Earth-1 And Earth-2 Collide

This is James Gunn, director of 2014's Guardians Of The Galaxy.

This is actor Tom Cavanagh, who currently plays Dr. Harrison Wells on The Flash.

Look at 'em! I pretty sure they're the same person. Gunn apparently uses a stage name when he auditions for acting gigs in his spare time.

Either that, or Tom Cavanagh is the Earth-2 version of James Gunn!

The Flash Season 2, Episode 15: King Shark

Now that the big Earth-2 epic storyline is over (for now), this week's Flash resumed the "villain of the week" format. But WHAT a villain! It's the return of King Shark, the most awesome character who's ever been on the show. Yes, even better than Gorilla Grodd!

Naturally since this episode featured a giant shark, the Jaws references were troweled on pretty thick. Thankfully they pulled back just before they became unbearable.

The biggest news is that this week's episode finally, at long last, showed us who's under Zoom's mask. And it's exactly who I thought it was too! Well, maybe. It's complicated. Read on to find out more.

Lastly, it was announced this week that Teddy Sears, who plays Jay Garrick on The Flash, is joining the cast of the upcoming 24 reboot. What this means for The Flash and his future as Jay Garrick, I can't say. It certainly doesn't bode well for the survival of his character, but who knows? He's not a major character who's in every scene, and actors have starred in two series at the same time before, so it's possible he could work both into his schedule.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:

We pick up right where we left off last week, seconds after Zoom killed Jay and dragged him back to Earth-2 before the portal closed forever. Caitlin pleads with the others to reopen the portal, but Harry says it's impossible.

Caitlin becomes distant and withdrawn, or as Cisco puts it, "cold." He worries that all this trauma's going to make her become evil and turn her into the Earth-1 Killer Frost. Harry warns Barry and Cisco to not say anything to the others about their Earth-2 doppelgangers and what they were like. They both promise, but might as well have had their fingers crossed behind their backs.

We then get a montage of Barry running aimlessly through Central City as he tries to forget what happened on Earth-2. Weeks pass.

Cut to ARGUS, where King Shark is being kept in a heavily fortified pool. He escapes during feeding time and run off. Diggle and Lyla from Arrow wander into STAR Labs to warn Barry that King Shark is loose and is coming to kill him. Barry patrols the waterfront, but sees no sign of the giant man-shark.

Barry worries that Wally, the new addition to the West family, doesn't much like him. He tries to bond with Wally, over a new car engine design he came up with. Unfortunately Barry begins pointing out flaws in Wally's design. Wally gets offended and leaves in a huff.

Meanwhile, Cisco and Caitlin research King Shark, who's from Earth-2, and find out he's a mutated human named Shay Lamden. The Earth-1 Lamden was killed in the particle accelerator explosion, but his widow is alive and well and working with sharks at Nautilus Labs, because of course she is. They visit her and request any info she has on sharks.

Cisco continues to worry about Caitlin's attitude. She finally forces him to tell her about Earth-2 and Killer Frost. Caitlin tells him she's not becoming evil, she's being cold and distant because that's what humans do when they see their significant other killed before their eyes.

Barry tries working with Wally again, but ends up taking over the project instead of letting him do it himself. Wally says he's tired of hearing Joe and Iris talk about how perfect Barry is. Wally's about to storm out again, when suddenly King Shark rips the roof off the house, announcing he's looking for the Flash. Joe takes a few shots at him, while Barry zips away and returns as the Flash.

Out in the street, the Flash tells King Shark there's no way to get back to Earth-2, and Zoom can't control him anymore. King Shark knocks Barry aside and flees. Barry returns to Joe's house (as himself). Wally, thinking Barry hid during the attack, calls him a coward and, of course, storms out. Joe and Iris ask Barry what's wrong with him, as he's been acting different since coming back from Earth-2. He tells them what happened, that Barry-2 and Iris-2 are married there, and Joe-2 was killed due to Barry's boneheadedness.

Cisco and Caitlin use Dr. Lamden's research to determine that King Shark is sensing the electricity in Barry's Speed Force lightning, which is how he's able to track him. They decide to use that knowledge to trap him. They set up a fake, electrified Flash to lure King Shark to the bay. The fake Flash is filled with tranquilizers, so hopefully when he chows down on it, he'll pass out and ARGUS can capture him again.

King Shark takes the bait, but realizes the Flash lure is fake. He says he's going to kill the Flash, and then all of ARGUS. Barry lures him away from shore by literally running on the water. King Shark follows, and Barry runs around him so fast he creates a vortex and electrifies the water. This electrocutes King Shark and knocks him out long enough to be recaptured. Lyla says she'll try to turn King Shark back into a man, instead of recruiting him for the Suicide Squad.

Joe has a talk with Wally, telling him that he took Barry in after his mother was murdered, and did everything he could to make sure he came out OK. He says that's why he's so proud of Barry, but it doesn't mean he's perfect, and Wally shouldn't compare himself to him. Meanwhile, Barry tells the assembled cast that he's going to make sure Jay Garrick didn't die in vain, and he'll find a way to return to Earth-2 and defeat Zoom once and for all.

