The Flash (2014) s02e17 Episode Script
Flash Back
1 My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive.
To the outside world, I'm an ordinary forensic scientist, but secretly, with the help of my friends at S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs, I fight crime and find other meta-humans like me.
I hunted down the man who killed my mother, but in doing so, I opened up our world to new threats, and I am the only one fast enough to stop them.
I am The Flash.
Previously on "The Flash" Let me get this straight.
You're the doppelganger of our Dr.
Wells.
Yeah, but that Dr.
Wells' body had been taken over by the Reverse Flash, who was really Eobard Thawne.
[gunshot.]
Eddie! Stay with me, okay? Stay.
Eddie's his ancestor.
If Eddie dies, then Thawne will never be born.
He'll be erased from existence! [siren wails.]
Hartley Rathaway.
I couldn't have built the particle accelerator without him.
- Cisco, what did you see? - I saw Jay.
He's Zoom.
[screaming.]
Barry: I let it happen again.
I trusted someone I shouldn't have.
Jay Garrick.
Zoom.
Just like I trusted Harrison Wells, or Eobard Thawne.
You see what I mean? I made the same mistake twice.
I thought they wanted to teach me how to use my powers, train me to get faster, but they didn't come here to help me.
They came to use me and take everything I love away from me.
But no more.
I'm gonna crack the code.
Figure out how to improve my speed.
I'm gonna train harder, get stronger, and run faster than anyone's ever run before.
And then I'm gonna stop Zoom.
[ominous music.]
[growls.]
Yo.
Can we please get rid of Jay's helmet? No, sorry.
It keeps me motivated.
Well, it's giving me daymares.
This is everything I could find even remotely related to increasing speed.
How are these supposed to help apply the speed equation to you? The answer's got to be here somewhere.
I think I found something interesting.
Good interesting or bad interesting? 'Cause that word could go either way.
After running some comparative data, it appears that you, Reverse Flash, and Zoom are moving your legs at essentially the same speed.
Then why are they so much faster than him? Best I can tell, with each stride their feet spend less time on the ground, thus propelling them forward much faster.
By almost 30%.
Great.
All right, well, I got to make up that difference somehow.
Barry? Look, after what that monster did, I want to stop Jay just as badly as you do Right.
But what if the reason you haven't been able to run as fast as him yet is because you just can't? [somber music.]
Barry, you know what happened to Jay is not your fault, right? Well, I should've known better.
You? With Wells last year, I should've learned my lesson and dug deeper into Jay, but I didn't.
Come on, Joe.
Point being is nobody saw this coming.
Nobody.
[microwave beeping.]
So I kind of went on a date.
- With who? - The new editor at CCPN.
Scott Evans.
Your boss? Okay, it wasn't like that.
He's a really nice guy.
He's sweet and smart and, um What? It just it all makes me think about Eddie.
I think about him every day, Barry.
It just feels wrong.
I know for a fact that Eddie would want you to find love again.
Yeah, I know, but Look, Iris.
You're the only person who's gonna know when you're ready to move on, but until then don't keep yourself completely closed off, you know? You're gonna miss out on something great.
Yeah.
[door opens.]
- Hey.
- Hey, sorry I'm late.
No, no, you're just in time.
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Dad! Mittens! [laughter.]
So my advisor loved my engine designs and even asked me to help her out with one - of her engineering projects.
- Okay, big man on campus.
It's not that big a deal.
It's a great opportunity, and you should take it because life doesn't give those out all the time.
Isn't that right, Barry? Yeah.
Yeah.
What is the project about? It's trying to push the speed limits with smaller propulsion systems.
- Yeah, that's cool.
- Where do you even start? Well, I really like to read the journals of the classic engineers, so their engine designs, how they increase horsepower, and learn from the best, I guess.
You read their journals? Mmm.
I mean, it's not like I can just go and talk to Enzo Ferrari or Ferdinand Porsche 'cause they dead, but [both laugh.]
You know, doesn't mean they can't still teach me.
I got to go.
You haven't even touched your food.
Yeah, no, I'm sorry.
I just, um I just realized the key to a case I've been working on, so I'm gonna just thank you, Wally.
Whoo! Um, sorry, guys.
I'll be I'll be back later.
That dude gets weirder every time I see him.
Yeah.
Cisco: You mean the "old" Harrison Wells? As in Eobard Thawne? You want him to teach you how to run faster? Oh, that's rich.
How are you gonna do that? By running back to a time last year.
And what about the other you, the one from that other timeline? I'll knock him out with something.
I mean, he's not like he'll see me coming, and then I'll have Wells teach me.
Barry, that's crazy.
Nothing I've read is pointing me towards a solution, and if there's anybody that's figured out the key to getting faster without V-9, it's him.
What do you guys think? [scoffs.]
Your plan is asinine.
Did you find Jesse? Does it look like I found Jesse? How many times have you traveled through time? - A few.
- Do you have any idea how many things you could screw up? All I need is one conversation with Dr.
Wells.
- He's not Wells.
- Thawne.
I'm Wells! This man has been studying you for 15 years for 15 years and you don't think he's gonna know who you are? Barry's pretty good at impersonating himself.
You should've seen him over there on Earth-2.
I was like, "Somebody get this man an Oscar.
" He will know, Allen.
He will know.
All right, then what am I supposed to do? I mean, how am I supposed to stop Zoom? Do you know the answer to this equation? If Thawne figures out that it's you, the timeline will be altered.
People can die.
Others could live, and no one will know who or what will be affected, but I promise you, when you come back, things will be different.
And only you will know what those differences are.
Well, if that's what I have to do to stop Zoom, then so be it, because if I don't, and Zoom gets my speed before I learn how to stop him, everybody I care about, everybody in this whole city their world will never be the same anyway.
Um Do you really think you can do this? Yeah, I do.
When I went back last year and I saw my mom die, it didn't affect the timeline.
Yeah, but you haven't really time traveled on purpose like this before.
I have to do this, you guys.
Okay, let's go for it.
Cisco: Okay, you're gonna go back to the time when Wells was distracted by the return of the major jackass, Hartley Rathaway.
This is the first time we found out Wells knew the accelerator might explode, and we were all angry with him, so anything that might seem odd about your behavior Wells should attribute to that.
