Violet recaps Season 2 Episode 5 of The Flash, titled The Darkness and the Light, where the team encounters Dr. Light, a new metahuman that Zoom has sent through the breach! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts about the episode.
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Episode Recap of The Flash, Season 2 Episode 5: The Darkness and the Light
This episode begins in Earth Two with Harrison Wells giving a speech about a new line metahuman awareness apps that STAR Labs has created. Just then, his device goes off as Jay Garrick speeds in, and demands that Dr. Wells admit that he’s responsible for creating the metahumans, including Zoom. Wells says that Jay should do his job and stop Zoom. It also seems that this Dr. Wells has an adult daughter.
Back on Earth One, Barry introduces Earth Two’s Dr. Wells to Cisco and Caitlin at STAR Labs. Caitlin insists on running tests on Dr. Wells. Barry explains to Cisco that Dr. Wells saved his life. Wells says that he wants to help stop Zoom, and says that he’s responsible for Zoom and all of Earth Two’s metahumans. Wells says that Zoom will keep sending metahumans through who all have the goal of killing Barry. Joe comes in and immediately fires shots at Dr. Wells, but Barry uses his super speed to catch the bullets. Barry takes Joe aside, and explains that this is a different Dr. Wells, and admits that he’s struggling with the fact that this looks just like the other Dr. Wells.
Joe heads over to fill Iris in. He gives Iris a gun to protect her from Wells, just in case.
Cisco and Barry go to Jitters, and run into Patty Spivot there. She tells them about King Shark. She asks if Barry wants to help her with her police report, but he says he’s busy with “science stuff.” She leaves, and Cisco tells Barry he should ask Patty out. Cisco then tries to ask the barista out, but she says no. Just then, Cisco sees a vision of a bank robbery that involves a metahuman. Cisco tells Barry that there’s another breacher and tells him to go to Central City Bank right now.
The Flash shows up at the bank, but the metahuman gets away. Back at STAR Labs, Dr. Wells explains to Barry that this metahuman is known as Dr. Light, and she gets her power from starlight. Dr. Wells proposes to catch Dr. Light and use her to lure Zoom there. Just then, Jay Garrick comes in and protests Dr. Wells’ plan, along with Caitlin following close behind. Jay says that Dr. Light is a thief, not a killer. Barry asks how Cisco knew about Dr. Light breaking into the bank, and he says that he got an alert on his phone. Cisco says he’ll do a scan to try to find Dr. Light, while Barry says he’ll go talk to Joe.
At the police station, Barry runs into Patty and asks her out to dinner tomorrow night.
At STAR Labs, Dr. Wells is reading up on Earth One’s Harrison Wells. Dr. Wells wonders what the other Wells did to Cisco, and Cisco tells him. Dr. Wells says they don’t have to get along, but they have to work together to defeat Zoom. A silent alarm goes off at the bank, so The Flash heads over to confront her.
At the bank, Barry tries to talk to Dr. Light. When she puts up her visor, he sees that it’s Linda Park, his ex-girlfriend that works at the newspaper with Iris. Dr. Light gets spooked that he knows her name, uses her power to flash a bright light, and runs away. The bright light blinds Barry.
Back at STAR Labs, they realize that Zoom sent Dr. Light because he knew she was Barry’s ex, and that he would hesitate. Jay and Caitlin volunteer to keep an eye on Linda while Barry is unable to see. Iris comes in and is surprised to see Dr. Wells. Barry gets a text, which Iris reads to him: Patty is running a little late. He explains that they’re going on a date, but now that he’s blind, he’ll have to cancel. Iris encourages him not to cancel, and figures that they have something or someone in STAR Labs that can help him.
Barry meets Patty at the restaurant wearing sunglasses which Cisco can see Patty with, though the feed is in black and white. Barry is also wearing an earpiece so that Cisco can communicate with him.
Caitlin and Jay Garrick stake out Linda’s apartment in a van. Jay tells Caitlin not to trust Wells.
Barry and Patty’s date seems to be going well. She figures out that he can’t see her, and he apologizes for not saying anything, saying that he had his pupils dilated and didn’t want to cancel.
Jay tells Caitlin a little about Earth Two, and they are just about to kiss when Dr. Light attacks their van, knocking them out. Dr. Light enters the newspaper office to kill Linda. She says it’s the only way that she can stay alive, to become Linda. Iris shoots Dr. Light’s visor off of her, and recognizes her. Just then, Jay Garrick comes in, so Dr. Light uses her power and gets away.
Patty helps lead Barry down the stairs, and they hold hands. When they get to her car, they share a goodnight kiss. After the kiss, Barry can suddenly see again. Both of their phones ring, and they head to the newspaper office, where Larkin, the editor, has been killed by Dr. Light. Joe arranges a security detail for Linda. Barry is upset that he wasn’t there to stop this. Barry takes Dr. Light’s visor mask.
