her own uncle when she decided he wasn't sufficiently committed to their mission.

Making matters worse, though, Grace has powers far beyond anything Orlin demonstrated. According to "Time Bomb," she can actually manipulate the Dark Matter in others, effectively controlling their abilities. She's able to toss her dagger at such speed that Nora struggled to keep ahead of it, and it seems to have a homing instinct, relentlessly pursuing her chosen target. Grace was able to mentally summon it from the other side of town.

Although in general Grace's powers are already more well-defined than Orlin's, her telekinesis remains unexplained. She seems to be able to telekinetically grasp people and pin them in place, an experience they find painful and that leaves them unconscious. In "Time Bomb," Grace is able to use her telekinesis to create a shield that blocks Vibe's portals, preventing the rest of Team Flash backing Barry up.

7. How Did Future Cicada Travel Back In Time?

It turns out that Future Cicada traveled back in time by breaking into a S.T.A.R. Labs facility called the "Starchives." That's where Team Flash has stored Eobard Thawn's old time sphere, a device created by Cisco back in The Flash season 1 based on plans stolen from Rip Hunter. Time spheres create wormholes through space-time that allow non-speedsters to travel through time, so it makes sense for Future Cicada to use this technology. What is still unclear, however, is just how Grace knew about the existence of the time sphere, let alone where it was kept.

6. Who Is Future Cicada Working With?

"Time Bomb" offered two subtle hints that Grace may be working with someone else. Firstly, there's the fact she possesses some sort of advanced technology, notably a Dark Matter detection system. This allows her to scan the scene of a Meta incident to identify a Meta's unique Dark Matter signature. She's then able to track the Meta down wherever they go, presumably using some sort of geopositioning technology. But Grace shows absolutely no sign of being a scientific genius, so she shouldn't be able to put together anything like this on her own.

Meanwhile, it's also clear that Grace knows far too much about Team Flash's secrets, even details that wouldn't be in the Flash Museum. Previous episodes have already confirmed that the Flash Museum isn't exactly comprehensive, and it's doubtful that secrets like time travel and time spheres would be recorded there. Certainly the location of the Starchives wouldn't be mentioned in there, given it contains high-risk items. So how did Grace come to know about the Starchives and the time sphere?

It looks as though Grace has a partner, someone who - like Eobard Thawne - is attempting to rewrite the timeline. There may well still be another secret that is yet to be revealed, another player in this dangerous game.

The Flash Cicada Orlin Dwyer Chris Klein With Islie Hirvonen Grace Gibbons

Team Flash continue to struggle with the ethics of the Meta Cure, insisting they can't just inject young Grace with it in order to change the timeline. Even if her condition stabilized enough to make the Cure safe, they believe they need Grace's consent. In "King Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd," Barry made a commitment not to inject anyone with the Cure until he'd obtained their permission. They've evidently decided that applies to young Grace as well, meaning they won't cure her until she awakens from her coma - and then only if she wants to be cured. In this case, though, that's a rather odd decision. Grace is a child, and in "Failure is an Orphan" her legal guardian gave his consent for Grace to be cured.

Page 3 of 3: What Are The Starchives?

5. What Are The Starchives?

"Time Bomb" introduced a whole new idea into The Flash's mythology, a location called "The Starchives." This seems to be a remote location where Team Flash store sensitive and dangerous technology, such as the time sphere. Up until now, viewers had generally believed Team Flash kept everything in the basement of STAR Labs, but it seems that isn't the case. The episode only gives a brief glimpse of the interior of the Starchives, making it difficult to say what else is kept there.

This is one of Team Flash's smartest ideas. STAR Labs is their base of operation, and the site where they keep dangerous Metas. It's frequently compromised by the latest Villain of the Week, meaning it would be very unwise to keep dangerous technology on site. Given they have a team member who can open portals and transport them at will, there's no issue with keeping their stash some distance away. What's rather odd, though, is quite why the alert didn't go off when Future Cicada first arrived there in the present.

3. What Other Secrets Has Thawne Left Lying Around STAR Labs?

An unmasked Reverse Flash is locked in a cell in The Flash aka Eobard Thawne standing inside a Star Labs holding cell

Team Flash's most dangerous technology may be kept at the Starchives, but it turns out the basement at STAR Labs itself still has secrets. In "Time Bomb," Sherloque begins to suspect that Nora is connected to Eobard Thawne. Seeking evidence, he decides to learn a little about Thawne, and raids his old possessions in the basement. He discovers a recording hidden in the arm of Thawne's old wheelchair. It's frankly shocking to realize that Thawne still has secrets hidden at STAR Labs, four years after he was exposed. If he has a recording still hidden there, what else could there be? Given Thawne has played such a prominent part in The Flash season 5, and is set to return in a big way in "Crisis on Infinite Earths," Team Flash may want to comb every inch of their base.

2. When Is Cisco Going To Tell Kamilla The Truth?

The budding romance between Cisco and Kamilla has been one of the sweeter sub-plots in The Flash season 5, with the lovelorn Cisco finally meeting a girl he likes. Unfortunately, their relationship is a little more troubled than Kamilla knows; he's keeping some big secrets from her. She has no idea he's a Meta, let alone a superhero who works alongside Flash, and it looks as though Cisco has no intention of telling her anytime soon. Unfortunately, that plan may be destined to backfire in the short-term, given Kamilla is now working as a photographer for Iris. It's surely only a matter of time before she begins to suspect there's something odd about Cisco and his friends - and the trust between Cisco and Kamilla will undoubtedly take a hit. There's a sense in which this is quite a disappointing approach for The Flash to take. The Arrowverse shows have often depended on pointless secrets in order to generate drama, and there's a sense in which this is simply their reverting to type.

1. Will Cisco Choose Kamilla Over Team Flash?

There have been reports that Carlos Verdes is leaving The Flash after season 5, the biggest shakeup in the series since it began in 2014. Since then, there's been intense speculation over just how and why Vibe will be written out. "Time Bomb" may well have dropped some major hints, setting Cisco's desire to stay with Team Flash against his longing for an ordinary life. Cisco has always seemed the most unwilling of Team Flash; while he thinks being a superhero is cool, the truth is that his central motivation has always been his longing for love and romance. It makes sense that this could ultimately be what causes him to bow out.

More: The Arrowverse in Chronological Order (So Far)

The Flash season returns with "Godspeed" on Tuesday, March 16 at 8/7 central on the CW.