In this episode of The Flash season 2, “Rupture,” Barry and Harry come up with a dangerous plan to take care of Zoom, but Barry has doubts as to whether or not he should go through with it. While debating the decision, Barry goes to Henry (guest star John Wesley Shipp) for advice. Unfortunately, Henry and Joe do not see eye-to-eye on the matter of what is best for their son.
Meanwhile, Iris tells Barry about her feelings for him, Cisco gets one heck of a shock when the newest threat comes in the form of his brother’s Earth-2 doppelganger, and Zoom’s arrival on Earth-1 causes plenty of problems for Team Flash.
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Harry Wants to Rebuild the Particle Accelerator
With Barry still powerless, Cisco comes up with the idea of creating a Flash hologram to fool the public. They send the Flash hologram after some criminals who are engaged in a high-speed chase with the cops. Unfortunately, the Flash hologram cannot do much because it’s a hologram, but Cisco pulls some smart moves and convinces the criminals to back down. The cops then take them into custody.
Iris is impressed with Cisco’s work on the Flash hologram. She didn’t think it would work, but it is quite convincing. Iris and Cisco share a celebratory high-five before Harry interrupts their joy with his doom and gloom. (Have I mentioned how much I have been enjoying the Iris-Cisco interaction in these past two episodes? I hope we see more of their friendship.) Harry points out that their hologram-Flash will not work forever because someone will eventually realize that hologram-Flash doesn’t talk or touch anything or even step indoors. Instead of playing games to deceive the public, Harry thinks they need to re-create the particle accelerator explosion and actually get Barry his speed back.
Barry, Cisco and Iris point out all the problems caused by the first explosion, as well as that time they tried something similar and created the breaches to Earth-2 that allowed Zoom and his evil henchmen to get to their Earth. But Harry is not concerned about that. He claims he has enough information — on what Eobard-Wells did, on what chemicals Barry needs to have in his system and on how the lightning needs to bond with the dark matter — to perfectly re-create the circumstances that turned Barry into a speedster in the first place. He also claims he has the ability to contain the explosion and points out that getting Barry’s speed back is the only way they can get to Earth-2 to save Caitlin.
Torn on what to do, Barry goes to visit his dad. Henry is apparently hanging out in a cabin in the woods because I guess he needed some alone-time. Barry tells his father about losing his speed and the fact that Zoom is really Jay Garrick who is actually Hunter Zoloman. Henry then tells Barry that “Garrick” was his mother’s maiden name. (Did Hunter choose that name to mess with Barry or is there some unknown connection between Hunter Zoloman and Barry’s family?)
Barry tells his father that he has been thinking about getting his powers back via rebuilding the particle accelerator. Henry is adamantly against that plan because of the danger it will put Barry in. Henry tells Barry that he is proud of the person his son has become, but he thinks he can be that man even without his powers. Barry explains that every time something good happens to him, it’s not long before it is taken away again. Henry thinks it is time to change that. To that end, Henry returns to Central City with Barry, apparently deciding to stick around this time.
Zoom Arrives
Wally is visiting Joe at the CCPD when Zoom arrives with Caitlin in tow. Zoom threatens to kill them all, but Caitlin actually manages to talk him down. Zoom tells them that the city is his now and anyone who disobeys him will die. He then he lets them all leave alive.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Harry tells them that this is what Zoom did on this Earth — he murdered the police officers and then recruited metas to his cause. Joe thinks Caitlin can keep Zoom from killing, but Harry is not convinced. Barry and Joe decide to have the cops set up at Jitters because it is close to the station. Harry doesn’t think anything they do will stop Zoom and he believes Barry needs his powers back ASAP.
While Harry is working on rebuilding the particle accelerator, Joe stops by for a chat. Joe knows that if Barry decides to go through with Harry’s plan, there will be no talking him out of it. Joe doesn’t know if it’s the right thing to do and Harry thinks they need to talk him into it. Henry, on the other hand, is still dead-set against his son taking on this risk. He points out that Barry was in a coma for nine months the last time this happened and it could kill him this time around. Harry understands the risk, but Henry thinks he is messing with things that are not in his control. Barry overhears their argument and understands where each of his father figures is coming from. However, this is his decision to make and he now knows that he has to make it on his own.
Cisco Mends Fences with His Brother
While Barry is struggling to make a decision, Cisco has a Vibe of who he believes is his brother, Dante. Cisco tracks Dante down to check up on him, but Dante turns out to be just fine even though things are still very strained between the brothers. Alas, their night gets worse when one of Zoom’s henchmen shows up to attack them. This villain, Rupture, is Dante’s Earth-2 doppelganger and he has come to Earth-1 looking for Cisco.
As Cisco later learns, Zoom told Rupture that Cisco killed his brother, Reverb, so Rupture wants revenge. Cisco and Dante manage to get away and Cisco take Dante back to S.T.A.R. Labs.
