The Flash - S1E15 - Out of Time

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Previously on The Flash, ‘Fallout’

One Year Ago

We’re back to the night of the accelerator explosion, and getting another look at the plane crash that killed one of the Mardon brothers and gave Clyde Mardon the power to control the weather.

Today in Awkward Double Dates

Barry and Linda are out on a date at a bowling alley and run into Iris and Eddie. Iris suggests they bowl together and even though Linda looks as if she’d rather bowl with severed kitten heads, she agrees. It’s evident to both Linda and Eddie: Barry and Iris have a connection.

Mark Mardon - he’s alive! - interrupts an autopsy and uses his own weather control power - he’s a metahuman! - to get the coroner to tell him which cop killed his brother.

Wells and Cisco are watching an old movie at the labs. We get a bit about some family drama of Cisco’s, but nothing more specific than he doesn’t like seeing them often. They get the alert about something going down at the city morgue.

Eddie and Barry both rush off to the morgue, but along the way, Barry passes another speedster. Reverse Flash? We’ll see. He stops at an intersection, looks around, but he’s gone. Once Barry arrives at the morgue, the coroner is dead. Barry determines the coroner was killed by hail. Thanks to a new automated recording system, they hear Mark kill the coroner after he tells Mark that Joe killed Clyde.

Weather Wizard

Since Mark can clearly control his power indoors, The Flash’s ability to run fast might not help. Cisco has an idea on what may and gets to work on it.

Barry tells Wells about seeing himself running. Wells promises he’ll investigate it after they’ve dealt with Mark Mardon.

The captain puts Joe on desk duty until Mark is caught, and Joe isn’t pleased. When Iris arrives at the station, Joe makes Eddie and Barry promise not to tell Iris what’s going on. Iris speaks with Eddie about his icy behavior while Joe and Barry head to lunch… just after the captain told him not to leave the building.

Eddie is up in his feelings because he’s the odd man out whenever they’re around Barry. He feels something has changed between her and Barry and he’s absolutely not okay with it. Oh, Eddie. You’re so milquetoast. 

In the car with Joe, Barry asks for relationship advice, but not for him and Linda. Things are complicated between Barry and Iris, and he feels there are moments when she loves him too. Before they can get into it further, they finally notice they’re driving under their very own rain cloud.

Mark is trailing them and sends a flash of lightning into their car. Barry is able to get himself and Joe out just in time.

Precinct House Arrest

The captain is annoyed with Joe for leaving and makes him and Barry promise Joe won’t leave again. Maybe he should get Iris to contact The Flash. Joe doesn’t want to bring Iris into it. Joe is concerned the cops can’t handle a metahuman and Barry tells him to let the S.T.A.R. Labs crew do what they do.

Mason goes to Iris with his theory that Wells did something to Stagg (we know Wells killed him) since he was the last person to be seen with him.

At the coffee machine, Iris apologizes to Linda for interrupting their date. Linda calls Iris on her shit: She has feelings for Barry and Linda doesn’t appreciate it. Uh, is Linda forgetting she asked Iris for advice on Barry? 

Iris and Barry meet for coffee and she presents him with photos of Wells entering Staggs’ office before he disappeared. He doesn’t think Wells is capable of doing anything wrong.

When Barry is alone with Caitlin and Cisco, he tells them about Iris’ suspicions, but that he told her she’s wrong. Cisco doesn’t look so sure. Later, Cisco goes to the station to ask Joe why he thought Wells had something to do with Mrs. Allen’s murder, but Joe is too busy to get into it. As Cisco is leaving, he walks right past Mark Mardon. Once in the elevator, Cisco tries to call Barry.

Assault on Precinct 52

Joe and Mark talk in the lobby for way too damn long before anyone realizes what the hell is going on. Joe wants to keep this between them and tries to inch closer to the weather wand Cisco created to stop Mark. Mark admits his brother wasn’t shit, but he was still family and he wants to avenge him.

He finally uses his power to slam Joe across the room. When he tries to strike him with lightning, the captain pushes Joe out of the way and takes the hit. The Flash arrives and uses the wand. Mark runs off and The Flash grabs the captain and leaves.

