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.
Image Credit: The CW
Welcome back! This week’s episode takes its cues from the comic book arch of the same name, “Flash of Two Worlds” And that’s awesome but also brain-breaking because now we have to really try to understand the multiverse. It’s okay, though. We’ve got this. Spoilers beyond this point so you’ve been warned!
Okay, so this week we pick up right where we left off last time: Jay Garrick just rolled up and now everyone knows he’s been creeping. No worries, though. Jay explains he’s the Flash in his world and then proceeds to explain himself. You see, where Jay’s from the Flash fights this other speedster named Zoom. And in the ultimate battle with Zoom…Zoom’s won. He’s about to kill Jay when the backside of Barry’s singularity popped open over them. Jay’s nifty winged helmet got pulled in followed by Jay. Unfortunately, he’s not fast anymore and he’s been trying to get himself together in the last six months. Barry, of course, doesn’t buy it and wants the science part of the team to test Jay.
Meanwhile in another part of Central City Zoom comes through a breach in the fabric of the cosmos. He’s got someone with him, and Zoom’s told the guy that if he wants to go home he has to kill the Flash. Kinda sounds like last week, huh?
Back at the lab, Caitlin checks Jay out. With science. She finds out that he’s also a science guy so we’re sensing a theme here. Iris and Joe, meanwhile, are very confused by the idea of parallel worlds so Dr. Stein tries to explain the theory. He ends up naming their world Earth-1 and the world Jay is from Earth-2. He also makes mention of concern about a breach. We, the viewer, already know he’s right.
Tests done, Caitlin can’t vouch for Jay as a speedster, but she did cleverly use her equipment as a lie detector test and says that Jay is telling the truth. Barry continues to worry that Jay is not a good guy, but a bad guy which is pretty much Barry’s thing always. Barry locks Jay in a cell, but Jay still wants to help and tells Barry that he will need that help to defeat Zoom. They don’t get to hash things out, though, because Cisco calls. There’s a fire. Off goes Barry.
The Flash saves the day and puts out the fire. It’s what he does, but as he’s leaving he gets attacked by what appears to be a random sandstorm. Except the sand gathers itself up and then turns into a dude we’ve seen before, aka the man Zoom brought with him earlier in the episode. It doesn’t seem to matter what the Flash does to fight the guy, either. Every blow the Flash gets just turns the struck spot into sand and the guy is fine. Barry has to flee, but he and Joe go back to investigate the fire. There’s nothing there to identify the sand guy, but this girl, Patty, shows up. She’s a bit of a fangirl for Barry and she’s gathered up some sand. We’ve seen Patty earlier in this episode, too, when she tried to get Joe to let her join the metahuman task force, but Joe is still not having it.
Back at the lab Jay is running on the treadmill, but like a normal person while Cisco examines the sand. Jay helpfully explains that the sand is actually human cells and that the metahuman in question is called Sand Demon. Barry is still being stubborn, refuses help, and takes Jay back to the cell. Meanwhile, Cisco and Dr. Stein are at work in a small science lab they’ve put together. Stein thinks he can track down the breach between the worlds if he looks for exotic matter. Cisco happens to know how to photograph it and knows where to get the equipment. Dr. Stein goes to get it and while he does Cisco has one of those weird moments where he has a vision of the fight between Barry and Sand Demon.
Back in another part of town, Joe is staking out a guy named Eddie Slick, aka Sand Demon. Joe calls Barry to tell him that he has found their arsonist, but Slick figures out that Joe is staking him out and now Joe has to chase him. Our friend Patty has also figured out Slick and she manages to catch him, then asks Joe yet again for a place on the task force. She’s persistent. It’s cute.
When questioned at the station Slick denies setting this fire despite his history of arson. Joe threatens him with Iron Heights and how it can now hold metahumans, but Slick insists he wasn’t even in Central City when the particle accelerator exploded, which checks out. Joe suggests to Barry that what Jay is saying about the Sand Demon might actually make sense: Earth-2 is for real.
