EPISODE 14: "Escape From Earth-2"
SYNOPSIS: On Earth-2, the team races to find Zoom's lair and asks for help from the most unexpected source. Meanwhile, back on Earth-1,Caitlin rushes to perfect Velocity-9 so that Jay can stop the Geomancer.
REVIEW: After tonight's episode of The Flash, I am more convinced than ever of the true identity of Zoom. I have said it before but tonight's exciting outing cemented in my mind that the big bad this year is none other than Jay Garrick himself. That's right, Earth-2's fastest man alive is pulling double duty as hero and villain. While it may seem logically impossible, all of the clues seem to lay out this fact despite the truth yet to be revealed. But all of those clues came wrapped in an episode tonally different than last week's voyage to Earth-2 that continues a strong narrative streak for the series after an uneven string of episodes.
With Barry now a captive of Zoom's, Cisco and Dr. Wells team up with Earth-2 Barry and Iris to try and track down their friend by locating Killer Frost and pleading with her good side after Zoom murdered Deathstorm before her last week. While initially reluctant, Killer Frost eventually comes around and leads the team to find Zoom's lair where he is keeping Barry, Jesse, and a mysterious man in an iron mask. While the Earth-2 Caitlyn is a much different take on the character than what we are used to, they still share similarities. On the other hand, Iris West-Allen is a much stronger personality while Earth-2 Barry is a snivelling dork. I found it very hard to believe that Earth-2 Barry and Iris would have ever gotten together but I knew this was just to further the story along and allow for some doppelganger humor to take place.
Back on Earth-1, Caitlyn manages to develop a new iteration of the speed drug she dubs Velocity 9 and it comes just in time as the Geomancer decides to take down a building in The Flash's absence. Jay takes the drug and manages to save everyone before returning to STAR Labs, drained and in need of a nap. Iris arrives with a stupid subplot that has her writing an article about Jay and how much of a hero he is. While Caitlyn researches and discovers that she may have cured Jay's terminal illness, Geomancer shows up and begins to destroy STAR Labs. Jay never shows up during the attack (maybe because he is on Earth-2? Because he is Zoom?) but Caitlyn manages to take him down with one of Cisco's gadgets.
Before his friends arrive, Barry manages to convince Jesse that the masked prisoner with them is sending them messages using a knock code. As they decipher it, they realize he is spelling "Jay" but they cannot figure out why. Zoom arrives and beats Barry while also revealing that speeding through the glass wall may be a way out. As they try to escape, Wells and team arrive and rescue everyone. Zoom shows up again and just before he can kill Jesse, Killer Frost freezes him and gives everyone enough time to escape. Back on Earth-1, the team struggles with maintaining the final breach so their friends can get through, but the damage caused by Geomancer's attack makes it almost impossible.
In a fast-paced final sequence, Earth-1 manages to secure the breach while Jay prepares to close it. Barry and his friends get through along with Harrison Wells and Jesse. They all say their goodbyes to one another and Barry-1 insists that Barry-2 is actually heroic and not the nebbish geek he has seemed to be over the last two episodes. With everyone back on their respective sides and Zoom seemingly stopped, Jay throws the grenade to close the breach. For no reason, Jay stands close to the breach with his back turned as everyone celebrates their win. At the final moment as the breach is closing, Zoom's arm shoots through the wormhole and through the chest of Jay Garrick, seemingly killing him as it drags him back to Earth-2.
In the end, the clues are all pointing to Jay being Zoom. While it would seem that it would be impossible for him to be on both parallel worlds at the same time, we know it is feasible with speed mirages. Zoom is more powerful and faster than Barry so his speed mirages could be much more powerful but that is a big if. The Reverse-Flash reveal in season one always seemed to point to Harrison Wells and the writers threw us for a loop when the truth was finally revealed. I could be very wrong about Zoom here, but all of the clues are right there! Maybe it is Wally West from Earth-2. Maybe it is Eddie Thawne. Hell, maybe it is Earth-2's Henry Allen (that would be badass). No matter the case, The Flash has managed to tease a truly good mystery so far and I hope they keep up the quality of episodes for the rest of this season.
FINAL VERDICT:
NEXT ON THE FLASH: "King Shark" airs February 23rd – When King Shark escapes from an A.R.G.U.S. holding tank, Lyla and Diggle travel to Central City to warn The Flash. King Shark shows up at the West house and attacks Joe, Iris, Wally and Barry.