Barry dresses his best for his first date with Linda, and they go to a
Mexican restaurant with the spiciest tacos in Central City. As Linda
goes to the restroom, Cisco calls Barry and notifies him about a robber.
Barry points out that he's on a date, but Cisco insists and Barry
superspeeds there, captures the robbers, and gets back before Linda can
return to the table. As they walk back to Linda's apartment, she wonders
why Barry isn't with someone else. Linda gets a call from work and as
she steps away to take it, Cisco calls Barry with a jumper on a
building. He speeds there, gets the man down and handed over to Eddie,
and back to Linda. She kisses him and assures Barry that she'll go on a
second date with him.
Physicist Quentin Quale is leaving his
lab at Concordance Research when Ronnie approaches him and talks about
how they were classmates. He convinces Quentin that he's actually Martin
Stein and bursts into flames, and says that he needs his classmate to
help him.
The next day, Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin are at
Jitters talking about Barry's date. Iris overhears them and she says
that it's great that Barry is dating. Cisco gets a call from someone and
tells the others that he has to go help a friend. As he leaves, Barry,
Caitlin, and Iris see a news report about the "Burning Man" attacking
Quentin at Concordance. Iris reminds Caitlin that the scientist asked
her about the supposed metahuman a few weeks ago.
Cisco meets
Joe at the old Allen home and Joe explains that he wants to examine the
crime scene. He asks Cisco to keep it between them and the engineer
agrees. The current owner, Sherry, is glad to let them in once Joe
flashes his badge, and gives him the once over.
At STAR Labs,
Harrison figures that Martin is in control of Ronnie's body. He wonders
if Caitlin will help them do what it takes to stop Ronnie, and she
agrees. Harrison figures that Martin went to Quentin to work out a way
to split him and Ronnie apart. When they bring up a photo of Martin,
Barry remembers him from the day the accelerator exploded.
-----
As Barry returns to Central City by train, he mentions the accelerator
structure in the distance to his fellow passenger, Martin. The two of
them talk physics and Martin explains that he'll be at the unveiling
that night. Barry says that he'll be there as well with his girl who is
his friend, and gets off at his stop.
That night, Martin
arrives at STAR Labs and joins with the crowd going in. He's holding the
case that contains the FIRESTORM reactor. When the accelerator
explodes, the shockwaves knocks Martin down and busts open the case. He
picks it up just as the blast wave containing Ronnie's body sweeps over
him.
-----
Barry, Harrison, and Caitlin go to see
Clarissa, Martin's wife. She confirms that she hasn't heard from him
since the explosion, but recognizes a photo of Ronnie. Clarissa says
that Ronnie approached her a month after Martin disappeared.
-----
Martin wakes up and discovers that his mind is in control of Ronnie's
body... and that a month has passed since the accelerator explosion. He
goes home to see a confused Clarissa, and when she calls the police,
Firestorm runs off.
-----
As they leave the Stein
house, Barry offers to cancel his date with Linda to help stake out the
place for when Ronnie returns. Harrison assures him that they can call
him if they need backup and he'll be there fast enough.
At the
Allen house, Cisco scans the living room where the murder occurred,
while Sherry flirts with Joe. Once she leaves, Cisco admits that he
hasn't found anything. However, Joe points out a dresser mirror that was
there on the night Nora was murdered. Cisco checks it and discovers
that it has a silver nitrate backing, and figures that the lightning
from the two speedsters may have photographic impressions on the
substance.
That night, Linda arrives at Joe's house. However,
when Barry starts to explain what he has planned, Linda kisses him and
starts unbuttoning his shirt.
As they stake out the Stein
house, Harrison says that he can understand why Martin is drawn to
Clarissa. Caitlin says that she no longer has feelings for Ronnie like
Clarissa does for Martin. Harrison promises to keep working until he
separates Ronnie and Martin, just as Firestorm flies up to the house.
Barry and Linda are half-dressed on the couch, and Barry starts to
vibrate out of control. He steadies himself just as his phone rings.
Barry finally checks it and realizes that it's Harrison, and tells Linda
that he has an emergency to deal with. As he fumbles his shirt on, he
tells Linda that he wouldn't be leaving her otherwise. Once outside,
Flash speeds to the Stein house and tries to calm Firestorm down. The
metahuman unleashes a fiery bolt, setting a car on fire. Flash grabs him
and Firestorm flies up into the sky, and then blasts the hero in the
face. The speedster manages to plant a GPS tracker before losing his
grip, and Firestorm catches him and slams him into a car on the street.
Caitlin runs over and tells him to stop, and Firestorm flies off.
