Flash 1.20

The Trap

The episode opens where the last one left off, in Dr. Wells/Eobard Thawne's hidden room. Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco study the newspaper headline about the Flash disappearing during the crisis. They notice that it is dated 10 years into the future and that the author of the piece is Iris West-Allen. There are some subtle differences in the Flash's costume which Cisco notices. They talk to Gideon and learn that it believes that Barry is the police commissioner of Central City. Gideon also says that Barry created it. They get out there, thanks to Barry's speed, just before Dr. Wells arrives on the scene.

Barry confesses to the gang (Joe, Cisco, Caitlin, Eddie) back at Joe's house that he has time traveled before. He tells them about the tidal wave that he prevented by traveling back in time (see Flash 1.15 - Out of Time). He doesn't mention how he changed into the Flash in front of Iris. He theorizes that Cisco's dream of getting killed by Dr. Wells was more than just a bad dream, Barry suggests that it actually happened. He wants to get Wells to confess to killing his mother and sees Cisco as the key to getting that confession.

Eddie want to propose to Iris. He tries talking to Joe about it but Joe shoots the idea down. Eddie insists that he was only asking for Joe's blessing as a courtesy and that he doesn't need Joe's permission. I have a hard time hating Eddie. I'm not sure why. Maybe it is because he isn't destined to end up with Iris. Maybe it is because Barry doesn't hate him. Maybe it is because he is a nice guy.

Caitlin and Cisco invent (with a little help from Dr. Wells) a pair of lucid dreaming glasses. They use the glasses to get Cisco to go into his dream, relive them, and remember everything that happened before. They use this information to set the trap for Dr. Wells. They recreate the scene as best they can. Cisco pulls up the hologram of the Reverse Flash just like he did that night. One big difference is that this time around Joe and Barry are hidden behind some equipment in the bunker waiting to grab Wells once he confesses.

Cisco isn't the only one who dreams in this episode. Early in the episode Joe daydreams back to when Barry was still in a come in the hospital, after the reactor blew up but before he awoke and discovered his new powers. Joe remembers how Dr. Wells came to him and insisted that he was the only one who could help Barry.

Before the trap is set for Dr. Wells, Iris meets Barry at his office in CCPD headquarters. I thought she was going to tell him she was having dreams about him being the Flash. Instead she gives tells him about a theory she has that the reactor blowing up was responsible for giving a lot of people superpowers, including the Flash. Barry is flustered and doesn't know what to say. She gives him a folder with her evidence. He promises to read through it and leaves very abruptly. After he has left Iris daydreams back to when Barry was still in a coma. She sits next to him in bed and tells him that she needs him. She reaches out for his hand and gets an electrical shock.

The trap doesn't work out as planned. In large part because it is not the final episode of the season but also because Dr. Wells/Eobard Thawne is one step ahead of them. It looks like Dr. Wells comes down to the bunker to confront Cisco. It looks like he is about to kill Cisco again when Joe and Barry leap out. Joe fires three shots at Dr. Wells. Barry stops two of the bullets but is unable to stop the third bullet before it reaches Dr. Wells and kills him. As they are standing over the body it changes and reverts to its true form, Hannibal Bates, the shapeshifter (from Flash 1.19 - Who Is Dr. Wells?).

Dr. Wells/Eobard Thawne contacts them. He doesn't reveal his true identity but he tells them that even though he has been using them, he has grown attached to them but he won't let that get in the way of his mission. Barry goes looking for Iris, who is with Eddie, who is about to propose to Iris. The Reverse Flash gets there before the Flash does and just before Eddie is about to propose. He almost kills Iris but Flash shows up. The Reverse Flash runs off with Eddie. Flash takes Iris' hand and promises to rescue Eddie. As he leaves Iris gets a mild shock as their hands separate, just like she did many months ago in the hospital. She whispers Barry's name questioningly but he is already gone.

The final scene takes place in Eobard Thawne's secret lair. He takes off the mask and tells Eddie who he really is. Eobard has a flashback to the hospital when Barry was still in a coma. He talks to unconscious Barry about how he has watched him grow up and how determined he is to kill him, but not until the time is right.

This was such a good episode. I love so many things about it. There are so many secrets in this show, things that this character or that character is withholding. Some of them are clear, some not so much. Some are revealed in this episode. This is not a perfect episode. There are a few leaps that happen a bit quickly. As always it seems like it takes little to no effort to develop new technology.