S02.E16: Trajectory

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

You could be right but considering the synopsis, or part of it, it just seems like a joke done in poor taste by the writers [imo].  It works as a "long run" running joke - if married-WA is the future - but in the here & now, she makes that quip but then a little while later will accept (if not return) flirtation from the new boss?? 

 

Maybe the episode will play out much better, on that front, than it seems like it will right now.....

 

Ugh - fears proved true.   Its the CW, why did I think anything different could have possibly happened?

[zannej]

First, my theory about Zoom. I think they are wrong about Jay being Zoom. My pet theory is this:

Zoom is E2 Hunter Zolomon who is the twin brother of E2 Jay Garrick (who was The Flash). Zoom defeated Jay, slapped a mask on him, and locked him in the cell. He's been keeping him alive while trying to find a way to steal his speedforce. Meanwhile, on Earth 1, Jay Garrick was a con artist while Hunter Zolomon was just an innocent guy. Zoom enlisted E1 Jay to help him trick team Flash so he could try to find a better way to dose himself with speed formula. He fed Jay enough info to be convincing to team Flash. Maybe at some point it was actually Zoom/Hunter who was posing as Jay but the man we saw killed at the end was probably Earth1 Jay. Remember, team Flash didn't see the body get dropped on the floor.

 

On to the episode: I was sad to see that Jesse was so upset about what her father did-- but I guess I can understand in some regards. She views him as a murderer. I'm not sure how I would have felt if my father had done that. I wish she had given him time to explain more to her, but I think the shock was too much at first. I admit that I'm biased. Something about Wells/ Tom Cavanagh reminds me of my father when he was younger. Today is actually the anniversary for my father's death, so when I saw Jesse hugging her father, I couldn't help but think of what I would give to be able to hug my father one more time.

 

It looked like Barry was going to make it across the cliff until he looked down and lost his nerve. He probably would have made it, but he faltered due to lack of confidence. I agree that the Trajectory villain turned out to be somewhat meh. She had some potential, but I think they wasted it. Also, how was it that what she was taking turned out to be V9 when I highly doubt she would have come up with the exact same formula as Caitlin. What she made should have been 9.1 or another version or something.

 

I agree with whoever it was that pointed out that it wasn't V9 that made Jay sick-- it was Velocity 6. V9 made him better. They didn't have time to check to see if the deterioration returned. Maybe the reason Trajectory was sick was because her version of the serum was different? And maybe she took too much too close together and since she was already messed up, the latest batch that was "too pure" or whatever was bad for her. Or maybe different people were affected in different ways. I think the main thing was that they didn't want to have an easy solution for Barry getting faster so they had to create some reason why it wouldn't work for him without negative side effects.

 

I think a lot of people who write nowadays, remember how things were in the past when it was easier for runaways to just start a new life from just about nothing. There are some con artists who can do it now-- because they lie, cheat, and steal. There are brokers out there who steal people's medical info, SS#, etc and sell it to illegal aliens. Identity theft is a huge problem now. They never adequately explained how Harry was able to buy things unless E2 money is identical to E1 money. But, unless he was carrying tons of cash on him, credit cards and such would not work. I wonder if Harry or someone gave Jesse some spending money-- still wouldn't explain the train thing. Nowadays its not nearly as easy to do things without ID and a credit card. Also, trains aren't as cheap as people think. My brother had to take a trip on Greyhound and found out later that it would have been cheaper to get a round trip plane ticket. The world isn't like it used to be and it is a lot harder for people to start from nothing. In some places you can't even apply for a job unless you currently have one (which is a really retarded catch 22). McDonalds no longer hires people without experience. Jesse would need to find someone who would give her a new fake ID, an SS#, a birth certificate, a high school diploma, and a substantial sum of money or some sort of bank account. In the fictional world, she'll magically find a job with her "smarts" and people will ignore that she doesn't have a past that checks out in a background check. In the real world, she'd end up caught up in human trafficking or get raped and/or murdered.

 

It was nice to see Wally again. I do wonder if the metahuman watch thing was going off because of Wally. But I don't think he was in Central City when the accelerator exploded.

 

I hope that they do actually track Jesse down so Wells can keep track of her and know she's ok.

 

Barry running to the mountain and screaming at the end didn't bug me actually. I've had days like that where I have gone out in my yard (which is in the middle of nowhere) and just shouted/screamed in frustration). I don't know exactly what he's going through, but I have felt that level of frustration before.

 

Also, for the record: Barry didn't initially trust Jay. His first instinct was right. He trusted Jay because the others pushed him to trust him.

 

Iris' boss has zero chemistry with Iris. He seems to make her uncomfortable. I felt like the only reason she told him it wasn't a dealbreaker at the end because she felt sorry for him and she's a nice person. The fact that he misinterpreted being taken out for coffee as a date... Sheesh. It shows he's rather pathetic, IMO. I did not feel sorry for him.

 

I admit that I liked the Law & Order crack.

 

I loved how Cisco was just dancing up a storm. LOL. I usually find Daniel's facial expressions over-the-top and unnatural, but I admit I laughed when she was making a "no" face and shaking her head while looking at Caitlin and Barry while Cisco was having fun. But hey, what mattered was that Cisco was enjoying himself. At least Caitlin stayed there and didn't run. Too bad Harry couldn't join them. Its sad how he is cooped up in the lab because he can't go out in public without being recognized.