Joe sends Sherry to the movies and Cisco creates 3D images from the
silver nitrate. He projects them and they see a blood spatter fly from
the two struggling speedsters. They pull off the newer wallpaper and
find blood on the wall beneath.
The next day, Barry visits Linda at Picture News,
and she tells him that he blew it. Barry insists that he didn't want to
leave her, just as his friends call him to the lab. He reluctantly goes
and Linda asks co-worker Iris if Barry has ever dated before. Iris says
that Barry had an unreciprocated crush on the last girl he was with and
tells Linda to give him time.
Barry and Caitlin home in on the
GPS tracker and find Firestorm beneath an overpass. They bring Clarissa
with them and Martin tells them that he can feel Ronnie inside of him,
wanting to be with Caitlin. Clarissa begs Martin to let the scientists
help, and Firestorm agrees.
Back at STAR Labs, Harrison gives
Firestorm a series of depressants to help him with his mood swings. As
Caitlin checks him, Firestorm calls her "Cait" and she tells him not to
use that nickname. As she runs her tests, Linda calls Barry. He tries to
claim he has police business, but Linda has already called the station
and confirmed that he's not there. She figures that he has a crush on
Iris and tells Barry that they should end their relationship.
Later, Barry meets Iris at Picture News
and complains that she's sabotaging his attempt to get together with
Linda. When Iris offers to explain, Barry says that he'll figure it out
on his own and insists that he doesn't have any romantic feelings for
Iris anymore.
At the police lab, Cisco discovers that two
different people left blood on the wall. As he begins to analyze them
using the CCPD database, Joe asks him to compare them to Harrison. He
insists that Cisco tell no one, and Cisco says that he doesn't believe
that the man who gave him a chance to change his life is a killer. Joe
points out that the friends and associates of every murderer he's known
didn't believe the killers were guilty, but Cisco leaves.
As
Caitlin tests Firestorm, she asks to talk to Ronnie. Martin says that it
doesn't work that way but that he can access Ronnie's memories. He
remembers Ronnie proposing to Caitlin, and assures her that her fiancé
loves her very much. Harrison calls Caitlin to the main lab and warns
her that Ronnie's bodies is rejecting Martin's molecular structure. If
the reaction continues, it could set off a nuclear explosion.
Cisco enters the med lab and is surprise to see Ronnie there. He finds
the others and Harrison warns that they only have a couple of hours left
before the explosion. Harrison suggests destroying the host body,
noting that both Ronnie and Martin would concur but Cisco and Caitlin
refuse. Caitlin talks to Harrison privately and tells him that she isn't
going to lose Ronnie leaves. As Harrison leaves, passing by Cisco, the
engineer asks him if he's really willing to kill Firestorm. Harrison
ignores him and continues down the hallway.
Barry goes in to
see Firestorm, who has heard the others arguing. Martin remembers his
meeting with Barry and tells him that he should get together with his
girl, because life is too short not to live. Barry goes to the newspaper
and tells Linda that he's not into anyone else, and threatens to eat a
ghost pepper unless she goes out with him again. When Linda hesitates,
Barry eats the pepper and starts choking. Linda gets him some water and,
convinced, agrees to go on the date. Barry promises not to let his job
come between them again, while Iris watches him from across the room.
Harrison goes to his secret chamber and takes out a handgun, and then
asks his computer Gideon if the tachyon prototype can be used as a
quantum splicer. Gideon says that in theory it can, but it will delay
his timetable. Harrison notes that if Central City is destroyed then
there is no future for the city, and goes back to tell the others that
he has a plan. However, Cisco discovers that Firestorm is gone.
While Harrison and Cisco build the quantum splicer, Caitlin scans for
radiation and detects Firestorm 30 miles outside the safety. With 12
minutes until the explosion, they finish the splicer and Harrison gives
it to Flash. Caitlin insists on going with him, pointing out that
Harrison can't talk Barry through activating it in time once it's
attached to Firestorm. Flash runs her to the Badlands while Cisco steps
outside and calls Joe. He's finished the blood scan and tells Joe that
it belongs to Barry. However, the chemical markers show that it came
from an adult Barry, even though they're 15 years old.
As
Firestorm prepares to kill himself with a gun, Flash and Caitlin arrive
and Caitlin says that they can save him using the splicer. Firestorm
hesitates and Caitlin says that she loves Ronnie, and then the Nuclear
Man lets her put the splicer on. He bursts into flames and Flash grabs
Caitlin and runs as fast as he can as Firestorm goes critical.
General Wade Eiling has his men monitoring the area around Central City.
They detect the nuclear explosion and Eiling tells his aide to bring
him Firestorm.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 23, 2019