Watching this episode reminds me of Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. I mean sure it's expected because of time traveling, but it's a good episode.
30 Reviews
Similar storyline, but good none the less.
barlebovitz13 February 2019
I am beyond shocked by other people's reviews...
Kiiiraaa13 February 2019
Of this actually good episode. I must say, Legends did this whole thing a bit better because their episode was just sooo hilarious (the "Custodians of the Chronology ;)).
In this Episode we got to see Nora step up as a Flash and try to protect her friends without her father's help. It was very emotional, her acting was great. I felt just as desperate as she seemed to be feeling. Now.. What I don't understand. Y'all loved the Flashtime episode but you hate this one. Why exactly? I mean the plot is a bit different but both are basically about a speedster being desperate to save the people they love.
I can't help but feel like some of the Flash fandom is hating on women simply because they are women. Well, go find another show to watch because the CW shows are not about your misogynistic cr*p. First Iris gets all the hate, now it's Nora. (Shoutout to the CW for giving us all these awesome female characters in the Arrowverse. I wish I had had such badass female idols when growing up.)
The actress is doing a great job, the plot (which is about the West-Allens as a family and NOT Cicada, if you haven't noticed by now) and Nora is going through a lot of emotional distress just like Barry did in seasons 1 and 2. I personally love these emotional family scenes and have been loving them since season 1.
Furthermore, I do feel like we get to see so much of Nora because they are trying to set something up for the future (the producers of Arrowverse recently said something about the future) and I really hope we will get to see more of Nora in the future.
Now, to all of those who haven't seen the episode: it's worth watching even if LoT did it just a little bit better.
Much better episode than last week, but...
malcomturner-1912115 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Flash has never been better when it deals with time matters. Temporal distortions, travels to the past and future, temporal duplicates and how these phenomena impact the timelines of human beings, this is what make both the comics and this show so special and fascinating. From this point of view, this episode has not failed and stays faithful to its roots. I would definitely love to see more like this one.
That being said, we watched another problematic issue: the writers have given up to both accuracy and consistency! Nora has returned so many times in the past, saved one by one the characters from certain death, but surprisingly never once it affected the timeline. While Barry only once saved his mother from death and created Flashpoint with the dramatic consequences that we witnessed in the season 3. So what is the logic there? I wish at least there was a bit of an explanation to this. Like Eobard Thawne finding a way of returning to the past without changing the timeline thanks to the timecodes Nora sent to him in the future or something like that. But it does not seem to be the case and we will probably never get an answer.
That being said, we watched another problematic issue: the writers have given up to both accuracy and consistency! Nora has returned so many times in the past, saved one by one the characters from certain death, but surprisingly never once it affected the timeline. While Barry only once saved his mother from death and created Flashpoint with the dramatic consequences that we witnessed in the season 3. So what is the logic there? I wish at least there was a bit of an explanation to this. Like Eobard Thawne finding a way of returning to the past without changing the timeline thanks to the timecodes Nora sent to him in the future or something like that. But it does not seem to be the case and we will probably never get an answer.
Same as you meier..
nairossytbclems13 February 2019
I don't know why everyone hate this one ? Because I loved it, maybe some people don't like womans ? I mean I love barry but it's good to see her daughter more, I love her acting ( I saw some people say she can't act... ) if it was not related to Barry I will be mad but come on it's her daughter trying to save the day like flashtime when barry was trying to save the city from a nuclear bomb. I can agree on the fact that not everyone episode in this season 5 was good but most of them was and I don't understund why are they getting bad reviews.
Better than made out to be
jdtech13 February 2019
Best episode of the season
adilamjad14 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Though Cicada has been there for a long time without much progress and Nora has been constantly showing childish decisions, this episode brought two developments for Nora. First of all, she has started to realize that trusting Team Flash will get results. Secondly, Barry's talk with her at the end of the episode gave her a better chance to learn the repercussions of changing the timeline a lot. I think, we would be able to see a more mature XS in the remaining of the season.
Cicada also realized now that this is the 4th time he was not able to defeat Team Flash. He must come up with a better plan.
Cicada also realized now that this is the 4th time he was not able to defeat Team Flash. He must come up with a better plan.
I actually like where this is going
paulchristechgod22 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This show might not be able to gain back it's season 1 greatness but this season is bringing back it's vibe.This episode was mainly about Nora learning the consequences of time travel.IDK why people are whining soooo much about this character(I get it,she is annoying in a way),she is only going to stick around for some time because she is a very important part of the story.Grant Gustin(Barry)got married recently so it is highly unlikely table why he wasn't in the episode for long.One thing that is kinda bugging me about the ending of the episode is,well,we all know Thawne.His intentions might seem pure but something tells me that he is up to no good(Given that he is Flash's arch nemesis).There might be a chance that the 'The Timeline Is Malleable' thing goes waaay deeper than we expect.Nonetheless this episode was a good one.They crew should keep up the good work(Especially on the acting and the script).
