'The Flash' Recap: 'Flash Back' Season 2 Episode 17, Time Hopping For Speed

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After CWTV's The Flash finally found team Flash realizing the true identity of Zoom, it's time to step it up.

In "Flash Back," episode 17 of season two, Barry tries to travel back in time seeking a way to gain more speed before battling Zoom.

In order for Barry to travel back to Earth-2 and have the slightest shot at Zoom he has to get faster. Barry travels back in time to find Dr. Harrison and get him to issue the secrets to gaining more speed.

Unfortunately, Barry has to face off with the Pied Piper and face Eddie Thawne, the man who died to help Barry, Caitlyn, Dr. Wells, Joe, Cisco and Iris escape the wrath of the Reverse Flash.

"Flash Back" begins as Barry flips through a book and blames himself for trusting someone he should not have trusted. He says he made the same mistake twice because they just wanted to use him not train him. He says he is going to crack the code, figure out how to gain more speed by training and running harder than ever before.

While Barry is working Cisco walks into the room and has a mini vibe.

Caitlyn comes in and tells Barry that he, Reverse Flash and Zoom move their feet at the same time but they are keeping their feet off the ground, enabling them to move faster.

Caitlyn says she wants to stop Jay but she asks Barry whether or not he is even able to run that fast.

At dinner Iris and Joe are trying to help Barry feel better about not seeing that Jay was evil. Iris out of nowhere tells Barry that she went on a date but has reserves because Scott reminds her of Eddie.

Barry tells her not to close herself off and miss out on something good and encourages her to go for it with Scott.

Wally comes in with good news and he talks about reading all of the journals from engineers like Enzo Ferrari to learn about his project.

Barry realizes that he has to read Eobard Thawne's journal to figure out how to get faster.

Caitlyn and Cisco aren't sure Barry's plan to travel back in time and read the journal is a good idea. Wells comes in and confirms that Barry's plan is terrible. He tells Barry that when he comes back things will be different and he is the only one that will know. He can't get caught by Thawne but Barry says he has to do it because it's the only way he will be able to get faster.

Caitlyn and Cisco agree to help him. They begin by telling Barry exactly when he has to travel back in time.

He can't tell the truth about his mission there, he can't mention anyone that has passed and he will be facing off against the Pied Piper again. He tells them goodbye but Wells skips it.

Barry takes off and realizes that he jumped into time too early. He finds himself standing above Rathaway. He is already off to a terrible start. He continues to watch on and there is an interference in his com which causes the other Flash to notice him.

He moves away to end the frequency and when Rathaway attacks him, he whisks his other self away and tells him he doesn't have time to explain anything to him. They run after eachother and Barry is forced to inject the other Flash with a serum to keep him down.

He returns to bring Rathaway in and alerts Cisco to scan for "ebombs," after remembering the explosion that the Pied Piper used to escape.

Cisco completes the scan and notices that Barry was right. They urge Rathaway to take the explosive out of his ear as Barry talks to Wells about his speed. Wells finds Barry's approach to his speed to be unorthodox. Barry tells Wells he wanted to learn how to get faster to take down the man in yellow. He asks Wells if he could help him and Wells tells him that he will see what he can do.

Joe and Eddie are having the chat where he asks Eddie to go to Wells' house to search everything. Meanwhile, up in Barry's lab at the precinct, an officer is dropping off a file when he is chased out by a half skeletal half reaper creature. It's what a dementor from Harry Potter would resemble.

It makes it's way into the center of the precinct and the officers fire away. It eventually leaves but Wells did get the alert at the Lab and told Barry he needed to run.

Barry meets Joe at his lab and Joe advises him to cover up the investigation on his board. Eddie joins them and asks if there is any idea what the creature could be. Barry says he does not have a clue and he is rattled when he sees Eddie. Joe notices and Barry has to convince him that he has really moved past the Iris thing.

He asks joe to let him clean everything up. Later on Barry returns with news that the dementor-like creature attacked his lab.

The team is trying to find out where it is and Wells is very inquisitive when it comes to Barry. While Cisco searches for the creature, Wells asks Barry to join him.

