‘The Flash’ Season 4, Episode 14 ‘Subject 9’ Recap: The Sound of Sweet Pain [SPOILERS]

The Flash is free and back to save the day. Last episode, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) broke out of the meta-prison, along with four other metahumans. Unfortunately, Clifford DeVoe (Sugar Lyn Beard) came just in time to stop them and take their powers, killing them in the process. Now, Barry and the gang look for another bus meta, Izzy Bowin (Miranda McDougall), and try to convince her to join Team Flash.

The Flash Unemployed

“Subject 9” begins with Barry, fresh-faced and happy, entering the Central City Police Department precinct. He’s greeted with snubs and frowns as soon as he exits the elevator. When he goes to Captain Singh’s (Patrick Sabongui) office, he finds out that not everyone is happy for him to be back. In a city full of metahumans, it’s still hard to believe that Clifford DeVoe, a “dead man,” is alive and well. The captain tells Barry to take an indefinite leave of absence, an order by Mayor Van Buren (Kendall Cross). Singh says he can only come back when it’s a hundred percent sure that DeVoe is alive.
When he tells Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) and Iris (Candice Patton) about what happened at the precinct, Ralph (Hartley Sawyer) and Cisco (Carlos Valdes) come in with a lost and found box from the 405 bus where the people turned into metahumans. In it, he sees his retainer (and puts it in his mouth, gross) and a CD with “Izzy Bowin” written on it. They listen to it and country music blasts from their speakers. Ralph, who apparently hates country, described it as “music’s tone-deaf step-child.” Vibing, Cisco tracks her down to a bar called Busted Saddle Saloon where she’s performing.

DeVoe is weak and finding The Fiddler

Meanwhile, in his lair, DeVoe and his wife watch Izzy, one of his “creations.” DeVoe seems unimpressed by her and tells Marlize (Kim Engelbrecht) she lacks refinement. As he explains that he is not “awed by symphonic greatness,” he collapses. Apparently, the body of Becky Sharpe is too weak to handle the amount of dark matter the both of them possess.
Even if Izzy was not ready, they had to move on to her. They lacked time. Unluckily for them, Ralph and Barry got to her first. After the show, Ralph and Barry approach Izzy, warning her she’s in danger. When they say she has powers, she starts to listen. She wouldn’t give in, telling them she’s been living alone all her life and can handle herself. She used her sonic powers on them and fled. With Barry’s and Ralph’s injured but healing ears, Cisco finds out that Izzy can control sound waves.
Unable to track down Izzy, Ralph, using his private investigator skills, suggest checking her website. After small fit from Cisco (because no one did that in the first place), they find her in Saloon Sounds. The Flash, Vibe and The Elongated Man pay her another visit. After a while, DeVoe in his new tiny body arrives. He uses Killgore’s power to make Vibe’s glove go berserk and knocks the three guys down in one blow. Izzy—later called “The Fiddler” by DeVoe–uses her powers and renders DeVoe defenseless, forcing his wife to pick him up.
In the lab, Team Flash explain who DeVoe is and what his plans are, but Izzy has none of it. She storms out, and Ralph follows her out. Having been gone through what she’s going through, he tells Izzy that the people in the lab are the reason for him being back on his feet. With that, he convinces her to stay.

The Fiddler in training

Instead of just protecting her, Barry wants to train her. With her power, she is the only one who can weaken DeVoe.
Iris gives her a fiddle to concentrate her power. She uses Ralph as target practice and nearly blows him away. After a few hours of training, Izzy gets tired and starts to miss Ralph. When it was Barry’s turn to test her using moving targets, she gets them all. But Izzy also gets a cut on her arm, needing a few stitches. Izzy leaves, thinking that she can handle DeVoe on her own—plus she’s tired of Barry breathing down her neck.

After a talk with Cecile, Harry gets an idea to use the MAD 2.0—now called the cerebral inhibitor—to disrupt not only inbound brain activity but also outbound brain activity. Barry remembers his talk with the future him, saying the cerebral inhibitor will be used to fight DeVoe. This instance gives them hope.
Ralph informs them of Izzy’s departure. Cisco vibes her, seeing her in the warehouse district, taunting and calling out to DeVoe. Unfortunately, DeVoe sees him and ferociously pushed him away.

Harry wants some older friends

Harry Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is back from Earth-2 and bumps into Cecile at Jitters, the coffee shop. When he tells her caffeine is not suitable for someone carrying another human inside them, she starts to rant about how she can hear Joe’s (Jesse L. Martin) dreams, and that she needs the coffee. Harry offers to build her something to help with that.
The next day, Cecile pays Harry an angry visit. His device did help her block out Joe’s dreams, but it weighed 10 pounds, and she couldn’t sleep. Next, they fight–verbally, of course. Harry was sarcastically saying that he used state of the art technology, but only forgot to make things comfortable. And in old Harry fashion, she also throws wrenches. Cecile uses her mom-voice and asks what’s wrong with him. “I’m frustrated,” Harry says. Reading his angry thoughts, Cecile thrusts the Mental Activity Dampener and walks away.
After cooling down, it’s Harry’s turn to visit Cecile. But he isn’t bursting with anger. Instead, he apologizes and gives Cecile a tiny device. It’s the Mental Activity Dampener 2.0. Harry also tells Cecile that he wants to be friends, seeing the need for more adult friends in his life. Apparently, Harry is also going through a lot. He can’t find a way to stop DeVoe, and he can’t find a way for Jessie not to hate him.
Cecile invites him in so they can talk, but his mind drifts to plans and ideas for the MAD 2.0, which she reads and encourages him to do it now.

Another day, another body

The Flash and the Elongated Man arrive just in time to save Izzy. Sadly, DeVoe used Dominic’s powers to give Barry an aneurysm and throws a dumpster on Ralph.

Just as DeVoe turned around, Izzy stuck the cerebral inhibitor his forehead. This was all but useful when he used Killgore’s power to fry the device. He blocks Barry and Ralph out and transfers himself to Izzy’s body. Ralph, feeling something different for Izzy, calls out to her and tells her to just look at him. But it was too late.

Ralph’s road to revenge.

Back at the lab, Cisco figures out where DeVoe’s hideout is. It’s everywhere, which makes it easy for him to teleport in and out if places. He explains to the team that the lair is in a pocket dimension.
After beautifully playing the fiddle to his wife, DeVoe says they have a few more subjects to locate.
Barry finds Ralph in his office, drinking his sadness away and listening to Izzy’s song. Barry gives Ralph the chance to take time for himself, away from Team Flash. Instead, he offers Barry a calling card which says “Barry Allen: Private Investigator.” He knows what it feels like to lose a job a the CCPD, so he gives Barry another one. We also get a glimpse at Ralph’s road to revenge. He tells Barry that they need to help the people in danger, the ones DeVoe is out after. Then, he wants to take him down.
“The Flash” continues next Tuesday, March 6th, with “Enter Flashtime” at 8/9c on The CW.