Over on Earth-2, Zoom strides into his lair. He drops the lifeless body of Jay Garrick to the floor, as a terrified Iron Mask watches. Zoom/Jay says, "Well, this is a complication!"

Thoughts:

• As you might expect in an episode starring a giant man-shark, there were many references to Jaws (most of them coming from Cisco, natch).

When an ARGUS guard sees King Shark lying motionless at the bottom of his pool, he says, "I think Bruce has gone belly up." All good film buffs know that "Bruce" was the nickname of the mechanical shark in Jaws. Bruce was also the name of one of the sharks in Finding Nemo, but I doubt they were referencing this.

When Diggle warns Barry that King Shark is back and out to get him, Cisco quips, "We're gonna need a bigger Flash."

Cisco makes a fake Flash as bait, saying, "King Shark takes one if of that, cue the Jaws soundtrack."

When Barry tells Cisco about the attack at Joe's, he says, "Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the suburbs, King Shark shows up at your house."

When working on their plan to trap King Shark, Cisco says, "Caitlin, I don't understand why I can't be the one playing Quint in this scenario. I should be the one out there, not you." Harry reminds him that Quint died, once again confirming that Jaws exists on Earth-2 as well.

• Bonehead Character Action Alert! King Shark is being held in a heavily guarded pool at the ARGUS facility, complete with a crisscrossing laser grid above the water. When the guard sees King Shark's apparently dead, he actually deactivates the laser grid above the containment pool. Right on cue, the enormous man-shark then leaps from the water and escapes.

Did they really have to turn off the lasers to see if he was alive or not? The gaps in the grid are more than big enough to allow someone to stick a pole into the water and poke King Shark a few times to see if he's alive.

The only reason for turning off the grid was so he could escape and start the plot ball rolling.

• At the West house, the family plays a rousing game of cup stacking. Wally wins, gloating, "Whoa, yes! Ain't nobody faster than me!"

OK, THE FLASH, WE GET IT! WALLY IS CONSTANTLY MAKING "SPEED" COMMENTS, BECAUSE HE'S GOING TO EVENTUALLY BECOME KID FLASH. We all know it, so please dial the "fast" comments down a notch or twelve.

• The "STAR Labs Security" running joke continues in this episode, as Diggle and Lyla waltz into the Cortex completely unannounced.

• Harry specifically tells Barry and Cisco to NOT discuss anyone's Earth-2 doppelgangers with them. Of course to no one's surprise, Cisco wastes no time telling Caitlin about Killer Frost, and Barry tells Iris that their Earth-2 counterparts are married, and informs Joe that his double is dead. Good job keeping a secret, guys!

• Cisco does some research and finds out that King Shark's real name is Shay Lamden of Earth-2. 

There's a King Shark in DC comics, but he has a different alter ego and a very different origin. There he's an entity named Nanaue, a humanoid shark whose father was some sort of shark god.

• King Shark first appeared earlier this season in The Fury Of Firestorm, which was also the first appearance of Harry, the Earth-2 version of Harrison Wells.

At the end of that episode, the Flash is about to get his head chomped off by King Shark. Suddenly Harry appears and shoots King Shark with some sort of advanced, high-tech Earth-2 blaster. He's immediately knocked out.

Sure would be nice if Harry remembered he had a pants-wearing shark blaster in this episode!

• Why was Barry's mask so dark in this episode? It looked noticeably darker than the rest of his costume. In some scenes it was almost black. I don't remember it ever being this dark before.

• Wally's quite the asshat in this episode, ranting about how Joe and Iris think Barry's perfect and can do no wrong. He even complains that Barry's in every family photo in the West house, while he's in none. 

Um… say Wally, you do realize that Barry's been part of this family since he was six, right? And Joe didn't even know you existed until a few months ago. Of course you're not going to be in any family photos!

• After King Shark attacks Joe's house, Wally is puzzled as to why no one seems surprised by this. Iris says, "Eh, we're used to weird stuff like this in Central City." Wally says, "Weirder than a talking shark wearing pants?"

That's called "lamp shading," folks. By having a character point out the absurdity of a plot point, it makes it easier for the audience to accept.

• Wally rejects Barry's attempt to bond with him, saying Joe and Iris think he's perfect and can walk on water.

So what does Barry do to defeat King Shark? He walks on water. Literally. OK, he runs, but you get the idea. Maybe Wally's accusations aren't as crazy as they seem.

• Harry says the containment trailer for King Shark is made of Prometheum Metal. Supposedly this is a nod to DC character Cyborg, who's bionic limbs were made of Promethium.

• Cisco worries that Caitlin losing yet another boyfriend will unhinge her, causing her to become the Earth-1 Killer Frost. 

When she finds out, she begins pretending she's turning into Killer Frost, saying she's always hated the name "Caitlin." As Cisco's eyes widen, she says, "Gotcha!" and tells him he's an idiot. She tells him her "cold" manner is a natural human reaction for someone who just lost their boyfriend, and she's not turning evil.

Or is she? There's a subtle and ominous little undercurrent in her performance here that's a bit unsettling, and leaves me wondering. Time will tell.

• Cisco also jokes that Caitlin's hands are ice cold. She downplays his fears, and he says she needs to get checked out, because she may have Reynaud's.

