Previously on The Flash, ‘All Star Team Up’

Pizza Party

Team Harrison Wells Ain’t Shit have their daily meeting at Joe’s, complete with the pizza Barry ran to another city to get because it’s just that damn good. Also because: he can. They decide to go back to the beginning since after six months of investigating Wells, they have squat. That means Joe and Cisco will take a trip to Starling City (Arrow) where Wells’ fatal car accident occurred. It was after that day that he “became a different person” so this is their best bet. Caitlin gets uncomfortable when Cisco asks her to cover with Wells while he travels with Joe. This girl betta not be a damn problem.

Metahuman of the Week

A bank employee, Nina (no relation), works late in order to steal from safety deposit boxes. She’s brought in by Eddie for questioning and when confronted with video of her crime, she insists it’s not her. Later, Eddie tells Barry that he suspects metahuman activity. Iris interrupts their conversation to ask about her dad’s whereabouts and to throw major shade at Eddie. He wants her to come back, but she’s all nope about it.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin insists on proof that Wells is Reverse Flash. Wells wheels in at that exact moment, but they recover quickly. He’s looking for Cisco and Caitlin lies to explain his absence. At least she got that part right.

Eddie gets a call about a man trying to sell stolen diamonds to a store, and diamonds were stolen from the bank. Eddie rushes over, but calls The Flash for backup once the wannabe peddler seems to have spotted Eddie. Eddie chases the guy and they fight. The thief runs, but The Flash cuts him off. Barry watches in amazement as the man touches a young girl and then transforms into her. He takes off around a corner, but by the time Barry reaches it, he’s lost the guy in a sea of people, each capable of being the thief in disguise.

Now that they know what they’re dealing with, Wells warns Barry not to let this metahuman touch him. Not only might he learn Barry’s secret, he might get his powers as well. Barry suggests the very thing that is about to reveal Wells’ lies: go back to the beginning. They find the first person to claim they were innocent of a crime after being caught on tape, and after the accelerator explosion. The first person accused had a best friend named Hannibal Bates, and the arrested man claimed Hannibal is the one who set him up. Barry goes to investigate.

Starling City

Joe and Cisco get photos of the car crash site from Detective Lance. Lance agrees to take them out there, but first Laurel would like a word alone with Cisco. After she confesses she knows Barry is The Flash, she tells him she’s the Black Canary and she needs him to make Sara’s sonic device better. Of course Cisco agrees to help.

Back in Central City, Caitlin takes it upon herself to go to Wells’ house. All the man wanted to do was drink that dark liquor and scowl by the fireplace. He gets back into character: wheelchair and glasses. But before he can open the door, The Flash whisks Caitlin away.

She doesn’t like that they’re sneaking behind Wells’ back and she wanted to ask him some questions. She’s not ready to believe everything Wells did for her was a lie. You know, like everyone else facing this same dilemma: It’s going to suck to find out for sure that they can’t trust Wells. You’re not a special snowflake, Caitlin. She agrees to not tell Wells anything until they learn what Joe and Cisco find in Starling City.

Thawne Star

Eddie and Barry pay a visit to Hannibal’s grandmother, who reported him missing just a few days after Hannibal’s friend was arrested for the crime he insists he didn’t do. The old lady pressures them into staying for coffee after she tells them she hasn’t heard from Hannibal. The whole time Eddie and Barry are squeezed into this tiny-ass loveseat. Instead of making coffee, grandma bolts.

Eddie and Barry take off to find her, knowing she could look like anyone. Wells warns Barry via his earpiece that he cannot use his powers or let Hannibal touch him. He has to run like a normal person. The chase goes on through backyards and over fences. Eddie calls in for backup, but when they arrive mid-chase, Eddie shoots them before shooting out the dashboard camera recording it all. When the real Eddie arrives he calls for an ambulance.

The district attorney finds the video of Eddie shooting the cops pretty damn compelling, and tells Singh and Barry that they’re not going to play favoritism for one of their own. Barry vows to Singh he’ll figure something out. He also calms down a frantic Iris and promises her the same thing.

In Starling City, Cisco uses a device which picks up heavy tachyon activity at the crash site. Some serious time travel went down. When Lance’s coffee begins to float, they’re sure they are on to something.

Even though Barry found no traces of gunshot residue on Eddie’s hands, the DA still believes what her own eyes are telling her when watching the video. Alone with Eddie, Barry once again vows to clear his name. And then he decides, fuck the system - and runs Eddie out of there. Eddie insists on going back. He’s confident Barry/The Flash can clear his name and this is not the way.