Also remember: Do not underestimate Hartley.
He almost killed you.
This is a tranq dart that should knock "old" you out for about six hours, which lines up perfectly for when you're going back, because not much was happening until Hartley attacked the Cleveland Dam that night, so that should give you time to learn what you need and return.
Cisco: One more thing.
You cannot tell us the truth about Wells, no matter what.
You must keep the timeline intact.
It's gonna be hard to course correct if anything gets altered, so get what you need and come back, preferably to this moment, this exact time you're leaving, or else you might set off some kind of "12 Monkeys" time loop you'll never get out of.
Mm-hmm.
- No pressure.
- Yeah.
Cool.
So, we'll see you in, like, two seconds.
Time travel's so weird.
[chuckles.]
- Godspeed, Barry.
- I'll be fine.
What could go wrong? [dramatic music.]
- [gunshot.]
- Iris: Eddie! [Wraith shrieks.]
[grunting and gasping.]
Oh, no.
I'm too early.
You know my name? I know some names too.
This is not a good start.
Caitlyn Snow.
Cisco Ramone.
Harrison Wells.
- [feedback squeals.]
- Gah! Something's interfering with his comms.
Barry! [dramatic music.]
- [feedback squeals.]
- Come on! Damn it.
- What's happening? - I don't know.
Whatever Hartley's using must be shorting out his comms.
I can hear the radio waves Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I remember this.
Emanating from your suit.
This could still work.
About 1,900 megahertz.
Are they on the other end listening? Will they hear you die? No.
They're gonna hear you - Get your ass kicked.
- Get your ass kicked.
[chuckles.]
Okay.
[scoffs.]
Is that all it takes to scare you off? [panting.]
And he chose you over me? My comms? Who are you? I don't have time to explain this to you right now.
I don't understand.
You're me.
[grunts.]
I'm sorry, but I have to do this.
This'll all make sense eventually.
Where are you, oh, chosen one? Got ya again.
Looks like you're not as smart as everyone says, huh? Smart enough to have figured out who Harrison Wells really is.
You see, I know his secret.
Cisco: Barry, are you there? Yeah, yeah, I'm back.
I'm bringing Hartley in.
[scanner beeping.]
Scanners picking up foreign metallic objects in your ears.
- Take 'em out.
- I can't.
I suffered head trauma when S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs exploded.
My hearing was severely damaged.
Without these, I am in pain you can only imagine.
[high-pitch frequency squeals.]
Cisco, see if the devices in his ears are generating any low level electromagnetic pulses.
You want me to scan for E-bombs? I just I mean, don't you think that could've been what was interfering with the comms? [scoffs.]
Well, well.
Trying to go all "Mission: Impossible" on us? Use those things to bust out of here? [speaking Latin.]
Pump in some sound stimuli to counteract his tinnitus.
Then we'll make some nonexplosive replacements for him.
Deal with you later.
[suspenseful music.]
Take them out, Hartley.
Now.
Barry: Dr.
Wells.
That was quite an observation you had about Hartley in there, Mr.
Allen.
Yeah, it just seemed too easy taking him down, you know? Mm-hmm, well, the likely reason for that is you're getting faster.
Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.
It occurred to me that maybe we've been going about improving my speed the wrong way.
How so? Well, I've been learning different techniques involved in running, and I was thinking that there's just as much science involved in speed as anything physical or technical.
I just can't figure out how to apply it to me when I run.
Thought if anybody could help me, it'd be you.
This is quite the speed equation you've concocted here, isn't it, Mr.
Al? Yeah, I've been doing a lot of reading in my downtime.
What on earth inspired you to adopt such a what should we call this unorthodox approach? I just know that I'm not the fastest man alive, and I need to be faster, a lot faster, if I'm ever gonna be able to take down the Man in Yellow.
So what do you think? Can you help me? Let me see what I can do.
Hey, Joe.
Hey, Eddie.
Must have been a good lunch.
Iris is the first girlfriend I've ever lived with, so it's all very new and exciting.
New? Yes.
Exciting? No.
Sorry.
Somehow I keep forgetting you're her dad.
Hey, try to remember for both our sakes.
Come here.
I was thinking about what you said about Wells, how there's something off about him.
I need you to do something for me, off the books.
Joe, come on.
Just trust me, Eddie.
Okay.
What? Go back to his house.
Search everything.
[map rustles.]
Someone there? [Wraith shrieks.]
[dramatic music.]
[Wraith growls and shrieks.]
What the hell? [alarm beeping.]
CCPD.
I'm sure they have it handled, right? No.
You need to go.
Run, Barry.
[gunfire.]
Is everyone okay? - Barry.
- Yeah? - You should cover that up.
- Oh, right, yeah.
- Thanks.
- Joe.
No sign of it outside.
It just disappeared.
- Hey, Bar.
- Hey, Eddie.
Any idea what that thing could be? No, I don't know.
Not yet.
If I figure it out I'll let you know.
Things just keep getting more and more strange in this city.
Yeah, they do.
I'm gonna check in with Iris, let her know I'm okay.
- Great.
- All right, see ya, Bar.
What the hell's going on with you? What are you talking about? Look, I know you told Iris that you love her, but you said you'd moved past this whole Eddie and Iris thing.
I have, Joe.
I have.
Then why are you being so weird to Eddie? Okay, um, look.
I'm sorry.
Let me just take care of all this, okay? I'll talk to you later, I promise.
Fine.
But soon.
Soon, yeah.
What's going on? Oh, you know, just trying to figure out how to find this Dementor that's apparently roaming through Central City right now.
I assume that was the cause of the CCPD alarm.
Yeah, actually, it attacked my lab.
- You saw it? - No, I didn't see it, no.
I di um well, I didn't get there in time, but I have seen it before.
Where? It was earlier today, actually, when I was running to take Hartley down.
Uh-huh.
You're just mentioning this now? I I didn't know what it was.
I thought it was some sort of illusion.
I don't know.
Okay, well, we need to find it before it hurts somebody.
- Can you track it? - What is it with you guys? It's like you think I have ESP or something.
I can't just magically sense where things are.
- What can you do, Cisco? - I'm thinking I can reconfigure the S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs satellite to look for it.
Um, it might take some time though.
Do it.
In the meantime, Mr.
Allen, come with me.
Have a seat.
Is this about the speed equation? As a matter of fact, it is.
Oh, great.
Okay, good.
- So you figured it out? - Mm-hmm.
[grunts.]
[ominous music.]
Yes.
I've figured it out.
Now, who are you? I mean, who are you really? Dr.
Wells, what are you doing? None of it adds up.
The interference with the comms, the speed equation, the Time Wraith.
That's what we call them.
Time Wraiths.
Scary, aren't they? [chuckles.]
I thought, "Oh, no, a Time Wraith has found me.
" But then I thought, "No, no, no.
" You know what you're doing.
Now, the Time Wraith is after someone who's travelled through time and doesn't know what they're doing.
[laughs.]
Dr.
Wells, come on.
It's me.
It's it's Barry.
I don't Really? You are good.
[clapping.]
You are good, and I would believe you, except that Nothing? I move like this, you barely flinch.
You know who I am.
Don't you? Oh! [laughs.]
And you're from the future.
Do you know how I know that? Because I haven't taught my Barry Allen how to phase through objects yet.
[laughs.]
Let me out of here, Thawne.
[sighs.]
I know.
You're upset.
But it does me good to hear that name again.
Now, onto the bigger question.
Why are you here? Because I want to go faster, and you're the only one who can teach me.
You're the only one who's figured out the equation.
The Speed Force.
You've manipulated it.
How did you do that? No.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No.
You'd only come here if something went wrong.
If you're still alive, then that means I haven't beaten you.
If you're still alive that means my plan fails.
And if my plan fails, I don't get to go home, and if that's the case, well, then No, no, no! Hey, hey, hey! It's the opposite! It's the opposite! It you trick me.
You harness my speed.
We turn on the accelerator to create a path for you to go home.
I go back in time.
You go back to yours.
You won.
[sighs.]
Yeah.
Then why are you here? Why are you here now? Because when I got back, a singularity had formed.
And now the only way for me to learn how to get faster and stop the singularity from happening was to come here.
Now.
Well, that's good to know.
[sighs.]
There's just Just one thing that occurs to me.
I don't need you.
Do I? Not this you certainly.
Oops.
You probably should've thought of that before you came back here.
Shame [laughing.]
You ran all the way back here just to die.
You kill me Barry this Barry, your Barry, he learns it all.
There's a hidden letter telling him how it ends, how to beat you, everything.
Anything happens to me, you never make it back home.
Go on.
Kill me, Thawne.
See how this all ends.
[dramatic music.]
Now, you're gonna help me get faster.
I just want to tell you how I'm feeling Please.
Gotta make you understand Never gonna give you up I want to know how these work.
I'll tell you, just kill the music.
Run around and desert you Never gonna make you [high-pitched squeal.]
[groaning.]
[squealing fades and stops.]
- Thanks.
- The gauntlets, Hartley.
What kind of frequency is this? [suspenseful music.]
[phone vibrating.]
[muffled clatter.]
[Wraith shrieking.]
[dramatic music.]
[Wraith roaring.]
Cisco, it's here! - It's coming! - Inside the cell, now! Uh, sorry.
What's coming? Um [dramatic music.]
Holy Harry Potter.
- [Wraith shrieks.]
- Okay.
Well, isn't this fantastic? Look, we're gonna be safe in here.
These cells are [Wraith roars.]
Impenetrable? Barry! Dr.
Wells! All right.
We have to help them.
You let it track you here.
Get me out of here! Come on! If that thing comes after me and messes with my plans, you're all dead.
- Where are they? - Okay, let's step back.
- You'll shatter the glass.
- You got a better plan? As a matter of fact, give me those.
No! - Now, Cisco! - What are you gonna do? These cells have speakers linked throughout S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs.
- Yes, and? - I rigged these gauntlets to emit a destructive signal if ever they're disarmed.
[Wraith shrieking.]
If I can just find the right frequency of whatever the hell that thing is, well, let's just say you'll be glad you're in here with me.
[cacophonous frequencies blaring through speakers.]
[Wraith shrieking.]
I'm sorry that we didn't come sooner.
It's all right, Inky's gone.
I don't see anything.
You know, we'd be toast if wasn't for Hartley and those gauntlets.
Well, self-preservation is a very strong motivator, but he stays in the cell until I say otherwise.
- Okay, I'm just saying.
- So the two places this thing has attacked are here and CCPD.
- The common denominator being - Me.
Yeah, I know.
I just I don't know why.
Well, you must have done something to piss him off.
- Satellite hasn't found anything.
- We need to find a more permanent solution to this problem.
Start by repairing Hartley's gauntlets.
That's about as good a first step as any.
- I got some parts for it.
- Let's go for it.
You don't know how to stop - a Time Wraith? - None of us do.
That's why we always try and avoid them - in our travels.
- "We"? Speedsters we're not the only two out there, you know? This isn't the first time I've time traveled.
How come I've never seen one of these until now? Because you ran out of luck.
And Time Wraiths hate it when speedsters manipulate the timeline, and now that thing's gonna do everything it can to end you.
[scoffs.]
Here's what we're gonna do.
You're gonna go to CCPD.
You're gonna see what you can find to help us stop this thing I'll do the same here.
Well, what am I supposed to be looking for? You're in forensics.
Figure something out.
Hey, what about the equation? Me getting faster? If we don't stop this thing, there's gonna be no point in me teaching you anything.
No trace elements, no prints, no sign that it was ever here except the whole mess.
Any idea what it was looking for? - Me.
- What, why? It doesn't like something that I did.
And what exactly would that be? Joe, Singh needs you in his office.
Hey, Eddie, do you have a second? I kind of got to go check out a lead for Joe.
Okay, actually this is for Iris's birthday.
That's two months from now.
Yeah, no, I know.
You're right.
I just um, I want to make a video montage for her, just everybody in her life and how her being in your life - has made it better.
- That sounds great, yeah.
I'll think of something to say.
Can we do it now? Barry, I really got to go do this thing.
I I know.
I really it's just I kind of have to get it today.
- Sure.
- All right, great.
Just, um just speak from the heart.
Talk as if talk as if it was the last thing you could ever say to her.
Okay.
[sentimental music.]
- [phone beeps.]
- Go ahead.
What does Iris mean to me? Uh, wow.
