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Flash Back Recap

Barry speed-reads and blames himself for trusting Jay like he's trusted his Harrison to teach him how to run faster. He tries to figure out how to improve his speed so that he can stop Zoom. As Cisco comes in, he has a vibe from Jay's helmet of Zoom threatening to kill someone. He has all books related to increasing speed, and Caitlin comes in and says that all three speedsters--Flash, Reverse Flash, and Zoom—all move their legs at the same. However, they spend less time touching the ground when they run. Caitlin suggests that Barry can't run as fast as Zoom is because he can't.

At the West house that night, Barry has dinner with Joe and Iris. They tell Barry that no one could have anticipated Jay's betrayal. As Joe goes to the kitchen, Iris says that she went on a date with her boss Scott. She says that Scott is a nice guy but it feels wrong because she thinks about Eddie every day. Barry assures her that Eddie would want her to find love again, and tells Iris not to close herself off completely from the possibility of a new love. Wally arrives as they start eating, and Wally explains that his advisor wants him to help her out with one of her engineering purposes. Joe says that he should take advantage of the opportunity, and Wally explains that his project is trying to push speed with smaller propulsion systems. As he talks about how he reads the journals of classic engineers, Barry gets an idea and says that he has to go. He thanks Wally for his idea, and no one has any idea what he's talking about.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry tells Caitlin and Cisco that he's going to travel back in time a year and have Edward teach him to run faster. Harry overhears them and says that Barry's plan is asinine, and irritably says that he didn't find Jesse. Barry says that he just needs one conversation with Harrison, and Harry warns that Harrison will know he's dealing with Barry from the future. If Harrison figures out who Barry is then the timeline will be altered and only Barry will know what the differences are when he comes back. Barry insists that he has to do it to save the city, and Harry walks out. Caitlin wonders if Barry can do it, and Barry points out that when he went back to see his mother die, he didn't alter the timeline.

Cisco works out that Barry has to go back to the time when Harrison was dealing with Hartley. He figures that Harrison won't notice anything unusual about Barry's behavior what they were going through. Caitlin gives Barry a tranq dart that will knock the past-Barry out for one year. Cisco warns that Barry can't tell them the truth about Harrison, and Flash starts speeding around the pipeline. As he travels into the past, a wraith-like figure travels past him.

Flash arrives on a city street and realizes that he's too early. He sees past-Flash confronting Pied Piper and gets feedback when his comm gets close to his past selves. Flash speeds off while Cisco at S.T.A.R. Labs tries to work out what's going on. Pied Piper figures that past-Flash's allies are listening in, and blasts him back. Flash grabs past-Flash and speeds away, takes his comms, and tries to hit him with the tranq. The two speedsters fight and Flash finally manages to knock past-Flash out. He then puts on the comm, goes back, grabs Pied Piper, and brings him in.

Once Cisco locks Hartley up in the pipeline, he tells him to remove his hearing aids. Flash remembers that Hartley used the devices to blast his way out, and tells Cisco to scan them for a low-level EMP. Cisco does so and finds the e-bombs. Harrison comes in and says that they'll make some non-explosive replacements for the hearing devices.

Barry goes after Harrison, who suggests that he took down Pied Piper so quickly because he's getting faster. They go to the cortex and Barry asks Harrison for his help. He shows Harrison the speed equation he's developed, and Harrison is surprised that he's developed such an unorthodox approach. Barry says that he needs to be faster to take on Reverse Flash, and Harrison finally says that he'll see what he can do.

At the police station, Eddie comes back from lunch with Iris and tells Joe what happened. Joe is less than thrilled, and asks Eddie to search Harrison's house off the books.

Upstairs in Barry's lab, an officer cleaning up notices a map shifting in the breeze. The wraith lunges out and chases the officer, and then passes through the walls into the main room where Joe and Eddie are.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, an alarm goes off and Harrison tells Barry that he has to deal with it. Barry speeds off to the station and Harrison stares thoughtfully after him. Flash arrives at the station as the wraith escapes through the walls, and the speedster stares in shock at Eddie, alive and well. Barry and Joe go up to the lab, and Eddie checks the area and tells them that the wraith disappeared. He wonders what it is, and Barry says that he doesn't know yet. Once Eddie leaves, Joe wonders what's going on with him. He figures that it's about Barry's feelings for Iris, and Barry assures him that he's moved on. He says that he'll talk about it later and Joe leaves.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry discovers that Cisco, Caitlin, and Harrison know about the wraith. He says that he's seen it before and claims it was when he was running to take Pied Piper down. Cisco reconfigures the S.T.A.R. Lab satellite to track the creature, and Harrison tells Barry to come with him. Once they go to the workshop, Harrison knocks Barry out from behind.