When they get back to the room Wells says he wants to chat about the speed equation. However, his Eobard side comes up and he rises out of his wheelchair and knocks Barry out. Barry wakes up trapped to a chair in Wells' secret hiding place. Eobard is trying to find out who Barry is and realizes that he traveled through time and doesn't know what he is. Eobard figures out that Barry knows who he is and that he has to be from the future. Barry tells him to let him out but Thawne asks why Barry is there.

Barry admits that he wants to go faster and Thawne is the only one who can manipulate the speed force. Thawne says Barry would only come there if something went wrong. It means Barry is still alive and he hasn't beaten him.

His plan failed and he did not get to go home. He becomes enraged and just before he takes Barry out, Barry feeds him a story that is far from the truth.

After all of the information is exchanged, Thawne says he doesn't need this Barry and says that he ran all the way back to die. Barry tells him that the other Barry has a note which will lead him to the way to beating him.

Barry dares him to kill him now and Thawne seems to have his back against the wall.

Cisco is trying to extract information from Rathaway and while Caitlyn is in the lab working, she is visited by the creature they were searching for.

Caitlyn is chased by the creature and leads it to the meta-human holding area. They are forced to hide in the chamber with Rathaway. Barry tells Wells they need to help and Wells says if his plan goes afoul because of the creature that tracked him, he will kill them all.

Cisco, Caitlyn and Rathaway find a way to scare the creature off. Barry and Wells return and Barry says he doesn't know why the creature is after him.

Cisco and Caitlyn go after more evidence while Wells tells Barry he needs to go back to the office.

Thawne walks in and Barry asks him to help him with a video for Iris' birthday. Her birthday is two months away at that point but Barry says he wants Thawne to record a message like it was his last message ever.

He obliges him and Barry takes off for the lab.

Things go fully wrong when the real Flash of the past comes back looking for "the other Flash." Thawne holds his hands to his head and future Barry comes in just in time.

Barry now has to explain to everyone what exactly he has done. Cisco and Caitlyn are struggling with everything and Barry tells them that he is from the future. The past Barry realizes that he will be able to time travel. Barry reveals that he has been chased by a creature ever since he got there. Thawne says there is only one thing that he can do.

He brings Barry to the room to give him the tachyon enhancer. He gives Barry the instructions and Barry says if they don't work he will be back. Before Barry leaves, he tells Cisco that Rathaway knows where Ronnie is.

He thanks the team for helping him and he begins his time travel. The creature begins chasing after him and with a little help from the past Barry, he is able to evade creature.

He only evades him for a moment because as he stumbles into the present, he alerts the team that he is being chased. The creature followed him in but Rathaway is there in the present and actually helps Barry by taking out the creature. He welcomes Barry back as if he had been working with the team forever.

It's one of the events that have been altered.

Barry tells his team that everything went well and doesn't mention that Rathaway being there is an anomaly. Rathaway leaves and when Barry takes Caitlyn and Cisco to the secret room he unleashes the formula.

Barry meets with Wells who still can't find Jesse. Barry tells Wells that he did what he had to do as her father. Wells is still struggling without Jesse and says the moment he and his wife had Jesse, all he wanted was her love. He says his decisions have no backfired on him. Barry tells him he has to trust the decisions he has made. He then visits Iris who is looking at old photos of her and Eddie.

It has been almost a year since he died and he asks when Iris will move forward. She says she doesn't know and he tells her that he found something that he thinks might help. He tells her a lie about the montage for her birthday and shares the video with her.

She is moved to tears while watching the video as Thawne tells her she doesn't need him. He says she is the best decision he ever made.

He thanks her and tells her that she deserves to be happy for the rest of her life.

Barry says you have to go back in the past to deal with things you didn't think you could. He walks over to Jay's helmet and says, "I'm coming for you."

"Flash Back" brought a little nostalgia from season one back to season two. No matter what time period Barry is in, he always seems to have his friends who will help him along in his quest to defeat the evil speedsters that plague him, along with any meta-humans that terrorize his city.

It will be interesting to see how Barry approaches his confrontation on Earth-2. Fans who want more "The Flash" extras can head over to The CW to find out more about their favorite super hero and his team.

Photos that sum up tonights episode.




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