Barry is still powerless against Zoom, Earth-1 is under threat and Caitlin is still missing. Will Barry trust in Harry’s crazy pants plan to get his speed back?
Let’s find out in The Flash S2:E20 Rupture recap!
There’s a high speed car chase taking place on the streets of Central City, and here’s The Flash giving chase and trying to head them off for the police. Hold up. The Flash? Has something happened we don’t know about? Apparently not, as it becomes apparent that this version of The Flash is a hologram created and controlled by Cisco from STAR Labs. The ruse works, but the team knows that there is problems with this plan, and that they will eventually be exposed.
Harry thinks this is the worst idea he has ever heard, even worse than his idea of recreating the particle accelerator explosion and that’s saying something. He reiterates that this is the only way of stopping Zoom, saving the residents of Central City, and Caitlin. Barry and the others still have reservations, there’s too many things that can go wrong. Harry tells them he knows exactly how it all needs to go, and it WILL work.
Barry goes to see his dad Henry at his cabin in the woods, and fills him in on everything that has happened. The loss of his speed and Jay being Zoom. Henry makes an off the cuff comment about Garrick being his mother’s maiden name, coincidence? I think not! Henry Allen has a bigger part to play in this I think. Henry says that recreating the explosion is a very bad idea, and that being The Flash is not the thing that makes Barry Barry. He doesn’t need powers.
Back at STAR Labs Cisco gets a vibe, and it’s of his older brother Dante. This is not good, and Cisco rushes out to check on his bro.
Henry accompanies Barry back to Central City, telling the crew that he’s most likely back for good. Barry needs him right now, and he’s here to protect him.
Joe and Wally are at CCPD, and Wally is having doubts about his engineering career. Maybe he’s meant for something else? Ever since he was saved by The Flash, he’s felt that maybe he should be giving back in some way. They’re interrupted by the sudden appearance of Zoom and Caitlin. Zoom is back to claim Earth-1 for himself, and is taking the station as his new headquarters. The police pull back, knowing that their bullets have no effect on Zoom.
At the lab, Iris is wondering why he dragged Caitlin back with him and Harry tells her it’s a show of power. He’s going to do exactly what he did on Earth-2, kill those police officers as a show of strength and take over the city. Any meta-humans around will flock to him, increasing his power over Earth-1, and especially Central City. Barry suggests that the police get out of the station, and set up at CC Jitters, it’s only a block away. Harry tries to convince Barry he has to get his powers back, but Barry is still reluctant.
Caitlin is cuffed to a desk in CCPD with Zoom, and she tries to talk him out of killing everyone. She still has the power to sway his actions somewhat, but refuses to accept that they will be together one day. He tells her he can see the darkness inside her and she just needs to unlock it.
Cisco meets his brother Dante at a bar, and he is not exactly friendly. The last time they met they got caught in Leonard Snart’s plans and Dante nearly got his hands frozen off. He’s pissed that he only seems to hear from Cisco when something is wrong. Cisco had hoped that their experience would bring them closer but Dante tells him that they haven’t been close since they were kids, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
Joe locks Wally and Jesse into Harrison Well’s secret room, for their own safety. There are definite sparks between the two, and I have a feeling they’re not the only kind of sparks that will be flying around these two this episode. But we shall see!
Joe goes to see Harry and they talk about his plan for Barry’s speed. Joe is not convinced but would support Barry whichever way he chose to go. Henry comes in, and he’s still dead against it. The three men that probably care about Barry the most, with very different opinions about what it best. The talk gets heated, and they finally notice Barry listening behind them. He tells them it’s his decision, but he can appreciate where they are all coming from.
Cisco has had enough of Dante’s hostility and makes a move to leave. He sees a news report about Zoom taking over CCPD and realises it is most definitely time to go. Dante insists he pay the tab and give him a lift home, and Cisco agrees, but only if he gets his bum into gear and hurries up! Out in the street, they are confronted by a costumed meta-human with a flaming scythe. The meta calls Cisco Vibe and tells him that he killed his brother and he’s here for revenge.
Dante wants to know what the F is going on, and is even more blown away when the meta removes his mask, and it’s his doppelgänger! The meta tells Cisco that he killed his brother Reverb, does it make sense know? Cisco did not kill Reverb, but this dude has obviously been told something different. He goes for his scythe, and Cisco herds Dante into the van. They reverse into the meta and knock him off his feet, and make their escape.
Harry identifies the meta as Rupture, and he is most definitely Reverb’s brother from Earth-2. Looks like he’s another of Zoom’s pets, and he’s been sicked on Cisco. The scythe is the source of his powers, so Cisco goes to work on getting it away from him. He also has to come up with a story to tell Dante. Harry looks over at Barry and tells him he knows what he has to do.
