Geekscape Recaps: “The Flash” – Escape From Earth-2
Note: Catch our recaps of last week’s episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!
Last night, we got the second part of a two-part event revolving around a trip to Earth-2. While this episode didn’t have nearly as many easter eggs as last week, we got unbearably close to learning Zoom’s identity. Let’s get to it!
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
Earth-2
After Barry was captured and put in a cell near Jesse Quick and the masked man, efforts on behalf of Wells, Iris, and Cisco began immediately. With the help of Earth-2 Barry, the gang was able to locate Killer Frost and sorta convinced her to lead them to Zoom’s lair. I say “sorta” because later on, it was revealed that Frost had intended to bring Wells and co to Zoom’s lair all along. However, she double-crossed Zoom and froze him long enough for the group to get back to Star Labs and travel across the last breach.
Before the breach was fully closed, Zoom’s arm came out, phasing through Jay Garrick’s chest and taking the body back into Earth-2. We can assume that Killer Frost eventually ran out of juice and is now dead. We can also assume that Garrick is now also dead. That leaves Wells and Jesse Quick having to start new lives on Earth 1.
As for Earth-2 Barry and Iris, they plan on joining Barry’s parents in Atlantis in an effort to hide from Zoom. While Iris is probably the most competent officer in Earth-2’s CCPD, having lost her father and surviving multiple encounters with Zoom himself, she deserves some time off. If anywhere on Earth-2 is safe, it’s probably Atlantis. This is especially true if we are to assume Atlantis is under Aquaman’s protection.
In any case, it’s unfortunate that the Justice Society of America, which would be Earth-2’s version of the Justice League, has not formed yet. And if they have, I’m sure they won’t be too happy with the death of Jay Garrick.
Velocity-9 and Jesse Quick
For a while now, we’ve been constantly getting teased with the eventual appearance of Jesse Quick. It is with great hope that we also see her father, Johnny Quick, suit up as a speedster too. In the show, obviously Johnny Quick would come in the form of Wells. I’m still holding out for a Johnny and Jesse Quick, Flash, and Kid Flash vs Zoom showdown.
Velocity-9 and the next iterations may be the key for the Quick family getting their speedster-like powers. Only time will tell.
Zoom
Now we get to the most important aspect of last night’s episode: Who is Zoom? We have multiple candidates, and quite honestly, this show has me guessing still. When it’s all said and done, I’ll look back at this season fondly having known that the creative team behind this show did a great job keeping Zoom’s identity under wraps. Let’s go through the list:
Jay Garrick was my very first suspect in trying to guess Zoom’s identity. However, I think it makes more sense if we’ve actually been watching Hunter Zolomon parading around as Garrick this whole time. Last season, The Reverse-Flash introduced the notion of a speed mirage in which a speedster was able to appear in two places at the same time. Since Zoom is undeniably faster, an advanced speed mirage could be the answer as to why Jay Garrick interacted with Team Flash even while Zoom was on the playing field.
Garrick’s supposed death could also have easily been the product of a speed mirage as well. Pretty easy to disguise after pulling the body back in through the breach.
Eddie Thawne is another suspect as to who Zoom could be. We haven’t seen Eddie alive since the season one finale in which Eddie shot himself to prevent the Reverse-Flash from ever being born. His body was then sucked up into the singularity caused by Eddie’s action. It’s important to note that the singularity was blue, like Zoom, and was then lost. Zoom’s hatred for heroes falls in line with Eddie’s frame of mind. After shooting himself, Eddie told Iris something along the lines of wanting to be a hero in her eyes. After being mentally tortured by the Reverse-Flash, his relationship with Barry grew sour, knowing that he could never match Barry’s heroism because he didn’t have powers.
Now, having obtained powers similar to Barry’s, it’s possible Eddie wants to do away with Flash for good. Zoom constant uses phrases like “Heroes die” and “I am the fastest man alive.” The latter is something Barry is known for on Earth 1 and is even referred to as such by a number of people.
Henry Allen is another suspect among fans. While I don’t think Earth-1 Henry Allen has a shot at being Zoom, I do believe Earth-2 Henry Allen should be up for consideration. We haven’t seen him in Earth-2 yet, but are lead to believe that he is currently vacationing with Barry’s mom in Atlantis.
The Masked Man
There are many guesses as to who is trapped in the cell. From the looks of the hair though, I would have to guess it’s either Eddie Thawne or the real Jay Garrick. From last night’s episode, we gathered that the prisoner spelled out the name “JAY” using a complex POW pattern system. This is interesting because none of the character’s have been affiliated with any type of war. However, Jay Garrick knowing this pattern makes the most sense.
Early on in the season, Garrick made an off-handed comment about his helmet having once belonged to his grandfather as he served in the War of the Americas. If Zolomon was posing as Garrick, it would make sense that Zolomon would drop this little tidbit in an effort to provide backstory to his own persona in an effort to get Team Flash to trust him.
That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!