Back at STAR Labs, Dr. Wells blames this all on Jay. He says that unlike Jay, Barry runs toward danger, not away, because Barry’s not a coward. Dr. Wells and Jay get into a fist fight. Dr. Wells tells Barry that Barry should be teaching Jay, not the other way around. When Dr. Wells finds out that Barry has Dr. Light’s mask, he says all they have to do to find Dr. Light is give the mask to Cisco. He then demonstrates his metahuman detecting watch and reveals Cisco as a metahuman.
Cisco apologizes for not saying anything sooner, saying that he was afraid. Cisco explains his powers, and says that he doesn’t have any control over when he gets the visions. He tries touching Dr. Light’s mask, but nothing happens — at first. Dr. Wells yells at him to try again, and shoves the mask toward Cisco’s chest. Cisco gets a vision that Dr. Light is at the train station.
The Flash goes to the train station and finds her. She says killing Linda Park is the only way she can be free from Zoom. Dr. Wells tells Barry to create a speed mirage of multiple images of himself so as to give Dr. Light several targets and confuse her. Jay gives Barry some words of encouragement, and Barry is able to knock Dr. Light out.
They lock Dr. Light in the Pipeline. Barry says to do what Dr. Wells suggested: use Dr. Light to lure Zoom there. Jay says that Barry is not ready to fight Zoom by himself, but Barry points out that he has all of them to help him. However, Jay says he can’t in good conscience help him when it might lead to his death. Jay warns that this Dr. Wells has many secrets. Caitilin asks Jay not to go, but he says he’s sorry.
At Jitters, the barista explains to Cisco that the reason said no when he asked her out is because she’s new to town and it caught her off guard. She introduces herself as Kendra Saunders. Cisco reports back to Barry and Caitlin that he and Kendra are going on a date next week. Caitlin says that Cisco is a metahuman, so he needs a cool name. Barry suggests Vibe, and Cisco seems to like it. Dr. Wells ominously stares at them from outside.
Meanwhile, in Earth Two, Zoom is holding Dr. Wells’ daughter captive. She is confident her father will save her and kill Zoom. However, Zoom says he will not die, and what will happen to her and her father is still to be decided.
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 2 Episode 5 of The Flash: The Darkness and the Light
I’m glad that they cleared it up this episode that this Dr. Wells is actually just the original Dr. Wells from Earth Two, rather than a Dr. Wells that has had his body taken over by Eobard Thawne. I was pretty sure that was case, but it seemed like everyone else seemed to still think of Dr. Wells as evil. I figured that since this was just a normal Dr. Wells, then that would mean he wouldn’t be evil, and I couldn’t understand why it seemed like everyone else was still treating him as evil. I guess it is hard to get past the fact that he looks exactly like the evil Dr. Wells, even if they know it’s a completely different person. However, if Jay Garrick has anything to say about it, maybe this Dr. Wells could be evil for different reasons. What are these secrets he is keeping? I guess we will find out in time. In the meantime, this Dr. Wells is not a very likable person, unfortunately.
The show continues to pull these cheesy scenes. While Barry’s blindness added some humor to this episode, it was completely unrealistic the way he was acting, and the whole dinner scene with Patty seemed silly. I don’t know why he couldn’t have just told the pupil dilation story in the first place.
Overall though, I’m still enjoying the show, especially with these alternate worlds. I suppose the next mystery is, who is Zoom? I’m sure it will end up being the doppelganger of someone that we know, but the question is, who?
Josh’s Thoughts: The Flash, Season 2 Episode 5: The Darkness and the Light
It is hard to tell with Dr. Wells from Earth 2, whether he is good or evil. Jay Garrick certainly doesn’t trust him though. So far, he has seemed to provide much helpful information for Barry, but like the other Wells, he could be using Barry for his own purposes. He also seems to be wanting to put a divide into Barry and Jay, and I am curious if there is more motivation there than just a difference of opinion.
As for Dr. Light, it looks like she is not quite as harmless as Jay Garrick initially thought, and Barry could have probably prevented a death if he had just taken Dr. Light down as Dr. Wells has said before. But as we have seen from the scenes from the next episode, it looks like Team Flash might have a way to get to Zoom–using Linda to get to Zoom. We will have to see how that goes.
I do have a theory about who Zoom is, and other people seem to be coming to this conclusion as well–Zoom is Barry Allen from Earth 2. It would certainly make a good parallel to Barry’s life, and interesting to see them face off. I will take this a bit farther though, and say that I think Dr. Wells from Earth 2 knows that Barry is Zoom. I think that Wells wants to help Barry from Earth 1 because he is the only person who has a chance to stop Zoom.
Hopefully we learn Zoom’s identity soon, as that has probably been the thing I have been waiting for most from The Flash. I guess that and Barry finally getting a date with Spivot. That has already happened though, and as a quick side note, I am so glad she noticed he was blind on their date, otherwise that would have been really cheesy. I wonder when she finds out he is The Flash?
Scenes from The Flash, Season 2 Episode 6: Enter Zoom
Here are scenes from the next episode of The Flash, titled Enter Zoom: