The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 23 - Fast Enough

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

"Harrison Wells" has been captured but Eobard Thawne has one ace left up his sleeve. The particle accelerator he built has been reactivated and could be his ticket home with Barry Allen's help. And in exchange for that help Thawne's ready to give Barry Allen what he wants most - a chance to go back in time and stop his mother's murder.  But is Barry ready to let his greatest enemy go in exchange for the life he's always dreamed of?


Influences

The Flash: Rebirth (Barry's origin story here and being inspired to heroism by his mother's murder and father's imprisonment), Flashpoint (the idea of Barry Allen creating a parallel universe by stopping his mother's murder) and the comics of Geoff Johns (general tone, the use of time travel and paradoxes and the back story for Cisco Ramon a.k.a. Vibe)


Performances

It's impossible to single out any one actor as being particularly good in this episode. The script gives everyone in the cast at least one moment to shine and they are all radiant stars.


Artistry

The script for this episode is very well crafted, giving all of the core cast at least one great moment or quotable line.

The use of Don't Dream It's Over for Ronnie and Caitlin's wedding is a perfect choice of music.

The special effects in the Speed Force time-travel sequence and the last minute of the episode have reset the bar for what superhero television shows can accomplish.


Flash Facts

The episode's opening "My name is Barry Allen" speech is switched out in this episode, with Grant Gustin delivering the words in a more somber tone and the speech ending with the words "That day is today." instead of "I am The Flash".

Eobard Thawne is disappointed that Barry didn't deliver him Big Belly Burger when he came to visit him in his cell - a reference to a popular fast food franchise in the DC Universe.

Eobard Thawne tells Barry that he was born 136 years in the future.  In the original comics, Eobard Thawne was from the 25th Century - not the 22nd Century.

Eobard Thawne mentions The Speed Force - the extra-dimensional energy field that all speedsters in the DC Universe can tap into to fuel their powers.

Thawne's belief that he can change Barry's past by causing a tragedy is very in-line with the motivations of Hunter Zolomon - the second Reverse Flash.

One possible reason why Thawne lost his connection to The Speed Force after altering the timeline in the hopes that the death of Nora Allen would cause Barry to never become The Flash is the fact that - in some versions of The Flash's story - Barry Allen IS The Speed Force.  If this is the case in the DCTVU, then preventing Barry from becoming The Flash would likewise destroy The Speed Force, logically robbing Thawne of his powers.

Henry tells Barry that he might understand his objections to Barry's trying to change the past if he were a father himself.  In the comics, Barry does indeed become the father of  twin siblings - one boy and one girl - who gain his powers and become known as The Tornado Twins, Don and Dawn Allen.

Stein says that when Barry collides with the hydrogen proton he plans to shout something like "Eureka!" or "Excelsior!"  Eureka is Ancient Greek for "I have found it" and was reportedly shouted by Archimedes upon his discovery of a method to accurately measure the volume of an irregular solid. Excelsior is a Latin word meaning "ever upward" and is also the trademark catch-phrase of legendary comic writer Stan Lee.

Cisco calls the time machine that Eobard Thawne was constructing a Time Sphere. The reason Thawne smiles at this is because that is the actual name of the ship in question.  The Time Sphere is the name of the vehicle used by the time-traveling hero Rip Hunter in the comics. Thawne later refers to Rip Hunter as the inventor of The Time Sphere and notes that he was "an interesting man".

Thawne explains that the reason why Cisco is able to remember his death in an altered timeline is due to his having been given powers in the particle accelerator explosion that allow him to "see through the vibrations of the universe". In The New 52 universe, Cisco Ramon developed the power to emit sonic vibrations as well as some extra-sensory powers after a similar accident involving the destruction of advanced technology.

Cisco quotes Douglas Adams, saying "So long and thanks for all the fish" in response to the revelation that they could potentially destroy the world using the particle accelerator.  These were the last words the dolphins communicated to humanity before leaving the Earth just before it was blown up in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

Another nod to the number 52 - according to Thawne's calculations, Barry will only have 1 minute and 52 seconds to save his mother before the wormhole closes.

Eddie says that he canceled a date with a dancer named Katie Rogers on the night that he first met Iris West, stopping the purse snatcher who had grabbed her backpack.  Katie Rogers was also the name of the heroine of a 2009 graphic novel - The Trouble With Katie Rogers - published by Ape Entertainment.

The song playing at Caitlin and Ronnie's wedding is Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House. The song is about two people coming together and believing in their love, despite circumstances contriving to separate them.

Barry has a number of visions of both the past and the future as he enters into The Speed Force. Among these are images of a bronze statue of himself.  This is a reference to The Flash Museum, which had such a statue in front of it.  The Flash Museum, as its name implies, was a museum devoted towards the life of The Flash, his enemies and his allies.

Barry also has a vision of a pale-skinned, blonde-haired woman with ice powers. It appears to be Caitlin Snow, having assumed the identity of Killer Frost - the heat-draining super-villain who shares her name in the comics.

Right before he sees the night his mother died, Barry sees himself, The Atom, Sara Lance and Captain Cold facing off against a giant robot foot.  This scene is taken from preview footage from the trailer for the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow TV series.

A metal petasos-style helmet with wings on the sides flies out of the wormhole, which Thawne takes as a sign that he should go. This might be because said hat is part of the uniform of Jay Garrick - The Flash of Earth 2 in the pre-Crisis DC Comics Universe.

A number of bystanders are seen watching the singularity start to devour Central City.  Among them are Len Snart, Captain Singh, Henry Allen and a young woman named Kendra Saunders, whom we know will become Hawkgirl in the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow show.

Technobabble

Thawne says he needs Barry to rupture the space-time barrier and create a stable wormhole which he can use to return to his home time.

Professor Stein notes that Thawne's actions have already changed the past, creating the parallel universe in which The Flash TV show takes place.

Thawne's plan is for Barry to collide with a hydrogen proton moving at the speed of light in STAR Labs' particle accelerator. This will punch a hole in reality and create a portal connecting their time with infinite times - a wormhole through which one could travel backwards to the night Nora Allen died or forward in time to Eobard Thawne's time.  This requires Barry to run fast enough to trigger the reaction - too slow will crush him like a bug splatting against a windshield.

Professor Stein says that Barry will have to move at Mach 2 in order to time travel using the particle accelerator. Mach 2 is 1,522.4141 mph.

Ronnie notes that the tiles Wells set aside for building a time machine are made of tungsten.  Cisco notes that tungsten does have the highest melting point of any element. Unfortunately, tungsten dust is flammable, meaning that the pressure of the wormhole could cause a hole to be melted into the exterior of the time machine's casing and trigger an explosion due to temporal shearing.

Cisco theorizes that Thawne fits his costume inside of his ring using compressed micro-tech.

Thawne says that a cobalt resin being used to cement the tungsten tiles will prevent degradation in conditions of extreme heat.

Thawne says that Cisco was altered by the particle accelerator explosion and is able to see through the vibrations of the universe. This is why Cisco is able to retain traces of another timeline in his memory.

Stein notes that even if Barry can hit the hydrogen particle at the right speed, the resulting wormhole could collapse into a singularity - i.e. a black hole.  This would be a global catastrophe.

When Barry and Joe have their second talk about whether or not Barry should attempt to change the past, Barry sits on "the cosmic treadmill".  In the comics, The Cosmic Treadmill was the device that allowed Barry Allen to time-travel.

According to Thawne's calculations, Barry will have 1 minute and 52 seconds to save his mother and return home once the wormhole stabilizes.

Though it isn't named as such, Eddie's method of killing Eobard is a classic example of The Grandfather Paradox - a classic physics problem which states that a time traveler could not go back in time and kill their own grandfather.  The act of killing their grandfather would cause them not to exist, which therefore means they could never go back in time to kill their grandfather in the first place. The paradox would not, however, appear to stop a man from acting on future knowledge to prevent his future ancestors from being born.

Stein notes that the accretion disc has already assembled once they get outside the STAR Labs building. The accretion disc the fused material that forms an orbital motion around a singularity. It has an energy level of at least 6.7 tera-electronvolts.


Dialogue Triumphs

Barry: My name is Barry Allen and I'm the fastest man alive. When I was a child, I saw my mother killed by something impossible. My father went to prison for her murder. Then an accident made me the impossible. To the outside world, I'm am an ordinary forensic scientist, but secretly I use my speed to fight crime and find others like me. And one day I'll find who killed my mother and get justice for my father. That day is today.

Barry: Why were we enemies?
Eobard: It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that neither of us was strong enough to defeat the other. Until I learned your secret. I learned your name. Barry. Allen. And finally I knew how to defeat you once and for all. Travel back in time. Kill you as a child. Wipe you from the face of the Earth!  But then you - future you, that is - followed me back and we fought. We both landed some pretty solid shots. And then you - future you - got your younger self out of there. I was so mad!  And then I thought, "what if you were to suffer a tragedy?" What if you were to suffer something horrible, so traumatic that your child self could never recover? Then you would not become The Flash.  And so I stabbed your mother in the heart. And I was free. Finally able to return to a future without The Flash. Only to realize that in traveling back, I lost my way home. Lost my ability to harness The Speed Force and without it I was stuck here. Stranded in this time. Unable to return to my home. And the only way back was The Flash. But The Flash was gone. And so, I created him.

