Plastique

For the eponymous character, see Bette Sans Souci.

"For a guy who has experienced his fair share of mysteries, one mystery I still can't figure out is why some people come into our lives. Why some people go, and others become a part of you. Some friendships feel like they'll last forever. And others end far too soon. Not every friendship is meant to last a lifetime. What does last forever is the pain when that person is gone."

—Barry Allen

"Plastique"
Information
Season 1 » Episode 5
Episode number	5 of 184
Original airdate	November 11, 2014
Written by	Aaron Helbing Todd Helbing Brooke Eikmeier
Directed by	Dermott Downs
Chronology
Preceded by	"Going Rogue"
Followed by	"The Flash is Born"

"Plastique" is the fifth episode of the first season of The Flash, and the fifth episode overall. It aired on November 11, 2014.

Synopsis

After a bomb explodes in downtown Central City, a cabal of Army soldiers, led by General Eiling, arrives at CCPD and takes over the case, much to Joe's surprise. Suspicious, Joe tells Barry that he and his friends at S.T.A.R. Labs should look into the Army's involvement. Wells informs the team that Eiling was experimenting on his men to turn them into super soldiers. Cisco confirms one of Eiling's soldiers, Bette Sans Souci, was at the bomb site. The Flash tracks her down and realizes that she's not setting off the bombs, she is a meta-human who can blow things up just by touching them. Meanwhile, when Joe learns Iris is writing about "The Streak", he tells Barry to make her stop. Barry realizes Iris won't listen to him so he decides to have The Flash pay her a visit.[src]

Cast

Starring

• Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Streak
• Candice Patton as Iris West
• Danielle Panabaker as Dr. Caitlin Snow
• Rick Cosnett as Detective Eddie Thawne
• Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
• Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Harrison Wells
• Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West

Special guest star

• Clancy Brown as General Wade Eiling

Guest starring

• Kelly Frye as Bette Sans Souci/Plastique
• Patrick Sabongui as Captain David Singh

Co-starring

• Jan Bos as Dr. Hadley
• Fulvio Cecere as Officer Vukuvich
• Mike Mitchell as Security Guard

Plot

Caitlin, Iris, Cisco, Barry and Eddie are out drinking together. During the night, Barry tells Caitlin and Cisco that the shots of alcohol aren't affecting him like they do the others.

Meanwhile, across town, a security guard finds out that someone has broken into the building. He holds a girl at gunpoint but she detonates a bomb before fleeing the scene. A worker on a damaged scaffolding is about to fall to the ground.

When Eddie receives a call about a bombing, the night breaks up and Barry rushes off to be The Flash. He calls Caitlin and Cisco to figure out how fast he would have to run to save the worker by running up the building.

Iris gets out of a cab to witness a blur and watches as Barry rushes up the building and saves the man. She then sees The Flash but doesn't see his face due to his speed.

The next morning, Barry and the police go to the crime scene to figure out who the bomber was and what happened. Barry then is left alone to look through files and he speed-reads through everything.

Returning to the precinct, Eddie and Joe learn that the Army is taking over the case. Captain Singh tells them to hand over the evidence to General Eiling. At that moment, Barry returns and is ordered to surrender all relevant information. However, using his speed, he steals a file to be able to look into it. Not long after, Joe learns that Iris had gone to the bombing site and confronts his daughter, asking why she was there. Iris answers that she was there due to The Streak.

Joe tries approaching those at S.T.A.R. Labs, showing the file to Cisco and Caitlin along with Harrison. Harrison tells them some information and Cisco learns that the bomber was Bette Sans Souci, a soldier formerly under General Eiling's command.

Barry heads out to track down Bette. During their encounter, she touches him and he rushes to remove the suit which soon blows up. Afterward, he returns to S.T.A.R. Labs without the suit. Barry reluctantly tells Cisco that the suit he had been wearing prior exploded. Joe shows up to hear the tale. Joe then asks Barry aside and asks him about Iris seeing The Streak. Joe is worried about Iris figuring out Barry's secret. He is then sent to talk to Iris. Barry tries to dissuade her from writing about The Streak. However, Iris gets upset with him for it.

After finding where Bette will be, Barry rushes off. Bette approaches a doctor and is upset for being turned into a meta-human. Outside the building, Bette is targeted by General Eiling. His men shoot at her, but Barry rushes her to safety before the soldiers can get inside.