 

I wish that Iris had said that she saw the Flash trying to pursue the other speedster or that she had interviewed the Flash and he was trying to catch the other speedster.

 

I actually enjoyed this episode, although it did have some problems.

[patchwork]

Iris and her boss was creepy, she asked him out for coffee, it's the middle of the day, she's his employee and he assumes it's a date? A placeholder romance is bad enough they could at least make the set-up less awful or am I supposed to want WestAllen simply because the alternatives have been less than impressive?

 

I'm going to assume that Wells and Jesse have falsified Earth 1 backgrounds and ID but Wells can't go out that much because his doppelgänger is too well known, so while she doesn't have a lot of money Jesse is going to be okay. Though it's more likely that the writers didn't even think about it. Getting injected by a super drug is a classic comic book origin story therefore until proven otherwise I'm also going to assume she's a speedster now and Opal City will become her city. 

[arjumand]

Iris and her boss was creepy, she asked him out for coffee, it's the middle of the day, she's his employee and he assumes it's a date? A placeholder romance is bad enough they could at least make the set-up less awful or am I supposed to want WestAllen simply because the alternatives have been less than impressive?

 

 

I'd just like to know what is it with these writers and inappropriate boss/employee relationships? And it's always male boss / female employee. I actually groaned out loud when Bossman (can't remember name, don't care) did his little "I thought this was a date, but it isn't, so now I'm going run away and sulk like a little boy." Then I threw up a little when Iris actually saw this behavior as endearing, instead of creepy and inappropriate.

 

On a more shallow note, what the fuck was Iris wearing this episode? What the actual fuck.

 

Re. plot - meh. It was just the usual thing of: Barry has to do a new thing, involving fast running! But Barry can't do it! Everyone laugh as Barry looks stupid! But when the chips are down, Barry manages to do the new fast running thing!

 

The Jay reveal was the only new and interesting plot point - I like that they didn't drag it out for so long. But, Barry, dude, chill. I know Jay was supposed to be a kind of mentor, though I don't remember him doing much mentoring (might have forgotten it, 'cos I found Jay to be incredibly dull).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I think a lot of people who write nowadays, remember how things were in the past when it was easier for runaways to just start a new life from just about nothing. There are some con artists who can do it now-- because they lie, cheat, and steal. There are brokers out there who steal people's medical info, SS#, etc and sell it to illegal aliens. Identity theft is a huge problem now. They never adequately explained how Harry was able to buy things unless E2 money is identical to E1 money. But, unless he was carrying tons of cash on him, credit cards and such would not work. I wonder if Harry or someone gave Jesse some spending money-- still wouldn't explain the train thing. Nowadays its not nearly as easy to do things without ID and a credit card. Also, trains aren't as cheap as people think. My brother had to take a trip on Greyhound and found out later that it would have been cheaper to get a round trip plane ticket. The world isn't like it used to be and it is a lot harder for people to start from nothing. In some places you can't even apply for a job unless you currently have one (which is a really retarded catch 22). McDonalds no longer hires people without experience. Jesse would need to find someone who would give her a new fake ID, an SS#, a birth certificate, a high school diploma, and a substantial sum of money or some sort of bank account. In the fictional world, she'll magically find a job with her "smarts" and people will ignore that she doesn't have a past that checks out in a background check. In the real world, she'd end up caught up in human trafficking or get raped and/or murdered.

This is one of the things I used to think about while watching Buffy (and other vampire shows) and Forever. Someone who's been around for a couple hundred years must lament some of this new technology. Even as recently as the 20th century, it was much easier to get by without official paperwork. These days, you need a social security number to get a legal job and a birth certificate to get a driver's license or state ID if you want to legally drive or fly. I was imagining Angel and Spike commiserating about how much easier it was to get by in the olden days before everything was computerized and digital.

 

On a more shallow note, what the fuck was Iris wearing this episode? What the actual fuck.

Ha, when she stood up from the table, I was like wait, is she wearing a flannel dress?

Edited March 23, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[TwistedandBored]

The overdramatic way they revealed Jay as Zoom has me dying. Barry acted soo betrayed. Like how do you think Caitlin feels, bro? 

 

I like seeing Iris on my screen but just like with Caitlin, they are giving her a bland love interest as well. 

 

Anyways, I don't think Jay is Zoom is simple as it seems. There are multiple Jay's it seems and we don't know which one is the evil one. 

[Adira]

Is it possible that Zoom is really Jay from the future?  He's traveled back in time to try to cure himself by stealing the speedforce from his younger self before he had taken Velocity 9.  When that didn't work and the breaches opened, he decided to try to cure himself by stealing the speedforce from Barry.

 

Anyone remember what Zoom said after he had killed Jay and brought him back to his lair?  I thought he said something like "Well this is a complication" or something, which could indicate that he had just accidentally killed his past self.  We've seen already that time remnants can remain (they ran into Eobard Thawne after have already defeated him), so maybe Zoom is another time remnant?

[driedfruit]

Jay continues to bore me, and the convoluted mess with multiples isn't making it better. At this point I'm bitter they're doing Zoom/Hunter Zolomon so dirty.