Barry: I can save Mom.
Henry: At what cost?

Ronnie: (To Caitlin) I realized that although sometimes I'm more than one man, I'm not whole unless I'm with you.

Barry: What do you think I should do?  I need someone to tell me.
Iris: I think - that for once your life, Barry Allen, you should stop thinking about other people. I think you should do what's in your heart. Do what you need to for yourself.

Cisco: It was an alternate timeline. One that Barry reset. But I never forgot it. It just kept coming back to me. And I can still picture the way you looked at me when you called me a son. And you crushed my heart with your fist.
Eobard: Cisco... I'm sorry.
Cisco: Yeah. It sucked.
Eobard: Oh, not for killing you. I'm sure I had a good reason. I'm sorry for the fact that you were able to retain traces of another timeline. You're able to see through the vibrations of the universe.

Eddie: Dr. Wells made it pretty clear when he told me about the future. I don't matter. As far as history is concerned I don't save the day or get the girl.
Martin: And... you believed him?
Eddie: He had a newspaper from the year 2024.
Martin: And I have a mug that says "World's Best Boss". I doubt my teaching assistant would testify to its authenticity.

Barry: You know, I've dreamed my whole life about saving her. Freeing my dad. I never thought I'd have to lose another parent to do that.
Joe: Barry...
Barry: Joe, it's true... it's true. I've always been so focused on everything that I lost that night. But I've gained so much too. I was born with one father and that tragedy gave me another. And I don't think I can lose you.
Joe: You won't ever lose me. Ever, do you hear me?  Ever.

Eddie: We've all been so focused on Barry's destiny, I forgot I have one too. And it's you. Iris West. Every moment of my life led to meeting you. Screw the future.
Iris: (laughs) Screw the future.

Ronnie: Is this actually binding?
Martin: My father made me become a rabbi before he would send me to M.I.T. This will be "legit", as the kids say.
Ronnie: No kids say that.
Martin: Let's not fight on our wedding day.

Ronnie: I owe you a real ring.
Caitlin: I don't need one. I have everything and everyone that I could ever need right here. If all the events of the past year have led us to this moment, it was worth it. I love you, Ronnie.
Martin: I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.
Ronnie: Stop telling me what to do. (kisses Caitlin)

Cisco: May the Speed Force be with you.

Barry: Goodbye, Dad.
(They hug)
Joe: Goodbye, Son.

Eobard: Barry, what you're seeing is The Speed Force. Your past. Your present. Your future. All at once. So you need to focus on where you want to go. So think about that night.  Think about your mother...

Eddie: He was wrong, it turns out. I'm a hero after all.
Iris: You are, Eddie!  You are! You are my hero.
Eddie: That's all I ever wanted to be.  Your hero...

Martin: Barry, that event has an energy level of 6.7 tera-electronvolts! It cannot be stopped!
Barry: I have to try.


Continuity

Eobard Thawne claims that cows are extinct in his time.

Eobard Thawne claims to have been born in the year 2151 - 136 years in the future.

Thawne reveals that he remembers an entirely different past with Barry Allen and that he originally came back in time to kill Barry, but then killed Nora Allen in the hopes that the tragedy would stop Barry Allen from becoming The Flash. He was right, but he was depowered in the process and thus forced to recreate the events that turned Barry Allen into The Flash.

Barry refers to how he altered time after going back one day in 116.

Iris refers to the original name given to Barry - The Streak - which was last mentioned in 105.

Caitlin says that Barry has never gone as fast as Mach 2 before.

Cisco's theory from 122, that Wells was using the device in his wheelchair to power his super-speed is confirmed.

Cisco tells Eobard Thawne about his visions of having been killed by him in the alternate timeline from 115.  Thawne, in turn, tells him that the particle accelerator explosion gave him powers and that a great and honorable destiny awaits him.

Eddie refers to the conversation he and Eobard had about the future in 121.

Eddie's favorite food is the dim sum at Mama Chows.

Eddie refers to how he first met Iris, stopping the mugger who stole her backpack in 101.

Martin Stein is a Rabbi and apparently legally qualified to perform weddings in whatever state Central City is located in.

Caitlin and Ronnie are legally married on the lawn of STAR Labs, with Martin conducting the ceremony. Joe, Eddie, Barry, Iris and Cisco attend the wedding, with Cisco acting as the ring bearer and Iris as the maid of honor.

There are three versions of Barry Allen at the scene of Nora Allen's murder as of this episode - a future version of Barry, the ten-year-old Barry and the 25-year-old Barry of "now".

Eobard Thawne says "Now run, Barry, run!" as Barry begins his run to the past, in the same manner in which he said those same lines when Barry Allen tried to reverse a tornado in 101.  These were also the words Henry Allen said to a young Barry on the night Nora Allen died.

The visions that Barry has while in The Speed Force show him a young Iris and Joe shortly after his mother's death, Caitlin Snow as Killer Frost, The Flash Museum, Barry in prison and an image of The Atom, Sara Lance, Captain Cold and himself facing a giant robot foot stomping down at them before he sees the night Nora Allen died.

The future Barry raises a hand and shakes his head at the present Barry, indicating that he shouldn't save Nora's life.  Barry decides to obey and hides until The Reverse Flash leaves. He does, however, ensure that his mother does not die alone and reveals his identity to her.

Eobard Thawne identifies Rip Hunter as the inventor of the first Time Sphere and says that he was "an interesting man".

A metal petasos-style helmet flies out of the wormhole, which Thawne takes as a sign that he should go - a possible reference to The Flash of Earth 2, Jay Garrick.

Eddie Thawne shoots himself in the chest, killing himself - an action that causes Eobard Thawne to fade out of existence. His body is later dragged into the re-opened wormhole that forms above STAR Labs after Eobard Thawne is erased from existence.


Untelevised Adventures

Eobard Thawne refers to several future battles with Barry Allen and how the timeline we've come to know over the past season was the result of his killing Nora Allen.



The Bottom Line

Flawless, save that the uncertainty of the cliff-hanger ending is annoying when we're looking at a four month gap before Season 2 starts.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 22 - Rogue Air

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

With the man he knows as Harrison Wells on the loose, Barry Allen will need help in stopping The Reverse Flash. But first, he'll need to evacuate all the metahumans being held in The Pipeline before Wells reactivates the STAR Labs particle accelerator.  With the aid of the police denied Joe West and all of Barry's heroic allies AWOL, Barry will turn to the most unlikely of allies - Captain Cold!


Influences

Con-Air (the central plot involves a transport of dangerous criminals that goes amiss), numerous The Flash story-lines where The Flash and Captain Cold worked together to stop a bigger threat and The Brave And The Bold comics of The Silver Age (Arrow, Firestorm and The Flash team to fight The Reverse Flash).


Goofs

Given the problems they've had whenever one of them is left alone, leaving Caitlin in the lab alone while everyone else goes to find Wells in The Pipeline seems incredibly stupid and the only reason it seems to happen is to give Iris a chance to prove herself saving Caitlin from Peek-A-Boo later.

Ollie's presence in this episode doesn't seem to make any sense relative to the timeline in his own series.  How was able to escape from The League of Assassins just long enough to pick up some naninte-infused, speedster-neutralizing arrows from Ray Palmer and then make his way to Central City just long enough to help Barry out when he's been tightly held in Nanda Parbat for just over a month, making only one trip to the USA in that time?

For that matter, how long has Ray Palmer been working on speedster-neutralizing nanites?


Performances

Once again, Wentworth Miller steals the show as Captain Cold.

Peyton List, not to be outdone, plays the femme fatale expertly in playing with Cisco's emotions. She's almost certainly messing with him just to mess with him.  And yet, one can't help but wonder, as Cisco does, if maybe she's not totally messing with him?


Artistry

The opening scene, with The Reverse Flash's narration as we pan across the rest of the core cast is an effective opening. The images of Caitlin and Barry looking at photos of their lost loved ones as Eobard Thawne speaks of losing everything in a flash are particular effective.

The fight scenes in this episode - both the battle between with the escaping metahumans and the battle against The Reverse Flash at the end - and the special effects used during those fight scenes sets a new standard for superhero action on television.


Flash Facts

The name of this episode is a nod to the movie Con-Air, which also centered upon the transport of a number of dangerous criminals gone awry.

Iris and Eddie's address is 203-2320 Western Ave, Central City USA, 74912.  No state is given and 74912 is not a valid zip code, though the 749 prefix of a zip code is reserved for central Oklahoma. This is far and away from the general location of Central City in the DC Universe, which is usually placed in western Missouri, on the border with Kansas.

