The Flash: Escape from Earth-2

February 18, 2016 5:55 AM - Season 2, Episode 14

On Earth-2, the team asks for help from an unexpected source to find Zoom's lair, while on Earth-1, Caitlin tries to perfect Velocity-9 so Jay can stop the Geomancer.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter (32 comments total)

I really enjoyed this episode. Yeah, Barry-2 and Iris-2 really needed to lay some smackdown on the Earth-1 folks for their incredibly callous behavior with the kidnapping but I'll allow some of it for bonding in the heat of battle and the time crunch running from Zoom. Yeah, Barry telling Xorn the masked fellow he'll come back for him then sealing the breach without angst over it? Ehhhhhh. But I get the pacing issue that would present.

But it was fun, and some of it was nicely touching. Barry-2 giving Barry-1 a pep talk? (Presumably that was Stockholm syndrome) Harry Wells just saying "us" and talking about going "back" without any thought or the show lampshading it? Good stuff. (And WOOOOO more Wells!)

If I was disappointed in anything it was that the show didn't keep me wondering longer whether Jay was Zoom and scamming them, but it worked out well. I had started to think that they were going to get away from the lair ("He's a bad guy. I'm calling it a lair.") without trouble because Jay-Zoom was stuck on Earth 1 with Caitlin and Joe watching him, so his arrival was pretty exciting.

So... who's the masked man? What's he trying to say about Jay? What is his role such that he's being kept alive? Presumably he's not a willing Zoom cohort, as asking someone to stay that deep cover by Jesse would be a lot to ask. But he gets a "don't talk to them again" and is left alive.

With the breaches sealed with 8 more episodes in the season we're clearly not done with E2 or Zoom, so how will travel happen now? Does this make Wells and Jesse permanent E1 residents or just till season's end? Could it be too much to hope for that travel between the worlds will be a constant for the rest of the life of the series? Fun story potentials!
posted by phearlez at 7:35 AM on February 18, 2016

Oh yeah and is Jay actually dead whatever eh.

Which is so disappointing to me because I was really into that character at first and what a boring under-delivery he's been.
posted by phearlez at 7:36 AM on February 18, 2016

The best thing about this episode was NEXT WEEK'S PREVIEW.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:57 AM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

Couple good gags this episode ("meta data"), but other than that it was kind of a mess. For a speedster, the amount of time Barry stands around looking stunned is pretty impressive.

Hopefully Caitlin has finally learned to never love again. Take a hint, Caitlin!
posted by ODiV at 7:58 AM on February 18, 2016 [5 favorites]

Also:

"I can't fix [problem]."
"What if you went even faster?"
"It worked!"
posted by ODiV at 8:00 AM on February 18, 2016 [7 favorites]

This time The Flash got to deliver the inspiring speech TO HIMSELF!

They spend an uncomfortable amount of time standing around the lair before even turning their attention to the man in the iron mask.

Jay dies right after Caitlin develops Speed that is actually Good For You!
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 8:47 AM on February 18, 2016

I don't think Jay is dead* and I'm leaning towards both Zoom being the Jay of another Earth (maybe even Earth 1) who got speed and For Reasons has to keep his alternate-world doppelgangers around. There's something up with the Velocity 6-9/speed as a drug aspect they're doing with Jay that would tie in to Zoom's need to steal speedforce from other speedsters.

* - But that goes for every character who "dies" on this show - they're not dead until their agent gets them a better show.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:48 AM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

Zoom is definitely tied up with Jay somehow -- you don't drop that his Earth-1 doppelganger is Hunter Zolomon for no reason, and that's before Jay turned out to have lied about Zoom stealing his speed. I'm more curious about how notXorn will fit in.

Also, NEXT WEEK'S PREVIEW!!!!!!!

