A heartbreaking death and a terrifying doppelgänger twist in the latest Flash

This episode was relatively light on Barry and Iris, as the dynamic duo headed off for a beach vacation before the Crisis arrives. But, there was still plenty of drama for the heroes left behind.

Spoilers ahead for “Kiss Kiss Breach Breach,” the latest episode of The CW’s Flash, which aired Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.

After Barry make it clear to Cisco he wanted him to run the team in his pending absence post-Crisis, he used his vacation as a chance to test the waters over how things might run once he’s gone. It’s a bit rocky, but as expected, Cisco works out the kinks. Cisco is still struggling with his confidence as a leader, so he literally builds an AI based on Barry’s personality to make decisions for him (yeah, it’s pretty on the nose). His AI, and own will, is quickly tested when Breacher shows up unexpectedly to drop some tragic news.

Gypsy’s dead, and her killer is still at large.

So Breacher, Cisco and Camilla team up to solve the mystery and figure out who killed Gypsy, and why it happened here on Earth-1. After plenty of sci-fi McGuffins, Cisco manages to recreate Gypsy’s final moments to reveal the killer: Cisco. Breacher tells him he could be suffering from breach psychosis for giving up his powers, and for a second there, Cisco really does start to believe he might have actually murdered his former live during a blackout state. But yeah, this is a multiverse with plenty of doppelgangers. Cisco figures out his tech has been hacked by someone exactly as good as him, meaning another Cisco out there is causing all this trouble.

The CW

Enter Echo, an alternate Cisco who markets in stolen multiversal identities. Gypsy had been tracking him for a while, not realizing he was a doppelganger of Cisco. So, when she finally unmasked him, she froze just enough to allow Echo to get the drop on her and literally disintegrate her into dust. It’s obviously a lot for Cisco to deal with, but he figures it out and sets a trap for Echo, trapping him with his own weapon and turning him over to the multiverse authorities. 

Though killing Gypsy, especially off-screen, could’ve come off as clunky, this story really does work (for the most part) thanks to the execution. It gives some closure to Cisco’s first love, establishes Camilla as a smart, capable woman in her own right, and allows Cisco to realize he’s grown to a point where he can love again. It’s tragic, because Gypsy was awesome, but this does put a bookend on her story and set the stage for Cisco to have a true, serious relationship again.

As for the rest of Team Flash, Joe tracks the new Wells, aka Nash, to his underground dig site where he’s trying to find the Monitor. The two are accidentally caved in, but the emergency gives the two a bit of time to bond, and helped peel back a few layers on this swashbuckling version of Wells. He’s obviously been on his own for a while, and can’t fathom how Joe has faith in his team to find them, to the point he almost blows them both up in a last ditch attempt to escape. Thankfully, Dibny figured out Joe was missing and tracked them down, using his Elongated Man abilities to clear a path for them (and some oxygen) fairly quickly.

As for Killer Frost, she makes one last ditch effort to appeal to Ramsey’s better angels, but is nearly killed in the process. Ramsey has spent his time off screen learning to master his new zombie-making black-goo blood powers, and offers Caitlin a chance to join him. When she declines, he goes mad — and promises their next meeting won’t end with a choice.

Up next: Nash thinks he may have a way to help save Barry. Oh, and Barry and Dibny do their best James Bond impression, but remember, the show is on hiatus until Nov. 19.