 

I like Jesse but one confrontation after the next is just bad set up. Plant seeds, let it simmer, big confrontation then fall out. 

 

Is Trajectory lost in the speedforce now?

 

On a more shallow note, what the fuck was Iris wearing this episode? What the actual fuck.

 

Massively disagree. The wardrobe people are the only ones who do right by Candice. Everything she wore was gorgeous and stylish as hell. 

[cambridgeguy]

 

Anyways, I don't think Jay is Zoom is simple as it seems. There are multiple Jay's it seems and we don't know which one is the evil one.

I think the logic is since Cisco vibed when he touched "our" Jay's helmet then that's the confirmation of Zoom being him and not just an alternate Jay who has never interacted with the team.  Hence Barry getting in touch with his inner drama queen and screaming to the heavens. 

[benteen]

Why the hell was Wells whispering throughout the entire episode?

 

Scott apparently doesn't see a conflict of interest when (he thinks) an employee asks him out.

 

Cisco on the dance floor was pretty damn funny.

[zannej]

Maybe Harry did something to his vocal chords when he was trying to find a way to rescue Jesse from Zoom. /shrug

I do not like the whisper thing though.

 

On the new technology front, laws are being passed that will make it so some people will need passports to take a plane WITHIN the US because their states' driver's licenses are not viewed as valid proof of ID or some such BS. And I don't buy that Jesse, however smart she is and however toughened she became from her experience with Zoom, would be able to make it on her own. I don't even know if she could have made it on her own on Earth2, but being intelligent doesn't make someone street smart or make them able to survive in the modern world all on their own. Even if she invents something, it still costs money to get a patent, so it's not like she can just invent something and make tons of $. She would likely have to commit crimes in order to survive. I'm guessing she's under 18 if she had to get her father's permission to go to the bar-- although, maybe she had a fake ID to get in to the bar since they were serving alcohol. Does she even know how to drive?

 

I did like the little exchange where Harry said she would need protection and she thought he meant something else. And how he smiled at her before hugging her and then just looked very worried. I'm hoping she will return before the end of the season.

 

I also hope that Iris' editor is gone before the end of the season.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I also hope that Iris' editor is gone before the end of the season.

 

Especially if his main purposes are just to (want to) tear down The Flash through the paper and be an obstacle for WA.  I'm ready to never see him again, although I'm betting he'll be a prominent side-character in at least two more eps this season [ugh].

[miracole]

Why the hell was Wells whispering throughout the entire episode?

 

He's been talking like Batman since he showed up.

 

Jessie leaving was stupid her reasons for leaving were even more stupid.  There is a lot in between "I don't want you to protect me at all costs." and "I'm gone, never contact me again."

 

Iris writing that story shouldn't have even been an issue.  She was an eye witness all she had to say to her Editor was that the speedster was not the Flash.  The. End. Why were they creating drama where there was none. I'm not even going to talk about the other stuff that happened with her boss because, just, no.

[diebartdie]

Yeah, IA with the posters who wonder how Jessie is going to do anything, unless she is so super-smarter than her dad that she can fake identification documents on this Earth, complete with holograms and stuff. I appreciate Jessie not wanting her dad to love her so much that murder is not off the table, but if she can enter a bar but isn't old enough to drink, she is going to be picking up less than ideal work, especially if she's going to try to save some cash too. Then again, she's supposed to be smart and DC is not without shady tech companies, so who knows.

 

Well somehow Star Labs is still fully functional even though it appears to still be housed in a very damaged building, no one works there except Harry, Cisco and Caitlyn with daily visits from Barry, Joe, Iris and meta human bad guys. Harry and Jessie live there as well as some dozen bad guys locked up in little tiny solitary confinement units that are somehow maintained (by magic? Robots? Aliens?). Does Star Labs produce any goods or services at all and if so, how is it distributed, markets, vetted, etc? Who pays the light bill? Who buys all the raw materials? How are Cisco, Caitlyn and Harry paid?

 

With all that just laying there, Jessie heading off to make her way without so much as a SSN is such small potatoes. Im honestly baffled by Star Labs.

[blugirlami21]

I think this was my least favorite episode this season. Everyone was so ooc.

I'll start with Jessie. What an idiot she continues to be. I didn't like her attitude when her dad made her leave earth 2. Yes Jessie, you're going to have to leave the place where you were held captive for months by a madman. She seemed to adjust though but she overheard her father talking about wanting to kill zoom and now she's so up in arms about it she has to leave? What? I can't even begin to try to understand why she is being written as such a flaky idiot.

I loved everything Barry and Iris did this episode. I was half way afraid that she wouldn't be invited to go out with them like earlier this season. I hate Iris' storyline with her new boss however. A female employee asks to pick your brain during the work day and you assume that it's a date? What in the world? When does that happen? Then he was all butt hurt when Iris rightfully was confused. But then they undermined that completely by having her consider him dating material at the end of the episode.

The speedster was annoying. I couldn't figure out if we were supposed to empathize with her or not? She was basically a plot device so that we could have team flash figure out who zoom is. Which I have to say Barry's reaction was so bad. What was that? Seriously?

If we're going to be technical, like with reverse flash, our Jay isn't zoom. But the show had a hard time remembering that Harrison Wells and Eobard Thawne were not the same person. I see it happening again here. I think he obviously knew more than he let on but we saw the two of them together and one of them was our dead Jay and the other was Zoom.