Captain Cold addresses Barry as "The Scarlet Speedster". In the comics, this is one of the alliterative nicknames for The Flash, like how Batman is The Caped Crusader and Green Arrow is The Emerald Archer.

When Barry and Snart are talking at the Saints and Sinners bar, the song Cold as Ice by Foreigner is playing on the jukebox. It's a nice audio pun regarding Cold's powers but the song - a warning to someone who manipulates people and scorns honest emotion for material wealth that sooner or later they'll pay for their crimes - seems like a message Leonard Snart could stand to learn from.

When they arrive at the Ferris Air landing strip, Snart comments that he thought Ferris Air shut down. Barry confirms that they did, shortly after one of their test pilots disappeared.  This could be a reference to Hal Jordan - a test pilot for Ferris Air who went on to become the first Green Lantern from Earth.  In the comics, Jordan did briefly disappear after he was taken to the planet Oa for basic training.

In the fight with The Flash, The Arrow and Firestorm, The Reverse Flash wields a special ring that shoots his costume out of it, which he changes into at super-speed.  This is a nod to the classic Flash comics where Barry Allen kept his costume inside a special ring that allowed him to keep his costume close yet hidden where he could easily change into it at superspeed.


Technobabble

The Reverse Flash's wheelchair contains a futuristic batter that emits enough energy to power Central City. As best as Cisco can understand, The Reverse Flash was using this to power his speed and gain more power. This is why The Reverse Flash is faster than Barry Allen.

The "tube" that The Reverse Flash was working with in front of Eddie Thawne is a futurist power source that is, somehow, charging the STAR Labs particle accelerator despite not being visibly plugged into anything. Despite it being beyond his ability to manipulate, Cisco is able to guess that it will finish charging the accelerator in about 36 hours.

According to Cecila Horton, what STAR Labs has been doing with the metahuman criminals The Flash has been catching is unlawful imprisonment and attempting to move them in secret would constitute human trafficking. These are both very bad things.

Using the power source from The Reverse Flash's wheelchair and his uncle's shipping truck, Cisco is able to create an energy dampener. The back of the truck is flooded with so much energy it generates a transient pulse strong enough to disrupt a metahuman's powers.

The Arrow shoots The Reverse Flash with several arrows containing nanites programmed by Ray Palmer to deliver a high-frequency pulse that disables The Reverse Flash's speed powers.


Dialogue Triumphs

The Reverse Flash: I want you to take a moment and think about all the things that define your life. All the people you love. Your job. Your co-workers. Your home. And now imagine that one day, in a flash, all of that vanished. Would you simply accept your new life and move continue on? Or would you do whatever it takes to get back what was taken from you?  Because... I can assure you I will get everything that was taken... from me.

Joe: Let's say, hypothetically, I know a prison - of sorts - a place that can do what Iron Heights can't, where these metahumans, the bad ones, are being locked up.
Cecila: I'd be very concerned. Especially if, hypothetically, you had anything to do with it.

Joe: At what point do we become no different than the people we're fighting?
Barry: We are way different!
Joe: How?
Barry: We only break the rules to help people.

Barry: I need your help with a problem.
Snart: Must be pretty desperate to come asking for my assistance, but I'll bite.  What do you need?
Barry: Help transporting some people out of the city.
Snart: How many?
Barry: Five. Five very bad, very angry people who have powers.
Snart: Powers, hmmm?  So you want me to, what, freeze the problem? Protect you from them if anything goes wrong?  First rule of business - always protect yourself. I'm not going to help usher your enemies out of town.
Barry: Hey, they're not just my enemies.  They're yours too.
Snart: I doubt it.
Barry:  They will destroy Central City!
Snart: It's not my problem.
Barry: You said that you love it here! That this is your home!
Snart: I do. And it is.
Barry: Well, guess what? These people get loose, there won't be a city to love anymore. You won't be able to rob anyone if everyone is dead.
Snart: (pauses to consider) It's a compelling argument. But if I'm going to help you out, I'll need something in return.
(Snart begins writing something on a cocktail napkin) 
Barry: Like what?
Snart: This.
(Barry reads the napkin and snorts in disbelief)
Barry: No.  This is impossible. I can't do that.
Snart: Then I can't help you.
Barry: There has to be... Snart, there has to be something you want that I can get!
(Snart inhales deeply)
Snart: Let me think about it.

Joe:What is going on with you? You working with that killer? This isn't who you are!
Barry: Who I am is the guy who's not fast enough to stop Wells! He - he hasn't been one step ahead of us, Joe! He's been 1000!  I can't catch him! I can't beat him! But what I can do is save those people down there. Wells turned them into what they are and I'm pretty sure he doesn't care if they live or die. I do.

Lisa: Hey Cisco.
Cisco: Oh, hey... Captain Cold's evil sister.
Lisa: Awwww.... You're not still mad at me, are you? I really did enjoy kissing you.
(Caitlin spins around in her chair)
Caitlin: You kissed her?!
Cisco: Under duress. Calm down.
Lisa: I've - I've thought a lot about you.
Cisco: Have you really? (pause) Well, stop!  Because this?  Right here? (pointing to himself) It ain't gonna happen.
Lisa: (pouting as she leans in) A girl can hope.
(Lisa walks away as Cisco just stares straight ahead and Caitlin gives him a death glare)
Cisco: Really not enjoying being one of the good guys this week.  REALLY not!

The Mist: If I had my powers right now, I'd gas you all out of existence!
Deathbolt: (laughs)  And then you'd be standing in a container with four corpses. What would that get you?
The Mist: Peace and quiet.

Captain Cold (holding his gun on Weather Wizard and Rainbow Raider) How about we call tonight a tie?
(Rainbow Raider's eyes start to glow as Golden Glider walks up and points her gun to his head) 
Golden Glider: I'd power down if you don't want me to melt your face.
(Rainbow Raider sighs and his eyes go back to normal)
Captain Cold: Let's all go our separate ways.  My name is Leonard Snart.
Weather Wizard; I know who you are.
Captain Cold: Always pleased to meet a fan. Just remember who it was that made sure you didn't get thrown on that plane bound for nowhere.
Weather Wizard: You're just letting us go? (nods to Deathbolt's body) Why'd you shoot that guy?
Captain Cold: He owed me money.
Weather Wizard; Mmm. (pauses and looks at Cold) What?  You want a thank you?
Captain Cold: Who doesn't like a 'thank you'?
Rainbow Raider: (pause) Thank you?
Captain Cold: (cheerfully) YOU are so very welcome!

The Flash: You sabotaged the truck, didn't you?! Why did you let them escape?!
Captain Cold: Because now they all owe me. And something tells me they'll be a lot more use to me as part of my Rogues than rotting away in the North China sea.
The Flash: You gave me your word!
Captain Cold: (chuckles) It's true, I did. But here's the thing. I'm a criminal. And a liar. And I hurt people. And I rob them. What did you expect me to do? Not be what I am? I saw an opportunity to turn things to my advantage. And I did. Who you're really mad at is yourself. This is on you, Barry.
The Flash: Then why don't you just kill me?
Captain Cold: (shrugs) Well, I guess you owe me one now, too.  Good luck with (waves his hand around) all of this. I'm actually really excited to see how it all turns out.

Barry: I've seen the way that Oliver does things. And he's not afraid to just do whatever it takes to get what he needs and I thought I could do that too. I thought I could just use Snart but instead he used me.
Joe: You're not The Arrow, Barry. That's not the kind of hero you are.
Barry: What kind am I?
Joe: The kind that cares about whether or not those criminals lived or died. I mean, whatever Mardon, Nimbus and Shawna did, they're human beings. And you knew letting Wells use them as pawns was wrong. You know the difference between right and wrong and you weren't willing to blurr the lines between the two. That's the kind of man you are. And that's what makes you different than The Arrow. So please, no more walks on the dark side. Agreed?
Barry: (laughs softly) Yeah.


Continuity

Iris and Eddie's address is 203-2320 Western Ave, Central City USA, 74912.

Cisco points out that liquid levitates whenever something involving The Reverse Flash is nearby. He specifically cites Barry's aquarium when he was a kid (101), Wells' champagne glass on the night of the particle accelerator explosion (103) and Captain Lance's coffee right before they found Harrison Wells' body (119).  It happens again in this episode, with his orange soda as they open The Pipeline.

As the episode opens, only five metahumans are contained in The Pipeline.  They are Kyle Nimbus (103), Roy G. Bivolo (108), Shawna Baez (112), Mark Mardon (115) and Jake Simmons (A319). AKA The Mist, Rainbow Raider, Peek-A-Boo, Weather Wizard and Deathbolt.

Joe discovers Eddie Thawne under The Pipeline.  As he's helping him out, Iris discovers the ring Eddie was going to use to propose to her when he was kidnapped.

