We’re finally back after another hiatus! Zooma zoom zoom zoom!
The Flash S2:E18 Versus Zoom Recap starts now!
Look’s like we’re getting the Zoom origin story tonight, and we begin with a flashback to his childhood on Earth-2. He wakes one night to find his returned serviceman father beating his mother. His father sees him, makes him put on his army helmet, and then forces him to watch while he kills his mother. Of note here is that his parents call him Hunter. Hunter Zolomon and not Jay Garrick apparently! He’s then taken to the Central City orphanage after his father goes to prison. Shades of Barry’s childhood, but with no loving family to take him in.
Barry is trying out the tachyon enhancer that Eobard Thawne gave him, starting out in Keystone City and timing himself running back to STAR Labs. He’s running four times faster than normal, and all his vitals are good. He’s running even faster than Zoom now, so now all they have to do is work out how to re-open a breach. Harry is dead against it, he’ll help him get faster, but he won’t help go up against Zoom again. It almost cost him his daughter last time, and he’s not willing to let anyone lose someone they love. Barry resolves to keep working on getting back to Earth-2. I am slightly curious about one thing that happened on his run, he disappeared there for a minute, and asks how long he’s been gone when he gets back to the lab. Interesting to see what comes of that down the track, eh?
At Joe’s, Barry bought back a Keystone City pizza for their dinner and they’re sharing a few beers. Joe tells him he should listen to Harry, he’s escaped the hornet’s nest once, why keep kicking it? Wally arrives with his laundry, he can’t afford to live on campus anymore, but refuses Joe’s offer of money. Joe can’t figure him out, and wonders whether his doppelganger is that complicated, and we can see the wheels start to turn in Barry’s head.
He goes back to STAR Labs and puts his idea to Cisco and Caitlin. He thinks that Reverb’s powers on Earth-2 could be the key, and that if Cisco can learn to use his powers the same way he might be able to tap in to the multi-dimensional energy between the earths and open a breach. He could also shoot bursts of energy out of his hands, but that might be pushing Cisco a little far. But all the other stuff, sure! Cisco has some tries at tapping into the energy, but nothing. Barry suggests a change of location, determined that it’s gonna work.
Harry goes to see Joe at home, hoping that Joe has been able to find Jesse, but no luck so far. There’s another thing, Harry wants Joe to talk Barry out of opening the breaches. Joe just laughs, Barry does not change his mind once he’s set it on something. Joe asks instead that if Barry succeeds, that Harry go with him and help keep him safe. He’s got a much better chance of defeating Zoom with Harry involved.
Barry and Cisco go to an old hospital, where there used to be a breach, the place where the energy is strongest. One more try, and if it doesn’t work, Barry will let it go. Nothing happens. Until Harry arrives with Reverb’s glasses that he has recalibrated to the right frequency. Cisco reluctantly puts them on, and stretches out his fist. The energy starts to flow and very slowly a breach starts to form. On the other end, Zoom has sensed it and watches Cisco and Barry through the very small breach. Cisco gets overwhelmed by his power and the breach closes, and he begs that they don’t make him do this.
Back at STAR labs, Joe and Iris arrive to give everyone a hand and Joe asks Barry for some advice about Wally. Barry tells him that Wally doesn’t want money, he wants a place to live. More specifically, with Joe, and Barry is totally cool with it. Joe can’t believe that he has missed the signs and is stoked. No more speedy pizza deliveries from Keystone City though.
Iris and Caitlin also have a chat. Iris had a date lined up with her editor Scott but didn’t go through with it. She can’t get Barry out of her head, they were married on Earth-2, and supposedly married in the future. Maybe she should just embrace the fact that they are meant to be together. Ooooh, West-Allen fans rejoice!
Wally goes over to Joe’s, and he’s waiting for him upstairs. He’s cleaned out the spare room, and tells Wally that he can decorate it however he likes. As long as the bed gets made and there’s no beers in the fridge, he can stay as long as he likes. Wally agrees, and they bro/dad hug it out, awww.
Barry goes to see Cisco who is having some Anakin Skywalker feelings. What if he goes to the Dark Side after getting a taste of his powers, like Reverb did. What if this is how he becomes Vader? Barry tells him that Cisco has always been there for him whenever he has learned he can do new things, and promises to be there every step of the way. He has friends and family who love him, and will look out for him. Cisco agrees to give it another shot.