But yea Harry has been talking like that since we first met him. I think it's TC's way of making him different from Harrison Wells. It sounds like it would hurt to do for long periods of time though.

[benteen]

I was stunned Barry actually listened about not taking the Velocity-9.  He NEVER listens, ignores reasonable advice and just acts like an asshole when he's frustrated.

[Primetimer]

And she's kicking his cheeks all over the place.

Read the story

[wingster55]

So, what if taking the Velocity whatever made Jay have a split personality as well? And that both personalities physically split making one Zoom?

[nksarmi]

I think the logic is since Cisco vibed when he touched "our" Jay's helmet then that's the confirmation of Zoom being him and not just an alternate Jay who has never interacted with the team.  Hence Barry getting in touch with his inner drama queen and screaming to the heavens. 

 

But I think that logic is all wrong.  Cisco didn't look around for anything that would give him context.  Just like when he vibed Zoom and the Doctor that was building him a portal - he didn't realize he was seeing the future until Harry questioned him because he wasn't paying attention to details.  There could be a lot of reasons why Cisco is vibing Zoom off of Jay's helmet that have nothing to do with Jay being Zoom.  Zoom could have taken Jay's blood attempting to cure himself like Harry did with Jesse.  Or it could be that if Cisco had vibed a little longer he would have seen Jay dead at Zoom's feet and realized there were doubles somehow.  I think the vibe was meant to mislead not inform.

[Cthulhudrew]

On a nitpicky note, why order shots for everybody at the bar if you weren't going to let Jesse drink hers.

 

I wondered the same thing. Apparently it was just so that the writers could convey to the viewers that she was underage.

 

And was it me, or did it seem like Barry was drunk in the bar scene? They didn't play it up much, but Gustin's acting choices seemed to me to have Barry's speech seem a bit slurred and his movements awkward. Just kind of struck me as weird, since it didn't seem to start until after they got the shots, and he isn't supposed to be able to get drunk except with the help of Cisco and Caitlin's super beverage.

[quarks]

Definitely a filler episode, with some eh moments.

 

Good things:

 

1. Beyonce as a senator. Ok, this I can get behind. In fact, why restrict this to Earth-2? BEYONCE FOR SENATE NOW!

 

2. The club scene with Cisco and Caitlin dancing. I also liked Barry and Iris' Netflix conversation.

 

3. Cisco bringing along drones. Heh.

 

4. I don't know how intentional it was, but I did laugh when Barry got caught in one of the toilet-free cells we've all been complaining about for two seasons now. Maybe reconsider your prison system again, Barry.

 

Questionable things:

 

1. I thought the speed injection thingy only worked on people who were already speedsters?  Did Trajectory develop a different formula, and if so, why didn't Caitlin and Harry notice this?

 

2. Uh, Barry, I know you were only thinking this for plot reasons so you could figure out that someone who looks like/calls himself Jay is Zoom, but when Jay was injecting himself with Velocity just a couple of episodes ago, he saved people, so why exactly are you assuming that Eliza is only running around trying to kill a couple of hundred people because of the Velocity, and that, actually, she's a sweet person really deep down inside? You barely know her.

 

3. I'm confused. Supposedly when Barry runs really really fast he resets time. In this episode he ran really really fast, supposedly faster than ever, but didn't reset time. Am I supposed to handwave this, or did I miss something here? 

 

4. Not sure that dramatically revealing something the audience already saw in a dramatic reveal last episode was the best way to go.

 

Bad things:

 

1. Iris' boss. Come on, dude. This cannot have been the first time in your employment history where a coworker suggested that you brainstorm over coffee and mean exactly that - brainstorm over coffee.  It's not like you met Iris on OkCupid or something. Also, you're her boss. A boss that refused to believe her at the beginning of the episode. I know it's arguable, but in two minutes I think this may have become the worst temporary relationship on Flash ever, and the second worst in the Arrowverse - beaten only by Thea and that horrible DJ over on Arrow.

 

2. And speaking of Iris' boss solely in a professional context: Iris was specifically hired for her expertise and personal knowledge of the Flash. And she was an eyewitness to the robbery. And more than one speedster has been seen running through Central City.  Maybe - just maybe - when your expert eyewitness says that the Flash wasn't the perpetrator, we give her a bit of the benefit of the doubt?

 

3. In summary, Iris' boss? Sucks. 

 

4. We got new location shots! And two - TWO - new sets, even if one of them seemed to be using props from a previous Legends of Tomorrow episode! I was jumping with joy....

 

.....and then Flash went right back to their second favorite Chain Link fence.

 

Damn it, show.

 

5. I know we've complained about this before, but it's really getting ridiculous now: can't at least one bad guy be taken down by means other than "you have to run faster, Barry!"

 

6. Seconding all of the "and Jesse is going to get a job how?" questions. I think a single line of dialogue would have helped here - either Cisco saying that her false ID papers are coming right up, or that ARGUS or Felicity would be providing them (she did this for Roy over on Arrow, after all). It wouldn't take much. And then we could all focus on Jesse's really bad life choices, like, heading out to a world where she doesn't know a single Beyonce song (I was sad on her behalf), or, despite earlier wanting to head back to her home on Earth-2 and knowing her father is doing everything he can to stop Zoom, heading away from where she knows the Earth-2 portals were at one point. Well done, Jesse.