Eddie tells the rest of the core cast that The Reverse Flash told him his real name was Eobard Thawne and that they were related.  Cisco confirms that Eboard Thawne is the name that Dr. Wells gave him in his dream/vision of the alternate time-line in 120.

Barry refers to Lian Yu - the island where Oliver Queen was stranded for several years, where ARGUS built a secret prison.  This is where they sent Captain Boomerang after the events of A308 and where The Arrow keeps his worst enemies, including Deathstroke.

Joe speaks to Central City's District Attorney Cecile Horton, last seen in 119, about the possibility of police support for transporting hypothetical metahuman criminals. She refuses to consider the possibility and advises Joe, if he's involved in such a thing, to get out now.

Joe notes that Captain Singh, last seen in 120, is on his honeymoon.

Barry is able to secure an ARGUS plane after a phone call to Lyla Diggle, whom he met in A308.

Barry says that he couldn't get a hold of Oliver, who is in someplace called Nanda Parbat. This is the home of The League of Assassins and Oliver has made several trips there over the course of Season 3 of Arrow.  At the time of this episode, Oliver is in the middle of playing at being the heir of Ra's Al Ghul.

Barry finds Len Snart hanging out a bar called Saints And Sinners.

Eddie, when pressed on his aborted proposal, confessed to Iris that The Reverse Flash showed him the future and that she was married to Barry.

20 hours pass between when Cisco discovers the device charging the particle accelerator and when Snart shows up at STAR Labs.

Snart agrees to help Barry in exchange for having all records of his existence erased, both physical and electronic.

Lisa Snart makes her first appearance since 116.

Snart reveals he has kept his word about keeping Barry's secret identity a secret from his associates, including his own sister.

Cisco has an uncle who owns a refrigerated shipping truck and uses it to deliver frozen food.

Lisa Snart has a Class A commercial driver's license.

Weather Wizard recognizes The Mist and notes that he was supposed to have been executed, as revealed in 103.

Ferris Air is said to have shut down after one of their test pilots disappeared.

Cisco gives Lisa Snart a code name - Golden Glider.

Barry is able to stop The Mist by using his hands to generate a whirlwind that contains The Mist until he solidifies.  This is similar to the trick Barry learned to create a vacuum to put out an apartment fire in 120.

Peek-A-Boo escapes at the first opportunity, not taking part in the fight.

Rainbow Raider uses his powers on Caitlin, making her attack Cisco, forcing Joe to stop shooting at him to focus on stopping her.

The Mist runs off after The Flash becomes distracted, dodging Deathbolt's eye beams.

The Flash is eventually brought down after being struck by lightning, aimed by The Weather Wizard, while dodging Deathbolt's attacks.  This shows that The Flash is not immune to the effects of electricity not generated by his own powers.

Deathbolt is killed by Captain Cold.

Weather Wizard knows of Leonard Snart by reputation but didn't know Deathbolt.

Weather Wizard and Rainbow Raider escape after Captain Cold lets them go.  Captain Cold and Golden Glider are also at large.

Cisco is able to use "the light thingy" from 108 to cure Caitlin after she's possessed by The Rainbow Raider.

Oliver Queen is wearing his garb from his time as Al Sah-him of The League of Assassins.

According to The Reverse Flash, recorded history says that Oliver Queen lives to be 86 years old.

Once the Revese Flash is downed, Oliver Queen tells Barry he might need a favor.  Barry agrees to it, wherever and whenever.


The Fridge Factor

Eddie dumping Iris by telling her that everyone (i.e. Barry, Joe and himself) knows she really loves Barry REALLY doesn't come off well.  Like all the men in her life know her feelings better than she does?!  Granting that Iris does assert her right to determine her own destiny, Eddie still comes off as dismissive of her protests that the can fight the future.


The Bottom Line

Easily the most action-packed episode of the series in terms of pure superheroics so far. The only real weak point is the Iris/Eddie scenes, but only because they're a distraction from the meat of the episode. I personally have misgivings about Captain Cold ditching his thieves' code of honor in this episode but the twist is handled well enough I can forgive it simply because they've perfectly captured Len Snart as the consummate professional whose ultimate rule is Look Out For #1.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 21 - Grodd Lives

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

With Eddie Thawne still missing, The Reverse Flash on the loose and a new robber targeting gold depots around Central City, The Flash is running himself ragged trying to keep up. But all of that pales to Barry Allen's latest problem. Iris has discovered his secret identity and she is pissed about everyone lying to her!  Yet even an enraged Iris pales in comparison to The Reverse Flash's ally - a super-size, super-intelligent, psychic gorilla named Grodd!


Influences

The Flash comics of John Broome, the Planet of The Apes movies (Cisco makes multiple jokes about the films and a super-intelligent monkey uprising)  nd Aliens (the Grodd-hunting sequence in the sewer).


Goofs

While the chances of methane explosions in a modern sewer are minute, it still seems incredibly risky to use ignitable flares to mark a trail as Joe does.


Performances

Candice Patton has had a thankless job for the better part of the season, playing a love interest that Barry Allen can't have and a reporter who seemingly has no investigative skills worth a damn. With this episode, however, she gets to buy it all back and let loose her justifiable outrage over everyone she knows lying to her for the better part of a year. And it is glorious.


Flash Facts

First appearing in The Flash #106 (May 1959), Gorilla Grodd is one of The Flash's oldest and most dangerous enemies. In his original origin story, Grodd was one of several gorillas given enhanced intelligence by a radioactive meteor. Grodd and another gorilla, Solovar, would also develop telekinetic and telepathic abilities.

Originally, the same meteor that empowered Grodd was also responsible for giving the same psychic powers to Green Lantern villain Hector Hammond.

Grodd's background has been retconned a few times over the years, with the small group of super-intelligent apes expanding into a great society of super-intelligent apes who evolved naturally and kept their home hidden from humanity. The source of Grodd's psychic abilities has also changed over the years, ranging from radioactive meteors to alien intervention to the result of a lab accident.

The DCTVU version of Grodd sports the same powers as his comic book counterpart, possessing telekinesis and telepathy. He is also larger and stronger than an average gorilla, being able to shrug off a volley of The Flash's punches at superspeed and survive being hit by a subway train.  Grodd also seems to have developed enhanced reflexes which allow him to perceive and block The Flash's attacks.

A mention is made of Coast City - home town of Hal Jordan - the Silver Age Green Lantern in the DC Comics.

Joe refers to the thief targeting gold shipments as Goldfinger -  a nod to the gold-loving, gold-stealing James Bond villain.

When it comes to movie references, Cisco is still the king and is called out on this by Grodd through General Eiling when Cisco compares Eiling's behavior to that of the possessed girl in The Exorcist.

Cisco also makes references to Rise of the Planet of the Apes ("I think we know what happens when a super-intelligent ape who's pissed off at humans escapes captivity..."), C.H.U.D. (Iris' reports about monsters living in the sewers) and The Princess Bride (a reference to Rodents of Unusual Size - R.O.U.S.es). He later compares Grodd's stalking them in the sewer to Jurassic Park.

As in the DC Animated Universe, Grodd hates bananas and resents being given them by humans.


Technobabble

Caitlin first theorizes that Eiling's unresponsiveness is due to some form of trance or a form psychotic break resulting in Disassociative Identity Disorder.

Five years earlier, Wells and Eiling worked together on a project intended to expand soldiers' cognitive abilities during battle. In truth, Eiling was trying to create soldiers with psychic powers - particularly telekinesis (moving objects by thought alone) and telepathy (mind-reading and mind-control).

According to the brain scan Caitlin did of Grodd right before the particle accelerator explosion, Grodd's primary motor cortex and Broca's area were - as Barry describes it - lit up like a Christmas tree. General Eiling's brain scan is lit up in the exact same way.

Caitlin theorizes that Grodd's found a way to transmit neural signals to Eiling's primary motor cortex, effectively controlling his mind.

Later, after Barry is attacked by Grodd, Caitlin detects the same spike in Barry's primary motor cortex they detected in General Eiling.

The anti-telepathy strip Cisco and Caitlin design uses magnetic resonance to neutralize all foreign neurological stimulus.


Dialogue Triumphs

(While watching security footage of the gold-thief having a seizure at the same time as Barry)
Barry: Maybe we both got whammied?
Iris: (from the hallway) Then you know how it feels?
(Iris walks into the room. Barry is still wearing his costume sans mask) 
Iris: Hi Barry. Or should I say "The Flash"?

Barry:  Look, Iris... you have to believe me!  I... There were so many times I wanted to tell you! You were the first person I wanted to tell, but... everything started getting crazy! And I thought maybe Joe was right and -
Iris: Wait, wait, wait... you're telling me my dad knew?! And he told you not to tell me?!
Barry: He was trying to protect you. We both were.
Iris: Yeah, well maybe it's time you both stopped.