Reynaud's Syndrome is a real medical condition. It causes small arteries in the body to narrow, restricting blood flow to extremities and causing them to become cold.

• Wally's trying to get into Central City University's engineering program by designing a "turbine super car" that runs on biofuel.

Joes sees it and says, "I want one of these super cars. I mean, especially if iI can run it off the bacon grease I collect."

Whoops! Sorry, Wally, but cars that run off of grease are already a thing. They're a pain in the ass to maintain, but they've been around for years now. Nice try, but you're going to have to come up with a new idea.

• At the end of the episode, Barry gives a speech saying they'll find and defeat Zoom, "whoever that monster is." As he says this, the camera zooms (heh) in on Jay's metal helmet. Subtle!

• In the tag scene, we see Zoom remove his mask and reveal that he's really Jay Garrick! Well, A Jay Garrick, at least. Woohoo! That's exactly what I predicted last week!

I still have a ton of questions about all this though. Zoom enters his Earth-2 lair and drops the lifeless body of the Jay Garrick we've been seeing all season onto the floor. He then removes his mask, revealing yet another Jay Garrick's face underneath.

All the while, a terrified Iron Mask watches. I still think he's somehow Jay Garrick as well, since last episode he was tapping out the letters "J-A-Y."

But that would make three Jay Garricks, which isn't possible unless one's from Earth-3 or something, and I doubt the writers would want to muddy the waters even further with yet another alternate world.

I'm betting that Hunter Zoloman, the Earth-1 version of Jay Garrick, is involved in this somehow, in a way I haven't quite figured out yet. It's starting to make my head hurt.

Next week— welp, there ain't no next week. The series is taking a month off, because programing directors are idiots and don't understand things like story momentum.

The Flash Season 2, Episode 14: Escape From Earth-2

This episode of The Flash was the conclusion to the awesome Earth-2 storyline that began last week.

The first half of this two part epic was absolutely loaded with Easter eggs and call outs to various DC comics and previous episodes. This episode, not so much. Now that Earth-2 is established, Part 2 got right down to business and dealt with the plot.

Zoom has been the Big Bad of Season 2, but surprisingly the show hasn't dealt with him all that much. The writers certainly haven't given us much in the way of clues as to Zoom's identity, causing viewers to speculate wildly as to just who's under that mask.

That all changed this week, as the show just dropped a huge hint as to Zoom's true identity, as a mysterious new character literally spells out a possible answer!

I've always been a sucker for stories in which the heroes are forced to team up with the villain, so I enjoyed seeing the Flash and Co. interact with Killer Frost. She's too good of a character to be a one-off, so hopefully we'll see her again at some point.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:

On Earth-2, Zoom is searching for Harry. He even tells citizens and the police to turn him in or else. Cisco goes to STAR Labs-2, and tells Harry that Barry was captured. Suddenly they hear the Earth-2 Barry yelling from within a closet, and remember that he's still there. They free him, just as an alarm goes off. It's Zoom!

Harry, Cisco and Barry-2 hide in the STAR Labs-2's Time Vault. Why Harry has a Vault as well is never explained. Harry activates a holographic wall that hides them from Zoom as he searches the room. Zoom eventually leaves, and they tell Barry-2 what's happening.

In Zoom's lair, we see Barry, Harry's daughter Jesse, and the man in the iron mask are still being held captive. Barry tells Jesse not to worry, because Harry will save them. Zoom appears and tells Jesse he's only keeping her alive so he can kill her in front of her father. He tells Barry once he steals his speed, he'll kill him as well. Iron Mask doesn't get a threat.

On Earth-1, Caitlin finishes inventing Velocity-8, which will give Jay his speed again. She says it's still harmful to his cells or something. 

Back on Earth-2, Barry-2 meets with his wife, Iris-2 (confused yet?). She's furious with him for staying out all night after Joe died. He takes her to see Cisco and Harry, who explain the whole multiverse thing to her, and that the Barry she met last episode wasn't her Barry. Amazingly she accepts this ludicrous explanation!

Harry wants to find Zoom's lair so he can rescue Jesse and Barry. Cisco says they need to find Killer Frost, because she'll have the lair's address. Barry-2 uses his sweet computer skills to locate her. Harry, Cisco, Iris-2 and Barry-2 all go to find her. Back in the lair, Iron Mask keeps tapping on his glass cell, which annoys Jesse. Barry realizes he's using prisoner of war "tap code," and is trying to tell them something.

On Earth-1, Caitlin develops Velocity-9, which should give Jay his speed without any unpleasant side effects, like killing him. Note that she whips up these amazing drugs that bestow super speed in about the same time it takes the average person to make Nestle's Quik. Just then Geomancer attacks Central City, and Jay has no choice but to take the Velocity-9. He instantly gets his speed back, and saves several people from a crumbling building. He returns to STAR Labs winded, and says he's going to take a nap, which is a perfectly normal thing for a superhero to say after rescuing people, and not the least bit suspicious.

In Zoom's lair, Barry figures out that Iron Mask is tapping out "J-A-Y." When Barry asks if he means Jay Garrick, he nods enthusiastically. Barry just doesn't get it, and says Jay's alive and well over on Earth-1. Iron Mask slumps down and looks defeated. Zoom arrives and tells them to knock off all the tapping. He then vibrates through the glass wall of Barry's cell and beats the crap out of him, which seems unnecessary, but I guess that's why he's a villain. Zoom then, er, zooms away. Barry tries vibrating through his cell wall like Zoom did, but can't go fast enough.

