The Flash “Therefore She Is” Review

Now that finding all the bus metas is out of the way, I’ve gotta say I’m more interested in the episodes now since it’s not the same repeated plotline. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. It gave us a lot of answers, including Marlize’s reasoning for helping her husband, what “the enlightenment” is, and who the mystery girl we keep seeing is. It also brought the team one step closer to possibly defeating DeVoe.

Keep reading to see what went down.

The Enlightenment

As I stated, “Therefore She Is” gives us more insight as to why Marlize sticks by her husband’s evil plan. It does this while simultaneously revealing exactly what “The Enlightenment” that DeVoe has been going on about is in a series of flashbacks of the couple. The first is of a debate when they were professors at Oxford, not yet a couple. In fact, they butted heads over whether technology is good for society or not. Marlize argues that advancing technology will have a positive impact, while Clifford argues it will only be destructive.

Jump to a flashback of their first date and then to them moving in together. While Clifford steps out, Marlize starts unpacking and finds a journal of Clifford’s. Curious, she reads it and is surprised and disturbed by her findings. Clifford had detailed plans of essentially rebooting humanity by taking away human intelligence to the point of forgetting any technological advancements. When Clifford returns, Marlize confronts him about his plans and ends up walking out on him.Instead of shacking up with Clifford, Marlize went to Kenya to design new technology that helps communities access clean water. Just as she goes to tell the locals that it works, Clifford calls, begging for her to come back and claiming he’s nothing without her. The call gets cut short, however, as her camp gets bombed by people who wanted the new technology. When she comes to with a broken arm, Clifford is by her side. It’s then that she realizes maybe Clifford wasn’t wrong after all, and so she joins the plan of “the enlightenment.”

The whole “enlightenment” plan is so ironic considering how much technology they’re using to make it happen. Case in point, in the present, they’re stealing advanced tech to create more advanced tech.

Operation Distract Cecile

Meanwhile at STAR Labs, the team noticed that something’s up with Harry, forcing him to confess about losing his intelligence. They all vow to help him figure out how to get it back. In the meantime, however, he doesn’t feel like much help and Joe enlists him to distract Cecile for a couple hours. He’s a planning surprise, and since she can read everyone’s minds, no one else can do it since they know the surprise.While doing so, Cecile notices that the more he uses his brain, the faster his thoughts disappear. Then she also realizes that she can hear his complete thoughts before they disappear. So, basically, she’s going to be his sidekick for a while, I’m assuming. Together, they realize DeVoe’s plan to zap the Earth with dark matter to make humanity unintelligent.

Never Mix Business with Pleasure

Remember how Gypsy’s dad offered Cisco a job alongside her? Yeah well, he still hasn’t given an answer about it, nor has he told the team about the offer. It’s obviously weighing on him, especially this week. As mentioned above, Clifford and Marlize are stealing advance tech from places, and while the team has managed to collect some of the objects from other possible scenes, they still can’t get ahead of DeVoe – as usual.

Barry wants Cisco to vibe DeVoe, but Cisco has to remind him that it’s not a great idea seeing that last time he got blasted against a wall. Then Barry gets the brilliant idea for Cisco and Gypsy to co-vibe and possibly not get thrown across the room. Cisco, of course, isn’t too keen on the idea because of the whole job offer thing.Gypsy still comes in, though, and they manage to vibe DeVoe to a shipping yard. Unfortunately, because they aren’t on the same page, they vibe the wrong shipping container. They argue, which leads to Barry overhearing about the job offer. Barry being Barry, meddles and tries to get the two back on the same page so they can co-vibe DeVoe again. Once again, it doesn’t work out in their favor and they both get blasted. Iris has to give her hubby one of her speeches and advises him not to meddle, but let the couple work it out on their own.

Gyspy and Cisco finally talk about the job offer, and both blurt out that neither want Cisco to accept it. Cisco is torn because he doesn’t want to leave the team, but he also wants more with his girlfriend. He doesn’t want to be Earths apart anymore, but he also wouldn’t ask her to leave her life on her Earth either. After the showdown, Cisco follows Gypsy back to Earth 19 where they sadly break things off. ☹

“You’re nothing without me.”

Realizing that the DeVoes will try steal quantum computers, The Flash, Gypsy and Vibe suit up to stop them. At first, Barry and Gypsy have the upper hand until Marlize attacks Cisco. This allows Clifford to take Barry out and start to strangle Gypsy. Unsurprisingly to me, Marlize manages to convince him to stop.

You see, throughout the couple’s thieving escapades, Marlize was visibly disturbed by the pleasure her husband got from killing security guards to get what he wants. Now, Marlize refuses to watch him do it again. However, Clifford being more powerful than ever, compels her to watch and hurts the same arm that was injured in Kenya. Thankfully, she talks him down from killing Gypsy.

When the couple returns to the lair, Marlize is using Clifford’s thinking chair to help heal her arm. She uses this as an opportunity to trap him in a force field wall. She then informs him that she’s no longer helping him with his plan. Clifford tries to argue, but she throws some of his own words back in his face before leaving, “You’re nothing without me.” YESSS, GIRL!

A Baby Shower and the Mystery Girl

As it turns out, Joe’s surprise for Cecile is a baby shower! Aw! The whole team, minus Harry (I wonder where he is), is there. Cisco is feeling bummed about his break up with Gypsy. When Barry tries to talk to him about it, he kind of shrugs him off. Elsewhere in the room, Iris tries to talk to Caitlin about how they’ll get Killer Frost back, but Caitlin shrugs her off as well by saying she’ll figure it out on her own. Um… kind of rude, Caitlin. What do you have against your team helping you now?

The doorbell rings (or maybe there’s a knock), and it’s the mystery girl that everyone believes is Barry and Iris’ future kid. She has an anonymous baby gift for Cecile. She rambles about precious time and even knows Cecile’s exact due date, but disappears before Iris comes to the door to see who it is. She hides at the end of the hall, a little glum, before flashing off with purple and yellow lighting – aka Barry and Iris’ speedster streak colors. So, is that finally our confirmation that she’s Dawn Allen??

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c!