Nora joins the Young Rogues, but for a good cause, in the latest Flash

It was just two weeks ago Barry sent his future daughter Nora packing back to the future, but now she’s back with a mission all her own — one powered by some dark, evil Negative Speed Force powers.

Spoilers ahead for “Gone Rogue,” the latest episode of The Flash, which aired Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

This season is taking some turns that are absolutely fascinating — though I’m still holding my breath in regard to how it’s going to pay off. Either they’re setting up a redemption arc for Future Thawne or he’s just back to his old tricks and trying to mess with the Allen family in a new and twisted way. Whatever it is, though — I am so there for it.

The mysterious story of Thawne’s possible rehabilitation plays out through the lens of Nora’s return to the present day. Under Thawne’s tutelage, she’s tapped into the Negative Speed Force to return to the present for a mission that finds her recruiting a few of the Young Rogues for a heist of a bunch of dangerous, high-tech weaponry. It plays out as a red herring, thankfully, and we come to find out Nora hasn’t really gone bad — she’s just using the Rogues (or at least trying to use them) to steal a piece of tech that is supposed to be capable of actually destroying Cicada’s dagger.

We still don’t know the full story of why Nora is so committed to destroying this dagger (it's been hinted it could be tied to Barry’s future disappearance, but we’ve never gotten any true clarity on that up to this point). Regardless, her mission actually succeeded in getting the weapon, though she was betrayed by the Rogues and had to be rescued by Team Flash along the way. Barry makes up with Nora and, more importantly, actually comes to the realization he might’ve acted too harshly when he learned Nora was working with Future Thawne.

Iris actually pleads Thawne’s case a bit, telling Barry it was Thawne who encouraged her to return back to the present and reconcile with Barry. She thinks Nora might’ve actually made an impact on Thawne, and maybe this plan — which originated with Thawne and has been executed by Nora — might actually be the key to saving Cicada. Again, I’m really curious where they’re taking this story. Bringing a semi-redeemed Thawne into the mix could be a whole lot of fun, if that’s the direction they’re looking.

Assorted musings

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Ralph thinking Caitlin might have a crush on him was hilarious. And brutal. Let’s go with hilariously brutal.

Though she was apparently playing it as the means to an end for her mission, Nora really did come off as menacing after kidnapping Cisco and Sherloque. When she goes red-eyed and threatens to phase out Cisco? Yeah, that was an old-school Thawne move.

Rag Doll remains the most unsettling Flash villain to date. Can confirm.

Cicada 2.0’s master plan also comes into focus this week — she’s stolen the metahuman cure and weaponized it into something that can be used to kill every metahuman in the city. Not a bad Bad Guy Endgame, and it certainly puts a good ticking clock on the final two episodes of the season.

With the Crisis hitting next season, it’ll be interesting what happens with Nora long-term. Will she willingly return home once the Cicada case is solved by season’s end? Or will she stick around next season, too? 

Next week: The team goes into full-on Cicada search mode to try and avert her pending apocalypse.