Harry and the others track down Killer Frost in a forest. They ask her to help them find Zoom, but she predictably tells them to go eat paste and starts shooting at them with her ice blasts. Iris manages to put a gun to Frost's head, and after Cisco makes an impassioned plea to her, she finally agrees to help.

They arrive at Zoom's lair, which is in a cave in the side of a high cliff. Killer Frost creates an ice ladder to help them reach it.

Geomancer attacks STAR Labs while Jay's napping (sure... napping), but Iris and Caitlin manage to knock him out. Joe arrives and takes him into custody. Jay finally wakes up and Caitlin tells him that even though the Velocity-9 wore off, it's somehow repairing his cellular damage. Just then the Speed Cannon breaks down yet again, due to the tremors caused by Geomancer. They have just an hour to fix it (again) or Barry and the others will be trapped on Earth-2 forever.

Harry and the others, including Killer Frost, infiltrate Zoom's lair. Harry frees Jesse, but they can't release Barry because his cell's made of carbyne, whatever the hell that is. Barry-2 gives Barry-1 a rousing pep talk, telling him if he believes in himself, he can do anything. Oy. Apparently it works, because Barry manages to vibrate out of his cell.

Just then Zoom arrives. Apparently Killer Frost double crossed them, and somehow tipped him off to the fact they were coming to his lair (despite the fact that she's been with the group the whole time). Zoom grabs Jesse and is about to kill him in front of Harry as he said he would. Killer Frost apparently has a Return Of The Jedi  redemption moment and changes her mind again. She blasts Zoom with her ice powers, temporarily incapacitating him.

Barry doesn't want to leave Iron Mask, but there's no way to free him in time. Barry promises he'll come back for him. The group (sans Killer Frost) goes back to STAR Labs to regroup. Barry tells Barry-2 and Iris-2 that Zoom will be after them, so they say they'll hide out with relatives in Atlantis. Harry tells Jesse they have to go to Earth-1 to be safe.

On Earth-1 Jay and Joe repair the Speed Cannon just in time. Barry brings Jesse and Cisco through the breach. He goes back for Harry, but Zoom is there, holding him hostage. Harry manages to stab Zoom with a needle, which distracts him long enough for Barry to grab him. Barry and Harry come through the breach. Jay throws a tech bomb at the breach, closing it forever. 

Unfortunately a split second before the breach closes forever, Zoom's arm reaches out, goes completely through Jay's chest, and pulls him in. Yikes!

Thoughts:

• On Earth-2 we see a news report on Channel 52. This actually popped up in last week's episode as well, but I forgot to mention it. In fact later on Iris is watching Channel 52 over on Earth-1. 

This ubiquitous channel is no doubt another reference to DC's New 52, an event that revamped their entire comics line a few years ago. In fact the various Arrowverse shows are all peppered with occurrences of 52s (much like the newer Star Trek series were all lousy with the number 47).

• I'm not even going to try and understand why Harry has a Time Vault inside the Earth-2 STAR Labs. Wasn't the Earth-1 Vault built by the Reverse Flash/Eobard Thawne? They've never mentioned an Earth-2 Eobard, so why would there be a Vault there as well? I'm starting to get one of my sick headaches trying to figure this all out.

• I don't think I've ever mentioned it yet, but that Zoom costume is very well done. The way those vertical mouth slits stretch and expand when he speaks is downright creepy and unsettling. Whoever designed the suit earned their pay that week!

• I realize they had a lot of plot to cram into this episode, so there was no doubt a need for story economy. That said, Iris-2 seems to accept the concept of the multiverse and Earth-1 doppelgangers very, very quickly. I guess since she lives in a world filled with superpowered metahumans, the idea of parallel worlds isn't too much of a stretch.

• Kudos to Grant Gustin for his wonderfully eccentric performance as the Earth-2 Barry Allen. His uptight, nerdy portrayal of the alternate Barry was a hoot, and he completely convinced me that I was watching a totally different person.

• We didn't learn much about Earth-2 this week, but there were a few interesting tidbits.

Barry-2 watches Commander Carl: Space Marshal Of The Galaxy on his vertical TV. That sounds amazingly similar to the Commando Cody: Sky Marshal Of The Universe serial that we have in our world.

Patty Spivot also exists on Earth-2, where she's already a CSI.

• During the course of this episode, Caitlin develops both Velocity-8 and Velocity-9, seemingly in the space of just a couple of hours. That's pretty impressive, considering the two drugs somehow alter a person's body so they develop super speed. Eh, who needs FDA approval?

• In Zoom's lair, Iron Mask uses "tap code" to spell out the name "JAY." This involves quite a lot of tapping, plus a five by five grid that Jesse has to somehow draw out on the floor of her cell. That was all much, much easier than just tracing the letters in the air, or "writing" them on his glass cell with dirt or something.