[Cthulhudrew]

Also, for the record: Barry didn't initially trust Jay. His first instinct was right. He trusted Jay because the others pushed him to trust him.

 

I wish that Iris had said that she saw the Flash trying to pursue the other speedster or that she had interviewed the Flash and he was trying to catch the other speedster.

 

Good point about trusting Jay. I'd forgotten that he was initially inclined not to open up, until everyone jumped on the bandwagon and essentially browbeated him into doing it.

 

I also agree with you about Iris and saying that either the Flash was her mysterious informant (she's had him on record before, IIRC, so not that odd). The argument I imagine the writers would have had her boss use is the same one he used here, though, that being that Iris needs to have "hard facts." Of course, it apparently only works one way- he doesn't need the same sorts of hard facts before he decides how to frame the anti-Flash story he wants to tell. Sigh.

 

Iris writing that story shouldn't have even been an issue.  She was an eye witness all she had to say to her Editor was that the speedster was not the Flash.  The. End. Why were they creating drama where there was none. I'm not even going to talk about the other stuff that happened with her boss because, just, no.

 

I was hoping when he told her she had to write the story he wanted ("Flash Turned Freak," or whatever) that she'd turn around and write some kind of Swift-ian satire piece seeming like she was questioning the Flash's sudden turn to villainy, but really throwing a light on the public's (and her editor's) inexplicable and illogical willingness to believe that he would go from being a proven hero to using his powers to pick people's pockets for change.

 

That's an Iris story that would have been nice to see, instead of the creepy faux-romantic boss dating subplot.

[Cthulhudrew]

Something else that just occurred to me: at least one of the Jays that is working with Team Flash must actually be a scientist (chemist?) as he originally claimed, because he has cooperated with Caitlin more than once on the Velocity-X, among other things (unless I'm misremembering). E-1 Hunter Zolomon, inasfar as we know anything about him other than he sits on a bench in a park and people watches (and his name is apparently Hunter Zolomon), isn't a scientist to my knowledge. Now, it could have been Zoom working with her at those times, and not at others, but wasn't Zoom on E-2 when V-9 was created? From all the evidence, that was a legit, non-powered "Jay" that was injected and fought Geomancer, not Zoom.

 

I dunno, my head hurts trying to figure it out right now. Hopefully the Flash writers have considered all of the Jay/Zoom stuff and have a really well-crafted explanation for it; something that is better than the reveals they've presented so far.

 

(I'm almost tempted to go back and rewatch and see if you can tell any different acting choices Teddy Sears may have made in his scenes that would show when he was Zoom and when he was "Jay." Almost.)

Edited March 23, 2016 by Cthulhudrew

[Trini]

Ugh - too many Jays.

 

Anyway,

 

3. I'm confused. Supposedly when Barry runs really really fast he resets time. In this episode he ran really really fast, supposedly faster than ever, but didn't reset time. Am I supposed to handwave this, or did I miss something here? 

 

4. Not sure that dramatically revealing something the audience already saw in a dramatic reveal last episode was the best way to go.

 

To play devil's advocate, time travel has always been kinda wacky (for Barry), and previously, seemed to require some emotional element.

 

Umm yeah, why would they use the same reveal twice? But the new info is that Zoom and V-9 are related.

 

Re: Iris' outfit: thigh highs with a mini shirtdress; I only thought it was just a little too much skin for the office, but otherwise she looked fine in it.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Barry was pretty pathetic this episode:

1. Fails to intervene while Trajectory robs people up in da club until she's robbed a bunch of folks

2. Lets Trajectory beat his ass without landing a punch twice.

3. Lets Trajectory pick him up and run him into a Pipeline cell without putting up any visible fight (seriously, it doesn't matter that she's supposedly faster than him -- if he is being physically grabbed by her, he should have enough time to wrestle with her, punch her, whatever...)

4. Once in the Pipeline cell, why didn't he simply vibrate his way out of it? (Hopefully his spending time there may cause him to rethink the whole "private prison with no due process whatsoever" deal).  

5. Lets Trajectory destroy the bridge without trying to intervene, really (no attempt to stop her, no attempt to get people off the bridge IIRC. He just kind of stood there).

6. The scream so embarrassing that even Howard Dean was like, "You might want to tone that down, dude."

 

It's not so much pathetic as dangerous and plot holey-- seems that colliding with someone moments after you were moving at Mach 3.something would leave probably that something and you into a bloody pulp. I guess you can chalk Flash and Trajectory's survival to Speed Force stuff, but it seems like a supersonic tackle should have left her unconscious.

 

Congrats on Barry setting a new speed, even if he only maintained that for a second.

 

Also, can someone do the math? Because it seems to me that if you are traveling Mach 3 and you jump, you should probably be able to easily clear a pretty large bridge before gravity would pull you back to the same level you were at.

 

As for Trajectory herself: 

1. I don't understand why she could not simply make as much of Velocity drug as she wanted. She had access to enough of the chemicals to make it in the first place. She works at a lab. She could either order more of the chemicals she needed through Mercury Labs or simply steal them from other places (assuming some of the stuff is more exotic).

