Ghost in the Machine

Synopsis
The Ghost, a villain from 1955 emerges from a deep freeze, intent on continuing his plan to extort money from the city. Nightshade comes out of retirement to help the Flash stop him.

Main Characters

 * The Flash (Barry Allen)
 * Julio Mendez
 * Tina McGee
 * Tony Bellows
 * Warren Garfield
 * Joe Kline
 * Michael Murphy
 * Desmond Powell

Villains

 * Belle Crocker
 * The Ghost (Russell)
 * Skip

Locations

 * Central City
 * Central City Police Department
 * STAR Labs

Trivia

 * This episode, along with, was aired following the cancellation of The Flash as the TV movie,.
 * Desmond gives the Flash the nickname Speedy. The same name given to Green Arrow's sidekick Roy Harper, and later Mia Dearden.
 * When catching the Ghost, Barry references the song Don't Touch that Dial by Captain Sky.
 * The hero "Nightshade" is an amalgamation of two different Justice Society members from the DC Comics. Dr. Mid-Nite, a surgeon by day and vigilante by night who fights crimes despite only being able to see in complete darkness. Midnite uses a variety of non-lethal weaponry like blackout bombs which knock out all light. He has an owl as a sidekick named "Hooty" (it was the 40s). The other character is The Sandman, not to be confused with the Neil Gaiman character of the same name. Wesley Dodds was the first iteration of The Sandman who would receive dreams telling him of someone in need of help. With his sidekick Sandy (again 40s) he would don a fedora and gas mask and use his non lethal gas gun to attempt to right wrongs. The character of Nightshade is a Doctor like Dr. Midnite while sharing a similar outfit to that of The Sandman. Also, given the time frame, the 1950s, while in the Silver Age of Comics would quite possibly be the Golden Age of this particular iteration of the Flash.
 * The Ghost states, "Do not adjust your set, I control the horizontal, I control the vertical." It is a reference to the popular 60s sci-fi show The Outer Limits (1963).
 * Amanda Pays' husband Corbin Bernsen was initially cast as the Ghost but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts with L.A. Law (1986).