It’s pretty cool when a guy shows up claiming that your world is in danger and you just take it all in stride based on what you’ve experienced so far as a super hero.
The Season 2 premiere explained exactly how the Flash and Firestorm managed to stop the singularity that threatened Central City during the Season 1 finale, but the victory came at a high cost. But that revelation might not be as big as what happened at the end of this season’s first episode, when Jay Garrick walked into the lives of Team Flash. He knows more than Barry Allen
does about the threat that’s coming for them, one that only has a one word name for now: Zoom.
In the finest DC Comics tradition, it appears we’re going to learn more about Jay’s world, Earth 2, tonight. Something tells me his knowledge might come in handy against a new villain as well. Let’s zoom (pun intended) into “The Flash of Two Worlds.”
Not-So-Fast Recap: Jay Garrick isn’t wasting any time. He gets right into his story: how he was the Flash on his own world, and that the singularity opened a breach between worlds that pulled him through.
Actually, his story gets better. He was fighting zoom, a demon of speed with a face of death. Zoom had him beaten, but it was just then that the portal opened between worlds, pulling Jay through and stranding him. He lost his speed in the process, though he’s not sure why. Everyone seems a bit incredulous, especially Barry Allen, who says they will need to run some tests to see if his story checks out.
We find out pretty quickly that he’s telling the truth, as we see the portal open again and get our first glimpse of Zoom — who looks a lot like the Black Flash from the comics. He tells the man he drops off that all he has to do to get home is to kill the Flash. Oh, is that all?
While running some tests on Jay, Caitlin Snow asks him about his comic book-accurate origin. He was in his lab running some experiments on heavy water when he passed out, was briefly in a coma, and then woke to find he had super-speed. Jay says he’s been the Flash for about two years, and Caitlin seems delighted that he’s a fellow scientist.
Elsewhere in S.T.A.R. Labs, Professor Stein tries and fails to explain multiverse theory to Joe West. Once he leaves, Stein mentions the fact that if there is a portal between worlds still out there, they need to find it and close it for good.
Barry asks about the results of the tests on Jay, and Caitlin reports no sign of the Speed Force. He does, however, have regenerative abilities, and he also passed a lie detector test (that Jay didn’t know she ran, but hey). One person still isn’t convinced, and I’ll give you just one guess as to who that is.
At the police station, Joe meets an eager officer named Patty Spivot. She really, really wants to join his anti-metahuman task force, but Joe informs her that everyone has quit. Spivot presses on, explaining that she’s smart, in top physical condition and an expert marksman. Joe still plays party pooper and says no.
Poor Jay gets locked in the Pipeline, and while he says he understands, he gives Barry yet another warning about Zoom. And there’s a fire at the waterfront, so Barry has to run.
The Flash extinguishes the large fire with ease, but he’s soon attacked by a guy who can turn his body into sand. Later, Barry tells Joe they’re definitely dealing with a metahuman, and that the fire was arson. Patty is on the scene too, and she’s found some evidence that might be helpful. Strangely, she’s also a fan of Barry’s reports. A CSI groupie? Joe still turns her down for a spot on his mostly theoretical task force, and she asks Barry for advice on how to change his mind.
Caitlin and Iris observe a shirtless Jay, and Caitlin’s remark that she hasn’t noticed what a physical specimen he is doesn’t sound too convincing. #SnowJay? Just saying …
Jay tells the S.T.A.R. Labs team that he knows about the metahuman they’re facing, because he’s fought the guy on his own world. Cisco likes the name Jay gave the villain — Sand Demon — but Barry rejects Jay’s suggestion that he knows how to stop the metahuman, snipping that, “I don’t need you to teach me anything.” Sorry Jay, nack to your cell!
Stein has been working on a theory for how to track the portal, and Cisco likes it. But while examining a sample of the sand the Sand Demon left behind, Cisco is struck by one of his visions, and he can see the Flash-Sand Demon confrontation. Meanwhile, the cops have identified the guy they think set the fire, and Joe arrives at his 20 (that’s cop talk!) to find Patty has already caught the guy.
Joe tries to get the guy they’ve collared, Slick, to admit to the arson. He says he’s innocent, and when they accuse him of being a metahuman, Joe discovers he has an alibi for the night of the particle accelerator accident. Outside the interrogation room, Barry and Patty are hitting it off (hmm …), but eventually, Barry has to face up to the fact that it might be a doppleganger that they’re seeking.