Joe: Look... baby, the way I went about things, maybe... no. I was wrong. I was just trying to keep you safe.
Iris: You know, that excuse is getting really old. First, it was the police academy. And then it was dating Eddie. And now this.
Joe: Sweetheart, you know what The Man in Yellow is capable of. He killed cops. He killed Mason Bridge...
Iris: Wells killed Mason?  And you're covering that up?!
Joe: No.  No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. If the world finds out about Wells, they find out about Barry. I'm trying to keep him safe too.
Iris: Did you ever stop to think that looping me in would keep me safe?! That if I knew what was going on out there, I could prepare for it?!  Maybe I could have helped you and Barry put the bad guys away instead of being in the way?!
Joe: Believe me, I asked myself that question every single day. Every time you posted something new about The Flash on your blog-
Iris: Dad! It's not just about Barry being The Flash! You knew how he felt about me for God knows how long and you didn't tell me that either!
Joe: That wasn't for me to tell, Iris.
Iris: Well, you know what?! If any of you had been honest with me, maybe Eddie would still be here. He wouldn't have gotten involved with any of this if I hadn't been dating him.
Joe: Are you saying that if you knew how Barry felt...?
Iris: What I'm saying is that what happened to Eddie is your fault.
(Joe's phone begins to vibrate)
Joe: This is work. We can finish this talk.
Iris: (cooly) Talking. Yeah, that will be new.

Cisco: Why is Eiling bad?
Eiling: Eiling.. .hurt.. me.  I... hurt... Eiling.
Barry: So if you're not Eiling, then who are you?
Eiling: I... am... Grodd!  Fear.... me!

Barry: Iris...
Iris: I can't get that sound out of my head. My dad screaming... why did he insist on going down there with you? He's always preaching about being safe but not once does he think about running into danger himself!
Barry: Iris-
Iris: No, Barry!  He's just a regular cop. He's not some metahuman with superpowers. He's not you!
Barry: You're right. He's not me. And this isn't his fault. None of this is his fault! Look, yes, maybe Joe told me not to tell you that I was The Flash. But I didn't have to listen. I could have told you 100 times! I could have told you! And I didn't. Yes, I should have. So you're right to be mad. But don't be mad at your dad. Be mad at me.
Iris: Okay. Okay, then explain to me how the person I thought I knew better than anyone has been keeping secrets from me? Big, life-changing secrets? You were supposed to be my best friend, Barry!
Barry: I am your best friend!
Iris: How can you say that when the most important things in your life, the things that matter the most, the things you're supposed to share, you kept all of them from me?! You lied to me about everything!
Barry: I know, Iris.  Look... I know! But you haven't been entirely honest with me either!
Iris: What? What are you talking about?
Barry: At Christmas, when I told you how I felt, you said that you didn't feel the same way. But I just feel like... I don't know. That maybe things aren't that simple? (pause) Am I wrong?

Barry: You will get what's coming to you. Eventually.
Eiling: I'm not ashamed of my actions, Mr. Allen. You've seen what these metahumans are capable of. Soon your prison won't be enough.
Barry: Not all metahumans are dangerous. 
Eiling: You're afraid that I know you're The Flash? (chuckles) Don't get your tights in a twist. I've known for months. If I wanted to come after you, I would have done it by now.
Barry: But you think you're going to need me.
Eiling: Harrison Wells turned me over to that beast. Used me like a damn puppet. So like it or not, we have a common enemy, you and I. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a gorilla to hunt.


Continuity

Barry makes reference to the psychic attack of The Rainbow Raider from 108, comparing it to Grodd's attack. He notes that while Rainbow Raider inspired anger, Grodd's psychic attack inspires fear.

Iris explains that she learned Barry's secret identity after experiencing an electrical shock while touching The Flash that matched one she felt once before when she held Barry's hand while he was in a coma, as revealed in 120.

Joe refers to the death of Mason Bridge from 116.

It is revealed that Grodd did not kill General Eiling back in 114, but instead overwhelmed his mind, turning him into a psychic puppet.

According to ARGUS, General Eiling has been missing for three months (i.e. since 114) and his disappearance is being covered up according to John Diggle's wife, Lyla.

General Eiling knows Barry's secret identity and has known for some time.

Joe is afraid of gorillas.

Grodd refers to Eobard Thawne as his father and notes that his father hate guns.

Grodd hates bananas.

Barry refers to his confessing his love to Iris in 109.

Eobard Thawne claims that the Thawnes are a well-respected family in the future, birthing politicians, scientists and captains of industry. He claims Eddie Thawne is the only one who did not become notable in some way and is forgotten by history, his career as a police detective being spectacularly uneventful.

The ring Eddie proposed to Iris with came from his grandmother, Agnes Thawne.

Cisco refers to Barry's fight with Girder and the Super-Sonic Punch (106).

The end of the episode reveals that Wells has been hiding inside The Pipeline and has the means to reactivate the particle accelerator at STAR Labs.


The Boomerang Factor

How Grodd is able to block Barry's supersonic punch isn't explained. Perhaps his reflexes and perception have been enhanced along with the rest of his brain?


The Bottom Line

Not bad but disappointing in how it failed to live up to its hype. The long-awaited reveal of Grodd takes a backseat to Iris dealing with the knowledge that all of her friends and family have been lying to her for months. And while the scenes with Grodd are good, they still play second-fiddle to the Iris drama. Thankfully, Candice Patton manages to make all these scenes work but the episode still ultimately seems packed full of filler, as virtually nothing has changed since the end of last week's episode, save that Iris has vented her spleen over how badly she's been treated all year.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 20 - The Trap

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.





Plot

Having uncovered undeniable proof that the man they knew as Harrison Wells is The Reverse-Flash, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco must set a trap for their mentor. At the same time, Eddie makes a hard decision regarding his relationship with Iris which will leave Joe and Barry unsettled.


Influences

The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns.


Performances

Even at this late stage in which we know what a villain he is, Tom Cavangh still manages to make "Harrison Wells" into a likable villain. And the episode's closing monologue is easily his best speech yet.


Artistry

The scene with Cisco in his lucid dream is shot in a very effective manner, with the fuzzy camera work and music emulating a dream incredibly well. The final effect is very trippy.

The special effects for the sequence in which The Flash extinguishes a fire are top-notch.

The sequence in which Barry chases after the bullets racing towards Wells and Cisco is exciting and well shot.


Flash Facts

Cisco notes that the photo of The Flash in the future shows Barry wearing a bright red costume with a white circle behind his lighting bolt insignia. This look corresponds with the original costume Barry Allen wore in the comics as The Flash.

Cisco compares seeing the future newspaper to the movie Back To The Future and the photo of Marty McFly and his siblings that allowed him to monitor his timeline destabilizing.

Caitlin notes that the byline for the story says Iris West-Allen.  In the comics, Iris West and Barry Allen did get married, though she took Barry's name.

Gideon is about to describe The Flash as the founder of something before Barry cuts her off.  Perhaps she was about to say "The Justice League" - the superhero team which Barry was a founding member of in the comics?

Cisco calls Gideon HAL - a reference to the malevolent AI from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

When asking about the possibility of dying in reality if he dies in his lucid dream, Cisco makes reference to the movies Inception (where dying in a dream normally causes you to wake up) and Dreamscape (where death in a dream causes the death of the physical body).

The glasses for the dream device that Cisco wears resemble the shades worn by the superhero Vibe as part of his costume in the comics.

The glasses that Barry wears resemble those from the classic Captain Cold costume in the comics.

Barry extinguishing a fire by generating a vacuum is a frequent feat that The Flash accomplishes in the comics.

Cisco makes a reference to Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and how Dr. Wells killed him in his dream by attacking his heart.


Technobabble

Cisco suggests they may be living in a causal nexus - a state where everything the affects a phenomenon becomes a factor in creating said phenomenon. In this case, by seeing Barry's future costume, this may cause them to change his costume to match the one in the future.

Gideon describes herself as an interactive artificial consciousness.

Cisco says that if he can get access to Gideon's operating system, he may be able to disable her memory core.

The device Barry, Caitlin and Cisco build allow Cisco to see into his own dreams.  Caitlin said she got the idea from an article on lucid dream therapy and the idea that it could be used to treat people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The theory is that people will be able to objectively enter their own dreams and face their fears. She has difficulty in figuring out how the subject will be able to talk while this is occurring.

Caitlin claims the amount of electricity needed to trigger lucid dreaming is probably harmless.

Wells helps complete the communications interface for the device, noting that the middle brain lights up with activity during dreaming while the higher brain remains dormant. With both sections stimulated, it then becomes a matter of finding the right frequency to stimulate the language center, allowing the subject to speak while dreaming.  Wells suggests starting with a frequency of 45 hz.

The glasses attached to the dream device emit a low-level delta wave that should assist the subject in sleeping.

As Wells begins his attack in the dream, Cisco's blood pressure jumps to 200 over 147. This is well above the threshold for a hypertensive crisis - i.e. heart attack or stroke.