The Flash x2

Even though Barry knows he’s dealing with a shapeshifter, he isn’t at all concerned when Eddie shows up on his doorstep. “Eddie” says he was let go because Singh called in a favor. But as soon as Barry turns his back, Eddie knocks him out and steals his identity. As Barry, Hannibal greets Caitlin when she shows up at the house and listens as she tells him about a serum she can create to temporarily stop Hannibal. Hannibal, who is completely intrigued and absolutely not about that life, follows her to S.T.A.R. Labs.

Joe and Cisco dig where they found the tachyon activity and discover the bones of a human. Joe convinces Lance not to call it in.

At the Labs, HannibalBarry is acting sketchy as fuck, and only makes things weirder when he kisses Caitlin. Iris arrives to show them what she’s found by *hacking into her father’s police account. She shows Caitlin and HannibalBarry the video footage of Eddie shooting the cops and rolls her eyes when they don’t immediately pick up that the Eddie on the video is left-handed and her Eddie is right-handed, because these are things Caitlin and Barry should know. When Iris says she’s going to take the video to the police (even though they already have it), Harrison slyly reaches for his gun, but soon hits the floor when Wells tasers him in the back. That Barry was reaching for his gun with this left hand. Our Barry is right-handed as well.

Iris insists on taking Hannibal to the police station, so Wells tells Caitlin to go with her. While they drive, HannibalBarry is handcuffed and knocked out in the backseat. When they slow for traffic, talk turns to the Burning Man, who Caitlin had asked about. This time she brushes it off and Iris seems to know she’s lying. HannibalBarry wakes up in the backseat, changes into a little girl, and screams bloody murder until the construction workers nearby come to help. HannibalBrat slips out of her cuffs and makes a run for it. Caitlin and Iris have been beaten. Womp. Womp.

Joe and Cisco prepare to leave Starling City, but not before Joe gives Lance advice on patching things up with Laurel. They’d bonded earlier over being dads to daughters. When Joe learned Lance is upset with his daughter for keeping secrets - something he’s doing with Iris - it gives him pause. Cisco presents Laurel with an upgraded sonic device and she gives him an 8×10 of them together, her in the Black Canary getup.

Caitlin heads to Barry’s house to release him. I cannot believe this wasn’t done sooner. At the Labs, Wells explains science-y stuff that will help Barry be able to touch Hannibal and make it so that Hannibal can’t steal his power. Caitlin gets a little jumpy when Barry tries to touch her - still thinking about that kiss, no doubt.

They’ve tracked Hannibal to the airport where The Flash faces off against him. Hannibal shifts into several people he knows, including Iris. It’s when he looks like Eddie that Barry really gets riled up and starts to beat dat ass. He eventually gives Hannibal the serum.

Barry shows the video of Hannibal turning into several people to Singh and the DA. She accepts a list of people Hannibal led to being falsely accused. Now that he’s clear, Eddie tells Iris he’s been working with The Flash. She blinks repeatedly.

Hannibal doesn’t take too kindly to his new accommodations in the particle accelerator, but he does allow Team Flash to see his true face - kinda - because it’s all a shiny, waxy, no-eyed mess. He doesn’t even remember what he looks like. Welp. No time to really dwell on that. Barry shuts off those lights and it’s time to go nite-nite.

The Case Against Wells

Joe and Cisco brought the body to Barry’s lab where they show it to Caitlin. It’s a DNA match to Wells. Everyone holds back their well-earned I Told You So.

Wells shows up at the precinct, out of no-fucking-where. He has a veiled conversation with Joe where he drops that he knows Joe was in Starling City and then suggests they go out for a beer to talk about how much it sucks to have a dead wife. Joe’s face doesn’t give away anything when he accepts. Once Wells enters the elevator, Joe looks concerned.

Cisco goes through the 3D model of S.T.A.R. Labs, which he made. He points out a section that shouldn’t be there so, of course, Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin go to investigate and find Wells’ secret future room complete with the Reverse Flash suit and the newspaper headline announcing Barry will vanish in nine years.

Overall Thoughts & Questions:

• How was the shapeshifter allowed to duplicate the clothes of their victims as well?
• Why didn’t they just call the police instead of letting Caitlin and Iris take Hannibal out of the building?
• *Correctly guessing the password of someone close to you isn’t hacking, Iris.
• I really loved the way the writers used issues from both Joe’s and Lance’s private lives to give them something to talk about that felt real.