The Flash season 1 episode 2 

850 Tacos- The Flash- Season One Episode Two- “Fastest Man Alive”

Last week’s pilot episode reached record breaking numbers for viewership, and it has been so far very well received. We all seem to agree that The Flash seems like a fairly good set up: great cast, fantastic effects and solid writing. Episode Two, “The Fastest Man Alive,” delves further into the future plans for Barry Allen and the team.

Allen has taken to the streets in an effort to stop crime and save lives. He has Cisco, (Carlos Valdes) working on the back end for him, telling him where the crimes are being committed. Fellow star lab scientist Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) also reluctantly joins them in their valiant efforts.

Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh), the scientist behind the Particle Acceleration explosion is now widely hated for the accident. He warns Barry and the team to use restraint, and explains that he is in his current state (wheelchair bound and deemed a failure) was created because of his lack of it.

He had his suspicions that Barry had been “affected” by the explosion. Barry wasn’t the only one though; an unknown number of other people were also affected by the blast and turned into “meta-humans.”

These “meta-humans” are like Barry: the blast changed their DNA and has given them superhuman powers. In this episode, we are introduced to the first Meta-human besides Barry, Danton Black, aka Multiplex, (Michael Smith).

Black was once an employee of Simon Stagg (William Sadler), a billionaire scientist who is receiving an award for Man of the Year. Stagg’s work with stem cells and cloning was revolutionary, but it wasn’t his. Black, in an effort to save his ailing wife, had discovered a path to cloning, and Stagg stole his research. Black wasn’t able to save his wife, and now he wants revenge.

Barry goes up against Black and is defeated the first time. He feels like he is not up to the task of crime fighting, and has been feeling fatigued due to a much higher metabolic rate (he has to eat the equivalent of 850 tacos per day). Not to mention his mentor and guardian, Detective West, doesn’t think can do it.

Viewers got a glimpse into Barry, Iris and Detective West’s past in multiple flash-backs this episode. Barry as a young child was vehement that his father was innocent. West, like everybody else is young Barry’s life, believes that what Barry said he saw (a man in a ball of lighting) was just a projection of his young mind trying to protect itself. Barry asks him to grant him a visit with his father and is forced to sneak out when he is declined.

Later in the episode, West finds a secret collection of evidence that Barry has been researching to find his mother’s killer and prove his father’s innocence. Once West sees what Barry can do, and finds out that other Meta-humans exist as well, he agrees to help Barry on this quest, believing now that perhaps he was wrong in his assumption that Barry was crazy.

Barry has feelings for Iris, who started dating her father’s work partner Eddie. She is starting to research freak encounters that have been popping up on the internet about a “flash of light” traveling through town.

She and Barry are best friends, and Barry has qualms about not telling her his secret. He feels like he has to keep too many secrets, considering he is also not telling Detective West about Iris and Eddie, something that breaks his heart to know anyway.

The final scene ends with a bang. Barry is able to defeat Black by finding the “prime” aka Black himself who controlled all of the clones. West jumps off of a building in a suicide attempt when he is defeated, but Barry grabs his hand. Black grows another hand momentarily and releases Barry’s grasp and falls to his death.

Back inside Stagg Industries, Wells and Stagg are discussing the powers of the Meta-humans, Barry included. Stagg mentions that he wants to capture The Flash and find out how to harness his powers, but then, in a surprising twist, Wells stands up from his wheelchair and stabs him in the stomach. He explains that it wasn’t personal, he just has to keep the flash “safe.”

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850 Tacos- The Flash- Season One Episode Two- “Fastest Man Alive” was last modified: October 15th, 2014 by

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