The FlashBack: ‘The Flash’ – Episode 5 ‘The Darkness and the Light’

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: CW

Welcome back! Last week Dr. Creepy came back and this week the show wastes no time in explaining this. Honestly this is one of the faster-paced episodes this show has had so brace yourself: this recap is on speed round and there are spoilers beyond this point.

Earth-2, eight months ago. Harrison Wells (the real one for his world) is holding a press conference to talk about STAR Labs’ commitment to helping save the world from metahuman bad guys. Wells, you see, has developed a series of apps to let people detect approaching metahumans. I’m think he should call it iMeta, but anyway the app definitely works: it detects Jay Garrick as he shows up with his frown face on. Jay is not in a great mood. He wants Wells to fess up and tell everyone what he thinks is the truth. That truth? That wells created those metahumans, including the evil Zoom. Wells denies this and throw some blame on the Flash, claiming that he hasn’t done his job to stop Zoom. It’s a little heated and then Wells’ daughter checks in with her dad to make sure he’s okay. Yep, Wells has a kid. No word yet on if she’s evil.

Back on Earth-1 Wells is holding the autobiography of Dr. Creepy. That’s definitely weird. Also weird is Team Flash because they aren’t really sure about Wells considering their experience with Dr. Creepy. Wells insists that he is there to help Barry defeat Zoom. Why? Wells owns up to having created Zoom and the other metahumans on Earth-2, but now he wants to resolve this. And Wells doesn’t care what happened with Dr. Creepy. He starts to explain, but Joe comes in and straight up shoots at him. This seems like a reasonable response to me, but Barry gets all fast and saves Wells before taking Joe outside to explain things to him. Wells is apparently hungry and requests some Big Belly Burger which does not amuse Cisco.

Meanwhile at Picture News (I still don’t get this title) we’re having a very special ripped from the headlines moment where Linda Park has written a piece about a local football star’s domestic violence scandal. Larkin is chewing her out about it when Joe comes to get Iris so he can tell her about Wells. Understandably it’s upsetting for her, but Iris says she’s okay. Joe still gives her a gun and tells her that he hopes that Barry is right about Wells, but that he can’t trust it. Joe is like the king of skeptical and I like it.

Know who else can’t trust it? Cisco. Barry is with him at Jitters trying to talk Cisco into it. Annoying Patty comes up and misunderstands things and generally is clunky about things. She has to leave to file a report or something and Barry turns her down for a date by accident. Cisco, who himself doesn’t have the best dating record, tells Barry to ask Patty out. Continuing with this dating theme Cisco goes to order his coffee and tries to ask the girl behind the counter out. She shoots him down and as Cisco walks away he gets one of his visions, this one of a woman robbing a bank. Barry comes over to check on Cisco’s sick burn and Cisco tells him that there’s a breacher from Earth-2 at the bank.

And yep, there is. This lady uses a blast of light energy to kick some butt and throw people around like rag dolls. The Flash saves lives, but the metahuman gets away. Back at STAR Wells explains that on his world, the metahuman is called Light and she was a petty thief before that accelerator explosion. Wells thinks she’d make a good lure to get Zoom to this world, but as he suggests it Jay and Caitlin show up and definitely disagree. Barry also has begun to wonder just how Cisco knew about the robbery. Cisco lies largely unconvincingly, but Barry can’t call him out on it. He has to stop Light.

Stopping Light apparently means going to his day job to ask Patty out. Blah. I’m more interested in what’s going on at Cisco’s lab which is now Wells’ lab it seems and that annoys Cisco. He tells Wells that Dr. Creepy killed him which is part of why he can’t trust him. He explains that he is alive because Barry was able to travel through time. This very much interests Wells.

Back at the bank. Doctor Light is breaking into the vault and the Flash shows up. Light just wants to steal some money, leave town, and go into hiding. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Flash tries to chat with her and talk some sense so Light lifts up her visor and…holy crap it’s Linda. Well, not really. It’s the Linda of Earth-2. Barry’s confusion alerts Light that she knows him so to solve this she blinds him and runs.