So can these gauntlets be salvaged? Their electron guns are fried.
So it shorted the wave tubes both: And destroyed the amplifiers.
Yeah, but to be honest with you, I don't know how to manipulate the frequency variance.
Hartley would know.
He's the one who did it.
See if he can help, but he stays in the cell.
But then what? That thing's gonna come back.
I don't know.
Where is he? Where's the other Flash? [suspenseful music.]
Right here.
Okay.
Not how I expected today to turn out.
Yeah.
Okay, so I'm who are who are you? Who is he? Who are you? What do you I'm Barry.
I'm Barry.
Your Barry.
He's Your doppelganger.
No, not yet.
I am you, Barry.
Just different.
Wait a second, how do we know which one's the real Barry? Dude, okay, I've watched "Wrath of Khan" with you - like five times.
- Imposter! Yeah, and every time at the end, you turn to me and you say, "I have been and always shall be your friend.
" Haha! You, imposter! What is going on here? Okay, guys, I'm sorry.
This was not supposed to happen.
The tranq dart that Caitlin made was supposed to last a lot longer.
I did not give him a tranq dart.
Okay, no, yes, not you, the you from the time that I am from.
The time that you are from? I think what he's trying to say is he's from the future.
- The future? - Yeah.
- The future? - Yes.
- Wait, the future? - Yes.
Are we saying I can time-travel? [chuckles.]
One day.
Oh, that explains the white on the symbol.
Well, wait a second.
Suppose we now change your emblem.
Will it be because we got the idea from this? - Or, I mean, that would mean - Stop talking.
You stop talking too, all right? More you say, the more the timeline is disrupted.
Now I'm going to assume that your presence here is the reason that thing is attacking us.
What? What thing? Have you ever seen "The Frighteners"? It's sort of like that, but scarier and faster and it's after you after him.
Yeah, it's been chasing me ever since I got here.
Okay, so how do we stop it? We don't know.
- Then what are we gonna do? - The one thing we can.
[suspenseful music.]
What? What are we doing here? We're here for the answer to your speed equation the reason that you traveled back to this time, and the key to running faster.
Tachyon enhancement.
This was not the deal.
If you think that I'm gonna hold your hand this entire way, you're sadly mistaken.
Everything you need is on this drive.
You follow its instructions, you will enhance the Speed Force in your system and run faster than you ever thought possible.
If this doesn't work, I'm coming back.
Cisco: Dr.
Wells, we need you.
Time to go home, Flash.
Okay, our satellite has finally found our floating friend and it's coming back.
- You need to go.
- I need to know how to stop it.
- Barry - Not now.
When I get back.
You guys have a year to figure it out.
Okay.
We'll figure something out.
Cisco, come here.
Hartley knows where Ronnie is.
Okay? What? [electronic beeping.]
It's coming.
You need to leave now.
Yeah.
[dramatic music.]
Thank you.
Barry, here it comes.
[Wraith shrieks.]
[Wraith shrieks.]
[electronic beeping.]
[Wraith shrieking.]
It's not working.
It's slowing him down.
Not for long.
No! Barry! [Wraith shrieking.]
[Wraith shrieks.]
Cool.
[Wraith shrieking.]
- It's coming! - Did you even go? - The Time Wraith.
- That's a good name.
Looks like that's a yes.
Did you figure out how to stop it? [Wraith shrieking.]
Damn! We thought so! [Wraith shrieking.]
Barry! [Wraith shrieks and hisses.]
[grunting.]
[Wraith snarls.]
[groans.]
[energy pulses and hums.]
[exhales sharply.]
I suddenly realized.
Low frequency, high intensity.
I knew that.
Oh, hey, Barry.
How was your trip? So aside from the fact that a Time Wraith came over here and nearly killed us, how did it go? It was interesting.
Good interesting or bad interesting? 'Cause that could go either way.
So far so good.
[speaks Latin.]
How many times do we have to tell you, Hartley? Ever since Evil Wells got erased from existence, no one speaks Latin around here anymore.
Well, as always, it's been a pleasure working with you all on this little project.
If you need anything in the future, call me.
I'm off to a late dinner.
Mm, dinner.
Anyone special? Very.
My parents.
[soft music.]
So? You got me on pins and needles over here.
What about the speed equation? Did Wells tell you what you need to do? Well, let's see.
Hmm.
Maybe it's password protected? Oh are you kidding me? After everything I just went through this doesn't even work! [dramatic music.]
We got it.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- You okay? - Yeah, I'm okay.
Although it turns out it's easier to find a two-ton gorilla on this earth than a teenage daughter.
I don't know what I've done.
You did what you thought you had to do.
You risked your life to save her.
You brought her here to protect her from Zoom.
You acted like a father.
"Like a father.
" You know, my wife had to she had to talk me into having kids.
Kids, you know, they're they're small, loud, run around.
All I needed was my science and my job for my joy and happiness.
And then the moment we had her all that I wanted was her love.
Now, I don't know if I'll ever see that again.
It seems every decision I've made lately has backfired on me.
You just have to trust that, in the long run, you made the right ones.
[somber music.]
- Hey.
- Hey.
I put your plate from dinner in the fridge.
Thanks.
It's been almost a year already.
Can you believe that? That's the thing, Iris.
Everything keeps moving forward.
Question is, when will you? I don't know, Barry.
Well, um, I found something that I think might help.
I was putting together this little video montage for your birthday last year with everybody, and everything happened.
Um, but, uh, take a look.
I think it might help.
Okay.
What does Iris mean to me? Wow.
You know, a lot of times I have a hard time figuring out what to say to people, but when it comes to you, Iris, I don't.
Because with you, everything that used to feel tough just doesn't anymore.
It's one of the things I love about you.
You don't need me.
You can handle anything on your own because you're fearless and independent loving, kind.
You are without question the best decision I ever made, Iris West.
And I've never thanked you for choosing to be with me because each day with you is a gift.
So, thank you.
You deserve the world, Iris.
You deserve to be happy the rest of your life, and no one wants that more for you than me.
Happy birthday, baby.
I love you.
I love you too.
Barry: Sometimes the only way to move forward is to revisit the things in your past that were holding you back.
You have to deal with them head on, no matter how scary they may be.
Because once we do, you'll see that you can go further than you ever imagined.