Cisco tells Caitlin about his own Wells suspicions. He thinks Wells did something to make the containment field around Reverse Flash fail. He asks for Caitlin’s help in keeping Wells out of the office the next morning so he can investigate in peace.

At the hospital, when the captain’s fiance is able to go in to see him, the doctor tells Joe, Eddie, and Barry the captain may not walk again. Joe has had enough. He’s going after Mark alone, and he tells Barry to stay with Iris and not leave her side.

Family Matters

Barry goes to the paper looking for Iris, but finds Mason instead. Barry asks about his investigation into Wells, and Mason reveals he believes 1. Wells is a sociopath and 2. Wells killed Staggs. He has evidence to prove it, but Barry will have to read about it in the Sunday paper like everyone else.

Joe arrives at an apartment building he believes holds Mark. He finds Eddie is already there. He’s going to help, and refuses to leave.

Barry finds Iris at his house and she’s looking for Joe, he skirts the question and asks her if she knows what proof Mason has. She says she doesn’t know, then asks about Linda in a “this bitch” tone. After some teasing, she admits she doesn’t think Linda is the right woman for him.

“Then who is?” Barry asks. Iris face says, “Me!,” but her mouth stays closed.

Cisco is checking out the containment field and the numbers aren’t adding up. Suddenly, Reverse Flash appears within the field.

Back with Joe and Eddie, they search an apartment, but don’t find Mark. Then the wind picks up and Joe is sucked out of the open window.

This damn show.

Mark has Joe, who is suffering from a broken leg and other bloody injuries, on a ship. He wants more than an eye for an eye. He’s totally going to target Iris.

ALL THE FEELS

While Eddie rallies the troops at the precinct, Barry promises Iris he will get her father back. He does so after grabbing the side of her face and cupping the back of her neck. I swooned so hard I think I passed out for about five seconds. Iris gets a call from Mark who wants her to come to the waterfront alone. She and Barry rush out, past Linda who has come to see Barry. Not now, boo. He got other shit to do.

Caitlin is doing a poor job of not being suspicious as she tries to keep Wells occupied at Jitters. He’s no dummy. Caitlin goes to pay for the coffee, turns around and finds Wells is gone, but his wheelchair and glasses remain.

The Reverse Flash is just a recording. Wells walks in (yes, walks!) and explains it all to a confused Cisco: His real name is Eobard Thawne, a distant relative of Eddie’s from the future. He can leave behind a speed mirage when he moves. He went back in time to kill Barry, but killed his mother instead and since then he has been stuck in this time. Barry’s speed is the key for him to return to his time. And no one is going to get in his way, including Cisco. He kills Cisco with a vibrating hand, which sounds a lot worse than it actually was.

Credit

“Forgive me, but to me you’ve been dead for centuries.”

Then he just strolled out like he’s not a piece of shit.

Barry and Iris arrive at the waterfront. On the boat, Mark is gathering up some nasty storm clouds.  Barry pleads with her to leave and she refuses. Ever since he told her how he feels, she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him. He never stopped thinking about her. Then they kiss. FINALLY!

Credit

There’s no time to revel in the WestAllen ship. A tsunami is headed for land. Barry calls Caitlin for help and she explains that he may be able to whip up a wall of wind that will keep the water away. He apologizes to Iris and reveals he’s The Flash!

Then he yells for her to leave and gets to work building that wind wall. He runs so fast he runs back in time, seeing himself as he did in the beginning, and ending up at the same intersection from the start of the episode.

Oh, shit.

Overall Thoughts & Questions:

• This episode was everything. I was kinda sorta right about my Eddie as Reverse Flash theory. Wells was ready to have it all done with, too. Killing Cisco? Letting Caitlin see he can walk? He had no way of knowing that Barry would run back in time… or maybe he did! Maybe he realized that the moment Barry told him about seeing himself. Was he betting that it would happen so there wouldn’t be any consequences to his actions?
• Good news: Cisco’s not dead. Bad news: neither is Wells
• More good news: Joe’s not kidnapped and the captain isn’t paralyzed.
• Extra bad news: Iris will not know anything about Barry being The Flash or the kiss.