So somehow Barry gets back to STAR. He’s all blind and stuff, but we know that’s temporary and he is worried about their Linda since Light now knows she has a double. Barry wants to help but his blind situation doesn’t help. Jay and Caitlin go to check on her and Iris comes to help Barry. Barry chooses this moment to remember he’s supposed to be on a date with Patty and now he has to cancel because of the blind thing. Iris is super helpful and comes up with a plan to have help from Cisco so Barry won’t miss his date. The idea? Special sunglasses that he wears to the date. The sunglasses lets Barry sort of see via Cisco. It doesn’t really work, but the date is not ruined so there’s that.

Caitlin and Jay are doing their keeping an eye on Picture News thing. It involves bonding over Jay telling Caitlin that he fought Zoom a lot of times, but barely escaped with his life each time. This is distressing. Jay tells Caitlin that she can’t trust Wells. They also compare notes about their worlds and they almost kiss but Doctor Light knocks over the van (literally) and she goes into the office. There, she dismisses everyone. She won’t let Linda leave and Iris and Larkin stick around. Light tells Linda that she wants her life. See, the only way for her to stay alive, per Light, is to become Linda and even though she’s not a killer she’s prepared to do this. Larkin tries to save Linda, but Doctor Light gets her first kill. Then Iris uses the gun her dad gave her and shoots Light, but it only hits the helmet, knocking it off her. Jay shows up to try to stop her, but Light knocks everyone down.

Barry’s date to Patty is ending and they kiss and after that Barry has gotten his vision back (unrelated to the kiss.) Both Patty and Barry get calls about the attack at Picture News. On scene Linda is shaken and asks Patty how it’s possible that she saw herself and she says that Iris saved her life. Barry vows to find Light.

At STAR Jay and Wells are still not getting on. Wells blames Jay and calls him a coward for fleeing Zoom. They actually fight until Barry stops them and pulls Wells away. Wells thinks Barry should be teaching Jay and not the other way around. Barry explains to Wells that Dr. Creepy had been his mentor until they found out the truth. It’s important that Wells understand this. As they talk, Barry mentions Lights mask which gives Wells an idea. He takes the mask and says he knows how to find Light: give the mask to Cisco because Cisco is a metahuman. And with his watch, Wells outs Cisco.

Barry is hurt by this information, but Cisco explains that Dr. Creepy thought it was a blessing. He also says he doesn’t know what brings on the visions but Wells makes him touch the mask. Nothing. Wells yells (man, this guy is not nice) and Cisco tries again. Nothing. Cisco says he can’t control it and Wells shoves the mask to his chest and tells him he can. And it works. And Barry is sent to the train station to intercept Doctor Light.

They fight, but Flash is struggling. Wells tells him that he needs to confuse Light by giving her more than one target. Essentially Barry needs to create a speed mirage of himself and Barry tries it, but she still manages to knock him back. Jay helps by giving Barry a quick pep talk and this time it works and Light is knocked out. They take her and lock her away in the pipeline where Barry plans to use Light to lure Zoom to Earth-1. Jay straight up tells him this is a bad idea, but Barry says he has spent too long being afraid of Reverse Flash and now he’s not going to be afraid anymore. Jay continues to be the voice of reason and tells Barry he’s not ready to fight Zoom alone. Barry insists that he has Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco and even Jay, but Jay says he can’t help him in good conscience because it will lead to tragedy. He says they can’t trust Wells and encourages Barry to ask why Wells has suddenly changed his tune about Zoom.

With the bad guy dealt with Cisco goes to order coffee at Jitters and this time the girl asks him if coffee is all he wants. She explains to Cisco that she just moved there and it’s a big change. Now that she’s adjusted, well, she might be interested. She introduces herself to him. Her name is Kendra Saunders. Full disclosure: at this point I had a little tantrum because in comics, Kendra is a version of Hawkgirl. Not my favorite version, but Hawkgirl is my favorite character and this girl ain’t no Hawkgirl. So much eye-rolling from me.

Anyway.

At Barry’s table, Cisco brings over coffee an NotHawkgirl’s number. Over coffee, the team gives Cisco his name: Vibe. Across the room, Wells watches.

And back on Earth-2? Remember Wells’ daughter? Yeah, Zoom has her hostage. He taunts her saying that her father has abandoned her. She doesn’t buy it. She says her dad will save her, but Zoom says that is still undecided.

Cisco gets his name! I can’t stand the casting of NotHawkgirl! Iris is heroic! This episode had some great moments. What was your favorite? Let’s chat in the comments!