[dramatic music.]
I'm coming for you.
To the outside world, I'm an ordinary forensic scientist, but secretly, with the help of my friends at S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs, I fight crime and find other meta-humans like me.
I hunted down the man who killed my mother, but in doing so, I opened up our world to new threats, and I am the only one fast enough to stop them.
I am The Flash.
Previously on "The Flash" Let me get this straight.
You're the doppelganger of our Dr.
Wells.
Yeah, but that Dr.
Wells' body had been taken over by the Reverse Flash, who was really Eobard Thawne.
[gunshot.]
Eddie! Stay with me, okay? Stay.
Eddie's his ancestor.
If Eddie dies, then Thawne will never be born.
He'll be erased from existence! [siren wails.]
Hartley Rathaway.
I couldn't have built the particle accelerator without him.
- Cisco, what did you see? - I saw Jay.
He's Zoom.
[screaming.]
Barry: I let it happen again.
I trusted someone I shouldn't have.
Jay Garrick.
Zoom.
Just like I trusted Harrison Wells, or Eobard Thawne.
You see what I mean? I made the same mistake twice.
I thought they wanted to teach me how to use my powers, train me to get faster, but they didn't come here to help me.
They came to use me and take everything I love away from me.
But no more.
I'm gonna crack the code.
Figure out how to improve my speed.
I'm gonna train harder, get stronger, and run faster than anyone's ever run before.
And then I'm gonna stop Zoom.
[ominous music.]
[growls.]
Yo.
Can we please get rid of Jay's helmet? No, sorry.
It keeps me motivated.
Well, it's giving me daymares.
This is everything I could find even remotely related to increasing speed.
How are these supposed to help apply the speed equation to you? The answer's got to be here somewhere.
I think I found something interesting.
Good interesting or bad interesting? 'Cause that word could go either way.
After running some comparative data, it appears that you, Reverse Flash, and Zoom are moving your legs at essentially the same speed.
Then why are they so much faster than him? Best I can tell, with each stride their feet spend less time on the ground, thus propelling them forward much faster.
By almost 30%.
Great.
All right, well, I got to make up that difference somehow.
Barry? Look, after what that monster did, I want to stop Jay just as badly as you do Right.
But what if the reason you haven't been able to run as fast as him yet is because you just can't? [somber music.]
Barry, you know what happened to Jay is not your fault, right? Well, I should've known better.
You? With Wells last year, I should've learned my lesson and dug deeper into Jay, but I didn't.
Come on, Joe.
Point being is nobody saw this coming.
Nobody.
[microwave beeping.]
So I kind of went on a date.
- With who? - The new editor at CCPN.
Scott Evans.
Your boss? Okay, it wasn't like that.
He's a really nice guy.
He's sweet and smart and, um What? It just it all makes me think about Eddie.
I think about him every day, Barry.
It just feels wrong.
I know for a fact that Eddie would want you to find love again.
Yeah, I know, but Look, Iris.
You're the only person who's gonna know when you're ready to move on, but until then don't keep yourself completely closed off, you know? You're gonna miss out on something great.
Yeah.
[door opens.]
- Hey.
- Hey, sorry I'm late.
No, no, you're just in time.
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Dad! Mittens! [laughter.]
So my advisor loved my engine designs and even asked me to help her out with one - of her engineering projects.
- Okay, big man on campus.
It's not that big a deal.
It's a great opportunity, and you should take it because life doesn't give those out all the time.
Isn't that right, Barry? Yeah.
Yeah.
What is the project about? It's trying to push the speed limits with smaller propulsion systems.
- Yeah, that's cool.
- Where do you even start? Well, I really like to read the journals of the classic engineers, so their engine designs, how they increase horsepower, and learn from the best, I guess.
You read their journals? Mmm.
I mean, it's not like I can just go and talk to Enzo Ferrari or Ferdinand Porsche 'cause they dead, but [both laugh.]
You know, doesn't mean they can't still teach me.
I got to go.
You haven't even touched your food.
Yeah, no, I'm sorry.
I just, um I just realized the key to a case I've been working on, so I'm gonna just thank you, Wally.
Whoo! Um, sorry, guys.
I'll be I'll be back later.
That dude gets weirder every time I see him.
Yeah.
Cisco: You mean the "old" Harrison Wells? As in Eobard Thawne? You want him to teach you how to run faster? Oh, that's rich.
How are you gonna do that? By running back to a time last year.
And what about the other you, the one from that other timeline? I'll knock him out with something.
I mean, he's not like he'll see me coming, and then I'll have Wells teach me.
Barry, that's crazy.
Nothing I've read is pointing me towards a solution, and if there's anybody that's figured out the key to getting faster without V-9, it's him.
What do you guys think? [scoffs.]
Your plan is asinine.
Did you find Jesse? Does it look like I found Jesse? How many times have you traveled through time? - A few.
- Do you have any idea how many things you could screw up? All I need is one conversation with Dr.
Wells.
- He's not Wells.
- Thawne.
I'm Wells! This man has been studying you for 15 years for 15 years and you don't think he's gonna know who you are? Barry's pretty good at impersonating himself.
You should've seen him over there on Earth-2.
I was like, "Somebody get this man an Oscar.
" He will know, Allen.
He will know.
All right, then what am I supposed to do? I mean, how am I supposed to stop Zoom? Do you know the answer to this equation? If Thawne figures out that it's you, the timeline will be altered.
People can die.
Others could live, and no one will know who or what will be affected, but I promise you, when you come back, things will be different.
And only you will know what those differences are.
Well, if that's what I have to do to stop Zoom, then so be it, because if I don't, and Zoom gets my speed before I learn how to stop him, everybody I care about, everybody in this whole city their world will never be the same anyway.
Um Do you really think you can do this? Yeah, I do.
When I went back last year and I saw my mom die, it didn't affect the timeline.
Yeah, but you haven't really time traveled on purpose like this before.
I have to do this, you guys.
Okay, let's go for it.
Cisco: Okay, you're gonna go back to the time when Wells was distracted by the return of the major jackass, Hartley Rathaway.
This is the first time we found out Wells knew the accelerator might explode, and we were all angry with him, so anything that might seem odd about your behavior Wells should attribute to that.
Also remember: Do not underestimate Hartley.
He almost killed you.
