Sight and Sound: "The Trial of the Trickster"

"The Trial of the Trickster," the final episode of The Flash, written by Howard Chaykin and John Francis Moore and directed by Danny Bilson, aired 18 May 1991 on CBS. In the episode's delightfully demented climax, the Trickster takes over a Central City courthouse, dons judicial wig and robes, and puts the legal system of the municipality itself on trial! Macabre hilarity ensues. These outrageous proceedings are made possible by the scarlet speedster himself, who has been brainwashed into acting as the Rogue's playful partner in crime. Only a timely attack of conscience, and the surprise arrival of Dr. Tina McGee and P.I. Megan Lockhart, allows the fastest man alive to redeem himself and save the day. Unarguably, guest star Mark Hamill steals the show as the insane James Jesse. His sense of humor is so infectious, in fact, that at episode's end we're left hoping he'll make good on his desperate last-minute getaway!