Barry is able to create a vacuum by rotating his arms at super-speed, generating a wind funnel that blows all of the oxygen out of the room.

Cisco creates a speedster-proof force-field to protect him from Wells as they try to trick him into confessing to Nora Allen's murder.

Dialogue Triumphs

(after seeing the byline on the future newspaper reads Iris West-Allen)
Barry: Iris West...Allen?
Cisco: (beat) Mazel Tov!

(After Barry agrees to talk to Joe about Eddie's proposing to Iris)
Eddie: Oh, thanks! I appreciate it so much. And so will the future Mrs. Thawne. (excited) Iris Thawne!  Sounds pretty good, huh?
Barry: (quietly as Eddie walks off) I have a feeling she's going to want to hyphenate.

Barry: You know, I couldn't have done any of this without you.
Wells: I feel the same way about you.

Barry: You ruined my life!  All of our lives!
Caitlin: We stood by you after everything that happened!
Wells: I can see how this might be difficult for you to understand, but trust me. Your lives now are so much better because of what I have done for you.
Joe: You don't have to hide anymore. We know you're not Harrison Wells. Just tell us who you are.
Wells: A confession will get you nowhere. You've seen who I am. You know what I can do.
Barry: You want to kill me? Go ahead. I'm not going to fight you but..  just tell the police what you did. Get my dad out of prison!
Wells: I don't want to kill you, Barry. I need you. And... (chuckles) I also did not anticipate, as difficult as the past 15 years have been for me, how much I would come to love working with you. With all of you. And yet, that does not change what needs to happen.
Barry: Then face me now!
Wells: Oh, we will face each other again. I promise you. Soon. Very. Very soon.

Eddie: You might as well take that mask off. I know it's you, Wells. Or whoever you really are.
Reverse-Flash: Well... allow me to introduce myself. (removing his mask) My name is Eobard. Eobard Thawne.
Eddie: I don't understand. Why do you have my name?
Reverse-Flash: Why?  Well, because we're family, Eddie.
Eddie: Funny I haven't seen you at any reunions or weddings.
Reverse-Flash: (laughs) That is funny. And the reason for that is because as far as those guest lists are concerned I haven't been born yet.
Eddie: So that's why you didn't kill me that night at STAR Labs? This whole thing... it's been about me?
Reverse-Flash: Not a chance. You, my friend, are simply my insurance.

(speaking to a comatose Barry Allen)
Wells: You look so young... And I could kill you. Right now. So easy. What I wouldn't have given... all those times before to have you like this. So... helpless. But fate... fate's tricky, isn't it? I come here to destroy you. And then to get home I have to be the one who creates you. (chuckles) I will say... it's been an education. Watching you grow up all these years. Science fairs and soccer games. No hint, no sign, no trace of the man you will be one day. For whom I have nothing but hate. And to be clear... nothing is forgiven. There will be a reckoning. I promise you, Barry Allen, that you will die.


Continuity

Barry refers to the events of 109 and how The Reverse Flash said they would be fighting for centuries.

The April 25, 2024 newspaper discussing the Crisis in which Barry Allen disappears makes mention of Starling City's Green Arrow, The Atom and Hawkgirl being present for the fight with The Reverse Flash which preceded The Flash disappearing.  This reveals that, at some point, Oliver Queen will adopt the name of his comic book counterpart in the DCTVU.  Hawkgirl has been confirmed as part of the cast of the so-far unnamed spin-off series that will also feature The Atom.

The newspaper also confirms that Barry and Iris get married in the future, as the article is written by Iris West-Allen.

Gideon confirms that Barry Allen becomes the director of the CCPD CSI Division in the future.

Gideon only knows Harrison Wells as Harrison Wells and does not understand the question when asked who Wells really is.

Gideon further confirms that Wells came to the past to kill Barry Allen and that he killed Nora Allen because he was angry about Barry Allen escaping at some point. Confusingly, Gideon also claims that Wells goal is for Barry Allen to be The Flash

Gideon says she will happily obey any command Barry Allen gives her - including not telling Wells of their discovery of "The Time Vault" - because Barry Allen created her.

Eddie asks Joe for permission to propose to Iris. Joe refuses, because he believes Iris truly loves Barry and she will have a miserable life if she marries the wrong man before realizing that.

Cisco refers to how he and Joe discovered in 113 that Barry is destined to travel back to the night his mother died.

Barry refers to the events of 115 and how he time-traveled back one day as well.  He theorizes that Cisco's visions of being killed by Dr. Wells are actually memories of the alternate timeline.

The information Cisco gleans from his lucid dream matches what he learned before his death in 115 - how the energy readings for the Reverse Flash trap don't make sense and how they instead generated a hologram of The Reverse Flash. He hears but does not seem to remember the Reverse Flash's real name - Eobard Thawne.

We see Captain Singh's fiancee Rob for the first time since 115.  He is among the people The Flash saves from the fire.

Iris' research into the various odd things in Central City leads her to conclude the particle accelerator explosion at STAR Labs was responsible, that The Flash got his powers from there and that The Burning Man (i.e. Ronnie Raymond) worked there.

Joe West kills Hannibal Bates (a.k.a. Everyman) whom Wells released and convinced to impersonate him in exchange for his freedom.

Wells had surveillance cameras set up watching Cisco and Caitlin's apartments, The West home, Barry's lab and the newspaper Iris worked at among other locations that enabled him to spy on Barry, Joe, Iris, Caitlin and Cisco at all times from The Time Vault.

As Barry, as The Flash, assures Iris that he will rescue Eddie, a blue spark passes between them. This seems to reawaken Iris's memories from the alternate timeline in 115 as she suddenly realizes that Barry is The Flash.

As the episode ends, Wells takes Eddie to his hideout in the sewer.  He introduces himself to Eddie as Eobard Thawne. He is confirmed to be from the future and Eddie Thawne's future descendant though we still don't know from how far in the future he's traveled.

In the flashbacks, we see the first meeting between Wells and Joe West, where Wells convinces Joe to let him take Barry to STAR Labs despite Joe having a bad feeling about him.

In the flashbacks, we see Iris talking with a comatose Barry shortly after Eddie Thawne asked her out for the first time. She credits Barry with saving her and her father's relationship in the wake of her mother's death and making them a family again.

In the final scene of the episode, we see Eobard Thawne confessing several things to the comatose Barry - chiefly of how he came back in time to kill The Flash but how returning to his own time requires him to turn Barry Allen into The Flash.


The Bottom Line

A powerful episode that is surprisingly free of the series usual light humor and witty dialogue. Still, the plot is pushed forward though we don't really know any more about Eobard Thawne and his precise motivations than we did last week.  We do learn a fair bit about the future of the show, however, and Tom Cavangh turns in his finest villainous monologue yet in the show's final minute.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 19 - Who Is Harrison Wells?

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

As Joe and Cisco journey to Starling City to look for more information on Harrison Wells' past, Barry must contend with a shape-shifting metahuman back home in Central City.


Influences

52 and the Green Arrow comics of Judd Winick and Andrew Kreisberg (both made extensive use of Everyman)


Goofs

Most of the crowd Barry runs into as The Flash while chasing after Everyman the first time seems remarkably unperturbed about a costumed superhero in their midst.

How did Laurel find out Barry Allen is The Flash?  It's not a secret Team Arrow was likely to let slip and The Flash's presence in Starling City when he visited was low key enough it's unlikely she would have heard about it and put two and two together.


Performances

The scenes between Paul Blackthorne and Jesse L. Martin are pure magic and both actors play off of one another well.

Daniele Panabaker gets some of her best moments ever in this episode. She has the dramatic conflict of her loyalty to Wells vs. her belief in Barry Allen's essential goodness and righteousness. Her motivations in doubting Barry are rooted in selfishness yet completely understandable.  And then there's the comic scenes later where she deals with Everyman disguised as Barry Allen and the momentary guilt of thinking Barry just made a move on her before Iris walked into the building.

For that matter, Grant Gustin clearly has a lot of fun playing Everyman in the same scene, having no idea what the relationships between Barry and Caitlin or Barry and Iris are and playing his hand quite badly.

Surprisingly, Tom Cavanagh doesn't have much screen time this episode given that Harrison Wells' name is in the title.  But the last ten minutes and his discussion with Joe about their dead wives... you still ALMOST believe him even though we now know that "Harrison Wells" is a lying scumbag.


Artistry

The scenes of Harrison Wells walking around his home to light music are well-shot and the music is very well chosen for the scene.


Flash Facts

We see a billboard for Ferris Airlines as Barry runs to Coast City in the opening scene.  Coast City is the home town of Hal Jordan a.k.a. The Green Lantern and he was employed as a pilot at Ferris Aircraft in the comics.

