HEY, WATCH OUT FOR THEM SPOILERS!!
EPISODE 12: A woman with the ability to teleport to any location she can see breaks into Iron Heights prison to free her boyfriend, Clay Parker. Barry finds residual DNA particulates all over the scene and when analyzing it at S.T.A.R. Labs the team identifies the woman as Shawna Baez. To help Barry’s investigation, Henry Allen tracks down leads in Iron Heights and finds out that Clay owed money to a local crime boss, who was also planning a major heist. Barry learns the location of the heist, finding Shawna and Clay robbing an armored truck. Barry is able to capture Shawna after removing all the lights in a tunnel, effectively making her unable to teleport without being to see where she is going. Cisco goes to Hartley to find out more about Ronnie; Hartley reveals that Dr. Stein, who developed research into a F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. project focused on transmuting elements, was at S.T.A.R. Labs the day of the explosion. Hartley reveals that during the explosion Ronnie and Dr. Stein merged, before he escapes Cisco’s custody. Later, Barry and his father discuss the Flash, with Henry insinuating that he believes Barry is the Flash. Elsewhere, two city workers are attacked by Gorilla Grodd in the city’s sewer system.
EPISODE 13: Ronnie visits an old colleague of Dr. Martin Stein and begs him for help. Because of the attack, Wells decides that Ronnie is a treat and must be brought in. However, Caitlin is apprehensive. Meanwhile, Det. West and Cisco visit Barry’s childhood home to find out more about the night his mother was killed. Wells and Caitlin see Martin Stein’s wife who tells them that Ronnie has been to her home. Wells and Caitlin stake out the Stein residence that night. Ronnie arrives at the house. Barry, who is on a date, is called to deal with Ronnie. He tries to reason with him but Ronnie fights the Flash, taking high in the sky and letting him drop but catches him just before he hits the ground. At the same time, West and Cisco make a shocking discovery at Barry’s old home. With help from Stein’s wife, Ronnie accepts help from Caitlin and Wells who will attempt to separate Ronnie from Stein. However, Wells discovers that Ronnie’s body is beginning to reject Stein resulting in them becoming a living nuclear bomb. Stein overhears the discussion amongst Caitlin and Wells. Without anyone’s knowledge, Ronnie/Stein flies thirty miles outside of Central City to protect the city from him emanate explosion.
Flash has yet to fail to disappoint when it comes to introducing characters. In episode 12, Barry has to contend with the teleporting powers of Shawna Baez, who is known to fans as Peek-a-Boo (Caitlin coins the name for this one). However, her name is Lashawn in the comics. Just like in the comics, she is effectively faster than Barry since she is able to move to a location in an instant. The effect used for her teleportation is similar to Nightcrawler from “X-Men: The Last Stand” in which she appears as a “poofy” cloud when displacing herself. In the “Flash vs. Arrow” crossover, Firestorm made a fiery entrance during the Flash’s fight with the Reverse Flash. I like the fire effect for Ronnie. This movie quality stuff. The kicker for me is when Caitlin places the tachyon reactor on Ronnie, in the final moments of Episode 13, to prevent him from going nuclear and it takes the form of the familiar symbol seen on Firestorm’s chest. Ronnie/Stein seemingly dies in this episode but he’ll be back. Now earlier in the season we got a teaser of him sitting in a cage in Star Labs. At the end of episode 12, we were treated to yet another teaser of Gorilla Grodd when he attacks city workers in the sewers. This likely is to serve as a set up for Grodd to have more screen time and eventually speak. I can’t wait for that to happen.