This is a tranq dart that should knock "old" you out for about six hours, which lines up perfectly for when you're going back, because not much was happening until Hartley attacked the Cleveland Dam that night, so that should give you time to learn what you need and return.
Cisco: One more thing.
You cannot tell us the truth about Wells, no matter what.
You must keep the timeline intact.
It's gonna be hard to course correct if anything gets altered, so get what you need and come back, preferably to this moment, this exact time you're leaving, or else you might set off some kind of "12 Monkeys" time loop you'll never get out of.
Mm-hmm.
- No pressure.
- Yeah.
Cool.
So, we'll see you in, like, two seconds.
Time travel's so weird.
[chuckles.]
- Godspeed, Barry.
- I'll be fine.
What could go wrong? [dramatic music.]
- [gunshot.]
- Iris: Eddie! [Wraith shrieks.]
[grunting and gasping.]
Oh, no.
I'm too early.
You know my name? I know some names too.
This is not a good start.
Caitlyn Snow.
Cisco Ramone.
Harrison Wells.
- [feedback squeals.]
- Gah! Something's interfering with his comms.
Barry! [dramatic music.]
- [feedback squeals.]
- Come on! Damn it.
- What's happening? - I don't know.
Whatever Hartley's using must be shorting out his comms.
I can hear the radio waves Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I remember this.
Emanating from your suit.
This could still work.
About 1,900 megahertz.
Are they on the other end listening? Will they hear you die? No.
They're gonna hear you - Get your ass kicked.
- Get your ass kicked.
[chuckles.]
Okay.
[scoffs.]
Is that all it takes to scare you off? [panting.]
And he chose you over me? My comms? Who are you? I don't have time to explain this to you right now.
I don't understand.
You're me.
[grunts.]
I'm sorry, but I have to do this.
This'll all make sense eventually.
Where are you, oh, chosen one? Got ya again.
Looks like you're not as smart as everyone says, huh? Smart enough to have figured out who Harrison Wells really is.
You see, I know his secret.
Cisco: Barry, are you there? Yeah, yeah, I'm back.
I'm bringing Hartley in.
[scanner beeping.]
Scanners picking up foreign metallic objects in your ears.
- Take 'em out.
- I can't.
I suffered head trauma when S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs exploded.
My hearing was severely damaged.
Without these, I am in pain you can only imagine.
[high-pitch frequency squeals.]
Cisco, see if the devices in his ears are generating any low level electromagnetic pulses.
You want me to scan for E-bombs? I just I mean, don't you think that could've been what was interfering with the comms? [scoffs.]
Well, well.
Trying to go all "Mission: Impossible" on us? Use those things to bust out of here? [speaking Latin.]
Pump in some sound stimuli to counteract his tinnitus.
Then we'll make some nonexplosive replacements for him.
Deal with you later.
[suspenseful music.]
Take them out, Hartley.
Now.
Barry: Dr.
Wells.
That was quite an observation you had about Hartley in there, Mr.
Allen.
Yeah, it just seemed too easy taking him down, you know? Mm-hmm, well, the likely reason for that is you're getting faster.
Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.
It occurred to me that maybe we've been going about improving my speed the wrong way.
How so? Well, I've been learning different techniques involved in running, and I was thinking that there's just as much science involved in speed as anything physical or technical.
I just can't figure out how to apply it to me when I run.
Thought if anybody could help me, it'd be you.
This is quite the speed equation you've concocted here, isn't it, Mr.
Al? Yeah, I've been doing a lot of reading in my downtime.
What on earth inspired you to adopt such a what should we call this unorthodox approach? I just know that I'm not the fastest man alive, and I need to be faster, a lot faster, if I'm ever gonna be able to take down the Man in Yellow.
So what do you think? Can you help me? Let me see what I can do.
Hey, Joe.
Hey, Eddie.
Must have been a good lunch.
Iris is the first girlfriend I've ever lived with, so it's all very new and exciting.
New? Yes.
Exciting? No.
Sorry.
Somehow I keep forgetting you're her dad.
Hey, try to remember for both our sakes.
Come here.
I was thinking about what you said about Wells, how there's something off about him.
I need you to do something for me, off the books.
Joe, come on.
Just trust me, Eddie.
Okay.
What? Go back to his house.
Search everything.
[map rustles.]
Someone there? [Wraith shrieks.]
[dramatic music.]
[Wraith growls and shrieks.]
What the hell? [alarm beeping.]
CCPD.
I'm sure they have it handled, right? No.
You need to go.
Run, Barry.
[gunfire.]
Is everyone okay? - Barry.
- Yeah? - You should cover that up.
- Oh, right, yeah.
- Thanks.
- Joe.
No sign of it outside.
It just disappeared.
- Hey, Bar.
- Hey, Eddie.
Any idea what that thing could be? No, I don't know.
Not yet.
If I figure it out I'll let you know.
Things just keep getting more and more strange in this city.
Yeah, they do.
I'm gonna check in with Iris, let her know I'm okay.
- Great.
- All right, see ya, Bar.
What the hell's going on with you? What are you talking about? Look, I know you told Iris that you love her, but you said you'd moved past this whole Eddie and Iris thing.
I have, Joe.
I have.
Then why are you being so weird to Eddie? Okay, um, look.
I'm sorry.
Let me just take care of all this, okay? I'll talk to you later, I promise.
Fine.
But soon.
Soon, yeah.
What's going on? Oh, you know, just trying to figure out how to find this Dementor that's apparently roaming through Central City right now.
I assume that was the cause of the CCPD alarm.
Yeah, actually, it attacked my lab.
- You saw it? - No, I didn't see it, no.
I di um well, I didn't get there in time, but I have seen it before.
Where? It was earlier today, actually, when I was running to take Hartley down.
Uh-huh.
You're just mentioning this now? I I didn't know what it was.
I thought it was some sort of illusion.
I don't know.
Okay, well, we need to find it before it hurts somebody.
- Can you track it? - What is it with you guys? It's like you think I have ESP or something.
I can't just magically sense where things are.
- What can you do, Cisco? - I'm thinking I can reconfigure the S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs satellite to look for it.
Um, it might take some time though.
Do it.
In the meantime, Mr.
Allen, come with me.
Have a seat.
Is this about the speed equation? As a matter of fact, it is.