• In the dungeon, Zoom vibrates through Barry's inescapable glass, er, I mean carbyne cell. Later Barry says Zoom just showed him how to escape. Um... Barry's vibrated or phased through objects before. In fact he did it just last season in Tricksters. I guess he must have forgotten he has this ability already and needed Zoom to remind him.

• When Harry and the others find Killer Frost and ask for her help, she makes fun of Cisco's lack of control over his powers. Cisco says, "It's a work in progress, Elsa." Apparently Cisco's a big Frozen fan.

• Near the end of last week's episode, Iris-2 confronted Killer Frost and said, "You murdered my father, you evil bitch!" I commented that Frost did no such thing, as Joe-2 was killed by a fireball to the chest from Deathstorm.

In this episode Iris-2 accuses her of the same damned thing. What the hell? Look at that photo above. It's kind of hard to see, but that's Joe-2 getting hit in the chest with a fireball. KILLER FROST DID NOT KILL YOUR GODDAMNED FATHER, IRIS-2! HOW THE HELL COULD A WOMAN WHO CAN SHOOT ICE OUT OF HER HANDS GENERATE A BALL OF FIRE AND KILL A MAN WITH IT? WHY DO YOU KEEP BLAMING HER FOR THE ACTIONS OF HER BOYFRIEND?

• At one point in the episode, Geomancer waltzes right into the Cortex of STAR Labs. No alarms, no intruder alerts, nothing. So much for Cisco's enhanced security that he bragged about at the beginning of the season.

• After Caitlin and Iris knock out Geomancer, Joe arrives and has him taken away to Iron Heights prison. Wow! That's one of the very few times anyone's ever sent a metahuman to actual prison, instead of illegally holding them in the Secret STAR Labs Super Jail.

• Iris-2 asks Barry-1 if her father Joe is still alive on Earth-1. Barry says yes, and she says to give him a hug for her.

Luckily Iris-2 doesn't realize that Barry caused Joe-2's death. If he'd avoided getting involved in the lives of the various Earth-2 residents and stuck to the original plan, Joe-2 would likely still be alive.

It would also have been a nice touch if Barry had told Iris-2 to give his Earth-2 mother a hug for him as well.

• At least seventy five percent of The Flash episodes have featured a scene in which Barry fails at something, receives a patented, inspirational pep talk from someone and then finds it within himself to succeed. 

It happens in this episode as well. Barry can't phase through his carbyne cell until he gets a "Believe In Yourself" speech. But this time there's a twist— he gets the speech from himself. Literally!

• After freeing Jesse from Zoom's dungeon, she and Harry head to Earth-1 forever. I was wondering how they were going to manage to keep Harry on the show after the Earth-2 storyline, and now we now.

• So let's talk about Zoom's true identity, shall we? I'm pretty sure this episode just dumped a huge clue in our laps. It's starting to look like Iron Mask is the real Jay Garrick of Earth-2, and the Jay Garrick that's currently hanging out over on Earth-1 is secretly Zoom!

Evidence:

When Iron Mask is tapping his message to Barry, he spells out "J-A-Y." I think it's pretty obvious he's tapping out his own name here. Especially when he starts shaking his head and pounding on the glass when Barry doesn't comprehend what he's trying to tell him. Why else would he do that unless he was frustrated at Barry's lack of understanding?

The fact that he's wearing a helmet is also telling. Whenever a character wears a mask and has a distorted voice or no voice at all, that means their identity is supposed to be a huge surprise. It's Screenwriting 101. None of the other prisoners have to wear a mask, so Zoom singled him out for a reason— because his identity is a shocking secret. And what would be more shocking than if he's the real Jay Garrick under that mask?

After Jay rescues the civilians from the crumbling building, he tells Caitlin that he's exhausted and is going to go take a nap. Whaaa...???? That's such a bizarre thing for him to say that it has to be a clue. And of course right after he lays down for his "nap," Zoom appears back on Earth-2. Convenient, eh? 

Jay's explanation as to how he came to Earth-1 is dubious at best. He said he was fighting Zoom and was sucked into the breach that we saw in last season's finale. He also told everyone that Zoom stole his speed. He later admitted that wasn't true, and that he lost his speed because he was addicted to the Velocity drug. So Jay's a big fat liar, and everything he says is suspect.

My official theory is that Jay Garrick was indeed the Earth-2 Flash, and did fight Zoom, who was obsessed with becoming faster and faster. Zoom then stole Jay's speed and for some reason imprisoned him in his lair instead of killing him. He then somehow disguised himself as Jay and traveled to Earth-1, where he's passing himself off as the Earth-2 Flash until he figures out how to steal Barry's speed.

The only thing I haven't figured out is how he appears to stab himself at the end of this episode. But I'm working on it!

Of course I could be completely off base here, as the Iron Mask and Jay taking a nap stuff might all be a giant red herring. If so, then kudos to the writers for fooling me so well.

Next week: The return of King Shark! What a time to be alive!

The Flash Season 2, Episode 13: Welcome To Earth-2

Yeah, the recaps are late this week. These things happen sometimes.

This week's Flash was a hoot and a half, as the characters finally pay a long-awaited visit to Earth-2, and the audience is rewarded for sticking with the show for a season and a half. The entire episode was absolutely loaded with tons of little Easter eggs to reward the fans who've been paying attention since the beginning.

