[ominous music]
♪ ♪
[high ringing]
[groaning]
[crows cawing]
[panting]
Not my first rodeo.
♪ ♪
If you're trying to stop me, you can't,
not when I'm this close.
Ugh!
[groaning]
And I've come too far to let you stand in my way.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Nia, it's about control.
Iris!
Iris. Iris!
What did you do to her? Why did you kill her?
[piercing noises]
Why?
Why? Why Iris?
Why did you kill her?
Why? Iris!
Ma'am?
I--I don't know what your problem is,
but if you can't control yourself,
I'm going to have to ask you to--
I know. I'm going.
I have to get to Central City.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[phone chiming]
Oh, give me a second.
[phone chimes] - Hey.
I just want to see how the article's coming along.
Uh, it's my best work yet.
It's definitely a game changer. - Yeah?
Are you gonna finally tell me what it's about?
Well, you can find out tonight, when I publish it,
along with everybody else.
Okay, fine.
You still feeling hungry every hour?
Yup.
And now I think I know where Nora gets
her obsession with cheese fries from.
Hey, well, Helena's on Third Street
has gourmet cheese fries.
You want me to make a late dinner reservation?
No, I can't. I gotta get back to it.
Okay, well, I'll leave something for you
in the microwave. Don't work too late.
I won't. I love you.
Love you.
Okay. Let's see.
- Hey, boss. - Hi.
So I finished the layout
for your article on the Red Death,
and check out the title I came up with.
[ominous music]
♪ ♪
[distantly] I call it my Mapbook.
What's wrong?
Um, nothing.
I just--I wasn't expecting to see
that exact headline so soon.
Wait. Is this the article,
the one from Barry's Mapbook that you win the Pulitzer for?
Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Can I congratulate you now?
Well, I haven't published it yet.
Right, but, Iris,
this is your destiny,
and it's happening right now.
You must be so excited to publish, right?
Um...
Actually, I'm gonna wait.
Yeah, I still have some tinkering,
and I think I want to sleep on it.
I get it.
You want it to be perfect.
Well, I'll leave you to it, Miss Pulitzer.
Hmm!
Okay.
Khione, you did it.
You unlocked your ice powers.
This is great!
Am I a superhero now?
Let's make sure.
Grab the container.
Now, it's filled with a cryochemical fluid
with an extremely low freezing point.
If you can ice it too, then we'll really have
something to celebrate!
Oh, I am so sorry.
No, no. It's totally cool.
I hate shirts anyway.
Yeah. You know what?
That was a stupid thing to do.
I am gonna put it back on.
We should really try to keep these things on.
I--
- ♪ I know everything ♪ - Or do that.
♪ Everything makes me feel fine ♪
You sure about this?
♪ When I get your sweet lovin' ♪
Definitely.
♪ And hold your body close to mine ♪
Okay.
♪ I get higher ♪
Mwah.
You're so amazing.
I love you too. [sniffs]
Mm-hmm.
What?
So what's so amazing?
Sorry, I must have fallen asleep on monitor duty.
It won't happen again.
Were you dreaming?
[sighs] No.
I mean, yes. Why? Maybe.
Were you professing your love to someone in your sleep?
[scoffs] No.
No, who does that?
I'm almost embarrassed.
By your secret crush and the love you feel for them?
By my not-so-secret love of bourbon,
which is why I fell asleep on monitor duty.
Okay, party person.
Well, now you can go catch some Zs somewhere else,
'cause I gotta start my shift today,
showing Khione the ropes.
- Awesome. - Yes.
That way, I can contribute to Team Flash
while we figure out if my powers
can be useful in the field.
I just--I wish we could work somewhere with a view.
I mean, Kesha, Bob, and I, we really thrive outside.
Mm, yeah.
You know, you're right, Khione.
It's too nice a day to spend inside training.
Let's go out.
Chester, you can train her on comms anytime, right?
Uh, I guess.
- Can we go to a park? - Oh, please.
We can do even better than a park.
Trust me, I know all the cool things we can do.
Are you in? - Okay.
[chuckles] Thanks, Chester.
Mm-hmm.
Iris.
Nia. [laughs] Hi.
What are you doing in Central City?
I came to see you.
Sorry to pop in so late.
No, it's fine.
I had a great time at mimosa brunch
with you, Kara, Alex, and Ryan.
But I just--I didn't expect to see you again so soon.
Yeah, it was great to finally meet you.
I didn't want to make it a thing,
but you're kind of my career role model.
- I am? - Yeah, I mean,
that story you told us about being kidnapped by Cicada
and then fighting your way out
and writing about it the next day
like nothing happened?