Rating for the season 8.8/10
Rating for the season 8.8/10
Not entertaining enough!
garabedian12314 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I have never seen such a boring "groundhog" day scenario. Cisco was way way out of character just to fill up time. Only to say lesson learned kids...Be yourself.. It was a lame move. However the episode did get better as we moved along. It just was never funny...and it tried really hard to be. So we are back to throwing science out the window. Science that was put in place in the seasons before. Suddenly...going back in time does not cause duplicate Excesse's to show up...Yes..her Name is Excess...XS is short. She went back 52 times (odd number) since there are now 99 universes instead of 53.
But anyways. No duplicates..And Now suddenly, Cicada can teleport. He can teleport and fly but he never uses them in battle? Only to run away...WHY?
And as much as Nora should have changed the universe, there should be monkeys flying around...but nothing.
But anyways. No duplicates..And Now suddenly, Cicada can teleport. He can teleport and fly but he never uses them in battle? Only to run away...WHY?
And as much as Nora should have changed the universe, there should be monkeys flying around...but nothing.
A time loop is all I need to love Cicada again.
jaythezoomster12 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"Cause and XS" did it. It finally restored the feeling I had for Cicada in the first half back.
I'll get right into it, though. This is another episode where it felt like the end of the road for Cicada. I'm fine that it isn't, but it truly felt like another wrap up episode. I'm alright with that, though, as this episode finally made me enjoy him as much as I did prior.
I think this episode truly showed how deadly he is as a villain with seeing how he was able to always capture at least one member of the team and then kill them. It actually made me feel like a true villain after a few episodes of wondering why he was even still around. This episode and "Goldfaced" really have done a lot to make me enjoy Cicada again and I'm super thankful.
Everything else in this episode was fun, too! I loved the time loop aspect, some of the time Nora did feel a little dumb and juvenile but hey, who hasn't made a mistake that they wanted to fix on their own rather than admit it. The lack of Barry is a tad frustrating but Grant was getting married so i can't actually fault the episode for that.
"Cause and XS" is a fun time loop episode that is bolstered by truly showing that Cicada can be a credible threat. The episode is yet another set up for his departure but this time it's welcome for me that he stick around another episode or two.
I'll get right into it, though. This is another episode where it felt like the end of the road for Cicada. I'm fine that it isn't, but it truly felt like another wrap up episode. I'm alright with that, though, as this episode finally made me enjoy him as much as I did prior.
I think this episode truly showed how deadly he is as a villain with seeing how he was able to always capture at least one member of the team and then kill them. It actually made me feel like a true villain after a few episodes of wondering why he was even still around. This episode and "Goldfaced" really have done a lot to make me enjoy Cicada again and I'm super thankful.
Everything else in this episode was fun, too! I loved the time loop aspect, some of the time Nora did feel a little dumb and juvenile but hey, who hasn't made a mistake that they wanted to fix on their own rather than admit it. The lack of Barry is a tad frustrating but Grant was getting married so i can't actually fault the episode for that.
"Cause and XS" is a fun time loop episode that is bolstered by truly showing that Cicada can be a credible threat. The episode is yet another set up for his departure but this time it's welcome for me that he stick around another episode or two.
Too much XS!
asb_deutsch14 February 2019
PROS:
Nice to see the evil side of Cicada instead of being Papa John. This episode focuses more on Emotional Intelligence and the ending reminds me of Season 3. I don't want to go in for more details otherwise it will spoil the fun!
CONS:
Nora needs to grow up now! Because of her, the script-writers are slowing up things. No need to make this episode a Valentine's Day episode. Time to concentrate more on Cicada and press the pedal!
VERDICT:
My ratings (based on what I marked on IMDb): Season 1: 200/23 = 8.69; Season 2: 193/23= 8.23; Season 3: 188/23= 8.17; Season 4: 146/23= 6.65 and Season 5= 99/14 = 7.07 (This episode = 6.5/10)
What was the point?
zachary-wander18 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This episode could have been removed from the lineup with absolutely no effect.
Even as a standalone, it got boring after the first 15 minutes. Why didn't Nora just tell everyone right away instead of acting weird for 35 minutes?
Then they finally "defeat" Cicada, only for him to fly away with absolutely no plot development?
It feels like this episode just exists to extend the lineup.