Bette learns from Harrison and the others about the particle accelerator explosion. Bette admits that she thought it was Eiling who had changed her. The S.T.A.R. Labs team then studies her body to figure out how to help her. Caitlin tells her that they call people like her "meta-human." She discovers that Bette had been tagged with a tracking device. Eiling and his men are en route, so Barry has to remove her from the building. Harrison stalls the general, briefly allowing Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and Bette to leave the lab.

Cisco comes up with the name "Plastique." Barry tells her that he uses his powers to help people. He then receives a call from Joe about Iris posting an article about The Streak with her name attached.

Iris is at work when Barry shows up as The Flash. He alters his voice to talk to her without revealing his identity. He uses his speed to help her clean before taking her to the roof. While speeding around in the darkness so she can't see his true face behind the mask, The Flash tells her to stop writing about him but Iris refuses to quit her web blog.

Barry returns to S.T.A.R. Labs and learns with Bette about how she can't be unspliced with the shrapnel in her body along with the powers now being a part of her. Barry thinks Bette should join the team but Caitlin says that she is too unstable. Barry, however, believes that they saved him and that Bette needed someone.

Barry heads to his lab and spots Joe inside. He tells him what happened and how he vibrated his voice to talk to Iris. When Barry says he tells Iris everything, Joe tells him that he knows about Barry crushing on Iris for years as Iris was oblivious.

Bette and Harrison talk about how they would do anything to get back what they lost. Manipulating the Army veteran, Wells suggests that she needs to kill General Eiling before going home. She then departs on her new mission.

Barry heads to S.T.A.R. Labs and finds Cisco and Caitlin but Bette isn't with them. Instead, she is at the waterfront to confront General Eiling, determined to kill him. Barry manages to stop Bette but Eiling shoots her shortly afterward. As she is dying, Bette says Harrison's name but is unable to finish what she was trying to say. Her body begins glowing, about to detonate like a large bomb. Barry's only recourse is to take Bette out to sea before she blows up. After dropping her in the water, he runs faster than ever before to keep ahead of the massive shockwave.

In the aftermath, Eiling lies to the media about what happened, claiming the explosion was an underwater weapons test. Barry is saddened about losing Bette but is slightly cheered up about the fact that he is fast enough to run on water.

Barry returns home to talk to Iris. He tells her vaguely about what happened with Bette and tells her that he was worried and wanted her to stop. She asks him directly and he doesn't say anything at first. He then lies and says that he finally put his family behind him but Iris refuses as she wants the world to believe in The Streak. Barry suggests they shouldn't see each other for a while and Iris agrees.

Barry heads to a bar and orders multiple club sodas. Caitlin and Cisco find him. Caitlin gives Barry a vial of high suspension alcohol to help him get buzzed. It works, but only for a few moments. Joe returns home and finds Iris focusing on her blog, upset about Barry.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Harrison hears a beep and spots that he has a visitor of Eiling. The general proposes to Dr. Wells that they work together again. When he refuses, Eiling makes a veiled threat to Wells, who makes a counter-threat with exposure to the press. An angered Dr. Wells also delivers an ultimatum, suggesting that he will end more than Eiling's career.

In a flashback to five years before, General Eiling and Dr. Wells have a heated argument. The latter will not have "him" subjected to cruelty. Wells dissolves their partnership and orders Eiling to get out. As he leaves, Harrison heads over to the subject previously under discussion, a gorilla in a cage marked "Grodd."

Trivia

• This episode is tied with Things You Can't Outrun as the lowest rated episode of Season 1 with a rating of 7.9 on IMDb.
• Detective Joe West says "So, human bomb. Must be Tuesday in Central City", referring to the fact that the show airs on Tuesdays.
• Barry talks to Bette about a friend who told him that he was chosen for these powers, referencing to the talk Barry and Oliver Queen had in Star City in "Pilot".
• Caitlin tries to make Barry a specially made cocktail so his body can't metabolize it faster but is unsuccessful as it only lasts for a couple of seconds (she claims that it's roughly 500 proof, although that is impossible; 200 proof is 100%). In The Flash season 4 episode "Girls Night Out", Cisco successfully makes a drink for Barry's bachelor party that allows him to stay drunk longer.
• "Plastique" is also an episode name in Smallville.
  • Interestingly, Jessica Parker Kennedy who would portray Nora West-Allen in The Flash, played the titular character in the show.
• The cage at the end is a reference to the super-intelligent ape, Gorilla Grodd.

Gallery

Videos

The Flash 1x05 Promo "Plastique" (HD)

Promo

The Flash 1x05 Extended Promo "Plastique" (HD)