Oh, great.
Okay, good.
- So you figured it out? - Mm-hmm.
[grunts.]
[ominous music.]
Yes.
I've figured it out.
Now, who are you? I mean, who are you really? Dr.
Wells, what are you doing? None of it adds up.
The interference with the comms, the speed equation, the Time Wraith.
That's what we call them.
Time Wraiths.
Scary, aren't they? [chuckles.]
I thought, "Oh, no, a Time Wraith has found me.
" But then I thought, "No, no, no.
" You know what you're doing.
Now, the Time Wraith is after someone who's travelled through time and doesn't know what they're doing.
[laughs.]
Dr.
Wells, come on.
It's me.
It's it's Barry.
I don't Really? You are good.
[clapping.]
You are good, and I would believe you, except that Nothing? I move like this, you barely flinch.
You know who I am.
Don't you? Oh! [laughs.]
And you're from the future.
Do you know how I know that? Because I haven't taught my Barry Allen how to phase through objects yet.
[laughs.]
Let me out of here, Thawne.
[sighs.]
I know.
You're upset.
But it does me good to hear that name again.
Now, onto the bigger question.
Why are you here? Because I want to go faster, and you're the only one who can teach me.
You're the only one who's figured out the equation.
The Speed Force.
You've manipulated it.
How did you do that? No.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No.
You'd only come here if something went wrong.
If you're still alive, then that means I haven't beaten you.
If you're still alive that means my plan fails.
And if my plan fails, I don't get to go home, and if that's the case, well, then No, no, no! Hey, hey, hey! It's the opposite! It's the opposite! It you trick me.
You harness my speed.
We turn on the accelerator to create a path for you to go home.
I go back in time.
You go back to yours.
You won.
[sighs.]
Yeah.
Then why are you here? Why are you here now? Because when I got back, a singularity had formed.
And now the only way for me to learn how to get faster and stop the singularity from happening was to come here.
Now.
Well, that's good to know.
[sighs.]
There's just Just one thing that occurs to me.
I don't need you.
Do I? Not this you certainly.
Oops.
You probably should've thought of that before you came back here.
Shame [laughing.]
You ran all the way back here just to die.
You kill me Barry this Barry, your Barry, he learns it all.
There's a hidden letter telling him how it ends, how to beat you, everything.
Anything happens to me, you never make it back home.
Go on.
Kill me, Thawne.
See how this all ends.
[dramatic music.]
Now, you're gonna help me get faster.
I just want to tell you how I'm feeling Please.
Gotta make you understand Never gonna give you up I want to know how these work.
I'll tell you, just kill the music.
Run around and desert you Never gonna make you [high-pitched squeal.]
[groaning.]
[squealing fades and stops.]
- Thanks.
- The gauntlets, Hartley.
What kind of frequency is this? [suspenseful music.]
[phone vibrating.]
[muffled clatter.]
[Wraith shrieking.]
[dramatic music.]
[Wraith roaring.]
Cisco, it's here! - It's coming! - Inside the cell, now! Uh, sorry.
What's coming? Um [dramatic music.]
Holy Harry Potter.
- [Wraith shrieks.]
- Okay.
Well, isn't this fantastic? Look, we're gonna be safe in here.
These cells are [Wraith roars.]
Impenetrable? Barry! Dr.
Wells! All right.
We have to help them.
You let it track you here.
Get me out of here! Come on! If that thing comes after me and messes with my plans, you're all dead.
- Where are they? - Okay, let's step back.
- You'll shatter the glass.
- You got a better plan? As a matter of fact, give me those.
No! - Now, Cisco! - What are you gonna do? These cells have speakers linked throughout S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs.
- Yes, and? - I rigged these gauntlets to emit a destructive signal if ever they're disarmed.
[Wraith shrieking.]
If I can just find the right frequency of whatever the hell that thing is, well, let's just say you'll be glad you're in here with me.
[cacophonous frequencies blaring through speakers.]
[Wraith shrieking.]
I'm sorry that we didn't come sooner.
It's all right, Inky's gone.
I don't see anything.
You know, we'd be toast if wasn't for Hartley and those gauntlets.
Well, self-preservation is a very strong motivator, but he stays in the cell until I say otherwise.
- Okay, I'm just saying.
- So the two places this thing has attacked are here and CCPD.
- The common denominator being - Me.
Yeah, I know.
I just I don't know why.
Well, you must have done something to piss him off.
- Satellite hasn't found anything.
- We need to find a more permanent solution to this problem.
Start by repairing Hartley's gauntlets.
That's about as good a first step as any.
- I got some parts for it.
- Let's go for it.
You don't know how to stop - a Time Wraith? - None of us do.
That's why we always try and avoid them - in our travels.
- "We"? Speedsters we're not the only two out there, you know? This isn't the first time I've time traveled.
How come I've never seen one of these until now? Because you ran out of luck.
And Time Wraiths hate it when speedsters manipulate the timeline, and now that thing's gonna do everything it can to end you.
[scoffs.]
Here's what we're gonna do.
You're gonna go to CCPD.
You're gonna see what you can find to help us stop this thing I'll do the same here.
Well, what am I supposed to be looking for? You're in forensics.
Figure something out.
Hey, what about the equation? Me getting faster? If we don't stop this thing, there's gonna be no point in me teaching you anything.
No trace elements, no prints, no sign that it was ever here except the whole mess.
Any idea what it was looking for? - Me.
- What, why? It doesn't like something that I did.
And what exactly would that be? Joe, Singh needs you in his office.
Hey, Eddie, do you have a second? I kind of got to go check out a lead for Joe.
Okay, actually this is for Iris's birthday.
That's two months from now.
Yeah, no, I know.
You're right.
I just um, I want to make a video montage for her, just everybody in her life and how her being in your life - has made it better.
- That sounds great, yeah.
I'll think of something to say.
Can we do it now? Barry, I really got to go do this thing.
I I know.
I really it's just I kind of have to get it today.
- Sure.
- All right, great.
Just, um just speak from the heart.
Talk as if talk as if it was the last thing you could ever say to her.
Okay.
[sentimental music.]
- [phone beeps.]
- Go ahead.
What does Iris mean to me? Uh, wow.
So can these gauntlets be salvaged? Their electron guns are fried.
