The FlashBack: ‘The Flash’ – Episode 8 ‘Invasion!’

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 to night two of the huge crossover event! Monday night on Supergirl, Barry and Cisco Earth hopped to enlist the Girl of Steel’s help. Last night the greatest team up ever got started. Hollywood should take some notes because this is how you do the Justice League, but everyone else, there are spoilers beyond this point!

We open up with the Flash and Green Arrow under attack. They’re taking some serious fire from people who should be their friends, Supergirl, the Legends, even Diggle! What gives? Well, ten hours earlier we are back at STAR Labs as Wally runs laps. Caitlin and Cisco are putting the once and future Kid Flash through his paces to see how his stats are. Turns out, Wally is better and faster than Barry was at this point, but Iris doesn’t want Wally to know about this. She’s afraid Wally will put himself in harm’s way and while Cisco is not cool with lying to Wally, Caitlin agrees to keep the secret. Wells the Third then calls for the gang to come to cortex. On the way there, Caitlin suggests drinks with Cisco and Barry, but Cisco is not down. Wells the Third, however, is down. Not for drinks, but for a new presentation. He has an idea that they should offer tours of STAR Labs, complete with reenactments of the particle accelerator explosion. This doesn’t go over well with the team and they are quickly distracted by a satellite reading of a meteor heading for Central City.

Barry speeds to check it out and does find the meteor. Except it’s not a meteor, it’s an alien ship. Barry tries to touch it, but is blasted to the ground as aliens stream into the city. The next day the news covers it as a government project, but Lyla is there for Argus. Lyla is arguing with someone about the ship and when the woman leaves, Lyla tells Barry she’ll meet him at STAR. With the whole team present at STAR Lyla tells them about the aliens. They are known as The Dominators and they’ve been here before, in the 1950s. Back then they abducted people and left. This time, there are four ships and they sent a message saying it was a peaceful mission, but also threatening anyone who came after them. Lyla wants the gang to stay out of things, but she’ll keep them informed. Clearly this is not Barry’s plan.

In Star City, Green Arrow and Diggle are fighting their big villain of the season, Vigilante and it’s going badly. Fortunately for them the Flash shows up and zips them out of the way just in time. Diggle, as usual, gets motion sickness (and really, Diggle has the best lines of the night in general) while Barry explains the aliens. Felicity is there and Thea shows up, excited to help fight the aliens. The team up is on. Felicity sends a message to the Legends and Barry takes Cisco to go get Supergirl. Everyone meets up at a hanger STAR Labs owns and guys, it’s the Hall of Justice. It’s totally going to be the Hall of Justice. Anyway, the team is all there and after Supergirl convinces them she’s an alien they get to training.

Kara knows about the Dominators and how evil they are. The team decides they need a leader and while Cisco pointedly chooses Ollie, Ollie insists that Barry lead. Ray and Cisco chat about the Atom suit before Ray has to break the news that Snart died (too soon, I tell you, too soon, RIP Snart.) Wally shows up because Wells the Third told him the truth about his stats and Wally wants to help. Iris says no, they argule and Wally leaves. Cisco catches Felicity up on what happened to Dante and then Martin and Jax ask to speak with Barry alone. Ollie comes along and we find out that there is a recording on the Waverider from Barry forty years into the future warning them not to trust anyone, especially him. Barry then has to explain Flashpoint and despite Jax thinking that the team needs to know, but Ollie says no.

Martin ends up having some odd vision of a young woman that clearly rattles him. He asks Caitlin to go with him on a trip to his house. They talk about Killer Frost as they walk up to the house and when they knock on the door, the girl from the visions greets them. She turns out to be Martin’s daughter (this is new information) and a rattled Martin leaves quickly. Meanwhile, Lyla is meeting with a bunch of official people, the lady from earlier, and the President. As the President leaves, the Dominators abduct him.

At the Hall of Justice Cisco spills the secret about the recording and causes Barry to explain Flashpoint. The changes caused by Flashpoint stun everyone, especially Diggle. Before people can yell at Barry too much Lyla texts about the President so the team now needs to act. Of course, the team now doesn’t trust Barry, so he stays behind while everyone else (sans Ollie, who stays with Barry) goes. The team finds the President, but he was only bait. The Dominators kill him and turn on their weapon. What does it do? Mind controls the team!

Barry is still brooding about Flashpoint and shows Ollie the newspaper article from the future. Ollie, however, doesn’t seem impressed. Instead Ollie tells him that anyone would have tried to change the past. He gets cut short of telling Barry to get over it, though, because Cisco calls. STAR is under attack. Barry and Ollie go outside to find their friends attacking them. The fight doesn’t go well and Wally tries to help, but is quickly knocked out. While Flash and Green Arrow struggle against the mind-controlled heroes, Felicity and Cisco find the signal and trace it. The Flash leads Supergirl away towards the signal while Green Arrow tries to hold off the others.

At the building where the Dominators were Barry makes Supergirl angry and uses that to have her destroy the device. The signal stops, everyone returns to normal in the nick of time. As the group gets back together, Supergirl scans the city for more of the devices. Suddenly, though, White Canary is taken by light. Then goes the Atom, Diggle, and Speedy. Everyone else runs, but then the same light hits Green Arrow and even the Flash can’t stop it. The gang has been abducted. This can’t be good.

Tonight? Night three of our event! Be sure to check back tomorrow for our special edition recap of Arrow!