Even as a standalone, it got boring after the first 15 minutes. Why didn't Nora just tell everyone right away instead of acting weird for 35 minutes?
Then they finally "defeat" Cicada, only for him to fly away with absolutely no plot development?
It feels like this episode just exists to extend the lineup.
I have one word for you.... TENET
spsameer23 September 2020
Ranking/Reviewing every Flash episode: Cause and XS
lbramson16 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
XS is stuck in a time loop where Cicada kills a different member of Team Flash everytime. I love time loops and this is no exception! While I think the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Here I Go Again" is better, but I still like this. This show did a better time loop episode in Season 9, but for what it is it's great! Nora is an underrated character and she's at her best in this episode which lacks Barry, but that's not a problem. Cicada is somehow very threatening and watching Nora's slow decent into madness is so intense! I love this episode! Certainly one of the best this season! Going under The Death of Vibe
8.5/10-Good!👍
8.5/10-Good!👍
Correction(not original review)
paulchristechgod22 February 2019
Sherloque: Well, we have everything we need. . .
breathedirt13 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Not exactly, as far as this episode goes, but I do like parts with Sherloque. Tom is a very good actor and as Sherloque investigating Nora helps add a bit of mystery to every episode. On the other hand, the script was slightly poorly written as I don't see any reason why Nora would rewrite her diary notes on the board first in her code and then next to each one of them wrote their corresponding English meanings (Cicada kidnapping, Cicada throws his dagger, failure, positions on the rooftop, point of impact, dagger trajectory etc.) only to help Sherloque get "everything he needed" to update his database and move closer to understanding the language used in Nora's diary. Boring and not-at-all-funny repetitive date scenes were, of course, inserted because of the approaching Valentine's Day which I can understand and I'm fine with, but the feminine agenda that is forced upon us by devoting most of the screen time to women is getting really annoying.
Nora's groundhog day
paultapner28 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Barry goes off to do technobabble things. Thus he's barely in this one and it's Nora's turn to mind the store.
When Cicada strikes, can she stop things going wrong?
And how will Cisco's date go?
A familiar concept - see the title - and there's nothing wrong with those played well. But this doesn't quite click.
Big problem is the Cisco stuff. Played for comedy which becomes horribly embarrassing and frankly I could hardly bring myself to watch it. Also, the writing forgets all about Sherlocuq's distraction last week as he's back on that case.
But whilst this doesn't do it for the first three acts, it suddenly clicks in the final quarter. Good scenes of people talking about feelings like grown ups are much better tv than silly comedy. Nora's increasing frustration is very well played. And there are some very good visuals of her running.
The moral of the week works quite well also.
Ultimately this one pulls itself together, but it's an effort to get there. Hang on in there with it and the pain will be rewarded.
A familiar concept - see the title - and there's nothing wrong with those played well. But this doesn't quite click.
Big problem is the Cisco stuff. Played for comedy which becomes horribly embarrassing and frankly I could hardly bring myself to watch it. Also, the writing forgets all about Sherlocuq's distraction last week as he's back on that case.
But whilst this doesn't do it for the first three acts, it suddenly clicks in the final quarter. Good scenes of people talking about feelings like grown ups are much better tv than silly comedy. Nora's increasing frustration is very well played. And there are some very good visuals of her running.
The moral of the week works quite well also.
Ultimately this one pulls itself together, but it's an effort to get there. Hang on in there with it and the pain will be rewarded.
Speed it up Flash
jacksutarno13 February 2019
This season has just failed me in every way. Cicada has been around for too long without barely any progress towards stopping him. It seems as if the writers ran out of ideas and are just giving us pointless 1 off episodes that don't mean anything to the season. I am sick and tired of Nora. She's been screwing up the entire season and it has gone beyond any comedic value, it is just annoying. I have never seen a show that has the title character barely in it. The flash is barely doing any flashing at all. This isn't a show about Nora and that's what it has become. They show Barry has crazy powers and yet he always seems to fail and need to be saved by Nora. And Iris...oh lord Iris can somehow do more damage to Cicada than Barry ever could. I have no problems with gender equality within the show but I just can't help the fact that the women have been the main focus over the title character, which just so happens to be a man (barry). Please writers bring back the Barry as the main character who actually does the saving rather than always letting Nora be the hero. Or you might as well call this show XS. Please move beyond cicada onto reverse flash storyline...because I'm beginning to lose faith
Nora, spoiled, very stupid kid
veljkoflash13 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This character Nora is soooo annoying, whole season sucks because of her. I mean, she can't wait an hour??? She does time travel when she wants.... I thought that there were some rules here
... Cisco is soo stupid with women? Episode fail.