(If you're not familiar with the comics, you may be unsure what kind of creature Barry is fighting in that trailer. Luckily, Gail Simone's Secret Six has a helpful primer.*)

*Per Simone, this primer is sung to the tune of "The Map Song" from Dora The Explorer.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:57 AM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]

Harry called him "our Barry!" AWWWWWW. I'm delighted that Harry and Jessie have seemingly immigrated to Earth-1 for good. Maybe Barry can sign an affidavit a la "I, The Flash, do solemnly swear that this Harrison Wells is from another universe and is not the dead guy who confessed to Nora Allen's murder."
posted by nicebookrack at 10:17 AM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

I loved how over-the-top dorky Earth-2 Barry was, especially in those first scenes with Wells & Cisco. (I'm taking that "You two should be ashamed of yourselves, you can't just lock someone in a room like this!" as a meta-comment on the Star Labs secret prison.)

I'm still completely lost on who Zoom is. But now I'm even more anxious to know what the deal is with the man in the iron mask. Was really hoping we'd get the reveals this episode, so frustrating.
posted by oh yeah! at 10:23 AM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]

Since the show has already combined Jay Garrick with Earth-1 Hunter Zolomon as doppelgängers, I suspect Zoom will also end up some bizarre combination of pre-existing Flash characters. Professor Zoom, Hunter Zolomon, Wally West, Jay Garrick, The Rival, Cobalt Blue, Eddie Thawne, Malcolm Thawne: pick at least two; throw them in a blender; add time travel, secret twin brothers, and/or multiverse doppelgängers; blend all until WTF.

I enjoy the crack theory that the man in the iron mask is literally The Man in the Iron Mask, i.e. a twin brother hidden away to keep someone else's identity secret. Is he Zoom's twin? Jay's twin being used by Zoom to blackmail Jay like Jessie against Harry? Is he the "real" Jay Garrick / Flash and "our" Jay an imposter?

I hate the thought of "our" Jay being secretly evil, mostly for petty reasons: POOR CAITLYN, Teddy Sears doesn't project "sinister" very well, and surprise team traitor was done already and frankly better with Wellsobard last season. But Jay was being super-shady about hiding SOMETHING, and I don't think he'd really be killed off before that secret has some kind of payoff.
posted by nicebookrack at 11:02 AM on February 18, 2016

We still haven't seen Earth-2 Henry Allen, right?. And the way Earth-1 Henry has been written out this season feels like a way to make the audience forget about him so the reveal at the end will work. At this point I'm kinda holding out hope for it to be Earth-17 Barry or something crazy like that though.
posted by cnelson at 11:06 AM on February 18, 2016

Oh yeah, throw Henry Allen and crazy murderous Out Of Time Barry into the blender mix too.
posted by nicebookrack at 11:11 AM on February 18, 2016

KIIIIIING SHAAAARK!
KING SHARK KING SHARK KING SHARK KING SHARK KING SHARK!
posted by numaner at 3:30 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]

First - I need to thank Metafilter for getting me to watch this show. Despite being a DC guy, I didn't watch season 1, but I was in once I learned about Jay being in the show.

Second - SO much better than last week's episode. I thought they tied up the loose ends pretty well, though I also am curious as to the identity of the man in the iron mask.

Third- I have been reading stories about the Jay Garrick Flash since I was a teenager. Oh was it wonderful to see him in action! And the little tip of the Mercury helmet before he left. It's like seeing an issue of All Flash come to life. I refuse to believe Zoom killed him. They'll bring him back. (Or I'll stop warching.)
posted by wittgenstein at 5:16 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

So... who's the masked man? What's he trying to say about Jay? What is his role such that he's being kept alive?

I think he IS Jay. Zoom stole his speed, but kept him alive. The Jay who was visiting Earth 1 is some sort of Zoom trick to get Caitlin to improve the velocity formula so Zoom can steal it and get faster.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:51 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

Could "Jay" be from Earth-3?
Because, you know: Owlman.
posted by Mezentian at 5:43 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

I haven't watched this episode yet, but I've seen speculation that the man in the iron mask is Johnny Quick. Zoom is keeping his head locked up so that he can't utter his magic passphrase to the speed force (or teach it to Jesse).
posted by sevenyearlurk at 9:13 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

On the one hand that would be weird since they established early on that Harry calls his daughter "Jessie Quick" as a nickname, but maybe not any weirder than how they handled the nickname Speedy over on Arrow.

