Things are getting chilly on The Flash. In “Growing Pains,” Barry (Grant Gustin) has trouble adjusting to his new houseguest. And a murder gives Kramer (Carmen Moore) everything she needs to go after Frost and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker).
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ICY DEATH
As you may or may not know, the Speed Force is back in the form of Nora Allen (Michelle Harrison). She was attacked by three other forces, Strength/Fuerza, Sage/Psyche (Ennis Esmer) and Still/Deon Owens (Christian Magby). Barry was also affected by the presence of the new forces. Now he and Nora are both healing. Iris (Candice Patton) invited Nora to stay with them and things are a little weird. Nora wants to help Barry as much as possible. Barry has some sort of glitch around the Speed Force that he can’t control. It’s because Nora is increasing his abilities; she’s kind of like a battery for him. And Barry won’t call her Nora, making things really awkward.
Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) goes over the state charges Kramer as against Frost. Frost is ready to fight, but Cecile and Caitlin are trying to keep her calm. Cecile advises her to lay low, no superhero stuff. Frost just got a life and now she can’t live it. To make matters worse, the CCPD investigates a frosty murder. They find a frozen van with a dead driver. The van was carrying a chip of some kind. Kramer immediately thinks Killer Frost is the murderer and orders a warrant for her arrest. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Barry try to throw Kramer off of Frost scent saying the ice patterns are different from Killer Frost’s patterns. Kramer isn’t convinced and Chester (Brandon McKnight) leaves to warn Frost.
After hearing the news, Frost says she’s going to stay put in the lab, but Allegra (Kayla Compton) knows better. She reminds Frost that she served time in Iron Heights; she knows Frost is going after the ice meta. Allegra wants to go, but Frost wants to handle it herself. She promises to call Allegra for back up if she needs it.
HELICOPTER PARENT…SORT OF
Barry continues to investigate the forensics at the crime scene while Kramer watches. She’s impressed with Barry’s thoroughness and leaves him alone to work. That’s when Nora shows up, throwing Barry off his game. Nora is proud of the work Barry is doing and gives her own assessment of the ice. She says she can detect the ice particles. They feel compacted and constrained on a molecular level.
Barry packs up to study the ice in the lab, but his had starts phasing and he speeds off unexpectedly. He runs into Kramer’s car, telling her that he’s tracking footprints with an infrared light. Kramer buys it and let’s him go back to work. Nora catches up, totally throwing Barry off again. He says he has to go back to work and they will see each other at the loft.
HIGH PRICED ICE
Frost visits an old workplace … a bar on the wrong side of town. She asks the bartender about the new ice meta. He doesn’t know much but he tries to charm her with his bartending skills. A news report comes on with Kramer announcing a $100,000 reward for information on Killer Frost’s whereabouts. The bar patrons begin to surround Frost. The bar patrons are no match for Frost.
The bartender sits back and watches the fight while drinking a beer. That’s when things get a little hot. The bartender hits a patron in the head with the beer to stop him from sneaking up on Frost. Then he takes of his shirt. Yeah. Frost leaves before things get to hot. The bartender tells her that there’s a new meta in town who uses experimental tech. He tells her where to find this meta. Oh and his name is Mark Blaine (Jon Cor).
GLITCH
Chester and Barry work at the lab to clear Frost. The cryo-membranes in the ice are compacted but they can’t figure out why. Chester says the computer is too slow and it will take all night to find out why. Nora shows up and wants to help. Barry says they have things under control, but Chester thinks Nora can help.
Barry starts phasing and running through the lab uncontrollably. It causes the computer to crash, losing all of their data on the murder investigation. Nora says she was only trying to help because Barry caused her to be reborn and is keeping her safe. But he didn’t ask for her help. He tells her to let him the hero that she chose. Nora speeds away, upset.
Barry hears people moving outside the door. One of the officers says Kramer has a location on Killer Frost and they are bringing her in. Chester calls Frost to warn her, but she’s not answering. He calls Allegra and she lies saying that Frost is in the middle of a workout, but she will give her the message. Allegra tries to call Frost, but Frostie went to the warehouse that Mark said the new meta would be. Frost finds an empty warehouse. A security camera scans Frost when she walks in the door, but there’s nothing there. Meanwhile, Kramer instructs Joe to arrest Caitlin.
BY THE BOOK
Cecile represents Caitlin and says once her blood tests for the metagene comes back negative, they will let her go. Apparently someone called in an anonymous tip. Joe apologizes for arresting Caitlin and says this isn’t how law enforcement is supposed to work. He leaves to talk to Kramer.