But Barry still doesn’t buy it. He goes back to the lab and is faced with Iris who wants to speak with him alone. She tells him that she doesn’t know him now because of his major trust issues and Barry softens, admitting that Jay is triggering him big time of Wells. Iris, who is now two episodes strong on being smart and insightful, points out that the only reason they defeated wells was because they trusted each other and that Barry needs to believe in his team.
That’s some truth right there.
Back at the police station Patty and Joe have to release Slick and then Joe questions why Patty really wants to be on the task force. She doesn’t get to answer because they think they see Slick coming back, but oh no. It’s Sand Demon. He knocks Joe out and kidnaps Patty when she tries to shoot him only to be defeated by his sand intangibility. This seems to be the motivation that Barry needs. He goes to Jay and asks for help. Jay explains to the team that their bad guy will go somewhere wet and humid and if Barry can hit him with lightning, the sand will turn to glass. Barry doesn’t know how to do this. Fortunately, Jay does.
So now the good part. Sand Demon has our girl Patty tied up to a chair in an abandoned building that just so happens to be damp. Patty has faith that the Flash will save her, but that’s just what Sand Demon wants. See, Sand Demon has made a concussive bomb. This isn’t great. Ten points to Patty for trying to stop Sand Demon by telling him he’s not special, though.
The team is having a hard time finding Sand Demon, though. Cisco takes a moment to excuse himself from the group and goes to the little lab to touch the sand. He hopes it will show him where the Sand Demon is and it actually works! He sees the conversation Patty has with the Sand Demon. And the bomb. And the location. Of course Stein finds Cisco and has question, but Cisco play sit off like a hunch and goes to tell Barry. He finds him and finds that Jay has taught Barry how to throw lightning, and given him the advice to slow down to improve his aim. Heh. Jay ends up being offered up as diversion for Sand Demon since Sand Demon won’t know about the lost speed.
It goes down as you’d expect. Jay shows up and freaks out Sand Demon, the engage in battle but it’s obvious that Jay is speedless. Barry takes advantage of the moment to save Patty, but the blast knocks them both down and Sand Demon is super excited that he gets to kill both Flashes. He goes for Jay’s throat, then Barry runs in a circle around them and tosses that lightning. He hits the Sand Demon, who then turns to glass and shatters. Flashes win!
Back at the lab, Caitlin patches Jay up physically as he admits it’s really hard for him to have lost his speed. Caitlin calls him a hero. The flirting, it’s cute. Barry comes in and apologizes to Jay, but also thanks him and they talk about Zoom. It’s revealed that Zoom wants to be the only speedster ever. Which is sinister.
And back at the police station we check in on Joe and Patty. Joe tells Patty that he’s checked into her and he knows about her connection to Mark Mardon. Patty explains that before the accelerator explotion the Mardon brothers had robbed a bank and that Mark killed her father. She doesn’t feel good about Murderers having gotten super powers and she wants to be part of the fight against them. Patty gets her spot on the task force. Joe tells her she starts Monday. And then a lady walks off the elevator and right for Joe. He demands to know why she’s there, and she says that he’s not answering her calls and she wants to know how he and their daughter is. Yep, that’s Iris’ mom.
In the mini lab at the big lab, Stein confronts Cisco because he doesn’t believe in hunches and Cisco opens up. Since Wells killed him he gets vibes and sees things. Stein wants to study things, but Cisco wants it to end because he’s scared. Stein agrees to keep his secret. The two of them end up presenting information on the breaches they’ve been hunting. Turns out there are 52 breaches (52, get it, comics fans?) between the worlds and the biggest one is right there at the lab. Then Stein collapses.
And just before you thought this episode was over we find ourselves at another version of STAR Labs where a group of children are being lead around by a tour guide. The guide gets all excited and tells the kids they get to meet the person who saved Central City and who do we see standing there? Dr. Creepy Jeans!
So what do you think they are going to do with all the breaches this season? How do you feel about all these alternative worlds? Iris’ mom? Let’s chat in comments!
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