When Barry wakes up, he finds himself handcuffed in Harrison's secret cell. Harrison asks who Barry really is, and says that nothing adds up. He knows that the creature is a Time Wraith and it's after someone who has traveled through time and doesn't know what he's doing. Barry feigns ignorance, but Harrison gets up and speeds forward. When Barry doesn't flinch, Harrison figures that Barry knows who he really is. Barry tries to phase through the handcuffs, and Harrison realizes that Barry's from the future because he hasn't taught him to phase through objects yet.

Realizing that the game is up, Barry calls him Thawne and tells him to let him go. He explains that he wants to go faster and Harrison is the only one who has worked out the Speed Force equation. Harrison refuses, figuring that if Barry is still alive then his plan fails. When he prepares to drive his hand into Barry's head, Barry claims that he went back in time and Harrison went into the future. When he got back, a singularity formed and the only way to stop it is to learn how to get faster.

Satisfied, Harrison figures that he doesn't need Barry from the future. Barry points out that if he dies then the past-Barry learns it all from the letter that he hid in case of his death. He dares Harrison to kill him and see how it all ends. When Harrison steps back, Barry asks him to tell him how to get faster.

Cisco visits Harley and asks how his gauntlets work. He enters the cell and Hartley puts in his hearing devices.

Caitlin is working in the cortex when her phone vibrates. There's no call and she goes back to work, and the wraith flies into the lab. Caitlin runs to the pipeline and Cisco locks them both in the cell with Hartley. The wraith is unable to enter the cell, and Caitlin yells for Barry and Harrison. Harrison is watching them on his screen, and warns Barry that if the wraith kills him then they'll all die.

Cisco prepares to blast the wraith with the gauntlets. Hartley says that he has a better plan and Cisco reluctantly hands the gauntlets over. Once he has them, Hartley rigs the gauntlets to emit a destructive signal over the speakers throughout the building. Once he does, the wraith screams in pain and flies off.

Harrison and Barry speed to the pipeline and Harrison gets back in his wheelchair. Cisco points out that they'd be dead if it wasn't for Hartley, but Harrison insists that he stays in the cell. They realize that Barry is the common denominator, and Harrison tells Cisco and Caitlin to repair the gauntlets. Once they leave, Harrison tells Barry that none of the speedsters know how to defeat a Time Wraith. Time Wraiths go after anyone manipulating the timeline. Harrison tells Barry to go to the station and figure out something.

At the station, Barry goes over his lab with Joe. He tells Joe that the wraith is looking for him, but Eddie tells Joe that Singh needs him. As Joe leaves, Barry tells Eddie that he wants to make a video montage for Iris' coming birthday, and asks to do it now. Eddie agrees and Barry tells him to speak from the heart as if it was the last thing he was saying to Iris.

Cisco admits to Caitlin and Harrison that he can't fix the gauntlets. Caitlin suggests that they ask Hartley and Harrison agrees, but insists that he stay in the cell. Past-Flash arrives and asks where his counterpart is, just as Barry comes in. The others wonder which one is the real Barry, and Barry finally explains that he's from the future. Harrison tells Barry not to say anything else for fear of further disrupting the timeline, and they tell past-Barry about the wraith.

Harrison takes Barry back to his cell and shows him his Reverse Flash suit. He explains that the key to running faster is tachyon enhancement, and gives him a drive. It has the information Barry needs, and Barry promises that it if it doesn't work then he's coming back.

Back in the cortex, Cisco detects the approaching wraith. Barry privately tells Cisco that Hartley knows where Ronnie is, and Harrison tells Barry that he has to go. Barry dons his mask and thanks them, and then speeds out. The wraith follows him into the pipeline and chases him, and past-Flash speeds into the pipeline despite Harrison objections.

As the wraith touches Flash, past-Flash arrives and knocks the wraith away. Flash passes into the wormhole and the wraith follows him. The speedster arrives first, seconds after he left, and asks if they figured out how to stop the wraith in the last year. Cisco turns and shoots it, but the gun has no effect. The wraith slams Flash to the ground and chokes him, draining his life force... but Hartley steps out and blasts it to pieces. He offers his hand to Flash, who collapses in exhaustion.

Once Barry recovers, he realizes that none of them remember the original timeline. Hartley says that it's been a pleasure working with his friends and heads off to dinner with his parents. Barry loads the drive and the speed equation comes up.

Later, Barry approaches Harry and says that he acted like a father protecting his daughter. Harry says that his wife had to talk him into having a child, but he fell in love with Jesse after she born. Barry tells him that he has to trust that he made the right decisions.

Barry returns home finds Iris looking at photos of her and Eddie. He asks her if she's going to move forward, and claims that he found a birthday montage that he made a year ago. Eddie says that everything that felt tough for him is easy when he's with Iris. Barry goes up to his room as Iris watches Eddie say that Iris deserves to be happy. He ends by saying that he loves her, and Iris says that she loves him to.

Barry goes back to S.T.A.R. Lab, picks up Jay's helmet, and promises that he's coming for him.

Written by Gadfly on Mar 30, 2016

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