Violet recaps Season 2 Episode 21 of The Flash, titled The Runaway Dinosaur, which was directed by Kevin Smith! In this episode, Barry meets the Speed Force, while Cisco and Dr. Wells try to get him back. Meanwhile, the others have to deal with the metahuman Tony Woodward, aka Girder, who had died, but has now reanimated! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts about the episode.
- His thoughts on The Runaway Dinosaur, Episode 221 of The Flash
- Her thoughts on The Flash Season 2 Episode 20: The Runaway Dinosaur
The Flash Recap, Season 2 Episode 21: The Runaway Dinosaur
This episode of The Flash picks up right where the last episode left off, as Dr. Wells, Henry, Cisco, Joe, and Iris believe that Barry has died as a result of the contained particle accelerator experiment. They are all devastated. Dr. Wells calls for Jesse and Wally to come down, but they don’t respond. They find Wally and Jesse passed out in the hallway. Wally gets up and he is find, but Jesse’s heart has stopped, so Dr. Wells performs CPR and brings her back. Joe goes to get Henry to help with Jesse, since he’s a doctor. Cisco touches Barry’s burned Flash outfit and sees Barry. He excitedly tells the others that Barry is alive.
Cisco tells Dr. Wells what he saw. Dr. Wells realizes that Barry is in the Speed Force. Henry demands that Dr. Wells get him out. Joe brings Henry aside and tells him that he’s the only one who can help Jesse. Joe promises he’ll find Barry.
Henry takes care of Jesse, who isn’t waking up. Iris explains that this is what happened with Barry. They also catch Henry up on what happened to Barry after he was struck by lightning. Henry asks for any records from that time, so Cisco and Iris go down to the morgue to get them.
Down in the morgue, Cisco and Iris get attacked by Tony Woodward, aka Girder, who we first saw in Episode 6 of Season 1, and who died in Episode 7, but thanks to the particle accelerator blast has now reanimated as a zombie. But Tony sees his reflection and runs off. He crashes out of the building in metallic form and wanders outside.
Cisco and Iris report to the others about Tony reanimating. Joe tells Dr. Wells that he and Cisco need to work on bringing Barry back, while Henry takes care of Jesse. Joe and Iris will work on finding Tony. Meanwhile, outside of a Big Belly Burger, Tony tears the door off of a Hummer, while its owner looks on in horror.
Barry Meets the Speed Force
Meanwhile, Barry awakens in his childhood bed. When he goes downstairs, he sees caution tape, and Joe greets him — but “Joe” tells Barry that he’s not Joe. “Joe” tells Barry that “we” thought Barry would feel more comfortable talking to someone familiar in a place he knew. Barry asks who “we” is. Joe tells him that’s hard to explain. It turns out that Barry is talking to the Speed Force, the source of his power. Barry begs to be sent back, but Joe says Barry’s not going back, not until he catches that — and points to a shadow that keeps speeding by. Barry runs out to catch it.
Barry soon tires of running and finds “Iris.” They sit down on a park bench and talk. Barry is upset that the Speed Force is keeping him here. Iris brings up how Barry rejected the Speed Force’s rare and special gift, but Barry rejected it. However, he denies that that’s what happened. He asks why they gave him these powers, and she says because he’s The Flash.
Cisco Sees Barry
Dr. Wells has Cisco wear a device on his head while Cisco sits in the spot where Barry sat in the particle accelerator. Then Cisco picks up Barry’s charred outfit and vibes Barry.
Barry hears Cisco calling his name, and sees a cyclone disturbance. Iris tells him it’s his friends, who want him to come back. He asks if he can go back, and she says he can, but it will be without his powers. Cisco reaches his hand out to Barry, and tells him to take his hand. However, Barry turns away, and goes to chase after the black shadow that runs by.
At STAR Labs, Iris comes in and makes Dr. Wells stop his experiment with Cisco. When Cisco comes out of it, he tells them he saw Barry, but apologizes for losing him.
Zombie Tony Wreaks Havoc
Iris monitors Tony’s actions. His latest location was Jitters, which he trashed. They wonder why. Henry shares a story about an inmate who escaped and was caught because he went to his old girlfriend’s house looking for her. Iris says that Tony didn’t have a girlfriend — but then quickly realizes that he’s after her, again. Last time, after Jitters, he came to Iris’s house looking for her. Iris proposes they use her as bait and then she lures him back to STAR Labs so Cisco and Wells can kill him, again.
Joe and Iris go home, where Wally is, and Joe inquires if Wally has noticed his body changing. Wally mistakes his meaning, so Joe drops his coffee mug as a test. Just then, they hear noises outside, and Joe sends Wally upstairs. They see Tony walking down the street, so Iris goes outside and gets his attention, and he begins chasing her as she heads towards STAR Labs.
Iris successfully lures Tony to STAR Labs, and she and Joe rush into a room that Cisco has staged with electromagnets. However, when Tony comes into the room, it doesn’t work the way Cisco planned. They run into another room with Dr. Wells, Henry, and Jesse (in her hospital bed), and close the door behind them. However, Cisco points out that the door won’t hold, as Tony bangs on it, and they have to think of something.
Cisco thinks about the look on Barry’s face and considers that maybe they couldn’t get him out of the Speed Force because he didn’t want to come out.
Barry Talks to His Parents
Barry comes across “Henry” in a graveyard. Henry says that now Barry is the only thing standing between his world and unspeakable evil, then shows Barry his mother’s grave, while pointing out that he’s never visited it.
Barry kneels before the gravestone, and asks why they brought him here. Henry asks if Barry really accepted losing his mother, and says maybe that’s why Barry couldn’t come here, because that would make it real. Barry says he knows it’s real, and says he had a chance to save her, but they saw what he chose. Henry asks if he’s at peace with that decision, but he doesn’t seem to be. Henry asks what about all the people that The Flash saved as a result of that decision, and brings up the value of their lives. Barry doesn’t want to listen to this any longer, and heads home.
When Barry returns home, his mother is sitting at the table waiting for him, though he knows it’s not really his mother. He tells her she was right all along, that he never accepted it, and he doesn’t think he ever will. She tells him that he has to find a way. She also tells him that even The Flash can’t outrun the tragedies that the universe is going to send his way, and that he has to accept that, and then he can truly run free. Barry says he just misses her. She tells him that his mother is proud of him and the man that he’s become.
Barry sits with his mother, who reads him his favorite book, The Runaway Dinosaur, which Barry still knows by heart. She then tells Barry that he is ready. Barry gets up and the black shadow runs inside, which he catches. He merges with it, and becomes The Flash, wearing his Flash suit.
Barry Returns
Cisco puts the device back on his head and insists on trying again. Iris volunteers to go in with him to help get Barry to come back. Cisco and Iris hold hands while Cisco vibes.
Suddenly, Iris appears in front of Barry, reaching out her hand to him, asking him to come home to her. Barry looks back at his mother, who tells him, “Run, Barry. Run.” Barry reaches out and grabs Iris’s hand, and Iris pulls him back.
Cisco explains the situation with Tony, who is about to come through the door. Barry says he’ll lure Tony to Cisco’s workshop, while Cisco works on getting the power back on for his device. Just then, Tony breaks down the door. Barry grabs Iris and gets Tony to follow. Barry fights Tony while Cisco works on getting his device to work. Barry runs circles around Tony. Cisco and Wells realizes that Barry is using spin to charge the magnets, like an electric turbine. Tony collapses.
Later, Barry comes in to see Jesse, who is still in a coma. He touches her hand, which gives her a jolt, and she wakes up. Dr. Wells realizes that it’s the Speed Force.
Henry examines Barry and they have a chat. Barry thinks that everything that has happened to them has made them who they are, and he doesn’t think he’d change anything if he could. Henry tells Barry that he’s back in the picture for good.
Barry and Iris visit Barry’s mother’s grave. Barry tells Iris that Joe offered to take him so many times, but he always found an excuse to say no. Barry leaves The Runaway Dinosaur on the gravestone. Barry tells Iris that he’s seeing things a lot differently now, and that he wasted so much time being angry about what he had lost, when he had so much. He says he doesn’t know what’s between him and Iris, or where they go from here, all he knows is that she’s everything to him and she always has been — and the sound of her voice will always bring him home. They hug.
Caitlin and Zoom
In the final scene, Zoom tells Caitlin, who is sitting in the lab at the Central City Police Station, that he needs to know if she’s with him or against him — but tells her not to answer yet. He says he’s going to go to the other room and say a few words to his friends. When he comes back, if she’s still there he’ll know she’s chosen to stay with him, but if she’s not there, he’ll know she’s chosen her friends — and he will show her as much mercy as he will show them when they next see each other.
He puts on his mask and goes out to the balcony in the CCPD lobby. He makes a speech to the many metahumans standing below, saying how the humans think this is their world, and asks whose world is it? They chant back to him, “Our world! Our world!”
Her Thoughts on The Flash, Season 2 Episode 21: The Runaway Dinosaur
This was a beautiful episode that packed an emotional punch, especially in the scenes where Barry is talking to the Speed Force, which has taken the form of his loved ones. Kevin Smith did a great job directing this episode. But the thing is, almost every episode of The Flash contains an emotional aspect, and it seems like someone always ends up crying. Because of that, I feel like the sentimentality of the episode didn’t affect me as much as it should have, because I’ve grown used to it being a constant on this show. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it for what it is.
Was it just me, or did anyone else feel a little betrayed when Barry ran away from Cisco after the Speed Force (in the form of Iris) told him that his friends wanted him to come back, but if he went, he wouldn’t have his powers? At that point, I felt like how would he even know if he could get his powers back, and if he did, how would he know he would be able to get back? Would be rather have his powers and be stuck in this alternate world than go back to the real world without his powers? For all he knew, Cisco’s attempt might have been the only attempt that could be made. I guess you could argue that he just sort of “knew” what would happen, kind of like later in the episode when he knew how to wake Jesse up. If Iris hadn’t come in and stopped Wells when she did, Cisco may have been killed from the attempt, and they would no longer be able to vibe to get to Barry. Oh, and speaking of Dr. Wells, how is it that he knows so much about the Speed Force, and that it was even possible for Barry to be in it??
Anyway, so they get Barry back in the nick of time to save them from Tony, which was a random character to make a reappearance. But I guess there had to be some excitement and drama going on while Barry was away. Then we end the episode with a good set up of what’s to come: Zoom and an army of metahumans ready to take over this world. Nice of them to wait for Barry to go to great lengths to get his powers back before they decided to attack. But what choice does Caitlin make? Will she return to her friends, or stay with Zoom? Even if she does stay with Zoom, it could be for strategic reasons, so it could go either way, really.
His Thoughts on The Flash, Season 2 Episode 21: The Runaway Dinosaur
This was a very interesting episode in how it deals with the “Speed Force.” I am not a big Flash comic reader, and I am curious to know if the Speed Force is something with a consciousness in the comics. It is an odd thing to think about, as to me it seems more like an energy than a sentient thing. It makes me wonder if we will encounter more with the Speed Force in future episodes.
It really seems like the show likes to take us back to the events of Barry’s mother’s death or elude to the event at least. I am sure it is a driving force for who Barry is as a person, so it makes sense to have it be a running theme for the show. There are certainly some great emotional moments in the episode when we are back in Barry’s “house” again.
What is interesting about this episode is both Zoom and now Barry seem to be getting some confidence in their ability to carry out their motives. This should make for a great clash when the two forces come together. Zoom is working to take over the city, and Barry seems dead set on stopping him now. What would be really interesting is to see Wally or Jesse develop their abilities and provide assistance to Barry. It certainly would make for a very climactic ending for the season.
Scenes from The Flash, Season 2 Episode 22: Invincible
Preview of Season 2 Episode 21 of The Flash