It's obvious the actors are having a blast, as everyone's firing on all cylinders here. Alternate world stories tend to bring out the best in actors, as they get to cut loose and do things with their characters they wouldn't normally be allowed to do.

The episode also shone some long overdue spotlights on the cast. Danielle Panabaker finally gets something to do here besides stand around looking worried, as she plays both Caitlin Snow and Earth-2's Killer Frost. Kudos also to Candice Patton, who gets to play a cop as the Earth-2 Iris West-Allen. And who knew Jesse Martin, aka Joe West, was a crooner?!

Jay Garrick even got his super speed back, if only for a few moments. The return of his powers is long, long overdue. I was also very surprised to see the return of Robbie Amell as Firestorm, er, I mean Deathstorm, especially considering he left the show at the end of last season.

The rest of the cast didn't exactly phone it in either. Carlos Valdez was obviously having a ball playing not only Cisco, but his man-bunned evil twin. And the scene in which Grant Gustin as Barry Allen phones the Earth-2 version of his mother was an emotional punch in the gut.

This episode was so jam-packed with crunchy goodness that I barely know where to start, so let's get to it!

BIG, WHOMPIN' SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Plot:

Using the sci-fi grenades he and Harry invented last week, Barry zips from place to place closing all the breaches to Earth-2. Except for the one in STAR Labs' basement, that is. Once that's done Barry, Cisco and Harry prepare to visit Earth-2. Their plan is to rescue Harry's daughter Jesse from Zoom.

Jay and Harry both warn Barry and Cisco not to get emotionally attached to anyone they may meet on Earth-2, which virtually guarantees they'll do so. Barry tells Jay and Caitlin that if the team's not back in forty eight hours, it means Zoom has them and to close the breach forever. Barry, Cisco and Harry use the Speed Cannon to jump through the breach. Unfortunately the instant they're gone, the Cannon falls apart! D'oh! Isn't that always the way! Jay and Caitlin now have to figure out how to fix it, or the others will have no way back.

Barry & Co. successfully jump to Earth-2. Barry and Cisco are amazed by the place, with its art deco aesthetic and advanced science. They're surprised when they spot a few familiar faces who were villains on their world, but are upstanding citizens here.

Cisco tries to vibe in order to detect Zoom, but can't (don't worry Cisco, it happens to all guys now and then). Apparently Earth-2 is on a different frequency or something. Barry sees his doppelganger on TV and gets a bright idea— he'll kidnap his Earth-2 self and take his place as a CSI at the CCPD, and use their records to locate Zoom.

He does just that, but the plan goes south when he meets the Earth-2 Iris, who's a police detective— and his wife! Before he knows what's happening, she takes him to their home! There he discovers his mother is still alive in this world, and actually gets to phone her. Why, it's like Barry-2 has everything our Barry's ever wanted.

Meanwhile two familiar looking villains, Killer Frost and Deathstorm, intercept a couple of bank robbers and steal their stolen cash. Killer Frost bears a striking resemblance to our own Caitlin Frost, while Deathstorm looks just like Ronnie Raymond, Caitlin-1's late fiance and former superhero Firestorm! The two appear to be working for Zoom, and have somehow detected the presence of Barry & Co. He orders them to find the Earth-1 intruders.

Back on Earth-1, Jay and Caitlin work to fix the Speed Cannon. They're interrupted by Joe, who says a new metahuman called Geomancer is threatening Central City. Joe suggests Jay take the Velocity 6 drug to temporarily regain his speedster powers, but he refuses. Jay confesses to Caitlin the real reason he lost his powers (don't worry, Jay, it happens to all guys now and then). He began taking Velocity 6 in order to become even faster, but it had the opposite effect, rendering him speedless. And now it's killing him. Caitlin promises to solve his problem.

Over on Earth-2, Barry and Iris go to Jitterbugs, a swanky jazz club. Barry's shocked when he sees the Earth-2 Joe there, singing his little heart out. Unfortunately this version of Joe hates Barry because he's "selfish," which makes no sense, but just roll with it because there's a lot better stuff coming up. Just then Killer Frost and Deathstorm enter, looking for Earth-1 intruders. Iris tries to shoot them, and in the resulting confusion Joe's hit in the chest by a fireball from Deathstorm. Barry uses his powers to take the battle outside (after the horse is out of the barn) and chases off the villains.

Back at STAR Labs-2, Harry is livid with Barry for doing the thing he warned him no to do, namely getting involved in his counterpart's life. He says now that he's revealed his powers, Zoom will know he's here and will most likely kill Jesse. Barry calls him a big stupid head and storms off. Well, he doesn't actually, but he comes close.

Barry goes to the hospital to see Joe, which is the least he can do since he's responsible for getting him injured in the first place. Joe tells Barry to take care of Iris, and promptly dies. Iris vows to go after the metahumans. Barry says he's coming with, and brings Cisco along too, as he has some sort of weapon that can neutralize Killer Frost's powers.