Barry goes into the breach chamber, and Iris follows. She picks the worst possible time to tell Barry that she’s been thinking about how they’re married on Earth-2, and supposedly together in the future. She figures that they are probably meant to be together (so romantic), and she wants him to know that she feels the same for him whether he’s The Flash or not. Barry is pretty taken aback, and asks why she didn’t tell him anything of this when he professed his feelings for her earlier. She replies that she wasn’t available then, but she is now. Seriously lady, way to make a guy feel special. He doesn’t give her a real response right now, good for you Barry, and she leaves him to his thinking. Now with an extra thing or two on his mind, thanks again Iris.
Caitlin is still chained to the desk at CCPD, and has managed to reach a handy box of evidence. She finds what she’s looking for, a cell phone, clever girl. Rupture arrives and she hides the phone in her pocket. Zoom turns up as well, and Rupture has to deliver the news that their plan was a bust. Zoom is not happy, and tells Rupture to make it up to him by attacking CC Jitters tonight and taking out those pesky police officers. Caitlin tries once more to talk Zoom out of it, but he’s made up his mind. Caitlin shoots off a message on her newly acquired phone.
The message is picked up by Harry at STAR Labs, and they work out it’s from Caitlin. Joe and Harry encourage Barry to get his powers back, they’re running out of time before someone gets hurt. Barry has decided that until Harry can prove that no one else will be affected, he can’t take the risk of another particle accelerator explosion. They’re gonna have to figure out how to help without The Flash.
Dante has found the letter that Cisco wrote to his mother and Dante when he went to Earth-2, in case he didn’t make it back. Cisco has no choice but to tell Dante the truth, that he’s a metahuman. He explains he had to go to Earth-2 to help stop Zoom, and tells the story of what happened over there. He tells Dante he has to go, and to wait for him there where it’s safe.
Joe and the task force set up at CC Jitters, and Cisco and Barry have a part to play too. They lie in wait for Rupture and when he arrives they begin projecting their hologram. He’s fooled and the police taser him, manage to get his scythe away from him and put him in cuffs. The whole spectacle is being filmed and Zoom sees it broadcast on the news. He realises that Caitlin tipped them off, and that’s it. Zoom will not be sparing anyone from now on in.
He appears at CC Jitters and wastes no time in taking every task force member down, leaving the Captain and Joe standing. Barry sees it all unfolding in the van, and is distraught that he didn’t do anything to help. He runs in, and begs Zoom to stop, telling him he’s made his point. Zoom tells him not quite, and puts his phasing fist through Rupture’s chest. Cisco watches on in horror from the van
Zoom picks up the still running camera, and announces that The Flash has gone, that they’ve been fooled by a spectre the last few weeks. He tells the residents of Central City there is no more hope, and there’s no one left to protect them from him. Zoom tells Joe and Barry that they’re only still alive because of Caitlin and tells the Captain to spread the word through the force that their policing days are over.
Back at STAR Labs, Dante has been watching it all unfold live on the news. Cisco comes in and Dante asks him about it all, and starts to say that he knows that Cisco is mad at him, and they haven’t been close, but – Cisco just pulls him into a huge hug and tells him he wants things to change.
Wally and Jesse decide that between the both of them they should be able to open the door, they need to be out there helping. Jesse uses a taken apart tablet to generate some electricity, and the door slides open. Oh man, here we go.
Barry has decided he has to get his powers back, he’s made up his mind after seeing what Zoom has planned. And the massive list of known metahumans that Harry has, the ones that Zoom has pretty much just called to arms by announcing that The Flash is gone.
Harry straps Barry in, and explains that Barry was working on fingerprints when he was first changed, so he’ll need to be injected with the same chemicals. And be exposed to dark matter. And be struck by lightning. Lightning that Cisco has to create using a wand that he developed when they fought the Weather Wizard, while up on the roof. Piece of cake!
Cisco heads on up to the roof, and gets in position, ready to act as lightning rod. They need one bolt to hit the satellite and the electricity will travel through to Barry. Barry tells them all that he’s fine, that he knows that The Flash is the best version of himself. Harry clamps him in, and starts injecting him with the chemicals. Barry starts to react, it’s obviously quite painful and the others watch on, distressed. On the roof, Cisco gets busy. Zoom sees the lightning bolt from CCPD windows, and realises what they are trying to do.
Harry turns on the particle accelerator and generates the collision. The dark matter races towards Barry and engulfs him. his eyes begin to flash, but the dark matter takes over and consumes him. There’s an immense flash of light, and Barry is gone. Out in the hallways, Jesse and Wally know that something is wrong and run, but the matter passes through them as well, knocking them out. Well, hey there Team Kid Flash!
The team are horrified by what has just happened, Barry’s suit is in shreds and the chamber is pretty much destroyed. Zoom appears, and is amused that they thought this would work. He thanks them for doing his work for them, and zooms off.
My face totally looked nothing like Iris’s above after I watched this, really. I could do with a Jesse L.Martin hug though. So we know Barry’s not dead dead, but where has he gone? Another Earth? And I am super duper excited to see what happens to Wally and Jesse, looks like we got some new speedsters!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl5gnHhkzek
