FLASHBACK: Enter Zoom (S2-E06)

HOLY CRAP! There was a lot of intense moments in this week’s episode of The Flash. ‘Enter Zoom’ was heavy on plot, and light on the Easter Eggs, but we managed to pull some tidbits just for you!

BARRY COMES UP WITH A PLAN TO DEFEAT ZOOM — After recent events, Barry (Grant Gustin) decides it’s time to confront Zoom and comes up with a dangerous plan. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) sides with Jay (guest star Teddy Sears) and deems it too dangerous for Barry to engage with the speed demon. However, Iris (Candice Patton) shows her support and brings forth a surprising ally. We see what Earth-2 Harrison Wells’ (Tom Cavanagh) life was like before coming through the breach. JJ Makaro directed the episode written by Gabrielle Stanton & Brooke Eikmeier (#206).

THE VILLAINS

Zoom

We still don’t know who is under the mask, but guesses seem to cover the spectrum from a Dark Barry Allen, to Wally West (which would tie into my theory that Francine West is not from Earth-1). Still, it is probably a good idea to take a look at Hunter Zolomon, the third Reverse-Flash, who first appeared in The Flash: Secret Files and Origins #3, created by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins in 2001.

On the day he was leaving for college, Hunter came home to find out that his father was a serial killer, his mother was dead, and the police were laying siege to his home. That was the day Hunter decided he would become a criminal profiler – getting inside the mind of the bad guys. He moved to Central City, became friends with Wally West (this was before Barry returned from the great beyond), and the two solved crimes together; that is until the day Gorilla Grodd broke Hunter’s back during an incident at Iron Heights.

Hunter begged Wally to use the Cosmic Treadmill to go back in time to keep the incident from happening, but Wally refused, worrying it would cause the time-stream to break (perhaps he understood the Flashpoint effect better than Barry). Hunter then hypothesized that because Wally had never had an extreme tragedy in his life, that he should become Zoom in order to make Wally a better hero.

In a controversial story, Zoom attacked Linda Park (Wally’s wife at the time), causing her unborn twins to die during the attack. Wally was able to defeat Zoom by locking him in a time loop, thus preventing him from becoming a threat in the future… until eventually he did become a threat to the Flash in other storylines.

Armed with this information, there is a good chance that Zoom could indeed be Hunter Zolomon, but Zoom in the comics never wore a black costume. That getup is typically associated with The Black Flash, which I’ll talk about more in a future Flashback installment.

Since this is our first really good look at Zoom, I did notice (and you did, too) that the Flash symbol is reversed very much like the Reverse Flash costume from last season.

Finally, was it just me, or when Zoom took down Barry did I hear the word “Zoom” during the blue lightning transition to commercial break? I think I did. Scary.

TID-BITS

There were a lot of little tid-bits featured in this week’s episode including:

Green Arrow of Earth-2

Robert Queen is the Green Arrow of Earth-2. In that world, Oliver died, while Robert lived. Similar story elements have appeared in Flashpoint where Thomas Wayne is Batman to avenge the death of his son, Bruce.

Coast City

Coast City is mentioned again in this episode, which is interesting, as the city is located in California, which is quite a trek from Missouri.

52!

Channel 52 is alive and well in every universe!

College vs. University

Central City College of Earth-2 is an original creation for the show. In comics, Keystone City has Midwestern University and Western State University, while Central City has Central City University and Central City Medical School.

For those who are wondering how a young kid like Barry could become a CSI for Central City, Barry won the Fallville County Fair Agricultural Competition, which included a scholarship to Sun City University (in Florida). He graduated in three years, and was offered a job with the CCPD Scientific Detection Bureau.

Terminal Velocity

During the big battle, Flash and Zoom enter terminal velocity where their speed matches gravity and they are essentially free falling. During Mark Waid’s run of the Flash, Wally learns all about the Speed Force, and ends up sacrificing himself during KOBRAs attack on Keystone City. It’s a most excellent read, and really gives a great breakdown of how the Flash Family and their powers work. And before you think I spoiled the volume, here’s a hint: He doesn’t die, and Linda serves as a major anchor character in the arc.

BEER AT THE OFFICE!

I couldn’t get a clear look at the label of the beer Linda and Iris were drinking. At first I thought it was Blue Moon or Fat Tire, but turns out it wasn’t either. Maybe Spoilerites with a sharper eye than mine can help me out.

IT’S CALLED A SECRET IDENTITY FOR A REASON!

It’s an updated list! Now every major character except Patty Spivot knows who is under the mask

• Dr. Harrison Wells (deceased)
• Eobard Thawne (as Dr. Harrison Wells)
• Dr. Harry Wells (Earth-2)
• Dr. Caitlin Snow
• Dr. Cisco Ramon
• Detective Joe West
• Ronnie Raymond (deceased)
• Dr. Martin Stein
• Mrs. Clarissa Stein
• Hartley Rathaway (Pied Piper)
• Felicity Smoak
• General Wade Eiling
• Oliver Queen (Green Arrow)
• John Diggle
• Bette Sans Souci (deceased)
• Dr. Henry Allen (out of prison)
• Iris West (in another timeline)
• Iris West-Allen (in the future)
• Iris West (via spark touch)
• Leonard Snart (Captain Cold)
• Detective Eddie Thawne (deceased)
• Ray Palmer (The Atom)
• Brie Larvan
• Laurel Lance (Black Canary)
• Hannibal Bates (Everyman) (deceased)
• Gorilla Grodd
• Lyla Diggle (Harbinger)
• Jay Garrick (The Flash of Earth-2)
• Dr. Henry Hewitt
• Jefferson Jackson
• Linda Park

And that should be everything! What did I miss? What did you catch? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts on this episode, and until next week – RUN, BARRY! RUN!

oh… sorry about that….

THE FLASH 02×07 – “Gorilla Warfare” Trailer – Grodd (2015) HD

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FLASHBACK: THE PODCAST

Want to hear Matthew Peterson and I sit down to discuss this episode in detail? If you are a Major Spoilers VIP, look for the Flashback Podcast hitting the VIP site very soon!