In the comics, Hannibal Bates was given superpowers by Lex Luthor and joined the new Infinity Inc. company Lex Luthor sponsored as part of his efforts to sell metagene activation therapy for a price. Given the name Everyman, Bates had the power to shape-shift into the form of anyone whose genetic material he had consumed.  He usually ate hair or nail-clippings but built up a taste for human flesh. He became an honest to goodness supervillain for a time, contesting most frequently with Green Arrow. He was eventually killed by the Green Arrow villain Cupid.

The DCTVU version of Everyman seems to have similar powers to his comic book counterpart, save that he merely has to touch a person to be able to copy their appearance.

Hannibal Bates was named in honor of the fictional killers Hannibal Lectre and Norman Bates. The former was a cannibal and the later dressed like his mother when killing people.

On Arrow, Hannibal Bates was one of the names on Oliver Queen's list of people involved in The Undertaking.

Wells theorizes early on that Everyman may have the power to absorb superpowers or memories from the people he touches. This turns out to not be the case.

The District Attorney of Central City is a woman named Cecile. This may be a reference to Cecile Horton née O'Malley - a defense attorney who represented The Flash when he was put on trial for the murder of The Reverse Flash in the comics.

Another 52 reference - the camera on the squad car that recorded Everyman, disguised as Eddie Thawne, shooting two police officers is Cam 52.

Cisco modifies one of Sara Lance's sonic devices for Laurel Lance. Not only does he make the decide more powerful but he fits it onto a choker-style necklace. This is a reference to the classic Black Canary costume, which featured a prominent choker.

 Cisco's name for the new device - The Canary Cry - is a reference Black Canary's famous sonic scream power in the comics.

Cisco working with sonic weaponry could be another hint to his eventual destiny as the hero Vibe...


Technobabble

Dr. Wells notes that programmable matter was only theoretical until Everyman's shape-shifting proved it possible.

Cisco's "metal detector" actually detects abnormal sound waves and tachyons.

Barry conducts a GSR (Gun Shot Residue) swab which proves Eddie's hands are free of lead, barium and antimony.  In other words, it would not be possible for him to have fired a gun recently despite what the video-taped evidence shows.

Caitlin theorizes she can create a serum that will stop Everyman from morphing by terminating the polymerization reaction, essentially forcing the bonds to revert to their original form.

Cisco was able to bump up the specs on Sara Lance's original sonic device, quadrupling the range and tripling the resonance. He also fit the device onto a choker-style necklace.

Hannibal Bates cells' have the ability to transmogrify at a rapid rate.

Caitlin's serum operates by creating a cortical reaction around Everyman's cells, depriving them of their electrical charge.


Dialogue Triumphs

Barry (opening voice-over)  I'm getting faster. Faster than I've ever been and I wonder if it's because lately something's chasing me. I know what it is that's stalking me. It's my past. It's getting closer and as fast as I am I can't help but feel like my past has almost caught up with me.

Eddie: No priors. No arrests. Not even a speeding ticket. And everyone who knows this woman - co-workers, neighbors - say she's the kindest, nicest most honest woman they've ever met.
Barry: So unless she woke up this morning and out of nowhere decided to become a criminal...
Eddie: ...maybe we should be looking for a metahuman?
Barry: Yeah.
Eddie:  One that can control people's minds. Coerce them into becoming thieves. Is that possible?
Barry: Is that a real question?

(Barry has just carried Caitlin, at superspeed, away from Harrison Wells' front door)
Caitlin: Wha- are you spying on me now?
Barry:  Caitlin, what were you doing at Wells house?
Caitlin: I was going to talk to him and get some answers of my own.
Barry: You can't!  You can NOT talk to him!
Caitlin:  Oh, so I'm just supposed to stand by and watch all of you ruin this man's life? Or my life?!
Barry: What are you talking about "your life"?
Caitlin: Those nine months that you were in a coma were the worst of my life! I lost my reputation, my fiancee. And through all of that Harrison Wells stood by my side. He told me everything was going to be okay. If Dr. Wells is who you says he is, everything I've done since the minute I set foot in STAR Labs has been a lie.
Barry: Caitlin... if I am right about all of this and you tell him what's been going on, I'll never be able to get my dad out of prison.
Caitlin: Barry...
Barry: If not for me, just do it for him.
Caitlin:  (sniffling) I can't believe you're pulling the dad card.  That's dirty pool, Barry.
Barry: Just until Joe and Cisco get back... please?

(After Barry runs Eddie out of an interview room and onto the street)
Barry: Okay, look... you get to STAR Labs. They'll set you up with a burner phone. I'll contact-
Eddie: No!  I run now, that surveillance video is the least of my problems. No way I don't smell guilty. No way they'll let me stay on the force.
Barry: Look, you said it yourself.  If we don't find Hannibal Bates, you'll go to prison for a crime you didn't commit. I won't let that happen! Not again!
Eddie: This isn't like your dad, Barry.
Barry: Eddie...
Eddie:  When your dad was put away, you were a kid. There wasn't anything you could do. But you're not a kid anymore. You're a scientist. Hell, you're The Flash. You are going to find Bates. And you are going to clear me. So go do it.

(As they are digging where Cisco detected tachyons and find something)
Cisco: Please tell me that's not what I think it is.
Quentin: Okay, that is definitely a hand.
Cisco: Okay, see, I thought that was a foot, but a hand is just as bad.


Dialogue Disasters

The exposition in the scene at Joe's house with the pizza is incredibly clunky.


Continuity

Coast City reportedly has the best pizza on the western coast of the USA in the DCTVU.

At this point Joe and Barry have been investigating Harrison Wells for six months.

Harrison Wells lived in Starling City when his wife died.

When explaining Cisco's absence, Caitlin says he's helping his brother Dante, whom we met in 116.

Quentin Lance asks Joe about Barry's health following the lightning strike. Quentin and Barry met back in A208.

Laurel Lance refers to having met Barry back in A308.

Laurel Lance reveals her secret identity to Cisco and asks him to modify one of the sonic devices Sara Lance used as The Canary.

Quentin Lance's coffee levitates out of his cup once he is in the immediate presence of what turns out to be Harrison Wells' body, just like the chemicals in Barry's lab  levitated out of their beakers right before he got struck by lightning in The Pilot.

This is one of the rare occasions Caitlin, not Cisco, names a villain.

Joe persuades Quentin not to report the dead body they found together.

In her research, Iris discovers six crimes over eleven months committed by people who had air-tight alibis but were still caught on video committing crimes.

Barry Allen and Eddie Thawne are both right-handed. Everyman is left-handed. Iris realizes Everyman is an imposter based on this fact.

Cisco's payment for creating The Canary Cry? A picture of himself with Black Canary, in her full costume, which Laurel instructs him never to show to anyone on pain of death.

Cisco later confirms the body they found is that of Harrison Wells through two separate DNA tests.

When Laurel asks how he got The Canary Cry made so quickly, Cisco says he's gotten some experience working with sonic devices recently.  He's referring to his work with the Pied Piper technology, which began back in 112.

The DA of Central City is now aware of the existence of metahumans as is Captain Singh.

Eddie tells Iris the reason he's been so distant lately is that he has been working with The Flash in secret.

Everyman has no memory of what he originally looked like.

Barry quotes Dr. Tina McGee's comments about Harrison Wells becoming a completely different man following his wife's death in 118.

Cisco made a 3D Model of the STAR Labs building to try and figure out what went wrong with the particle accelerator.  Examining the whole model allows him, Caitlin and Barry to find Wells secret room, where they see the Reverse Flash costume. The Tachyon device and the newspaper from the future showing Barry Allen's disappearance.


Location

Starling City


The Boomerang Factor

The idea that Everyman might be more than just a shapeshifter keeps Barry from just running up to him and grabbing him early on.  There's no reason for their final fight to take as long as it does, other than to give the visual effects team a chance to show off by letting Everyman keep changing faces during the fight.


The Bottom Line

A rare treat this. For once the villain-of-the-week subplot doesn't feel tacked on. Indeed, the best bits of acting in this episode center around it and there's a farcical element to Everyman's invasion of STAR Labs disguised as Barry Allen. There's also a rare logical reason why Barry's speed can't be used to defeat this week's guest villain quickly (No Pun Intended) despite the relative lack of strength in their power levels.  The bits with Joe West and Quentin Lance are pure fan-service but they're well-acted by Jesse L. Martin and Paul Blackthorne. The bits with Laurel and Cisco aren't bad but they clearly exist only because they needed to justify Laurel getting Black Canary's signature power in a hurry somehow.  Oddly enough there's very little of the titular Mr. Wells.  Well, up until the last ten minutes and the biggest cliffhanger ever.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 18 - All-Star Team Up

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

Barry's new partnership with Eddie Thawne and Joe West as The Flash is making fighting crime more efficient. Unfortunately, hiding Barry's secret is taking a toll on Eddie and Iris's relationship. And Barry is having trouble hiding his mistrust of Dr. Wells and his friends at STAR Labs.

