The Flash season 2, episode 5, “The Darkness and the Light,” aired tonight. Read our recap and discuss the episode with fellow fans.
Dr. Light
The metahuman of the week is named Dr. Light. She was a small time burglar on Earth-2 before she was gifted with light powers. She used her new powers in her crimes, but according to Jay, she’s never been violent. But that has changed with Zoom pulling her strings.
The twist? She’s Linda Park’s double. Yes, Barry’s ex-girlfriend Linda. When Barry recognizes this, it pushes Earth-2 Linda to go after her Earth-1 counterpart, just as Atom Smasher killed his own doppelganger when he arrived on Earth-1. With Barry out of action due to temporary blindness, Dr. Light attacks Linda at work. Iris and their editor, Larkin, stand up for her — and Larkin loses his life for his trouble. Dr. Light is horrified that she killed someone, but her fear of Zoom is greater.
She tries to leave town, but The Flash confronts her. Wells and Jay talk Barry through running fast enough to create a speed mirage — the trick Thawne/Wells used to fake a confrontation in season 1 — and he’s able to knock her out and lock her up in the pipeline.
This storyline brings up a few questions. First, did Zoom know about Barry’s connection to Earth-1’s Linda, or was this just a coincidence? Just how much does Zoom know about Barry/The Flash? Additionally, why are the meta doppelgangers targeting their Earth-1 counterparts? Is it just to cover up any evidence they leave since their DNA is identical? Or is there something deeper?
Harrison Wells vs. Jay Garrick
On Earth-2, Wells and Jay had an adversarial relationship. That conflict spills over to Earth-1 when they come face to face. Jay blames Wells for the metahumans — and for Zoom. Meanwhile, Wells, who is an enormous jerk, doesn’t think Jay is good enough. He believes Jay is a coward and has been running from Zoom rather than trying to defeat him. Their conflict is so charged that it leads to blows until Barry separates them.
When Barry agrees to take Wells’ advice to use Dr. Light to lure out Zoom, Jay has had enough. He refuses to knowingly send Barry to what would likely be his death. When Barry doesn’t back down, Jay leaves. It’s unclear whether he’s just left the lab or if he’s left Earth-1 at this point. (We assume it’s just the lab since there is still a lot more story to tell with Jay’s character.)
Vibe
Cisco’s powers, which Stein encouraged him to share with his friends, take front and center in this episode, as Wells uses his metahuman detector to out Cisco. His friends are surprised and maybe a bit hurt that he kept his powers a secret, but they support him through his worries about becoming like Eobard Thawne.
But Cisco doesn’t have the ability to control his powers, and Wells does something cold to incite a vision: He shoves Dr. Light’s mask against his chest, mirroring Thawne stabbing Cisco in the alternate timeline. However, it works, and Cisco has a vision of Dr. Light’s location.
The highlight, though, is Barry giving Cisco his metahuman name: Vibe.
We have to assume Cisco will use the S.T.A.R. Labs resources — and the help of his friends — to try to learn to control his powers. We’ll be curious to see how his powers develop now that Cisco doesn’t have to hide them.
Also worth noting
- Joe was not happy to see Wells (not surprising). He shot first and asked questions later, even going so far as to arm Iris. For her part, Iris took the presence of Earth-2’s Harrison Wells remarkably well for having lost her fiance to someone sharing his face.
- We got our first look at Kendra Saunders, aka Hawkgirl. And she’s going on a date with Cisco. (Hawkman is not going to like that.)
- Jay and Caitlin were about to share a kiss on their stakeout when Dr. Light wrecked their van. Alas, even their budding relationship couldn’t keep Jay from leaving Wells’ sphere of influence.
- Speaking of relationships, Barry and Patty went on their first date. Barry, unfortunately, was suffering from temporary blindness so Cisco tried to help out with some sunglasses and a video feed, but Patty figured it out. Barry made an excuse of having had his pupils dilated, and Patty went with it. They even have their first kiss.
Watch a promo for the next episode