2. Speaking of her thefts, robbing people in the club is weak sauce both from a thrills standpoint and a profit standpoint. Like robbing every bank in town within 30 minutes of each other, that'd be exciting.

3. How the hell does she know about the Pipeline prison cells? And assuming that the reason Barry didn't vibrate through the cell was because it just so happened to be the one they modified for the Reverse Flash, how lucky is that?

4. How fast was she running through her version of V9?

5. Did she always have the split personality or did V9 cause her to go Jekyll and Hyde?

6. Why did she call Cisco "Cat Guy" or whatever? 

7. Why does a speedster need a gun to threaten people? 

8. Why does she think destroying the bridge would be thrilling, fun or whatever?

 

Cisco's being "Ooh, a lady speedster!  A speedster with a va-jay-jay! Was she hot?" was gross, and I wish Team Flash had done more to tell him so. His asking Caitlin to dance was also weird. No need to bring up Jay at all, especially when Caitlin's still presumably hurting over his death. Also, if you're not hitting on her, you don't have to preface it with we're like brother and sister.

 

As someone who had many lunches with my male boss (who was only a few years older than me) without either of us ever thinking it was a date, I found Scott's assumption weird and gross. When your employee says, "Let's go get coffee and talk about this article," in the middle of the workday, why would you ever think it's anything more than DISCUSSING WORK WHILE DRINKING COFFEE?

 

Iris and her boss was creepy, she asked him out for coffee, it's the middle of the day, she's his employee and he assumes it's a date? A placeholder romance is bad enough they could at least make the set-up less awful or am I supposed to want WestAllen simply because the alternatives have been less than impressive?

 

Scott and Iris went to Jitters after dark, so it was not really "the middle of the day." On another level, the direction Scott was giving her was not the least bit unclear or complicated. It certainly didn't need leaving the office to work through it. So I can see, especially with a bit of wishful thinking, Scott wanting to jump to the conclusion that coffee was a pretext for wanting to get to know each other better. 

 

Seems like Scott should realize that there's more than one speedster who has been or could be in Central City. He knows about Jay but reasons it couldn't have been Jay because of different colors. He must know about Zoom, since Zoom literally dropped Flash off in his newsroom. There presumably was some evidence of Reverse Flash -- for instance, he killed a couple people at Mercury Labs. This should be enough to have him have at least some pause as to what was going on instead of going all in on the "Flash has gone bad" theory.

 

When pressed for a source, Iris easily could have said, "My father, who is a cop and involved with investigating metahuman activity, is working with the theory that it's not the Flash." Heck, she could have easily gotten him to say something on the record to the effect of "We are investigating all possibilities, including the notion that there is an impostor speedster."

[johntfs]

You just know that exposure to V-9 is going to have some lasting effect on Jesse -- as it will also have on Dr. Wells as well.

 

Why would it have any effect on Wells?  He wasn't exposed to it.

[Princess Lucky]

I'm sorry but why was Barry trying to introduce Wally to Jesse by establishing his own personal connection to Wally? Was it too hard for him to say "he's Iris's brother"? Does everything and everyone have to be defined as they relate to Barry?

 

Also, I remain annoyed by the show always making it seem like Barry sees Joe as his dad and now Joe's son as his brother, because it makes Barry/Iris seem weird. If Barry sees Wally as his foster/half/adopted [brother], what does that make Iris? The daughter of Barry's foster dad and the sister of Barry's foster brother, but not his own foster sister? Why can't they just stick to "father figure" for Joe? Why keep bringing up the actual familial relationship between them? It's not necessary for their bond, plus Barry actually has a father.

 

As for Jesse leaving over Harry's actions, I find it contrived. As I do the entire show this season.

[Actionmage]

no attempt to get people off the bridge IIRC.

 

It was brief, but he was trying to shoo/ herd folks off the bridge.  I will agree that there was a whole lot of Barry standing and gaping in horror though.

 

How the hell does she know about the Pipeline prison cells?

 

She quietly snuck in  and, when no one came barreling towards her to stop her from going further? She took a speedy tour of the place.

 

Why does a speedster need a gun to threaten people?

 

Because it's TV shorthand for "this chick is crazy" as well as supposedly the last straw for Jessie, wrt Harry's bad acts.   I see both sides ( Harry/Jessie), but I hope that Jessie reconciles some with her dad. Killing to placate the murderous superpowered killer/kidnapper is still not good, but Jessie is written as someone without any nuance. I'd like to think I had a small portion of nuance when I was her age, but the writers aren't doing her any favors.  Unless they think "quick-tempered" is funny and a brill pun for her characterization.

 

I do like the idea that Jessie might become Opal City's speedster. That would be cool and she wouldn't be dead and we'd know where she was. (Unlike Linda who is still somewhere not named Central City, sitting out the whole Zoom-may-want-to-kill-you-for-trying-to-psych-him-out thing. Even after the science footballs have closed all the portals now.)

 

As for Iris, maybe she is digging into his past on her own.  Keeping him not distrustful would give her more time to dig. Scott's whole "I brought down a guy who seemed nice and ideal, but was rotten to the core" was overplayed. Yes, there needs to be a reporter/editor who isn't overly impressed with The Flash and holds him accountable in the press, but Scott was introduced in a reasonably neutral way. Why the writing has taken Scott towards the J. Jonah Jameson side of the spectrum confuses me. There are enough bad guys in the show as is; Scott would just have to take a number, if he wants to place himself in opposition to The Flash.  Use Scott as a neutral voice, which this show doesn't have. Either there are cheerleader characters or there are villainous/envious characters and haters. There is no one to consistently hold Flash/Barry accountable who DGAF about Barry/Flash's personal drama.  A voice for the audience, even. ( Even though we do care about Barry.)

 

Did I miss any ads hyping the crossover on Monday? If I didn't, that seems a bit spiteful, as there were lots of bugs during this week's Supergirl episode hyping the episode.

[benteen]

As stupid as Jesse's decision was at the end and her ridiculous complaining about leaving Earth-1 were, I'll give the show credit for one thing.  Characters on TV shows often use their family members as excuses for committing terrible actions.  It's not often you see one of those family member get upset with it and tell the offending character off.

 

Barry could have knocked Elza out before she injected herself but just chose to stand there and let her get away.

 

Princess Lucky, excellent point bringing up that if Barry sees Wally as his foster brother, how exactly does he see Iris?

[Cekrypton1]

I'm going to say it again: I think Zoom is Jay's Speed Force incarnated. Jay took the V7, which for some reason caused his speed force to separate from his body and become a stand-alone entity. That is why it's name is "Zoom".

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Ugh - too many Jays.

 

Anyway,

 

 

To play devil's advocate, time travel has always been kinda wacky (for Barry), and previously, seemed to require some emotional element.

 

Umm yeah, why would they use the same reveal twice? But the new info is that Zoom and V-9 are related.

 

Re: Iris' outfit: thigh highs with a mini shirtdress; I only thought it was just a little too much skin for the office, but otherwise she looked fine in it.

 

Oh, she certainly pulled off looking fine.  Still wiping the drool off my chin, just remembering how hot she looked in that attire.

Edited March 23, 2016 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Princess Lucky]

Re: Iris' outfit: thigh highs with a mini shirtdress; I only thought it was just a little too much skin for the office, but otherwise she looked fine in it.

 

I think that maybe 2 out of 10 outfits that Iris wears at any given moment are actually workplace-appropriate, but Candice looks so amazing that I can't complain.

[Hiddenpick]

V9 is one of those drugs, the likes of which we are bombarded with TV commercials extolling it's necessity. But then, within the same frame, we learn about the all too frightening litany of adverse effects that leaves one questioning the usefulness of the drug in curing what ails one.  Eliza, must have been too tied up with her beakers, Bunsen burner and microscopes to watch TV thereby never learning about the consequences of dabbling with A-vilify 9. Had she had a life outside the lab she may have heard this warning:

 

Call your physician or local lab cohort if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. There is an increased risk of stiff muscles and confusion which addresses a life threatening condition. You may develop uncontrollable muscle movements--these could become permanent. If you have dizziness, seizures, trouble swallowing ( the advise of well wishers), impaired judgement or motor skills.

 

In addition, I suppose A-vilify 9, enables the onset of DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder aka split-personality) and apparently it's speed enhancement not only causes slow and fast twitch muscle increased activity, it causes hair twisting as well.  Luckily for team Flash, Wells was well informed and convincing enough for Barry to reject it's use. Speaking of hair...did Wells get a perm?

 

I didn't find this the most stimulating episode what with the weak, weary and predictable plot of introducing the potential pairing of two people working in the same office. Two boring people working in the same office. Two boring non-chemistry wielding people working in the same office. Two boring, non-chemistry wielding, dumb boss liking employee out of nowhere conundrum is as exciting as watching grass grow. Jesse, Jesse we hardly knew ya. She's gone in a..er..um...flash, leaving the father who would kill for her a bu-bye note. Really?

 

Oh hell, Cisco doing most things is a treat, but Cisco dancing was a extra special treat. Could they have danced to Beyonce's Crazy right now, maybe? Yeah, I liked the lighter moments. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw how it anchored the story in a way. it reminded us that these folks not only work together, they are friends who can and are able to have a good time together.

Barry and Iris' marriage convo was a tad awkward I thought. I couldn't get a handle on any kind of emotionalism from it. Iris seem to find it funny...but does she? Barry's response seemed cool. Are they happy about the possibility? Do they not believe it? Are they scared about it?  Excited about the possibility. Though that kind of convo is difficult  no matter how you slice it. I suppose what is important here is that it was mentioned and it's out there in the universe, hopefully to be addressed again--not end up lost in space somewhere. Did Jesse's meta-alert wrist band go off in Wally's direction?

 

The big reveal--Jay is Zoom. Uh-huh. Poor Barry, betrayed again..or so he thinks. I'm thinking after a three week hiatus maybe this had to be a filler episode, but Trajectory was--well, ho hum. Her reasons for taking the hit in the first place was---well a let down and her encounter with self was under whelming. Though I must say the lightening special effects was pretty neat. Right now though, I'm kinda thirsty--gonna go get a V8.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

After a little bit of introspection... what was the point of having a voice/sound recorder in the meta-alert watch?  What good would it really do??  And why would Wells record himself saying specifically that???

