And… we’re finally off and running! Again!
We learned off the bat on The Flash Season 2 Episode 1 that Barry has been doing the whole hero thing alone for six months after snuffing the singularity, using all his free time to anonymously repair and renovate destroyed properties.
Via flashback, we also learn that Barry required an assist from Firestorm to untangle the singularity way back when.
However, this lending hand caused Ronnie to lose his life… while Stein survived. As a result, Barry does not see himself as a hero.
Meanwhile, Caitlin has taken a job at Mercury Labs and Cisco is serving as “scientific adviser” to Joe’s anti-metahuman task force, while Barry scarcely does anything productive at S.T.A.R. Labs.
It is Flash Day, however, and Barry must make an appearance. Once there, he’s defeated by a metahuman nicknamed Atom-Smasher.
Who is this enemy? Cisco reaches out to Caitlin to gather intel, while Iris and Joe they really need to force a Team Flash reunion. Stat.
Barry, though, sets out to face Atom-Smasher again, by himself, barely escaping a brutal beat-down.
Following this confrontation, a flashback to Joe breaking down “angry” young Barry’s defenses is contrasted with Joe at banged-up Barry’s bedside in real time… where he pushes him to reconsider his solo act.
Okay. Fine. Barry agrees. He acknowledges his role in Ronnie’s death upon contacting Caitlin, those two make up and Caitlin shows Barry a “goodbye” video left for him by Harrison Wells (who bequeathed S.T.A.R. Labs to his protege).
Within the footage, Barry discovers a full confession from his mother’s murderer.
Inspired, Barry reconnects with the squad, with Caitlin coming up with the idea to overdose their new adversary with radiation,; the move does, indeed, take down the none-very-gentle giant.
When The Flash asks Atom-Smasher what’s up (in a matter of speaking), the foe explains that if he succeeded in killing the speedster, “He promised he’d take me home.”
He is none other than Zoom.
We move from there to Barry meeting up with his exonerated dad at the Iron Heights gates, escorting him to the West residence for a celebration.
But Henry puts Barry in a less-than-celebratory mood, telling him that Central City needs him as The Flash, not as “Henry Allen’s kid.” No, he also tells his son, he isn’t the only family Barry has. He need only look around the room to understand that.
Exit Henry stage left. He leaves for the train station.