Flash runs through Central City to help people escape a burning building, while Cisco at S.T.A.R. Labs tracks him. Caitlin comes in and Cisco tries to shut off the monitors before she can see what he’s doing. However, Flash calls in on the radio and Caitlin realizes what they’re doing. He gets the last people out of the building and runs into an alley, but is suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness as Caitlin orders him to come back to the lab.
When Barry return, Caitlin insists that he can’t run around the
city saving people. Harrison comes in and tells Barry to practice
restraint, because his lack of restraint put him in a wheelchair and
made him a pariah. Caitlin insists that she isn’t going to put Barry
back together the next time he injures himself, and then storms out.
Cisco asks Barry if he felt anything different because the sensors
showed a spike, but Barry insists that he’s fine.
Barry checks in with Joe, who tells him that he’s needed as a
CSI at a gun shop that was robbed. Barry speeds there only to realize
that he forgot his street clothing. He quickly buys some from a
neighboring shop and goes in. Joe and Singh explain that the owner was
shot and killed by what the security footage shows was a single man.
However, Barry checks the footprints and points out that they indicate
that six different men were there... but they all had the same shoe
When they return to the police station, Joe points out that Barry is
embarrassing everyone, including himself. He wonders if Barry has said
anything about his new powers to Iris, and Barry assures Joe that he
hasn’t.
Joe finds Barry running down the street and takes
him home. When they get there, Barry insists on seeing his father Henry,
saying that he’s innocent of killing Nora. Joe refuses to take him and
Barry yells that he hates him.
Back in his lab, Barry has
another wave of dizziness. He recovers just as Iris comes in and
complains that she’s bored being a journalist. She reminds him that he
was going to meet with her and explain why scientist/industrialist Simon
Stagg is receiving a reward from the local university. Eddie arrives
and Barry reminds the couple that he knows they’re together, and Eddie
thanks Barry for being cool about it.
Later, Barry and Iris go
to the award ceremony and watch as Simon accepts a Man of the Year award
for organ transference. Barry tells Iris that Simon is working with
cloning and cellular regeneration. She wonders if he’s been avoiding her
because she’s dating Eddie. Barry assures her that he isn’t, just as
Simon walks by with his bodyguard Java. When Iris tries to approach the
man about an interview, Simon ignores her and leaves.
Six armed
men break into the hall and order the audience to hand over their
money. Barry S.T.A.R.ts to go after them but Iris stops him, reminding
him that he’s just a police scientist, not a policeman. However, when a
security guard orders them to freeze, the robbers open fire and Barry
has no choice but to rescue the man, moving so fast as to be invisible.
However, when he goes after the robbers, Barry has another wave of
dizziness and collapses.
Iris runs outside to find Barry and
wakes him up, and he says that he was trying to get the plates on the
robbers’ can. When they go back inside, Joe and Eddie are taking
statements. When the security guard describes how an invisible force
took him outside, Joe realizes that Barry was involved and talks to him
privately. He makes Barry promise to stop being a hero, pointing out
that he has no training.
Back at the lab, Barry tells
scientists what happened to him. Caitlin complains that he didn’t tell
them about his earlier dizzy spells and storms off, and Cisco admits
that she hasn’t been so mad with someone since her fiancé Ronnie died.
They then test Barry on a special treadmill that Cisco has built to see
if they can recreate the dizziness. Barry hits his top speed and the
scientists realize that his glucose levels are messed up. As they check
the readings, Barry passes out and slams into the protective barrier.
That night, Joe goes to Barry’s lab and finds his board of bizarre occurrences.
Joe comes home and realizes that Barry is gone. He gets Iris to tell him the truth and they both realize where Barry has gone.
Joe spots Barry’s discarded S.T.A.R. sweater and realizes where he’s gone.
Caitlin and Cisco tell Barry how he’s not eating enough to keep up with
his newly-accelerated metabolism. Joe arrives and says that he knows
Barry has been performing heroics, and blames Harrison and the others
for encouraging Barry to risk his life. Barry insists that he has to
deal with the wave of metahumans that the dark matter explosion created,
but Joe points out that he’s not invincible no matter how fast he is.
Angry, Barry says that he’s not Joe’s son and that he’s going to help
anyone he can. He tells Joe not to stop him and leaves, and Joe tells
the team that he hopes they’re smart enough to realize that they don’t
know what they’re doing.
That night, Java meets with one of the
robbers from the ceremony. The man, Danton Black, says that the rest of
his crew isn’t there and wants Simon’s inventory. Java refuses to help
him any further, pointing out that it will make him look like a failure
as a bodyguard, and punches Danton. Danton concentrates and then
self-replicates four duploids of himself, who beat Java to death.
The next day, Joe brings a skin sample from Java’s body to Barry and
explains what happened. Barry wants to go with him to talk with Simon,
but Joe reminds him that he’s a scientist, not a detective. Iris comes
in, angry with Barry for missing their appointment so he could give her
scientific background on Simon. She asks what’s really going on with
Barry and he goes to superspeed, working out what to tell her about his
real feelings for her. He slows down to normal time just as the lab
results come back on the skin sample. Barry tells Iris that they are
stem cells of the kind that only babies have.
Joe and Eddie
meet Simon at one of his warehouses and tell him about the murder. The
detectives have a file on all of the people who are suing Simon,
including Danton. Simon says that Danton is a clinical researcher, not a
killer... just as Danton and his “army” arrive and open fire on Simon.
The detectives get Simon to cover and return fire.
At the station, Barry hears Joe call in for backup and goes to his locker to get his suit.
While Eddie gets Simon out, Joe provides cover fire. He kills one of
the duploids but Danton creates another one. They advance on Joe, ready
to kill him, but Flash arrives and takes away their guns, and then takes
Joe outside. Returning, the hero orders Danton to surrender. He refuses
and Flash knocks two of the duploids down. However, Danton generates
more of them and they soon overwhelm Flash. When they prepare to shoot
him, the battered speedster manages to get away.
Back at the
lab, Caitlin treats Barry’s quick-healing injuries and he tells them
what happened. Harrison informs the team that Danton was working in
cloning, and Simon stole his research and fired him. They figure that
the dark matter explosion hit Danton when he was experimenting on
himself, giving him the power to self-replicate. Barry admits that he’s
in over his head, and figures that his trying to play hero was a
mistake. He runs out and through the city.
Barry goes to
Iron Heights to see Henry. Joe is already there, knowing where he would
go, and okays Henry to come in. Henry tells his son that he was the one
who told Joe to keep Barry away, because he doesn’t want his son to see
him in prison. Barry tries to convince the guards that his father is
innocent, but Henry tells him to go home with Joe because there’s
nothing that he can do for him.
Barry goes to Jitters to
apologize to Iris. She’s with Eddie, watching Eddie give a press
conference earlier on the news. Once the detective leaves, Iris asks
Barry if he’s going to tell her the truth about what’s going on in his
life.
At the station, Simon refuses to let the police assign a
guard to him. He assures Joe that he’s increased his personal security
and hopes that Danton comes after him. Harrison comes in and applauds,
asking what Simon is pretending to be. Simon walks out, brushing by
Harrison, and Joe wonders if Harrison knew about Barry’s powers when he
offered to take him out of the hospital. Harrison admits that he had
some suspicions, and tells Joe that Barry quit temporarily. However, he
warns Joe that Barry will fail because Joe doesn’t have any faith in
him. Harrison tells Joe that he cares about Barry as well and leaves.
At Jitters, Barry is eating and admits that he’s been a jerk. He offers
to help her with her article on Simon, but Iris says that she’s doing a
new article... on the red streak. Caitlin calls and tells Barry that he
needs to come to the lab immediately. When he arrives, he discovers
that Caitlin has created a diploid of Danton. She explains that she took
a blood sample from Barry’s suit and created a clone, but without
Danton’s controlling presence, he’s a mindless drone. Caitlin figures
that like Barry, Danton can only use his power so much before it begins
to fatigue him, and tells Barry that the “prime” Danton will be the one
showing signs of stress. Cisco provides Barry with high-energy protein
bars, and the diploid comes to life. Joe arrives and shoots it dead, and
Harrison figures that the prime Danton is on the move. Joe tells Barry
that Simon is at his office building and admits that the police are
useless against a one-man army. He tells Barry to do what he says for
once and stop Danton.
At Stagg Industries, Danton and his
clones break in and kill Simon’s security guards. Simon comes out of his
office and the Dantons prepare to shoot him... just as Flash arrive and
carries Simon back to his office. He then goes back and tells Danton
that he can’t kill a man just for stealing his research. A Danton shoots
at him and Flash dodges the bullet, then knocks out some of the
duploids. As they fight, Danton tells the hero that his wife Elizabeth
had a coronary degenerative disease. He was trying to clone a new heart
for her when Simon stole his research and fired him. Flash picks off the
duploids but Danton creates more and more, swarming the speedster.
Flash manages to break free and Caitlin and Harrison remind him that he
has to find the prime Danton. When the hero warns that it’s impossible,
Joe chips in and says that Barry has shown him that nothing is
impossible. Flash speeds through the hundreds of duploids, finding the
one Danton who is sweating. He speeds him up to a balcony and knocks him
out, and all of the duploids pass out when the prime does. Danton
recovers and charges at Flash, who dodges just in time. The replicating
man goes out a window and Flash grabs him. However, Danton pries himself
loose and falls to his death.
Later back at S.T.A.R. Labs,
Barry tells his friends what happened. Harrison says that Danton may not
have wanted to be saved, and Barry assures the team that they’re out
there with him when he’s helping people. He then goes back to his lab
and Joe arrives with three pizzas. As they dig in, Joe admits that he
was wrong and says that now they can find the real killer and get Henry
out of prison. Barry apologizes for what he said to Joe earlier and
assures the detective that he was a father to him in every way that
mattered.
Iris gets news text about more sightings of the red streak.
Caitlin warns Flash about an emergency and he assures her and Cisco that he’s got it.
Harrison goes to Simon’s office and the industrialist says that he
plans to control a power like his rescuer has. Harrison says that the
hero will be called Flash one day, and then stands up and stabs Simon in
his heart. As Simon dies in his arms, Harrison says that it’s nothing
personal, but that he has to keep Flash safe.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 23, 2019