This week on the The Flash Season 1 Episode 17 Round Table, we talk about the Tricksters, the incredible reveal of Eobard Thawne assuming Harrison Wells identity to speed up his own needs after killing Nora Allen and so much more.

Join TV Fanatics Hank Otero, Jim Garner, Tanya Moat and Carissa Pavlica as well as new table member Andy Behbakht from The Flash Podcast by sharing your comments on the madness in the comments. 

If you're here, definitely drop us a note, because without you, we're just talking to ourselves!!

What was your favorite moment in Tricksters?

Hank: That's easy, Mark Hamill telling Trickster #2 "I am your father." It was a brilliant move by the writers, and made me shout outloud like the uber-geek I am.

Jim: I had two moments. First, when Henry and Trickster face off, having been a huge fan of the series in the 90s it was pretty cool seeing John Wesley Shipp and Mark Hamill face off on camera in a Flash TV show again... talk about lighting never striking twice. The other was Barry revealing himself to Henry and showing him around STAR labs. That was a new wish coming true!

Tanya: I loved those moments too. My other favorite – or most shocking – moment was when Reverse Flash pulled off his mask and he wasn't Harrison Wells. My mouth was hanging open and I'm not sure if it has shut yet.

Andy: Oh Grodd, that's a hard one to pick because there were so many. I think anything with James Jesse was my favorite because despite how insane and tricky he was, I love characters like that and a show like The Flash can give us that. I don't know how many times I have gone back to the "I am your father" moment in the episode.

Carissa: I'm with Tanya. Anything associated with the Reverse Flash and the reveal that poor, original Harrison Wells was a pawn in this whole Flash business trumped anything Trickster related. I love when I don't know what's coming, and it's not easy these days to be "tricked."

Who made the best Trickster and why?

Hank: For me, the original Trickster. Not that the kid was bad, mind you, but he was going up against the original. Plus, once Hamill was revealed as the puppet master he really took center stage. Hamill nailed his silly/fun performance and the voice... Wowza!

Jim: I agree with Hank, Mark Hamill nailed it.. For those who didn't recognize the voice he was doing, it's his Joker voice from the Batman Animated Series.. Hamill has had a lot of time to perfect the balance of maniacal and comedic sounds and absolutely knocked it out of the park!

Tanya: Oh, the original, definitely. I mean he's Luke Skywalker! :) His son was fine, but Hamill seemed to be having a blast, so you couldn't help but smile every time he was on.

Andy: I will put emphasis on the fact that I loved both of them because I like both versions from the comics and Devon Graye does deserve a lot of props for his performance because his Axel literally jumped out of the pages of the comics into the show. But of course James Jesse will come before Axel Walker on my list because Mark Hamill is Mark freaking Hamill. But also to be fair, without James, there wouldn't be a Axel. I think my big fanboy love for James Jesse comes from years of having seen Hamill as the Joker so that's why he was the best Trickster on my list. But I loved them both together!

Carissa: Trick Question!! Eobard Thawne, wearing Harrison Wells as a mask definitely makes the most formidable Trickster of all. If we're going for funniest and most entertaining overall, Mark Hamill FTW.

Talk about the Eobard Thawne/Harrison Wells reveal.

Hank: A perfect example of a reveal that I was certainly not expecting. Just when we think we know who the Reverse Flash is, they give us another great twist. It was a very Fringe-y moment and everything suddenly made sense to me. The Flash writers are phenomenal.

Jim: Like Hank, I was caught totally off guard, of all the theories I had thought of, this one wasn't even on my radar. Though I am curious about how Barry ended up being the Flash. If the accelerator wasn't suppose to take place until 2020, and Thawne accelerated the time table to 2014, wouldn't that change things? Was Barry struck by lightning in 2020 originally?

Tanya. Floored. I didn't not see that coming. I had initially been impressed by the Flash and Reverse Flash battling around Nora as that was the most detail we've seen of their fight, then that reveal - mind-boggling.

Andy: I was surprised and also very happy with this plot twist. While I have loved everything that Tom Cavanagh has done with this role this season and will continue to do so, I liked that we got an actor (Matt Letscher) who looked a lot like the Eobard Thawne that I have seen in the comic books. But the twist overall made me feel so sorry for the fate that the real Harrison had to face. But this might be something that can get useful for in the future, especially with time travel.

Carissa: Agree, agree, agree. Not only were we pleasantly surprised in this spoiler-ridden world, but we learned Harrison Wells wasn't merely a name Eobard took for cover, but an actual man, with a life who was terribly wronged. I seem to recall hearing there wasn't a record of him prior to the Nora's death, so Eobard did his job well.

Do you think more of Harrison Wells remains than Eobard Thawne intended or expected?

Hank: At first I thought Thawne took on Wells' physical form and got rid of the body. However, it does seem some of Harrison's memories transferred over as well. I don't think Thawne was expecting that, and I wonder if it means Wells can somehow be brought back a'la Firestorm. Such a cool VFX sequence as well.

Jim: I really hope so! Tom Cavanagh is a huge part of the show, and if they have to lock him away or kill him to beat Thawne, it will really dampen the show down.

Tanya: I do. I think it is Wells' memories, personality and innate goodness that has somewhat humanized Thawne today. While Thawne is not a good guy, I also think there have been moments when he genuinely cared for Cisco, Caitlyn, Ronnie and Barry, which I credit to the part of Wells that still exists within him, however small. And I agree with Jim 100% – I don't want Tom Cavanagh to be killed. He is such a huge part of this show.

Andy: I like that idea, I could see that happen actually and we might see something like that be revealed in The Flash Season 1 Episode 19, "Who is Harrison Wells?".

Carissa: When Eobard first emerged from the car and said his name was Harrison Wells, he didn't do it with authority, which gave me my biggest hint something didn't go as planned. He must have been feeling some pain at the loss of Tess. I hope there is a Firestorm conundrum going on inside Eobard, as well. With any DNA transfer, perhaps, comes a bit of the soul. It's happened in organ transplants, right?

How will Eddie knowing about Barry impact his relationships with all going forward?

Hank: I have a feeling he's going to struggle with it. That was a reveal I'm not sure was 100% necessary. Eddie is too close to Iris. I wonder if he'll let the secret identity slip? Still, letting Eddie in on the truth should provide some fun moments. Time will tell, but I don't think I would have told him.

Jim: I was kind of surprised they told him. But, I could see how they were in a corner. Had The Flash asked Eddie to get her to back off, he would have just encourage Iris to dig faster. The only way that Eddie would get behind a warning from the The Flash about Wells was if Eddie had a reason to trust him, revealing he is Barry accomplished at least that much.

Tanya: I applaud Eddie for the being the first one to realize that keeping Iris in the dark is stupid and actually puts her in greater danger. I also assume this will set-up whatever is coming next for him too. Eddie becoming more than the bland, good-looking boyfriend is good, but I am not overly interested in them dragging out the love triangle, which is the least interesting part of the show to me.

Andy: I'm not sure at this point, it's still so early to be able to tell, but I do think it will have some serious consequences for Barry moving forward. Eddie is still a big question mark to me, I still feel that we haven't gotten to know him a lot.

Carissa: With all of the maneuvers Joe and Barry are going through to keep the secret from Iris, the entire city will know before she does and that's going to sting a hell of a lot more than any pain a metahuman inflict upon her. Sometimes emotional pain is worse then death. They need to seriously think this through. I think that's what Eddie will be struggling with and it will make me like him more if that's the case.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.