Kinda wish this season was over in a Flash
stuartwilson29113 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
After the start of this season it has been the same thing day in day out with no real progression. The story of Nora coming back to see her dad got old quicker than The Flash can run, to the point that seeing her whine an not know what to do is making me wonder where it all went wrong. The Character could have an interesting back story but this episode of her running back in time every few minutes and seeing her face show about as much real emotion as the Twilight films drew the line at how low this series has been. I hope this improves otherwise the show will be over in a Flash
not a very good episode
magdi_iovi18 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
.... i suppose it would have been to complicated for Nora to just tell everybody what was going to happen, like, the second time, so that everybody worked as a team to stop Cicada by a surprise attack that he wouldn't expect. or take Cecille to star labs as well
Also, how can XS be too slow to save everybody. I mean sure, she can turn back time but she can't save two people.
Also, when she reversed time in the end, shouldn't she have gone back with it too? how exactly did they help her overcome that? no explanation regardless, they could have done this the 2nd time
Also, why does Cisco have to play so stupid??? And why is Kamilla so rude in all their dates, well except the last one, where she goes back to being a nice person. why should she get so bothered by Cisco mixing their coffee mugs, it's not that big of a deal, and since when are the waitresses SO RUDE to clients. I hate it when the writers change people's personalities and make unusual and very much unlikely stuff happen just for the sake of a scene. but then of course
Also, aren't these deja vu episodes getting a bit old, but if u are going to do one, at least do it right. I could go on but I've made my points
worst ep of the season, and not just because Grant Gustin is not in it a lot
Also, how can XS be too slow to save everybody. I mean sure, she can turn back time but she can't save two people.
Also, when she reversed time in the end, shouldn't she have gone back with it too? how exactly did they help her overcome that? no explanation regardless, they could have done this the 2nd time
Also, why does Cisco have to play so stupid??? And why is Kamilla so rude in all their dates, well except the last one, where she goes back to being a nice person. why should she get so bothered by Cisco mixing their coffee mugs, it's not that big of a deal, and since when are the waitresses SO RUDE to clients. I hate it when the writers change people's personalities and make unusual and very much unlikely stuff happen just for the sake of a scene. but then of course
Also, aren't these deja vu episodes getting a bit old, but if u are going to do one, at least do it right. I could go on but I've made my points
worst ep of the season, and not just because Grant Gustin is not in it a lot
Too much of XS
paoloeuvrard7 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I have it with this season. Nora is an annoying brat, she spoil the whole season and somehow is kept in the center of every episode. Barry seems incapable to stop Cicada, even if he could have done it 10 times already. Overall this season feel stretched like a butter scraped over too much bread, as they say in LOTR. They could have done it within 10 episodes, no need to try and make 23 of them.
Emotional intelligence of all characters dialed down to zero.
rossdanbruen25 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Why couldn't Cisco pick up basic context clues from his date's questions to know she wasn't feeling it. Why couldn't Iris say "he threw his boomerang dagger!" in the 8 seconds she had after they got to the roof? Everyone should know about Nora's time ability. Why can't she have said after the very first time, "Hey, I saw 8 hours into the future, Iris gets captured and... Let's formulate a plan to completely prevent that now that we know he's after us."
Instead, it's only at the 26 minute mark that Nora begs them to give up their plans, and for no reason. What ethics are her concern when she's trying to stop a criminal from murdering them later that night?
At 29:30, it's only Cisco's powers that get her to do what she should've done from the start. My last question: Why did the writers set up Nora to be the most hated character on the show? Nearly everything they could do wrong, they have.
It feels like they're writing for the last 10 minutes of any episode, and they don't care how we get there or if it makes any sense. She didn't need to fail on her own 52 times to get to the plan they used, even if that was the only plan they could. I like Barry Allen well enough, but I ultimately don't care who does the running. Writers made her an insufferable idiot for the first half hour, and they wonder why she's not a popular character.
Instead, it's only at the 26 minute mark that Nora begs them to give up their plans, and for no reason. What ethics are her concern when she's trying to stop a criminal from murdering them later that night?
At 29:30, it's only Cisco's powers that get her to do what she should've done from the start. My last question: Why did the writers set up Nora to be the most hated character on the show? Nearly everything they could do wrong, they have.
It feels like they're writing for the last 10 minutes of any episode, and they don't care how we get there or if it makes any sense. She didn't need to fail on her own 52 times to get to the plan they used, even if that was the only plan they could. I like Barry Allen well enough, but I ultimately don't care who does the running. Writers made her an insufferable idiot for the first half hour, and they wonder why she's not a popular character.
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