Barry has a chat to Caitlin about seeing Jay/Zoom again, and she’s not sure she can face Jay again, or whatever his name is. Barry asks what she means by that, and she tells him about Jay showing her his doppelganger Hunter Zolomon. Uhhh, but this was on Earth-1 and Hunter Zolomon is from Earth-2. Was that the real Jay Garrick? Or is there no Jay Garrick at all? Hmmm, confuzzled right now.
Harry hears the name Hunter Zolomon, and immediately recognises it as the name of a convicted serial killer on Earth-2. Hunter grew up in the foster system and eventually went on to be convicted of 23 counts of murder. He was sent to a mental hospital and subjected to electro-shock therapy. When the Earth-2 particle accelerator exploded, the dark matter entered him as he was receiving shocks, apparently turning him into Zoom.
I’m not sure what everyone thought happened to him after the explosion, it seems that this is the first time he’s been identified as Zoom. Barry thinks that this is great news, they now have some inside information, and Zoom doesn’t know that they know. He has an idea of how he can stop him.
Barry and Cisco go back to the hospital and begin to open the breach. Zoom comes through and Barry tells him to catch him if he can. They run through the city, and Barry leads him back to STAR Labs where the others are hiding. Barry leads him on another chase through STAR Labs, but they have set up cardboard cutouts of Zoom’s parents. This distracts him enough that Barry is able to throw a cuff around his leg and chain him to the floor. Got him!
Barry rips Hunter’s mask off and pushes him to the floor, and tells him he made a mistake and told Caitlin too much. He tells Barry that he was trying to stop her from looking to hard into his story. Barry tells him that the Velocity 9 gave him away as Zoom when his lightening turned blue. He tells him that they would have helped him, and that Caitlin was working on a cure. But that’s not enough for Hunter, he’s dying and getting Barry’s speed is the only thing that will do, who cares about the other people that get hurt. Not Hunter, he was dulled to those feelings long ago. Hunter tells him they’re not so different, Barry could have ended up just like him, but Barry disagrees. Hunter tells him he’s smart to use family against him, it’s a real weakness. All this talking is great, but Hunter just wants to get what he came for. He shows his true powers and the dark energy fills him. His eyes turn black, and he phases out of the cuff. He’s gone.
Barry, Iris and Joe head home and find the house in disarray. Wally has been taken and there’s writing on the wall upstairs. “Your speed for Wally.” He’s in Zoom’s lair, and the man in the mask is still there. Hunter returns and tells him that the Flash is the only person who can help him. Wally is confused that The Flash would even know about him, and Hunter tells him that someone The Flash cares about, cares about him. I know it seems every man and his dog knows about Barry, but I would love Wally to find out soon!
At Joe’s, Barry has decided that he’ll make the trade. Wally’s life means much more than his speed, and he’d do anything for Joe, who is distraught. At STAR Labs, Cisco uses the old Flash helmet to communicate with Hunter and tells him that the deal is on.
Barry is suited up and ready to go when Hunter arrives with Wally and lets him go. Harry explains the tech he developed to steal Barry’s speed and promises Hunter that it’ll work. Barry asks Hunter if this has been his plan all along, and he says ever since the skies parted and he saw another world. He saw Barry, realised what he had to do and came through. He tells them that he went back in time and convinced another version of himself, a time remnant, to die. When they all saw that happen, they all worked harder to improve Barry’s speed, and played right into his hands. Dressing like The Flash was another plan, giving people hope so he could rip it away from them, it’s so fun pretending to be a hero!
Barry gets on the treadmill and the vial starts to fill with Barry’s speed force. Once it gets to close to 100% Barry starts to slow and eventually runs out of energy all together. He collapses to the floor and Zoom injects himself with the collected speed force.
Mad with power, he grabs Barry by the throat, throws him against a wall and starts to squeeze. Caitlin begs him to let him go, if he felt anything for her at all, then please let him go. Jay stops, lets Barry go and stares at Caitlin. He takes her, and they’re gone from STAR Labs. And Barry is now powerless to stop him.
So we got a Zoom explanation, but what I don’t know is – what do I call him now? Hunter? Still Zoom? Jay? I think I called him every variation of this is the recap, sheesh. Poor Barry is not having a good Season 2, only four episodes for something good to happen!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srlnoL2-LLQ
