The Flash Reborn

"I just... I can't tell you... how I feel, Iris. It's like... everything that was wrong in my life. The pain, my past, my mistakes, it's all just washed away, and all I see is you, and us, and our future together. Iris, it's gonna be great."

—Barry Allen

"The Flash Reborn"
Information
Season 4 » Episode 1
Episode number	70 of 184
Original airdate	October 10, 2017
Written by	Teleplay by: Todd Helbing Eric Wallace Story by: Andrew Kreisberg
Directed by	Glen Winter
Guest stars
Danielle Nicolet as Cecille Horton Kim Engelbrecht as Marlize DeVoe Britne Oldford as Shawna Baez/Peek-a-Boo
Chronology
Preceded by	"Finish Line"
Followed by	"Mixed Signals"

"The Flash Reborn" is the first episode of the fourth season of The Flash, and the seventieth episode overall. It aired on October 10, 2017.

Synopsis

With Barry in the speed force, Iris, Kid Flash, Joe and Vibe have taken over protecting Central City. However, when a powerful armored villain threatens to level the city if The Flash doesn't appear, Cisco makes a risky decision to break Barry out of the speed force. However, the Barry that comes out isn't the same Barry that went in.

Video

The Flash 4x01 Sneak Peek "The Flash Reborn" (HD) Season 4 Episode 1 Sneak Peek

The Flash The Flash Reborn Scene The CW

The Flash 4x01 Sneak Peek 3 "The Flash Reborn" (HD) Season 4 Episode 1 Sneak Peek 3

Trivia

• This episode takes place 6 months after the events of "Finish Line".
• This is the third episode of the series not to feature Tom Cavanagh.
• This is the first episode of the series to use a new title card.
• This is the first on-screen appearance of Shawna Baez since "Rogue Air".
• Barry's spectacular return from the Speed Force and his apparent confused state of mind while reuniting with Team Flash in the CCPD precinct somewhat resembles the Season 4 premiere of Smallville, entitled "Crusade". The latter episode features the return of protagonist Clark Kent from a several-month-long imprisonment in another plane of existence alongside some temporary personality changes.

• After Barry returns from the Speed Force, he quotes numerous lines from the past and the future:
  • When he was trying to convince Joe that his father didn't kill his mother in a flashback from "Fastest Man Alive".
  • When he reminded "Harrison Wells" that the latter said the city was safe and there was no danger, which wasn't true in "Pilot".
  • When he explained the particle accelerator to Iris in "Pilot".
  • When he told Oliver that he's not sure he can be a hero like him in "Pilot".
  • When he told his mother that he and his father are okay when he traveled back in time to save her in "Fast Enough".
  • When he sang the line "Every Hour, Every Minutes" in his song to Iris in "Duet".
  • When he was trying to convince Judge Hankerson that he was innocent of Clifford DeVoe's murder in "The Trial of The Flash" (which happens in the future).
  • When he told Iris that their future daughter, Nora West-Allen, shouldn't be in this time in "Nora" (which happens in the future).
• Near the start of the episode, when the Samuroid first appears, Cisco jokingly calls him "Mifune". This is a reference to the famed Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, well known for his work with Kurosawa (above) and also referenced in the animated series Soul Eater and Naruto.
  • Cisco also mockingly nicknames the Samuroid as "Samurai Jackass", before going back on his suggestion. This is a reference to the animated series Samurai Jack.
• Wally refers to the Samuroid as Kurosawa, referencing famous Japanese film director and screenwriter, Akira Kurosawa.
• Cisco claims to have "made a few slight modifications" to the Speed Force bazooka, making note of his reference to the well-known phrase by Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise.
• When needing to wake Barry up, Cisco thinks of playing Poker Face by Lady Gaga, which was the same song Barry previously woke up to in "Pilot".
• Cisco suggests that Barry's time may have given him the answers to "life, the universe, and everything", referencing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
  • Caitlin follows this up by joking that the symbols Barry is drawing is his way of giving "42" to the prior question, a reference to its occurrence in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• Killer Frost references the Hulk with the phrase "Don't make me frosty. You wouldn't like me when I'm frosty."
• This is the second time that The Flash's new suit appeared in the series. The first time was in the episode "The Once and Future Flash", which is worn by Barry's future self in 2024.
• Cisco exclaims, "Great Caesar's ghost!", a phrase popularly used by DC character Perry White, and "Excelsior", the catchphrase of Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee.
  • The former phrase was used on the same night in the DC's Legends of Tomorrow episode "Aruba-Con" by Martin Stein.
• Cisco mentions that Felicity Smoak and Curtis Holt were among those who helped him modify the Speed Force bazooka. This confirms that Felicity and Curtis were among the survivors of the Lian Yu explosions in the Arrow Season 5 finale.