It still gives me goosebumps.
Well, look, I'm-- I'm happy to see you,
but what's up with the late visit?
What's going on?
Oh.
For the past five years, as Dreamer,
I've been honing my powers.
And not to brag, but I can turn dream energy
into just about anything.
So lately, I've been trying
to take my powers to the next level.
And I read about this ancient source
of Naltorian dream energy.
So I've been going into the dream realm
to try to find it,
and I could sense
that I was close in my last dream.
And then...
my powers got erased.
Look.
Normally, something happens here.
It's like every time I try to call on it,
it just feels further away.
And I know this is gonna sound crazy,
but I think that the only person
who can help me is you.
[laughs]
Okay. How?
You were in my dream too.
And, Iris, something really bad happened.
I'm sorry.
[piercing noises]
Oh, no.
[eerie music]
♪ ♪
Nia, what is it? There's nothing there.
♪ ♪
What the hell?
Oh, crap.
Captain, look out!
[dramatic music]
- Way to go! Great job! - All right! Whoo!
[applause]
Nice one, Captain.
Come on.
How are we both police officers?
Because we're in a dream.
Yours.
So this is what my life would have looked like
if I was a police officer?
"Captain." Incredible.
No, what's incredible is, first you were in my dream,
and now I'm here with you in yours.
It's like we're having a shared dreaming experience,
but I haven't read about anything like this
in my Naltorian texts.
Well, there's gotta be a reason for it.
I mean, why did we suddenly fall asleep?
I don't know.
That's not our biggest problem, Iris.
I have been trying to wake us up since we got here.
But without my powers, I can't.
- We're trapped? - For the time being, yes.
But the good news is, there's always an exit.
We just have to find it.
Hey, Cap.
Nice takedown earlier.
CCPN is dying to interview you about it,
that and how you took down
the Snart siblings last week.
You're unstoppable.
Okay, sure.
Wonder what I did to take down Lisa and Snart.
It doesn't matter.
Look, I know dream lives can be intriguing,
but we need to stay focused here.
Okay, it's not safe to stay in the dream realm for too long.
Let's check up there too.
You know, it's actually nice to be making the news
instead of just reporting on it.
This could actually be my life.
But you're such a talented reporter.
Yeah, but there was a time when I wanted
to be a cop, just like my dad.
I mean, he was a hero to so many people.
Does this mean that being a police officer
is what I should be doing?
[piercing noises]
Hey, look. A way out.
Iris.
Iris, wait.
I never finished telling you what happened in my dream.
You died.
How?
You weren't the only one there.
There was also this hooded woman.
I didn't see her face. She didn't speak.
She just looked at me with these glowing eyes.
I think she's the one who took away my powers.
And I think she's the one that killed you.
She's the one you saw right before we passed out.
She forced us into your dream.
And now I'm starting to think that it's because
the only place she can kill is in the dream realm,
which is why I'm so weirded out by this door.
Either way, we need to be careful.
And we need to get out of here fast, before she finds us.
Let's go wake up.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
[upbeat music playing]
♪ ♪
Renita, double shot cappuccino, no foam,
with oat milk for Renita.
I am so sorry for the mix-up.
Hey, boss. Nia.
Hi.
Okay.
That definitely wasn't an exit.
Why are we still stuck in a dream?
♪ ♪
Hey, Iris. I brought cheese fries.
No, no, no, no.
Iris?
Nia.
So what's wrong with them?
According to Gideon's biometric analysis,
Iris and Nia are in a deep REM sleep.
But why can't we wake them?
Well, their cortical functions are totally siloed.
That's why they won't respond to any outside stimuli.
What about the baby? Is Nora okay?
From what I can tell, yeah.
Baby Nora's okay so far.
Cecile, can you sense anything?
No.
Well, if Nia is here and they're both asleep--
Then that can't be a coincidence.
What about contacting Kara, or Brainy or J'on?
I mean, they know Nia's powers better than we do.
Barry, I checked. They're all off world.
Okay, well, we have to try something.
I'm gonna--I'm gonna call the League,
Cisco, Dig, anyone I can think of.
Okay, I'll go talk to him.
[beeping] - Oh, man.
The neural functions in their cerebral cortexes
are sinking fast.
If Iris and Nia don't wake up soon,
they could fall into a permanent comatose state.
We are two bad***, smart women.
We can figure this out, right?
Nia, if we can't wake up,
what happens to us on the outside?
What happens to my baby? - I don't know.
[whirring] - Iris, it's happening again.