It’s now Barry versus everyone else when it comes to trusting Jay. Iris asks for a moment alone with our hero, and she knows what the problem is: Jay reminds Barry of Harrison Wells. She’s not wrong, of course, and Iris points out that while the rest of Team Flash will follow his lead, they’ll stop if he stops giving them reason to believe in him.
At the station, Joe turns Slick loose. He returns a moment later and … oh crap, that’s the other Slick, the one who can turn to sand. Patty finds bullets don’t stop him, and the Sand Demon kidnaps her.
Grudgingly, Barry releases Jay from the Pipeline, and Garrick has an idea for how to stop the bad guy. He’s going to teach Barry to throw the lightning he generates while running. Because, you know, lightning will turn sand to glass. Barry also reassures a worried Joe that he’ll do whatever it takes to get Patty back safe. Don’t worry about her, because even though Sand Demon has built a concussive bomb to use on Patty when the Flash arrives, she’s still talking smack to him. Spunky, that one.
Since the good guys are having no luck finding Sand Demon, Cisco figures maybe he can use his weird visions to help. He returns to the sand sample and sure enough, he can see exactly where Patty is being held. Stein catches him in the act, but Cisco claims it’s just a hunch.
Barry is suited up trying to master the technique Jay is teaching him, but it’s not working. And we get to the heart of the matter: Barry telly Jay that the last mentor he had was actually evil (true), but Jay says he’s not that guy (also true!). Cisco bursts in saying he knows where Sand Demon is and that he might use a concussive bomb to slow Barry. Jay confirms that the villain did the same thin on his world, so Barry proposes using Jay as bait since Sand Demon doesn’t know he’s lost his speed. Garrick still has his speed, but not his helmet. Wait, you guys found it?
(As an aside, Jay says the helmet belonged to his dad during the War of Americas, implying that history is different on his world.)
It’s showdown time! As Jay confronts Sand Demon and gets beat up for his trouble, Barry barely gets Patty clear. The villain cackles as he thinks of the opportunity to kill the Flash of two worlds … but naturally, our Flash is able to create a vortex to stop Sand Demon from choking Jay with his sand arm, and he’s able to hurl lightning that turns the bad guy to glass, which shatters when he hits the ground.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin admires Jay for his bravery, and when he mentions that it’s harder than he thought, losing something that was such a big part of his life, she knows of what he speaks. They seem to be bonding quickly, no? And what about her line that, “You just have to find a new way to live,” eh?
Barry apologizes to Jay and thanks him for his patience. As they joke about the nicknames the people gave them, Jay turns serious when he talks about Zoom, saying that he will stop at nothing to become the only speedster left on any world.
Joe asks Patty why she really wants to join the task force, and she has a secret: Mark Mardon killed her dad. She doesn’t think it’s fair that someone like that would get super powers, and she wants to do whatever is necessary to stop others of his ilk. As you might guess, that gets her on the task force. Don’t be late on Monday! As Joe goes to leave, he gets an unexpected visitor, who happens to be his ex-wife.
There’s someone else with a secret, and Stein asks Cisco to level with him. He comes clean on what’s happening to him (“I get a vibe … “), but he’s adamant that Stein not tell anyone. After all, it was Thawne who claimed to have given him his abilities, and everything he did was evil.
Their research has yielded results, but they’re less than ideal. There’s not just one breach, but 52 breaches all over the Central City area. No sooner does Stein drop that bomb than he collapses. Uh-oh.
We get one final scene. On a world that’s definitely not the main one, we see a tour group walking through S.T.A.R. Labs, and the excited guide tells everyone that they’re about to meet the savior of Central City, Harrison Wells!
Favorite Moment: Lots of cool stuff tonight, from the origin of Jay Garrick to the 52 portals and the beginnings of the origin of Vibe. This series always comes correct with comic book references, but this episode might have topped all of them to date. Still, the best one came right after Sane Demon was defeated, as Patty called out for Flash, both Barry and Jay said they were coming. They just happened to be on opposite sides of a brick wall, just like the classic cover to The Flash #123 you can see up above. Priceless.
Final Thought: Another strong episode to follow the very good Season 2 premiere. I trust the writers to shift away from the “Earth 2 villain of the week” formula soon, perhaps as soon as next week when Captain Cold re-enters the picture. I can’t be the only one hoping Jay gets his speed back, and I can’t wait to see if the alternate Wells becomes a regular soon.
