The Flash

Just who is this mysterymysterymystery man?
Just who is this mystery man?

Wasting no time, we’re thrown back into the Earth-2 mix and Zoom scours the city for Harrison Wells-2 (or Harry as he’s become known to us Earth-1ers). He eventually lands at STAR labs and only by the grace of Harry’s time vault and fake wall that Harry, Cisco, and Barry-2 escape his wrath. Meanwhile, Barry not only helps the imprisoned Jesse gain a bit of hope that her father isn’t the selfish bastard she thought he was but he also recognizes they man in the metal mask in trying to communicate with them. It takes time but Barry and Jesse eventually identify the code as a five-by-five tap code used by POWs.

A quick jaunt to Earth-1 has Caitlin working her magic with Velocity-8, especially since V-7 is quickening the decay of Jay’s damaged cells. But for once, Jay is up to the task, willing to sacrifice his personal health if it means saving the city. And though Geomancer is the greatest threat, Iris finds that her new editor, Scott Evans has a new angle: remind people that the Flash may not always be there to protect Central City. Iris understands the panic such a decree, however, correct it may be, could foster. She proposes running a piece on the new Flash but doesn’t have much time to get the story.

Refocusing on Earth-2, the gang inducts Iris-2 into their plan to find Zoom.

Easier said than done of course. Iris-2 believes only a meta working with Zoom could know his location, someone like Killer Frost. Cisco concurs, knowing that Zoom took the love of Frost’s life when he killed Deathstorm. Barry-2 uses a meta-algorithm to pinpoint Frost’s location as the Woodlands. Everyone, even the ultra-nerdy Barry-2 joins the search, one that begins with Frost attacking them. The gang eventually gets the drop on Killer Frost and Cisco appeals to her Caitlin persona, the one he’s known for all these years (despite being on another earth) who’s loved and lost, and she reluctantly agrees to lead the group to Zoom’s hideout.

Barry gets another beating, courtesy of Zoom.
Barry gets another beating, courtesy of Zoom.

On Earth-1, Caitlin has reformulated V-8 and presents Jay with Velocity-9, just as Iris approaches Jay about her Flash story dilemma. She asks Jay to think about it but then Geomancer attacks once more. Jay takes the injection of V-9 and goes about saving several citizens from a collapsing building. It doesn’t last long but it does the job and, in addition, gives Iris all the story she needs. Jay’s once more the hero. Or is he? Back on Earth-2, Barry and Jesse get the masked man’s initial message of “Jay”. But when Barry tells him Jay Garrick is alive, the man responds with a frustrated despair. They aren’t able to get him to explain anymore before Zoom returns, ordering the masked man not to communicate with them anymore and, angered at Barry’s brazen confidence, wails on the Central City speedster. But Barry is more hopeful as Zoom’s phasing through Barry’s prison has given the latter the key to escaping his prison.

Speaking of prisons, Geomancer somehow gains entry into the lab, attacking Iris and Caitlin. The two are able to withstand his assault and eventually collar him with the meta-dampener. But while Geomancer’s out of the picture, his actions have destabilized the speed cannon. With V-9 coursing through him, Jay and Joe work together to recalibrate the cannon as they wait for Barry and the others to return.

Caitlin-2 leads the gang to Zoom's lair
Caitlin-2 leads the gang to Zoom’s lair

Killer Frost leads the gang to Ascension Cliffs where Barry’s still trapped in his cell, unable to phase through. It takes the unlikeliest of voices—that of his Earth-2 counterpart—to give Barry the faith to do what needs to be done. “I’m just Barry Allen; you’re the Flash. If you tell yourself you can phase out of there, you’ll do it.” And guess what, he does it. Unfortunately, Zoom arrives before they can get the mystery man free and they are surprised to find that Killer Frost was still working with the speed-crazed Zoom. But, just as Zoom readies to kill Jesse in front of her father, the person behind the Frost—Caitlin Snow—attacks Zoom, most likely giving her life to allow the others to escape. Soon afterward, Barry starts the jaunt back to Earth-1, taking Jesse and Cisco through. When he returns for Harry, he finds Zoom waiting, with the professor in hand. Harry hits Zoom with an injection of something that distracts him long enough for Barry to grab Harry and retreat through the breach. Jay tosses the breach bomb into the cannon, closing Zoom’s way across worlds…but as everyone celebrates their victory, Zoom’s hand reaches through, impaling Jay and dragging in back to Earth-2…

Flash Facts

• With all breaches closed, where do we go from here? Harry and Jesse are now safe on Earth-1 and Zoom stuck on Earth-2. Sure, Earth-2 may be in for a world of hurt but our world is safe. But the question remains, how long will that really last? Not only did Barry promise the man in the mask that he’d return to free him but it’s only a matter of time before Zoom finds a way but and that way most likely revolves around Jay Garrick.

• Rarely does The Flash do something so blatantly contrived as they did when Jay, standing by the shrinking breach, is impaled by Zoom, dragged into the closing hole. Couple that with the traces of V-9 in his system and the mystery man’s desperate attempts to communicate about Jay, one has to wonder if the Jay Garrick we got to know is, in fact, truly Jay Garrick.

• It’s been a treat to see the different iterations of the characters we’ve come to know and love over two seasons. Though Earth-2’s Barry Allen was an even nerdier version of the man who became the Flash on Earth-2, it was good to see that Barry-2 still retained the same goodness and hope that propelled Barry-1’s drive to free his father and catch Nora Allen’s killer. The same can be said for Caitlin as well. Though she embraced her darker side as Killer Frost, when the chips were down, the real Caitlin showed up, willing to give her life for the good fight.

• Though Geomancer was nothing more than a distraction for our Earth-1 peeps, the guy was a boring meta-villain who, despite his powers, was taken down pretty easily by two regular humans. But Zoom was the primary bad and, though he’s currently trapped on Earth-2, will carry the mantle of Big Bad throughout the rest of season 2. But until then, let’s get ready for King Shark!