Hurry. Hurry! - Okay, the bean--
Bean popper's totally jammed.
Resistor coil is overheating.
It's a Code Sumatra.
- It's a Code Sumatra? - Hello!
I'd like my coffee sometime today.
Yes!
Do you know what to do here?
- Um... - I can't.
I'm so sorry. Yes, I do.
Chester. - Yeah.
- You know how to fix anything. - Right.
- Right? - Right.
Okay, so just imagine that Jitters is your toolbox.
It's my toolbox. Yes, yes, yes.
I could disassemble the--
the space heater in the storage room,
strip it for parts, yeah.
And the handheld frother still works, right?
- Yeah. - We can use that
to finish Marco's order.
On it, babe. Don't worry.
They call me the fastest man alive.
How do you know how to run a coffee shop?
Oh, I used to be a barista here.
I really loved it.
- Great managing, boss. - Thanks.
It's almost quitting time. Want to get dinner?
Somewhere with cheese fries?
I would love that.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
- All right. - Okay.
Okay.
- Is it hot in here? - No, why?
Marco, it's ready.
Iris, we need to go.
Right now.
[rock music playing]
♪ ♪
So paintball was interesting.
[laughs] Don't worry. We got plenty more stops
on the chill chill chill train tonight!
Oh, do you like underground raves?
I love dancing, but I thought
maybe we'd do something a little more relaxing,
something to nurture the body and soul?
I hear you loud and clear.
Barkeep, some shots, please.
Absolutely.
There are your usuals. It's good to see you.
Oh, I've never been here before.
And I don't drink.
So today's been amazing, right?
Yeah, I was actually thinking
that maybe we could go to the Arboretum.
I know they're open late tonight.
Oh, I know. Why don't we hit up
the midnight roller derby?
What time is it?
Mark, why aren't we doing anything that I wanna do?
Uh, because we should only be doing exciting things.
You know, not walking around in a garden.
It's--it's boring.
Says who?
Everybody with a pulse!
Can't you be more like...
Frost?
Do you feel hot, heart racing?
Yeah. Why?
The Naltorian mystics had a word for something like this.
It roughly translates to angry sleep.
Basically, if you stay in a dream too long,
your body starts to experience trauma
from the intense strain.
So we're on a clock?
Look, dreams always reflect back to us
the problems of our everyday lives.
So maybe if we can
crack the code of your dreams, we can get out.
Is there anything that you're struggling with
in the real world? - No, nothing important.
I mean, I have everything that I could want.
I--I'm pregnant. I--my career is taking off.
I have Barry.
There must be something.
I don't know. I--I don't know
what to tell you. I guess back at Jitters,
I felt something that I haven't felt in years.
Being in a world where I could clock out
at 5:00, it was nice.
I could choose how to spend my day,
my evenings, my future.
Maybe I just wish that I could always
feel that kind of freedom.
What is it?
[ominous music]
♪ ♪
What just happened? - This room.
- Where are we? - This room,
it was in my dream.
I think our dreams are merging.
No, this can't happen, not here, not now.
- Nia, is this where-- - I saw you die.
Iris, we're not sharing a dream anymore.
We're sharing a nightmare.
Run!
[monitor beeping] - Their fevers are spiking.
104, 104.2. They keep going up.
- Why is this happening? - I don't know.
But if their body temps keep getting higher--
We should get Barry. He--he needs to be here.
Yeah, I know, but what are we
supposed to tell him, that it's hopeless?
He's gonna lose everything?
Hey, it's gonna be okay.
Are you sure?
Because I'm not.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
There's no way they could have caught up
with us that fast. - No rules in a nightmare.
♪ ♪
Nia, is that the woman from your dreams?
Yup.
Why are you doing this to us?
[groaning]
Enough of this!
I am the Dreamer. I am in control.
And I am not gonna let you hurt her!
I thought she was gonna kill us.
Wait. Are we back?
No.
I can sense we're still in the dream realm.
It looks like she doesn't want us to leave.
There are people around here
who actually do the work, you know?
She gets everything handed to her on a silver platter.
Must be nice.
Aariz, who are you talking about?
She's a total fraud.
I've been saying it since day one.
And now accepting the Pulitzer Prize
for Investigative Journalism, Iris West-Allen.
Congratulations. - They're talking about me.
Iris, don't listen.
I mean, a Pulitzer?
Seriously? For what?
Being married to the Flash?
Because that's how she gets all her stories.
Allegra, you're a straight shooter.
What's your take?
Yeah, I've known Iris for a long time,
which means I know exactly what kind of person she is.
