Spoilers for The Flash episode 2×17: Flash Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqGCTi_QFCY
In this week’s episode of The Flash, Barry continues to search for ways to improve his speed. Realizing that he needs to improve or else face a repeat performance of his earlier encounter with Zoom, he gets Cisco and Caitlin to run a comparison to how her runs versus how Zoom runs and even how last season’s Reverse Flash runs.
Somehow Barry gets the idea to go back in time to the previous year to have the other Dr. Wells teach him how to get faster and help him to solve a speed equation he has.
Armed with the equation, advice from Caitlin, Cisco, and Earth 2’s Wells, and a tranq dart for his past self, Barry makes his way back about a year to his first confrontation with the Pied Piper.
After a Flash versus Flash scuffle, Barry tranqs his past self and goes to ask Wells about the speed formula. While this is going on a dementor-like (Cisco made the comparison and I was inclined to agree with him) creature that we come to find out it is a Time Wraith. And it was coming for Barry.
I guess in his worry about Zoom he forgot how perceptive Wells aka the Reverse Flash was. He quickly realizes something is up and Barry finds himself knocked out and tied to Well’s wheelchair.
If Barry was here from the future, then Wells assumes his plans have failed. Barry tries to tell him that he succeeded and that when his future self went home it created a singularity that Barry now needs to stop.
Wells doesn’t believe him and when he goes to kill Barry, Barry tells him he left a note for his past self with all of Wells’ secrets. Good bluff and Wells went for it. (Though in hindsight, it is noted that Barry could have and didn’t which tells us he does care a little about continuity – after all, he broke the first law of time by tranqing his past self).
Even though he’s sweet talked himself out of that problem, the Time Wraith is coming to Star Labs and targeting Barry. Luckily, the Pied Piper’s tech fends him off. But, Barry must have lost track of time during that nap of his because in comes Past-Barry.
After we have a “I’m real, no, I’m real” and Cisco’s expected freak out, Wells helps Barry cover it up. He then gives Barry the info he needs and the Wraith returns. With the help of his past self, Barry makes it back to his time with the Wraith on his tail.
He asks Cisco to use whatever he had invented to get rid of it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work but Hartley comes and uses his tech to get rid of it and then heads off to dinner with his parents.
Once Barry gets over the shock, they look at the drive and get the promised info.
A bonus extra scene is where Barry had gotten Eddy to record a message for “Iris’ birthday” and he then goes and plays it back to her.
I found it funny that we went back to the middle of that particular episode for two reasons.
- The much anticipated Supergirl crossover the night before included a reference to the episode.
- After watching Supergirl, my brother and I watched an episode of The Flash and it happened to be that one. So, I was well acquainted with the episode in question, well the original version before Barry came and messed some things up.
You would think that Barry has never time traveled before the way he acted though. He wasn’t exactly subtle with disabling his past self or when he went up to Wells to ask him the question about the speed force.
I guess the Barry we have become familiar with is so mission focused, which might not be a bad thing this close to the season finale, that he forgot some of the important rules of time travel.
And why did the Time Wraiths come out this time but not the other times he’s traveled in time. In my opinion, and Craig and I had a discussion about this, the Wraiths are a bit of a paradox. They were the ones to change the timeline, not Barry. Most changes were due to him trying to avoid them.
Most importantly though, I’m curious how the changes he made will effect the rest of this season. And what changes have we not seen yet?
The Pied Piper, I guess now known as Hartley, joins their team right in the heart of what I affectionately refer to as CW’s finale season. How he became an ally when in the original episode Cisco wasn’t shy about admitting his dislike of the Pied Piper.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
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