On Earth-1, Geomancer attacks again, and suddenly Jay Garrick appears, his speed powers restored. Apparently Caitlin— in the space of about twenty minutes— whipped up a batch of Velocity 7 (all the powers, none of the side effects) for him. He attacks Geomancer, and as he's about to finish him off he sputters and slows down to normal (don't worry, Jay, it happens to all guys now and then). Geomancer gets away. Caitlin promises to come up with Velocity 8. Comic fans all shake their heads solemnly, as they know she won't succeed until she gets to Velocity 9.

Cisco, Iris and her partner Floyd Lawton (who's the villain Deadshot on Earth-1, but here is a cop who can't shoot straight— wakka wakka!) enter a warehouse, looking for Deathstorm and Killer Frost. The two metahumans appear, and there's much trash talking between the groups. Eventually the metahumans' boss appears and it's not Zoom, but Reverb, who's the evil Earth-2 version of Cisco!

Reverb tries to tempt Cisco into joining him, saying that with their combined powers they could be gods. Just then the Flash appears, but Reverb blasts him with powerful vibration waves or something. Deathstorm joins in the fun. Lawton is killed by a stray blast, as the two pummel Barry to within an inch of his life, Suddenly Zoom appears.

Zoom kills Deathstorm and Reverb (we hardly knew ye!) because they were under strict orders not to harm the Flash (so he could steal his powers, see?). He snatches up Barry and zips away.

Barry wakes in a cell. He sees a man in a metal mask in a cell opposite him, and Jesse in the one beside him. He tells Jesse he came to Earth-2 with her dad, and they're going to rescue her. Zoom returns and says nope.

Thoughts:

• As Barry and Cisco prepare to go to Earth-2, everyone treats them like they're condemned men, and are going off to their deaths. Why all the hand wringing? Harry and Jay traveled from one Earth to the other and they're fine, so it can't be that big a deal. I guess maybe everyone's worried because Barry & CO. are going to confront Zoom on his own turf?

• As the group is about to leap into Earth-2, a nervous Cisco says, "I got no spit." Harry correctly identifies this as a Jaws reference, although Cisco claims he was just speaking the truth.

So does that mean Jaws exists on Earth-2? I'm gonna say yes, since Harry doesn't seem very interested in Earth-1 pop culture.

• In last season's finale, Barry ran so fast he broke through the time barrier. Inside the vortex he saw glimpses of the past and possible future events.

The same thing happens in this episode when he and the others jump over to Earth-2. Apparently the time stream and the vortex containing the multiverse must be related, because they look exactly alike.

The scene in which they travel through this energy corridor lasts just a few seconds, but it's a treasure trove of cameos and upcoming character appearances.

As they travel through the vortex, the first image that flashes (heh) by appears to be a hooded Green Arrow. It's hard to tell though if it's Oliver Queen, or his son Connor Hawke. A future version of Ollie is scheduled to appear soon over on Legends Of Tomorrow, so it's possible this is him (especially since it looks like he has some sort of bionic arm).

Next up we see John Wesley Shipp as the 1990 version of the Flash, which is pretty darned awesome.

We also got a brief glimpse of Supergirl, who's currently starring in her own series on CBS. The Flash is supposedly making a crossover appearance on her show soon, so could this be her way of reciprocating?

Next up we see DC Comic's resident Old West antihero Jonah Hex, who'll also be appearing on Legends Of Tomorrow. Hex has a unique facial deformity, and from what I can see here it looks like they absolutely nailed it! Kudos!

The most surprising glimpse was what appears to be the Legion Of Superheroes! 

For non comic fans, the Legion was (will be?) a futuristic team of superpowered teens from various planets and space colonies, who fight crime in the 30th Century. That circular object in the middle right of the image is a Legion Flight Ring. The rings give anyone who wears one the power of flight (hence the name).

I'm assuming their presence here means they'll be appearing on one of the Arrowverse shows soon. Maybe Supergirl, since she and Superboy were very closely associated with the Legion in the comics.

The last flash we get is of an angry Gorilla Grodd, who's currently hiding out somewhere in the jungles of Earth-2.

• Once again we see that Earth-2 is very... golden.

• There were dozens of fun little shoutouts and references in the Earth-2 scenes. Here are the ones I caught.

At STAR Labs-2, Barry and Cisco meet Henry Hewitt. He's a well-adjusted scientist here, but on Earth-1 he became the supervillain Tokamak.

An Earth-2 news report mentions Mayor Snart, So would that be Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold on Earth-1, or his sister Lisa? I'm guessing Leonard, since he's the better known of the two and has his own show right now.

The Earth-2 version of CCPD Captain Singh is some sort of criminal with amazing facial hair. He reminded me a bit of Gaff from Blade Runner (in fact now that I think of it a lot of the Earth-2 costumes have that Blade Runner retro look).

On Earth-1, Floyd Lawton is the supervillain Deadshot. On Earth-2 Lawton is a cop who can't shoot straight. Comedy ahoy!

Earth-2's Central City has a Royal Bank. So does that mean they have a King or Queen instead of a President? Also, Earth-2 money is square instead of rectangular! I bet that's hard to fit into your wallet.

The HDTVs on Earth-2 are vertical instead of horizontal. I wonder what their movie theater screens look like?

Atlantis exists on Earth-2, and one can fly there (Jay Garrick mentioned this a few episodes back).

The Earth-2 version of Jitters is Jitterbug's, and it's a nightclub.

