The CW says of tonight’s “The Race Of His Life”:
After Zoom reveals his true plan, Barry vows to do whatever it takes to stop him.
Longtime talkbacker Shermdawg recaps last week’s “Invincible”:
So Zoom can now open breaches to and from Earth-2 on the fly.
After Team Flash managed to take out his army of meta-humans, Hunter "Zoom" Zolomon was forced to retreat back to Earth-2 opening a breach out of nowhere, which was the Flash equivalent of Arrow's Damien Darhk suddenly being able to kill someone across the globe just by looking at them on a monitor.
How did the show explain this new ability when Joe West asked Barry how he was now able to do that?
"Who knows..."
"Who knows"!?
All the writers had to do was toss in a "maybe his newly heightened speed allows it" or some other bullshit speculative theory, but instead they were all like "fuck it, we're THIS close to vacay, he just CAN."
Also dumb? Caitlin being released out of the blue by Zoom making her abduction feel even more like padding, and as we saw later on, a way to have her meet her evil Earth-2 doppelganger so she could pose as her in last week's episode.
Then there's Henry Allen, who left town after being released from prison earlier this season instead of...y'know, reconnecting with the son he missed out on raising? He decided to return a couple weeks back when Barry told him he had lost his powers which immediately raised red flags with the finale fast approaching, and just as expected, that return led to a death you could see coming from a mile away. Like Zoom wasn't evil enough already and Barry didn't have enough reason to stop him, not to mention after they had just learned he could open breaches at will, Team Flash let their guard down (as always) and look shocked that shit like this continues to happen.
Henry's death however, along with the revelation which Barry paid no mind to what-so-ever that his grandmother's maiden name was "Garrick" (c'mon, dawg) has me once again changing my theory of who Zoom has imprisoned back on Earth-2. I was almost certain it was Jay Garrick, Hunter's separated at birth twin, but now it seems like it will be John Wesley Ship as Jay Garrick, who may be who Zolomon's mother was leaving his father for.
If there's anything last week's installment did right though, it was allowing Katie Cassidy a way back into the CW-verse as Laurel Lance's doppelganger "Black Siren" who, in the little time she was given, shined as Zoom's lieutenant in his meta-human army. Thankfully, unlike Cisco and Caitlin's doppelgangers, Siren lived to see another day as she was apprehended and now resides in a S.T.A.R. Labs containment cell. Hopefully this may serve as a way for her to get back on Arrow if Berlanti ever comes to his senses and ends this dreadful "Ollicity" pairing which has partially made that show unbearable as of late. Either that, or give us a showdown between her and White Canary over on Legends of Tomorrow.
But yeah, last week saw Zoom's minions wreaking havoc on Central City with Black Siren taking down buildings with her MUCH powerful version of the "Canary Cry" including Mercury Labs which was not only the first in a string of seemingly random buildings that fit into a bigger plan Zolomon had for the destruction of Barry's world, but a way to get 90's Flash vet Amanda Pays' Dr.Tina McGee in the same scene with John Wesley Ship before killing Henry Allen off in Zoom's retaliation for Team Flash's victory over his meta-humans.
During that chaos, and against the wishes of Joe, Wally went all Roy Harper by taking to the streets after being inspired by The Flash who he managed to save when Black Siren had him on the ropes. By episode's end he'd realize the person he looked up to was actually the adoptive brother he previously had issues with when Zoom crashed dinner at the West house outing Barry as the scarlet speedster.
As far as the others go... Jesse worried about being exposed to dark matter in her father's attempt to restore Barry's power the week before, Henry was worried that Barry was being overly confident after his experience with the Speed Force, Caitlin was haunted by visions of Zolomon after being held captive, while Cisco vibed dead birds...and the destruction of Earth-2...
Will we see that destruction tonight as Barry faces Zoom for what will likely be the final time after the death of his father?
Will Jesse manifest powers and aid his fight to save her home-world?
Will we find out the true identity of the man in the iron mask?
Will Oliver show up?
And what teases will their be for season three?
"Who knows..."
8 p.m. Tuesday. The CW.