She's a fake.
She doesn't have a life.
She has a checklist.
Everything's already decided for her.
There is no way
she actually deserves this award.
[mournful music]
♪ ♪
Khione, wait.
Khione.
Mark, do you wish that I was Frost?
No. Why? Why would I want that?
Okay, it's karaoke time, folks.
- It's not... - Yeah!
In the house for the first time in months,
welcome back the Icepack.
all: Icepack, Icepack, Icepack, Icepack, Icepack, Icepack!
Mark! Frost, yeah?
all: Icepack, Icepack, Icepack, Icepack, Icepack!
Thank you.
Thank you, everyone, for your kindness.
Unfortunately, Frost and Mark will not be singing tonight
because Frost is dead.
- Wait, what? - Seriously?
And he has a lot of explaining to do.
all: Oh!
It all makes sense.
You've been trying to turn me into Frost since day one,
first with the CRC and now with everything we did today.
I can explain. I--I just miss her so much.
I'm not thinking straight. - Oh, come on.
I thought you were a real friend.
I am.
I'm just saying that I could be more.
Yikes, man.
Mark, we barely know each other.
- Yeah, you tell him! - Okay, I had a dream.
A dream?
You were in it, and we kissed.
And it was amazing.
And the chemistry was off the frickin' charts.
Take it outside. No one wants to hear this.
Oh, right?
So sue me!
Sue me if I just wanted to see
if this could be the real thing.
Don't you ever talk to me like that.
But no, you're right.
Clearly, you're not the woman of my dreams,
because you're not Frost.
Oh...
Stop.
No, I'm me.
But you wouldn't know anything about me,
because you never even tried to get to know me.
And now I'm leaving.
So we're stuck in a dream.
Our bodies are dangerously close to overheating.
And you're worried about an award?
Yeah, I know. It's stupid.
So talk to me.
What's going on?
Well, um, right before you got here,
I found out that the article that I'm writing
is gonna win me my first Pulitzer.
Hazards of being married to a time traveler:
I know way more about my future than most people.
But usually,
that kind of recognition is great for journalists.
Why is it bothering you so much?
Well, suddenly it didn't feel like it was my own.
It felt like it was preordained,
like I didn't earn it.
So that's why you've been dreaming of lives
with no preordained destiny.
Where I can make my own choices.
But, Iris,
you've already been making your own choices.
You're worried about publishing today
because it leads to your first Pulitzer,
but that was a choice you made years ago,
when you decided to become a journalist
in the first place.
Don't you see?
Every time you're pursuing a lead
or staying up all night,
digging into a story--
I'm doubling down on that choice.
And that's the thing about destiny.
It isn't just one choice.
Destiny is the culmination of a lifetime of choices.
You're always on the right path, Iris.
And I created it.
Nia, if we've cracked the meaning of my dreams,
then why are we still here?
[whooshing noise]
What was that?
Only one way to find out.
[monitors beeping]
Their fevers aren't breaking.
They're at 105.2.
And there's nothing we can do?
Pretty soon, their organs are gonna shut down.
And if that happens,
we could lose both of them.
And our baby too.
[melancholy music]
I can't believe this is happening.
Cecile, what is it?
There's someone else here.
Who is it?
I don't know. They're gone.
Barry, I don't know why, and there is
no rational explanation for me feeling this way,
but I know that Iris is gonna pull through this.
She's gonna be fine.
She and Nia are both gonna be okay.
How can you be so sure?
Because the presence that I just felt
was something powerful and kind.
It was almost like a guardian angel.
Barry, I think it was a sign.
What is all that?
Spiderwebs.
A spider bite killed my mom.
She was a Dreamer too.
What do you want to do?
Nia, look.
I know you're trying to regain control of your powers
and this dream that we're in,
but what if you're not supposed to?
Something that's always guided me as a journalist
is that in order to honor the truth,
you can't control it.
You just have to follow the story and engage with it,
even if where it leads you is scary.
Before I came to Central City,
when I saw you in my dream, you said to me,
"It's about control."
This whole time, I thought you were
telling me to take control.
But now I know what you meant.
This is about me giving up control.
Iris, I think I have to go through this door alone,
even if where it leads is scary.
Are you sure?
The only reason I can is because of you.
♪ ♪
Iris, it's time for you to come home.
We can't live this life without you.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
You got this, Nia.
[eerie noises]
You've been trying to guide us this whole time,
haven't you?
I thought that I'd mastered my powers,
that I was in full control as the Dreamer.
But the truth was, I wasn't ready to do what I had to do
to reach a higher level.