So it shorted the wave tubes both: And destroyed the amplifiers.
Yeah, but to be honest with you, I don't know how to manipulate the frequency variance.
Hartley would know.
He's the one who did it.
See if he can help, but he stays in the cell.
But then what? That thing's gonna come back.
I don't know.
Where is he? Where's the other Flash? [suspenseful music.]
Right here.
Okay.
Not how I expected today to turn out.
Yeah.
Okay, so I'm who are who are you? Who is he? Who are you? What do you I'm Barry.
I'm Barry.
Your Barry.
He's Your doppelganger.
No, not yet.
I am you, Barry.
Just different.
Wait a second, how do we know which one's the real Barry? Dude, okay, I've watched "Wrath of Khan" with you - like five times.
- Imposter! Yeah, and every time at the end, you turn to me and you say, "I have been and always shall be your friend.
" Haha! You, imposter! What is going on here? Okay, guys, I'm sorry.
This was not supposed to happen.
The tranq dart that Caitlin made was supposed to last a lot longer.
I did not give him a tranq dart.
Okay, no, yes, not you, the you from the time that I am from.
The time that you are from? I think what he's trying to say is he's from the future.
- The future? - Yeah.
- The future? - Yes.
- Wait, the future? - Yes.
Are we saying I can time-travel? [chuckles.]
One day.
Oh, that explains the white on the symbol.
Well, wait a second.
Suppose we now change your emblem.
Will it be because we got the idea from this? - Or, I mean, that would mean - Stop talking.
You stop talking too, all right? More you say, the more the timeline is disrupted.
Now I'm going to assume that your presence here is the reason that thing is attacking us.
What? What thing? Have you ever seen "The Frighteners"? It's sort of like that, but scarier and faster and it's after you after him.
Yeah, it's been chasing me ever since I got here.
Okay, so how do we stop it? We don't know.
- Then what are we gonna do? - The one thing we can.
[suspenseful music.]
What? What are we doing here? We're here for the answer to your speed equation the reason that you traveled back to this time, and the key to running faster.
Tachyon enhancement.
This was not the deal.
If you think that I'm gonna hold your hand this entire way, you're sadly mistaken.
Everything you need is on this drive.
You follow its instructions, you will enhance the Speed Force in your system and run faster than you ever thought possible.
If this doesn't work, I'm coming back.
Cisco: Dr.
Wells, we need you.
Time to go home, Flash.
Okay, our satellite has finally found our floating friend and it's coming back.
- You need to go.
- I need to know how to stop it.
- Barry - Not now.
When I get back.
You guys have a year to figure it out.
Okay.
We'll figure something out.
Cisco, come here.
Hartley knows where Ronnie is.
Okay? What? [electronic beeping.]
It's coming.
You need to leave now.
Yeah.
[dramatic music.]
Thank you.
Barry, here it comes.
[Wraith shrieks.]
[Wraith shrieks.]
[electronic beeping.]
[Wraith shrieking.]
It's not working.
It's slowing him down.
Not for long.
No! Barry! [Wraith shrieking.]
[Wraith shrieks.]
Cool.
[Wraith shrieking.]
- It's coming! - Did you even go? - The Time Wraith.
- That's a good name.
Looks like that's a yes.
Did you figure out how to stop it? [Wraith shrieking.]
Damn! We thought so! [Wraith shrieking.]
Barry! [Wraith shrieks and hisses.]
[grunting.]
[Wraith snarls.]
[groans.]
[energy pulses and hums.]
[exhales sharply.]
I suddenly realized.
Low frequency, high intensity.
I knew that.
Oh, hey, Barry.
How was your trip? So aside from the fact that a Time Wraith came over here and nearly killed us, how did it go? It was interesting.
Good interesting or bad interesting? 'Cause that could go either way.
So far so good.
[speaks Latin.]
How many times do we have to tell you, Hartley? Ever since Evil Wells got erased from existence, no one speaks Latin around here anymore.
Well, as always, it's been a pleasure working with you all on this little project.
If you need anything in the future, call me.
I'm off to a late dinner.
Mm, dinner.
Anyone special? Very.
My parents.
[soft music.]
So? You got me on pins and needles over here.
What about the speed equation? Did Wells tell you what you need to do? Well, let's see.
Hmm.
Maybe it's password protected? Oh are you kidding me? After everything I just went through this doesn't even work! [dramatic music.]
We got it.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- You okay? - Yeah, I'm okay.
Although it turns out it's easier to find a two-ton gorilla on this earth than a teenage daughter.
I don't know what I've done.
You did what you thought you had to do.
You risked your life to save her.
You brought her here to protect her from Zoom.
You acted like a father.
"Like a father.
" You know, my wife had to she had to talk me into having kids.
Kids, you know, they're they're small, loud, run around.
All I needed was my science and my job for my joy and happiness.
And then the moment we had her all that I wanted was her love.
Now, I don't know if I'll ever see that again.
It seems every decision I've made lately has backfired on me.
You just have to trust that, in the long run, you made the right ones.
[somber music.]
- Hey.
- Hey.
I put your plate from dinner in the fridge.
Thanks.
It's been almost a year already.
Can you believe that? That's the thing, Iris.
Everything keeps moving forward.
Question is, when will you? I don't know, Barry.
Well, um, I found something that I think might help.
I was putting together this little video montage for your birthday last year with everybody, and everything happened.
Um, but, uh, take a look.
I think it might help.
Okay.
What does Iris mean to me? Wow.
You know, a lot of times I have a hard time figuring out what to say to people, but when it comes to you, Iris, I don't.
Because with you, everything that used to feel tough just doesn't anymore.
It's one of the things I love about you.
You don't need me.
You can handle anything on your own because you're fearless and independent loving, kind.
You are without question the best decision I ever made, Iris West.
And I've never thanked you for choosing to be with me because each day with you is a gift.
So, thank you.
You deserve the world, Iris.
You deserve to be happy the rest of your life, and no one wants that more for you than me.
Happy birthday, baby.
I love you.
I love you too.
Barry: Sometimes the only way to move forward is to revisit the things in your past that were holding you back.
You have to deal with them head on, no matter how scary they may be.
Because once we do, you'll see that you can go further than you ever imagined.
[dramatic music.]
I'm coming for you.