Sign me up as being TOTALLY on board with the spoken speed formula.
posted by phearlez at 9:17 AM on February 19, 2016

he can't utter his magic passphrase

Does Johnny Quick (who I now see is the evil speedster from Earth-3!) have a pass phrase, or are you confusing him with Johnny "Cei-U" Thunder?
posted by Mezentian at 10:07 AM on February 19, 2016

There are two Johnnys Quick. The hero had a nonsense mathmatical-ish formula he recited to gain superspeed, and which he passed on to his daughter, Jesse.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:27 AM on February 19, 2016

Aha!
Thanks.

"3X2(9YZ)4A" so catchy!
I hope they go with that in the show.
posted by Mezentian at 10:30 AM on February 19, 2016

I think Zoom is Jay, our Jay (that is, Earth 2 Jay), but from some future point. When Caitlin gave him the Velocity 9 and his eyes did that kinda creepy thing, all I could think was "Oh. She's literally creating Zoom right now and neither of them know it".
posted by katyggls at 7:02 PM on February 19, 2016 [4 favorites]

Any chance we will see Killer Frost again ? I liked her.
posted by Pendragon at 4:36 AM on February 20, 2016

I want to go on record with a prediction that all of this transferring back and forth of the Speed Force is going to end with Wally West getting a heaping helping and ending up as Kid Flash. That's more or less inevitable, right?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:12 AM on February 22, 2016

Wait wait wait, holy shit. Did Joe say they were taking Geomancer to Iron Heights!?
posted by ODiV at 8:25 AM on February 23, 2016

Yeah, he did. I kinda wondered about that, too. Shouldn't they just lock him up in Star Labs?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:33 AM on February 23, 2016

Also, if you'll pardon the tangent, let's talk about the cells at Star Labs...

- Where do prisoners poop? Their cells have no toilets. Are they being taken on regularly scheduled bathroom breaks by unseen staff? By Cisco and Caitlin? Is there some poop/pee processing tech built in? Maybe there are high tech fold down toilets. Who would coach them hoe to find and use these?
- Who feeds the prisoners? Mystery staff? Cisco and Caitlin? Unseen miracle tech?
- Where do the prisoners sleep? On the floor? Mysterious pop-out beds? Who'd teach them to access these? Does Star Labs have a HAL2000-like interface talking inmates through the nuts and bolts of accessing cell amenities?

Also...

Harrison Wells personally owned Star Labs, right? And he's dead on Earth-1. Who is keeping the lights on? Who pays Cisco and Caitlin's salaries? Maybe they sleep in cells with magic beds, toilets, and food generators.

Who sweeps the hallways? Who cleans the toilets? Who buys the office supplies? Who answers incoming calls?

No one else works there?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:39 AM on February 23, 2016

1) "WHERE DO THEY POOP" was an ongoing question in the Season 1 discussion. There was never a non-nauseating answer.

2) In a first-season episode we see Barry doing a Big Belly Burger run and carting the food around to various cells. I guess that's supposed to be a satisfactory explanation?

3) ???????

4) Wells left STAR Labs to Barry in his will, and I believe they mentioned at the time that the bequest included funding to keep the facility operating. You'd think there would be some outside interest in the fact that Barry owns the facility that provides 24/7 operational support for the Flash, and yet this never seems to come up.

5) ????????
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:43 AM on February 23, 2016

They should really introduce a character who runs the place. Some interesting eccentric middle-aged person who fixes office chairs, delivers meals, launders prisoner clothes, etc.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:47 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

This Deleted Flash Scene Finally Explains How S.T.A.R. Labs Feeds The Prisoners
posted by sevenyearlurk at 11:50 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Let's make a fan film called "Ted, the STAR Labs Intern." It will intersperse footage from the real show with new footage of Ted, the put-upon intern who has to do things like sweep the lab after the Time Tunnel shatters, empty chamber pots for Metahuman prisoners, escort inmates to shower time, launder bed sheets, order note pads for Cisco, etc.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:07 PM on February 23, 2016