I'm ready to give up control.
And I accept whatever comes next.
I know who you are.
My mother was the Dreamer before me,
and her mother before her,
all the way back to you.
You are the original Dreamer.
You are the ancient source of Naltorian dream energy
I've been looking for.
That's why you had to bring me and Iris together.
It was the only way for us to embrace our paths.
[ethereal warbling noise]
[monitor beeping]
[panting]
[gasps]
You're back.
- It's okay. - Oh, thank God.
Whoa. Check this out.
Their temperatures are already back to normal.
Same with their cortical and neural functions.
Like nothing ever happened.
Nia.
We're awake, aren't we?
Yeah.
We're awake.
Nia, I don't know how to thank you
for saving my family.
You really don't have to.
Honestly, Iris saved me.
When my powers started fritzing,
I thought that I was losing my path as the Dreamer,
so I held on tighter.
But Iris helped me realize that giving up control
was what I needed to do all along.
Turns out, we were both on the right path.
We just needed to adjust our perspectives.
So that presence that I felt, who is she?
She is the first woman on my mother's planet Naltor
to receive the dreaming gift.
She's the one I've been looking for.
I just didn't realize it.
And now that I've connected with her,
she is going to teach me to use my powers
in all new ways.
So it turns out that my potential
is beyond my wildest dreams.
Wow. Okay.
See, now, that is cosmic, cosmic, cosmic.
Don't mind him. He's always like this.
Just the way I like him.
Okay, now I really miss Brainy.
[buzzing noise]
That is weird.
It's like I can feel the presence
of the original Dreamer all over again.
There's so much love.
She's right over there.
Hmm?
I'm the only one who can see her.
I'm not crazy. [laughs]
Well, tell her thank you.
She says you're welcome.
And now she's gone again, isn't she?
And I should get going too.
It has been a long night.
Well, I'll see you at next month's brunch club?
Definitely.
And congratulations, Ms. Pulitzer.
Thanks.
Bye, guys.
Whoo. Nia was right.
Big Belly in National City is better.
- Mm-hmm. - Thanks for running
all the way to get it. - Anytime.
So do you want to get cozy, watch a movie?
Oh, you had me at cozy!
But there is one thing I still need to do first.
- Iris, that's-- - Yeah, I know.
I've been struggling over whether or not to publish it.
You don't have to do this. We already decided
to let the rest of our future be unwritten.
Yeah, I know.
And we will.
It's just that being a journalist,
my future isn't unwritten.
And that has nothing to do with the Mapbook
or anything that Deon or Bart or Nora has said.
It's because I've been writing it all along.
Cecile, this food looks incredible.
Yeah, no, seriously. You could feed
half of Central City with this spread.
Well, no one, and I mean no one,
goes hungry in our house.
Oh, my God, I'm turning into my grandmother.
Okay, this cheesy sausage and egg casserole
is her recipe. Enjoy.
Who needs cheesy fries when you have that?
Ditto that. I'm gonna need that recipe.
Is it like a family secret?
I know people. I'll get it for you.
Can we do this every week?
And I don't just mean the food.
This just is so wonderful.
Thank you all for making me feel at home.
Of course. You're part of this family now too.
[knocking on door]
Are we expecting someone else?
- Mm-mm. - I am.
Hey.
Hi.
all: Hey. - Hey, man.
Don't worry. Since I'm guessing
Khione already told you what happened,
I won't come in.
I'll be right back.
Thanks for letting me drop by.
Look, I know what I did to you was wrong
and seriously screwed up.
For whatever it's worth,
Frost was supposed to be my ride or die,
you know, my destiny.
Ever since she's been gone, it's like I'm stuck
in some bad dream.
And I can't wake up.
But the truth is, there is no waking up from this.
And now it's got me hurting everyone around me,
just like I hurt you.
So I just wanted to come by to say that...
I'm really sorry, Khione.
I wasn't thinking right.
And I totally understand if you never want to see me.
Mark, I forgive you.
You--really?
Yes.
That's what friends do.
I'm really gonna miss you.
Where are you going?
Away.
You taught me one other important thing:
no one can take away this pain, not even you.
So in order to get over it
and learn to live with whatever it is,
I need to go through it,
all of it.
Alone.
Hey, promise me you'll keep exploring your powers.
Khione, there has got to be
something amazing inside of you.
I promise.
Okay.
Yeah.
[warm music]
♪ ♪
Khione, honey, you okay?
I'm fine.
Are you sure?
Oh!
I guess I am feeling a little sad.
[epic music]
♪ ♪
Greg, move your head!