The FlashBack: ‘The Flash’ – Episode 20 ‘The Trap’

The Flash is DC’s television adaptation of the comic book of the same name. It airs Tuesday nights at 8/7 Central on The CW. Our writer, Nicole Drum recaps the series each week updating you on the latest episode here in The FlashBack.

Stuff is going down tonight! That’s right, friends, I am so excited about this episode. All the things have started leading up to this (though we’re not at the finale just yet so who knows what else is coming up!) Consider this your last warning: this recap contains major plot spoilers.

This episode, aptly titled “The Trap,” picks up exactly where we left off last week: in the closet of the future with Gideon, Dr. Creepy’s AI. I, for one, am comforted briefly by Gideon because of the helpful future “Iris West-Allen” byline that gives me hope that Iris grows a brain sometime soon. Gideon just continues to help us all out by telling us lots of good things about the future, specifically that Barry gets a big promotion to director of the Central City Forensics Department. Being able to peek into the future thanks to Gideon is pretty great, but the gang has an issue: what if Gideon tells Dr. Wells? No problem! Turns out Gideon will do anything that Barry asks (he asks her to keep this a secret from Dr. Wells) because Barry created her. Gideon is loyal to her sorta dad. Gideon is adorable. Barry gets the crew out before Dr. Wells can bust them and Gideon, as promised, keeps the secret proudly.

Image Credit: The CW

In other parts of the city Eddie is meeting with Joe at our favorite coffee shop. You see, Eddie wants to marry Iris and is doing that thing where guys forget their girlfriends have minds and agency of their own and get permission from dear old dad. Except Joe? Isn’t having it. Unfortunately we don’t get to hear Joe explain why (I’m hoping it’s because Iris can think for herself and Joe trusts that) because Barry calls to talk about Wells. Back at the West ranch, Cisco and Barry talk about time travel and we get refreshed on the alternative timeline. Cisco’s dreams really are coming into play here…and Barry gets to be captain bad ideas.

The name of this episode really should be “It’s a Flashback” because we jump to several. This first one we go back to shortly after Barry has been struck by lightning. Joe is sitting by Barry’s side when Barry suddenly has a violent seizure. Dr. Wells shows up and introduces himself to Joe claiming he can save Barry.

Back in real time we find the meat of Barry’s bad idea. He wants to use Cisco as bait to get Wells to confess to the murder of Nora Allen. How? First, have Cisco lucid dream so that they can access what happened to Cisco in that other timeline (you know, when Wells killed him.) Barry and Caitlin communicate with Cisco as he dreams to help him retrace those steps which means we get to see all the things that Cisco went through previously. This includes his death and that moment goes over very badly. Barry and Caitlin snatch Cisco out of his dream before it kills him for real.

One crisis averted and another one happens. Dr. Wells calls Barry because there is a really scary fire at a downtown highrise but not just any highrise: it’s where Captain Singh’s adorable fiance works. Oh lord. No, please don’t kill the cute boyfriend. So there’s this fire and I’m panicking a little and of course the sprinkler isn’t working. No worries, though, because even though we all know Dr. Wells is evil he is pretty smart. He convinces Barry that if he can make arm circles fast enough it would create a vacuum that will deprive the fire of much-needed oxygen. Dr. Wells supports and encourages Barry and he is successful. Cute boyfriend is spared. Whew.

Of course we haven’t forgotten about the ridiculousness that is Eddie wanting to marry Iris. Speaking of Iris, she wants to talk to Barry. Eddie does, too, and beats her to it and asks Barry to plead with Joe to get permission for Eddie to marry Iris. Ugh. I dislike Eddie. But Barry is a good guy and goes to talk to Joe, but Joe has his own ideas. See, Joe is wracked with guilt: he confesses to being the person who brought Dr. Wells into his life to save him. Barry doesn’t blame Joe, though, and reminds Joe that everything bad that has happened has been of Dr. Wells’ plan.

It’s time to bring Eddie into knowledge of the Wells issues since things feel like they are ramping up. Cisco, with his knowledge of the sort of future other time thing of stuff sets up a reverse forcefield to trap the Reverse Flash. It seems solid, which makes it a good time for Barry to try to talk to Joe about the whole Eddie wants to marry Iris thing. We finally get to hear what Joe’s reason for saying no is. It has nothing to do with Iris being able to choose for herself. Instead, Joe wants Iris to be with her true love: Barry. I guess Iris’ ears were itching or something because she calls Barry and wants to talk to him. Seems she is actually growing a brain! She has finally connected the metahumans to the particle accelerator. Barry plays it cool, dismissing her a little by telling her that he doesn’t have powers.

Flashback time again! Barry is wearing his coma pants and Iris is blathering on about her bad choices (cough, Eddie, cough) and tearfully begs Barry to wake up for her. She touches him and gets zapped with a tiny bit of electricity.

Back at the lab it’s time to trap Wells. It’s kind of like deja vu. Cisco is watching the hologram of the Reverse Flash, Wells walks in, but this time the crew is listening in. Unfortunately that spiffy forcefield that Cisco made? Doesn’t work. Wells walks right through it and is about to kill Cisco (again) when Joe shoots him.  Bam! Barry is pretty upset because a dead Wells doesn’t free his dad. However, it’s not really Wells. It’s last episode’s Everyman. Dr. Creepy is really elsewhere in the lab being smug and such. Barry rushes to Gideon’s closet to try to catch Dr. Wells but all that is there is the wheelchair and some creepy surveillance revealing that Iris is in danger. Barry zooms off to rescue.

And I guess that danger is the danger of being proposed to. Iris and Eddie are out for a walk and Eddie is just about to pop the question when the Reverse Flash zips up and steals not just the ring but Eddie himself. Thank god the villain is good for something. Barry zips up right behind and talks to Iris which leads to them briefly touching…and Iris gets a little zap from Barry which really kickstarts her brain: she figures out that Barry is the Flash. FINALLY.

But what about Eddie? Wells reveals himself to Eddie, explaining that he is really Eobard Thawne, a relative from the future. Eddie’s ego makes him think it’s about him, but Wellobard explains that oh no, Eddie is just insurance.

Final flashback: Wellobard visits coma pants Barry and has a great villain monologue about how he wanted to just kill him, but now he realizes he must build him so that he, Wellobard, can go home, but promises that Barry will die by his hand.  DUN DUN DUN!

Next week, the team continues on without Dr. Wells now that he’s a bad guy on the loose, but that’s not what I care about now.  Al I care about is that next week we get Gorilla Grodd!

What did you think about all the big reveals? Are you as pumped about Grodd as me? Let me know in comments!