“Tricksters” is episode seventeen of season one of The Flash.
This episode opens 15 years ago at night. A portal opens on a street and the Reverse-Flash comes through, followed by the Flash. This is the night of Barry’s mother’s death. Wine starts rising from Nora’s glass – and why does that happen? Both speedsters enter the house and this time things are slowed down enough to see that the two of them are fighting. Reverse-Flash goes after young Barry, but the Flash whisks his younger self out into the street.
In the previous episode, “Rogue Time”, Reverse-Flash killed Mason Bridge, who had assembled a story on Wells, then took Bridge’s body and the story. When Barry saw on the news that Bridge was missing, he called Joe and told Joe that he was right about Wells. Everything to do with Wells.
In the present, Joe and Barry are talking about Wells. Barry says that not much is known about Wells; he read a 600 page book on the man and all that really came out of it was Wells is enigmatic. Joe doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence that Nora Allen was killed by a speedster and Barry was turned into one by Wells’ particle accelerator.
What Barry can’t understand is why Wells is doing everything to keep him safe, and why he is trying to make Barry faster. Joe replies that Wells must be after something, and that they need to figure out what it is. Joe thought that Wells was the man in the yellow suit but, when, in “The Nuclear Man”, Cisco ran the two blood samples found at the scene of Nora’s murder, one matched Barry but the other didn’t match Wells. Barry wants to go after Wells but Joe tells him they can’t. Whatever Wells is up to is 15 years in the making. Joe calls this scary patient, and that they need to be just as patient.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, small parachutes start falling from the sky. Each parachute has a tiny parcel hanging from it. People are watching, and enjoying the scene, until one of the parcels lands on the ground. And promptly explodes. People start to panic at that point. A man in a mask is watching what happens and filming himself. He says to the audience that he tricked them, and look who’s back – The Trickster.
Joe is familiar with the name. Twenty years ago James Jesse carried out a number of terror attacks across the city, killing at least ten civilians and two cops. He called himself ‘The Trickster’ and he was the most dangerous thing Central City had ever seen, and is now locked up in Iron Heights. Barry comments that The Trickster was the most dangerous thing until the particle accelerator exploded.
Back in the past, the Reverse-Flash is running when he loses his speed and stumbles to the ground. He activates something on his wrist and Gideon appears. Gideon tells Reverse-Flash that time jumping has drained his powers and that there is no trace of the speed force in his cells. He will no longer be able to move at super speed and travel in time. Reverse-Flash asks Gideon how he will be able to get back to his time. She tells him he can’t. The man in the yellow suit is not happy about this and removes his mask revealing – not Harrison Wells.
Despite Wells’ blood not being at the scene of Nora’s murder, that was a bit unexpected. Dr. Wells has the yellow suit, he’s revealed that he can travel at super speed, has access to Gideon and, from all the other available evidence, appeared to actually be the Reverse-Flash. So, what is going on? Finally, more is revealed by the end of the episode.
In the present, Joe and Barry are at Iron Heights, in a part of the prison they have never been in before. A cell was specially built for James Jesse (played by Star Wars‘ Mark Hamill – playing the same role he did in the 1990s version of The Flash) five years ago after he talked a shrink who had scheduled weekly visits into committing suicide.
Barry tells Jesse that the bombs that exploded had the same composition as the bombs Jesse built. Jesse says that’s impossible, as he never shared the formula with anyone. Jesse says he doesn’t know who the new Trickster is and, in fact, seems rather annoyed that someone has taken his identity. Jesse tells Joe and Barry that if he knew the new Trickster’s identity, he would tell them so that they could find the imposter and cut off his head. He really doesn’t seem happy. He tells them that the usurper must have found his lair, and directs Barry and Joe there. However, when they arrive, the lair has been cleaned out of everything. Jesse tells them that one of the things stored there was a bomb big enough to destroy Central City (which admittedly seems a tad unlikely).
Iris is concerned about Bridge’s disappearance and asks Eddie to look into it. Barry, as he has now decided that Wells is the Reverse-Flash, is acting off around him. Which causes problems.