It's the worst time for a visit so naturally Felicity Smoak comes to town, with Ray Palmer in tow, to seek STAR Labs advice on how to improve The ATOM suit. But Barry may be thankful for the back-up, as a mysterious menace threatens the scientific community of Central City with a deadly bee weapon.

Bees. My God.


Influences

The comics of Gardner Fox, particular his work on The Flash, The Atom and All-Star Comics.


Goofs

Apart from the connection to The Atom, there's no good reason to call this week's villain The Bug Eyed Bandit.  Queen Bee would make much more sense given that she only uses robot bees. Plus she didn't actually rob anyone.

Ray Palmer builds a multi-million dollar power armor suit... and doesn't make it water proof?


Performances

The chemistry between Emily Bett Rickards and Brandon Routh as Felicity and Ray is amazing. What a shame we Arrow-Heads already know the relationship has gone south.

Grant Gustin is cursed to be a straight-man 90% of the time on this show. Yet he gets to showcase his comedic and dramatic skills quite well in this episode. The former comes as he plays the fifth wheel at the dinner date and the later comes in his speech to Iris where he tries to defend Eddie Thawne's odd behavior.


Artistry

The shot of the bees emerging from the second victim's mouth is truly horrific.

There's a parallel made in this episode between Barry and Ollie, with Barry telling Iris that he just wants her to be happy with Eddie. This is the exact same thing Oliver told Felicity when he found out she was dating Ray, on Arrow.


Flash Facts

The title for this episode comes from All-Star Comics - a 1940's series which was the first comic to team-up the most popular heroes of All-American Publications, which was one of the two companies that joined to form DC Comics.

The first superhero team - The Justice Society of America - first appeared in All-Star Comics #3.

The original Flash and Atom - Jay Garrick and Al Pratt- were among the eight founding members of The Justice Society.

In the episode's opening scene, Barry makes a reference to catching someone committing indecent exposure in Powell Park. This could be a reference to Desmond Powell - a character from the 1990s The Flash TV show, who was the vigilante Nightshade.  Nightshade, in turn, was based on The Sandman - another JSA founder and another Gardner Fox creation.

Indecent exposure is also known as 'flashing'.  So The Flash caught a flasher in this episode.

We see another reference to Hudson University - a college in DC Comics that is nominally located in upstate New York.  Perhaps they have a campus in Central City.

Cisco paraphrases a line from Raiders of the Lost Ark - "Bees. Why did it have to be bees?".  The original line referred to Indiana Jones' fear of snakes.

Cisco and Caitlin make reference to the opening of the 1953 Adventures of Superman show, quoting the introduction to the show "Look, up in the sky - it's a bird!  It's a plane!" This is also a reference to the fact that Brandon Routh, who plays Ray Palmer, also played Clark Kent/Superman in the 2006 movie Superman Returns.

In the comics, the original Bug-Eyed Bandit was an inventor named Bertram Larvan, who invented a robot insect that could be used to eliminate real insects. Unable to secure the financial backing needed to mass produce his robots, he resolved to steal the money he needed with his prototype... then just kept on stealing, as he built more and more robotic insects and arachnids.  He would go on to be a frequent nemesis of The Atom, until he accidentally dosed himself with amnesia gas and forgot all about his evil plans.

The DCTVU version of The Bug Eyed Bandit is similar, except that she is a woman named Brie Larvan. Also, she seems to be less interested in money and more interested in revenge on the people responsible for her losing her job.

Ray Palmer quotes the opening of the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man - "We have the technology."

Ray makes another reference to the solution to his problems with his suit to be "going smaller".  In the comics, Ray Palmer's super-power is shrinking.

Felicity makes a reference to not charging Barry five cents for her advice.  This is a reference to the old Peanuts comic-strip, where Lucy offered advice for five cents.


Technobabble

Anaphylkaxis is the medical term for a severe allergic reaction.

Apitoxin is the technical term for honey bee venom.

When a honey bee stings a target, their stingers are torn from their abdomen. This kills the honey bee.

A honey bee can only deposit .1 milligrams of apitoxin when it stings a target. Dr. Linsay Kang, the first murder victim, had enough apitoxin in her system to kill a herd of elephants.

Bees communicate by releasing pheromones.

Angry bees will wait for a target to surface for air, should they submerge themselves under water.

The ATOM Suit has solid oxide fuel cells in the belt. According to Ray, this was the only way to hide the hardware.

Cisco theorizes the problem may be the operating temperature and that the suit is overheating. He suggests that a ceramic compound might insulate the fuel cells and improve the overall operating efficiency.

Barry's suit has a built in defibrillator capable of generating a shock of 400 joules.

Brie Larvan's robot bees each have a 360 degree vision system, with multiple micro-cameras capable of recording from various angles at the same time.

The mechanical bees were originally developed for agricultural uses.  Brie Larvan weaponized them for military uses.

The bees are controlled wirelessly.  Felicity is able to track them and later hack their signal to shut them down.


Dialogue Triumphs

(looking at the half-full back-seat of his and Eddie's patrol car as they chase a car)
Joe: We're going to run out of room though.
The Flash: I'll take care of it.
(The Flash exits the car at super-speed and grabs Joe West from the passenger's side of the car)
Eddie: (not noticing Joe is gone as he drives) What do you think he meant by that?
(In the blink of an eye, The Flash deposits Joe in the driver's seat of the fleeing car. A second later, the driver is in handcuffs next to Eddie in the police car)
Eddie: Oh!  That's what he meant.
(Cut to the crook's car, where the crook in the passenger's seat is looking behind them, not noticing Joe is now driving the car.)
Crook: I think we lost them.
Joe: Uhhh... no, you didn't. And by the way, you're under arrest.

Dr. Wells: Your ATOM suit is quite the technological achievement, Mr. Palmer.  I'm impressed.
Caitlin: And he is never impressed.
Ray: Well, thank you, but I can't quite seem to keep it up.
Felicity: (quickly cutting in) He means the suit!
Ray: Yeah. I mean the suit.
Felicity: Yeah. I can attest that everything else works just fine! There's nothing we need to fix in that area.
Ray: No, no, no...the sex is great!
Caitlin: God, there's two of them.

(Regarding Iris being kept ignorant of Barry's secret identity)
Joe: Keeping her in the dark keeps her safe.
Eddie: I don't agree.
Joe: Well, I'm her father.
Eddie: And I'm her boyfriend. When does my vote outweigh yours?
Joe: When you become her husband.

(Upon finding out Felicity knows Barry's secret identity)
Eddie: So everyone BUT Iris?
Barry: Feels that way.

Dr. McGee: To what do I owe this visit? Did you finally find my tachyon prototype, or are you here to blackmail me for another one?
Dr. Wells: Do you have another one?

Barry: Iris? Remember when we were kids and Joe would come home from work with that blank expression on his face?
Iris: Yeah. The "Earth To Joe" look. How could I forget?
Barry: I never understood that look until I started working for the CCPD. Showing up at crime scenes and seeing someone murdered? It can be... ugly work. I'm lucky. I get to hide behind the science of it and just stay in my lab, but Eddie... he's out there. Every day. In the darkness. I just think that maybe if he doesn't want to talk to you about his work, it's probably because he wants to keep you in the light.

Caitlin: You're so lucky. Ray's so nice and smart and hot.
Felicity: Yeah, it's kind of like I'm dating Barry but in Oliver's body.
(Felicity turns beet red)
Felicity: A sentence you will never repeat to anyone!


Dialogue Disasters

Every damned bee pun that Brie Larvan makes.


Continuity

Cisco has a fear of bees.

Cisco begins having visions of his death in the alternate timeline in 115.

Dr. Tina McGee is seen for the first time since 109. She refers to the Mercury Labs Tachyon Device, which The Reverse Flash stole in that same episode.

Felicity makes reference to Oliver Queen bringing her a bullet-riddled laptop (A103) and hacking some company's website (A111) before she knew he was The Arrow and coming up with the worst excuses for why he needed her to do these things.

Barry uses his speed powers to generate controlled electrical blasts for the first time, creating a shock that restarts Cisco's heart.

Dr. Tina McGee says that she and Harrison Wells were close friends 15 years earlier but that after Tess Morgan's death it was like he became another person.

Iris dumps Eddie.

Barry tells Cisco and Caitlin his suspicions about Harrison Wells being The Reverse Flash.

Cisco tells Caitlin, Barry and Joe about his visions of Harrison Wells being the Reverse-Flash and killing him.


The Boomerang Factor

There's no reason Barry shouldn't have been able to outrun the bee robots.


The Bottom Line

Mostly dreadful. The show is now openly mocking how contrived it is that Iris is the only person who doesn't know Barry Allen's secret identity at this point and Barry is nerfed so that The Atom can be useful and Felicity can have a nemesis. Never mind that she already had one in The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak.  And yet, the cast manage to make most of this work through sheer charisma, with the exception of Emily Kinney, who portrays the villain of the week with a cheesiness that makes Uma Thurman's performance as Poison Ivy look restrained.