Joe West exists on Earth-2, but instead of being a cop, he's a lounge singer (!). And a pretty good one, I might add.

Cisco has an Earth-2 counterpart as well, who's a supervillain who calls himself Reverb. * Cisco's E-2 counterpart calls himself Reverb. His vibing powers are much more advanced than Cisco's, as he can project sonic blasts, just like Daisy over on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Reverb was actually in the DC comics, but there he was the brother of the Earth-1 Vibe.

Possibly the bombshell is that the Earth-2 Barry Allen and Iris West (who's a cop) are married!

• After the Flash leaves Earth-1, Adam Fells, aka Geomancer, attacks Central City. He's actually appeared a handful of times in DC Comics.

The lobby of the Earth-1 CCPD features a bas-relief of the Greek Gods, which correspond (more or less) to the members of DC Comics' Justice League Of America.

On Earth-2 the bas relief is a bit different. Instead of gods it features various soldiers and military leaders. The "Truth-Liberty-Justice" motto is replaced with "A Free And Just Society." That's obviously a not-so-subtle reference to the Justice Society, the precursor to the Justice League.

• Iris-2 takes Barry back to "their" home. Despite all of Earth-2's many technological advances, apparently they still use landline phones.

We see several names on Barry-2's speed dial. Among them are "Dad," which is obviously Joe, and "Mom & Dad," meaning Barry's parents, who are both alive on this world.

The names get a bit more interesting after that. Next is "Eddie," meaning Eddie Thawne is alive and well on Earth-2. Then Bruce, Hal and Diana.

That's no doubt Bruce Wayne aka Batman, Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern, and Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman. I'm pretty sure those names are just thrown in for observant fans, and doesn't mean those heroes actually exist on Earth-2.

It's too bad they couldn't have persuaded Rick Cosnett to stick his head in the door for a quick cameo as Eddie Thawne, but he's probably too busy filming Quantico right now.

• Ever since the series started, I've been wondering how they'd handle the whole Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost thing. I actually like Caitlin, so I was hoping they wouldn't make her turn evil.

Once the series introduced the concept of Earth-2, I thought, "That's it! They could have Killer Frost originate from Earth-2, which would preserve the Caitlin we all know and love." And that's exactly what they did!

• When I first saw Deathstorm, I just assumed he was an evil version of Firestorm created just for this episode. Turns out he's actually from the comics (sorry, I haven't been keeping up with DC for a long time now). He has an incredibly complicated origin that would take about an hour to explain, so I won't go into it here. 

• So how do Killer Frost and Deathstorm know the Flash is on Earth-2? Did Zoom tell them to be on the lookout for him?

• At the Earth-1 CCPD, one of the policemen says Geomancer has been spotted at Pasko and Fourth.

This is no doubt a reference to Martin Pasko, a long-time writer of DC comics and animated series.

• So what's up with the whole Velocity 6 through 9 thing? 

In the comics, Velocity 9 was a drug manufactured by Vandal Savage (!). It gave the user super speed, but at a high cost— side effects included exhaustion, premature aging and eventually death. There's a lot more to the story, but eventually the drug was perfected and the side effects removed.

• When Joe-2's in the hospital, a doctor holds up what I assume is supposed to be an x-ray, but it looks more like a sonogram. Is Joe pregnant?

• At STAR Labs-2, Cisco imagines that his Earth-2 counterpart is a wealthy inventor, ala Elon Musk, "but with less RBF."

I'm not too proud to admit I have no idea what "RBF" means. A big of googling reveals it means "resting bitch face." Cisco seriously needs to stop reading Buzzfeed. Last week he said, "Bye, Felicia," and now this.

• When Iris confronts Killer Frost and Deathstorm, why does she say, "You killed my father, you evil bitch!" Deathstorm was the one who killed him. He was hit in the chest with a fireball, for frak's sake. Does she really think someone called "Killer Frost" shoots flames out of her hands?

• You know, for a guy who calls himself Zoom, he speaks very slowwwwwwly.

• Reverb, we hardly knew ye! I was actually sorry to see dispatched so quickly, especially since he could have taught out Cisco how to properly use his powers. 

Note that Zoom kills Reverb in exactly the same way the Reverse Flash killed Cisco (in an alternate timeline, of course).

Man, this episode had a seriously high body count. Joe, Lawton, Deathstorm and Reverb all bought the farm. And most of their deaths could be laid at Barry-1's feet.

• At the end of the episode, Barry wakes in a cell in Zoom's dungeon. Jesse's there of course, along with a mysterious man in a metal mask. I have no idea who Helmet Guy could be. Leonardo DiCaprio maybe?

• Although this was one of the best Flash episodes ever, they did drop the ball in one particular area— the costumes. This week we got not one, but two, but three, count 'em 3 villains decked out in the standard boring black leather. Yawn! Again with the leather! 

The first X-Men movie started this ferkakte trend back in 2000, and apparently that film's arm is long indeed, because it's still influencing costume designers sixteen years later.

What I wouldn't give to see some actual comic book costumes on this show. Something featuring an actual color besides black. And if the producers think the audience can't handle such looks, or might laugh at the characters, might I remind them their show already features a villain named Zoom and a goddamned telepathic gorilla?