Harry tells the group that Rupture gets his powers from his scythe, so they figure if they can separate him from his weapon they’ll be able to defeat him. They will have to come up with something quickly because Zoom is tired of waiting for the police to cooperate. He decides to send Rupture after them that night. Caitlin overhears this and gets a message to the team about Rupture coming to attack the cops at Jitters. With this threat hanging over them, Harry wants Barry to make a decision, but Barry says he cannot go through with the particle accelerator explosion when they do not know what kind of risk it will pose to everyone. He has decided not to go through with it and says they will have to defeat Rupture without The Flash.
While the cops get everything set up at Jitters, Cisco ends up telling his brother about his meta-human powers. Dante is shocked that Cisco would keep something like this from his family, but Cisco points out that Dante was the one who said they haven’t been close in years and he is right.
Cisco then heads to Jitters, where he and Barry create the Flash hologram to fool Rupture. Their plan works and Rupture is taken into custody. Zoom is furious and decides to handle matters on his own. He kills several of the cops gathered at Jitters as well as Rupture. He then tells the people of Central City that the Flash is gone and no one is left to protect them. Zoom tells Captain Singh to get the rest of his people to stand down and he tells Barry that he is only allowing him to live because of Caitlin.
After the Zoom attack, everyone heads back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco and Dante then hug it out, determined to heal their damaged relationship. (At least one good thing came out of this whole Rupture situation.) Zoom’s attack — as well as the likelihood of him recruiting more meta-humans to his side — is enough to convince Barry that he needs his speed back, regardless of the risk. He tells Harry that they need to re-create the particle accelerator explosion.
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Will Iris and Barry Finally Be Together?
While his father figures all debate what the best course of action is, Barry goes off alone to consider his options. Iris takes the opportunity to share with Barry everything she’s been feeling lately. She tells him that she’s been doing a lot of thinking “about us.” She’s been thinking about the fact that their doppelgangers are married on Earth-2 and they are married in at least one version of the future. Iris says it’s made her believe that they might belong together.
Poor Barry is clearly thrown by her confession and doesn’t know what to make of her feelings for him. Iris says that when Barry first told her how he felt about her, she wasn’t available “in that way,” but now she is. Barry is confused about why Iris is telling him this now, and Iris says she wants him to know that she doesn’t care if he’s a speedster or not. She’s thinking about a future with Barry, not The Flash. Of course, that only matters if it’s something Barry still wants. Iris then leaves Barry to consider everything she’s said.
Later that night, as Barry prepares to get his speed back, Iris tells Barry that no matter what happens, “it will never change the way that I feel about you.” Are you happy that Iris finally told Barry she has feelings for him? Do you think it’s time for these two crazy kids to have a real shot at being together or would you prefer they remain friends? (Personally, I am hoping we get to see them as a real couple before the season ends.)
What Will Happen to Wally and Jesse?
Earlier in the episode, Joe gets Wally and Jesse locked up inside the time vault to keep them safe from Zoom. Alas, the two get bored waiting around while everyone they care about is in danger, so they decide to break out. Jesse uses her quick thinking to get the door open, but as soon as they leave the vault, Wally knows something is wrong. While Wally and Jesse are loose in S.T.A.R. Labs, the particle accelerator explodes and the two are caught up in the energy from the explosion.
Barry Disappears
Harry sets up an abbreviated version of the particle accelerator Eobard-Wells built, but Harry has made sure the dark matter will only be directed to Barry and not the entire city. They then need to create the lightning strike that Barry experienced that night. This is where Cisco comes in. He will use the wand he made for the Weather Wizard to create a lightning storm and direct the lightning to Barry. Everyone is clearly worried about Barry, but Barry assures his loved ones that everything will be fine.
Much to Iris and Henry’s dismay, Harry injects Barry with the same chemicals he was exposed to on the night of the original explosion. Cisco then does his part and directs the lightning to Barry. As Barry is hit with the lightning and exposed to the dark matter, he seemingly disintegrates in front of his loved ones’ eyes. Zoom, having seen the explosion, arrives at S.T.A.R. Labs to taunt Team Flash with their failure. They tried to give Barry his speed back, but they seemingly killed him instead. The episode ends with the team reacting to Barry’s supposed demise.
We all know the show is not going to kill off its lead character, but what exactly did happen to Barry? Did the explosion send him to another Earth or another time? How will the team bring him back?
What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Were you happy to see Barry’s father again? What do you think he has been up to all this time? Will Wally and Jesse survive their exposure to the dark matter? Will they become speedsters or some other type of meta-humans? Do you like that Iris has been spending so much time at S.T.A.R. Labs lately? How long will Caitlin remain Zoom’s prisoner now that he’s brought her to Earth-1? Is Hunter/Zoom right that Caitlin has darkness inside of her? Do you think Caitlin will one day follow in Killer Frost’s footsteps? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
The Flash airs Tuesday nights at 8pm on The CW.
(Image courtesy of The CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
