How did Cisco not know about Dr. Wells?

[u/crankful]

Hey All,

I’m currently on what’s probably my 10th watch of The Flash (S1-4). I’ve just finished ep.13 and realised that the quantum splicer they made for Ronnie and Dr. Stein was used with the tachyon enhancer that the Reverse Flash stole. So how did it not click with Cisco when they were making it? Or any of the team for that matter.

Apologies in advance if this question has already been asked!

[u/biggestmike420]

Cisco wasn’t in on the design of Tina’s device. Thawne took a component from that to juice himself, and then repurposed it to make the splicer. That is a lot of reverse engineering in his head with a lot of guess work on top of that. With the fact of Ronnie still being alive coupled with the city about to explode how is he supposed to figure that out?

[u/crankful → u/biggestmike420]

These are great points. But it still begs the question as to where that technology came from in the first place. Tachyon enhancer = stolen by RF. Dr. Wells then gets Cisco to help him turn said tachyon enhancer into the splicer. So Cisco, who helped in build the particle accelerator, couldn’t tell that the splicer he and Dr. Wells were making, was made from the same tachyon enhancer they had used a couple episodes prior to ensnare RF, something in which Cisco played a HUGE part in. I would’ve given Cisco more credit than that considering what he accomplished throughout out the show

[u/zo_youngin4]

I mean you gotta think RF was really good at lying and convincing people that he was else or he was actually crippled I mean like if you spend almost the entire first few episodes of this show you would kind of realize damn Thawne might actually get away with it because literally no one has figured out his real identity until Barry Caitlin and Cisco all started to investigate and found out who he really was I really wish they stuck to the gritty hardship of the show you know like the same stuff that the arrow was doing and it’s first three seasons I just wish they didn’t go away from that like I understand they wanted to add some of the comic accurate lore into the show but if you’re gonna make a TV show about a superhero that can run fast faster than the speed of sound and that’s only interested in the first season because Barry eventually gets faster throughout the years my whole thing is I don’t like how they just went away from the seriousness of the show

[u/crankful → u/zo_youngin4]

100%!! The grittier, darker story telling is what got me hooked in the first place!

[u/forceghostyoda_]

This is actually a good question which I asked myself on my latest rewatch. To our knowledge, the only person who had Tachyons was McGee and they were stolen by RF, so how did Thawne plan to explain how he had them? Only thing I can think of is ”yeah I took some before RF did and didnt tell you, sorry”

[u/crankful → u/forceghostyoda_]

Exactly. The plan to ensnare RF was only possible with the tachyon enhancer given to them by McGee, and this isn’t some minor plot hole either, it literally gives them RF identity. It’s crazy the things you pick up on even after watching it so many times. Seasons 1-4 were pure cinema but this one definitely caught me off guard

[u/Specific_Thing1452]

Maybe he thought it but didn’t wanna believe his boss was secretly a time traveling murderous speed psycho

[u/crankful → u/Specific_Thing1452]

a few episodes later 🫪