Cecile gets a call from Frost, who tells her to get away from the North wall. She’s going to attempt break out Caitlin. Cecile and Caitlin tell Frost to stay away from the jail. They know Kramer has no case against Caitlin and she will be fine. Caitlin talks her down saying Kramer doesn’t know what Frost has been through and how much she’s grown. Human or meta human, Frost is a good person and deserves a chance to prove it. That triggers something in Frost. She knows who framed them and is going to find out why.
Joe catches Kramer leaving and voices his complaint about how she mobilized the task force based on an anonymous call. While she respects how he handles law enforcement, she cannot ignore the evidence. Caitlin matches 80% of Frost’s facial features, their known whereabouts are the same and Caitlin’s fingerprints were found at a crime scene. Joe insists that Caitlin and Killer Frost are not the same person. He thinks someone is trying to frame Frost. The Frost he knows keeps Central City safe and has even saved his life a few times. Kramer only sees the criminal. She tells Joe to thing about what’s best for the public good.
GROWING PAINS
Barry feels bad for yelling at Nora. Iris checks in on him. She says there’s a person forming inside of the Iris, but Barry reminds her that she is the Speed Force who powers his abilities. It’s weird for him to see her eating at their table. Iris feels bad for inviting her to stay with them. Barry says it was the right thing to do to keep the Speed Force safe. Iris says the Speed force is changing. She doesn’t know why, but Barry is going to have to accept that Nora is changing. They have to find a new normal between them.
Barry gets text that Chester has a lead on the new ice meta. Chester was able to salvage some of the ice data and found that the Dark Matter on the ice wasn’t really Dark Matter. It’s fake Dark Matter, meaning the ice meta isn’t a meta at all. They are human who understand science and knows that Caitlin and Frost used to be one. Barry realizes that Frost isn’t in the lab and Allegra admits to lying. She says Frost went after the baddie herself. Now they have to find her before the baddie gets Frosty.
CHILL OUT
Frost returns to the bar and Mark comes clean about who he is and what he’s done. He studied Frost and figured out that Caitlin was a part of her. He stole a chip, killed the van driver and pinned it on Caitlin and Frost. To complete his master plan, he needed a neurogenic scan of Frost to replicate her powers. Mark says he is a cryogenist and developed the chip he stole. He was fired from his lab because his experiments were inhuman. But there’s more!
When Mark was nine, he went ice skating and fell through the ice. He actually froze to death. He says the ice holds the power of life and death. And that power is wasted on Killer Frost. He took the chip and the scan and put the power into a couple of bracelets. He thinks he’s as power as Frost is now. And he goes by the name Chillblaine.
Frost and Chillblaine fight. He blinds her with is frost gloves, blasting a layer of ice over her eyes. They are almost evenly matched, but Frost has one ability that Chillblaine doesn’t. Ice healing. Chillblaine grabs Frost from behind and she creates an ice sword. Frost stabs herself with the sword, forcing it to go through her torso and into his.
Flash and Allegra arrive just in time to bandage up Chillblaine and melt the ice blindfold off of Frost’s eyes. Flash asks who he is and is happy that Cisco wasn’t there to hear Mark’s villain name. I am too. Frost recorded their conversation on her phone, planning to give his confession to the cops. Speaking of cops, Kramer show sup with the meta task force to arrest Frost.
FACE THE MUSIC
Kramer gives Frost two minutes to surrender. Allegra is ready to fight for Frost, but Barry tells her to calm down. He knows Chillblaine is the real killer and will hand him over along with the confession. Frost has another plan … she’s going to turn herself in. She says she has to answer for the crimes she committed before she joined Team Flash. Saving the world isn’t enough. to prove she really changed, she has to own up to her past. Allegra warns her about Iron Heights, but Frost says she has to do this. Frost promises to return and walks outside to face Kramer.
Caitlin is released and goes home. Cecile is trying to get Frost out on bail before her sentencing. Frost pleaded guilty to the crimes she committed before joining Team Flash, but her fate will be up to a judge. Chillblaine is in Iron Heights. Nora shows up and Barry apologizes to her for getting frustrated. He knows she’s not the Speed Force he’s used to interacting with. She’s something new and he wants to get to know her better. He calls her Nora and says he stopped glitching. Nora is fully healed. So now they can take on the Forces together.
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News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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