 

Very bad and poorly done setup just to get Jesse feeling upset about her dad, imo.  Easier and more believable ways to accomplish their story goals.

[Chicago Redshirt]

They did have a plug for the upcoming Flash/Supergirl cross-over. I remember Flash bragging that he was the fastest man alive, and SG was like, "the who now." Plus they went to a location and SG was like, "I got here first," and Barry was like "I LET you get here first."

 

Cute and I hope they tone down the many traits on Barry has on Flash that make him less appealing than when he was first introduced (his veering between needlessly being secretive and oversharing, his selfishness, his needing at least a pep talk per episode, his willingness to trust the wrong people and arbitrarily distrust others, his trampling all over people's rights).

[Trini]

Did I miss any ads hyping the crossover on Monday? If I didn't, that seems a bit spiteful, as there were lots of bugs during this week's Supergirl episode hyping the episode.

 

There was an ad!  :)

 

---

There were a few over-dramatic touches in this episode (closeup of Barry breaking the vial, smashing the glass case, the yell at the end), and I think it may be a director thing. Glen Winter is credited for this episode.

[cambridgeguy]

 

5. Lets Trajectory destroy the bridge without trying to intervene, really (no attempt to stop her, no attempt to get people off the bridge IIRC. He just kind of stood there).

He did help get a bunch of people off the bridge (about 200, supposedly) before Trajectory smacked him around (again) and finished off the bridge.  It took him a few seconds of chatting with the team before he actually did anything, granted, but it's not like he just stood there until the bridge collapsed.

 

Barry had better be the designated janitor, though.  It's not cool to just leave shards of glass around, especially when it's a result of being a drama queen.  Although if he were to do his smashing at the front entrance it would still be an improvement in the security.  If Earth 2 Star Labs had a metahuman detection system then Harry should get to work on one for this version.

[Ruby25]

Iris's outfits were awesome in this episode. In no way appropriate for any kind of workplace setting, but on their own, damn. I want 'em for myself, lol.

[Snorfbat]

Street name alert! Cisco said, "He's coming up on Fifth and Everett."

 

Can it be coincidence that Flash references Bill Everett the same week that Daredevil Season 2 is released on Netflix?

[Grace19]

Boring episode, the only saving grace is team flash at the bar. I hate scott, can he leave now? I just don't get why they need this character. This episode deserves its low rating, it was boring and was not promoted enough. They were busy promoting supergirl crossover, I don't watch it and will never watch it no matter how much they promote it. Focus on your own show and its characters. Next week looks interesting.

[TwistedandBored]

I was reading everyone's theory on Jay and my head start to spin.

 

 

Seriously, I don't care about which Jay is which. All I am interested is seeing him in the black mask doing evil stuff. Let's get back to that shall we. 

[Snorfbat]

I hope that they do actually track Jesse down so Wells can keep track of her and know she's ok.

That shouldn't be too hard. Wasn't she injected with a tracker along with the V9?

[Jazzy24]

I was reading everyone's theory on Jay and my head start to spin.

Seriously, I don't care about which Jay is which. All I am interested is seeing him in the black mask doing evil stuff. Let's get back to that shall we.

I like Jay I don't want him to be evil Zoom.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Why would it have any effect on Wells?  He wasn't exposed to it.

 

I'm sure some V-9 crawled back through the transfusion tubing and into Harry's bloodstream -- it wouldn't be the stupidest thing to happen in the Flarrowverse.

 

Seriously, Harry could only donate a pint, so how would that clean out Jessie's blood ?  It would dilute the v-9 somewhat, but that's about it.

[twoods]

I didn't think Barry's reaction at the end was too dramatic. He didn't trust Jay to begin with then ended up trusting him once the others did. That has to suck big time. I'm hoping that Cisco vibing on the helmet meant that maybe the mask guy is Jay and Zoom is Hunter Solomon. One can only hope.

Liked the instant chemistry between Wally and Jessie. Too bad she threw a temper tantrum and left. And I don't thin Harry was talking about killing Zoom- he was referencing the meta he killed so the team couldn't find out how to slow Zoom.

Another block for WestAllen- great. Can't they just be happy together? I did like their awkward convo about them being together in the future and on Earth 2.

Not enough Joe, but loved Cisco dancing.

[ACW]

Maybe HR Departments are only an Earth-Prime thing?

[missysays]

Maybe HR Departments are only an Earth-Prime thing?

 

Hahahahahahaha!!!!!

[thuganomics85]

Thought this was a disappointed return.  Just a bunch of stuff that was boring or I don't care about, and characters acting like jerks or idiots.

 

So, after all is said and done, Jessie just hops on a bus and goes off to join Linda Park, Oliver's baby momma, and a whole bunch of characters who just suddenly get carted off, once the writers run out of ideas.  Never mind she's on a planet she barely knows anything about (after-all, her Beyonce is a Senator), no money, no ID, and knows no one out side of S.T.A.R. Labs: she's going to see the world!  Then again, it might all be worth it if Harry keeps using that damn Batman voice.  I love you Tom Cavanagh, but what the hell, man?!

 

Trajectory just basically ended up being another nutjob, who basically defeats herself because Barry is first too weak, and then when he finally gets the edge, he just talks her to death.  Nothing to see here.

 

Well, that's just great.  Iris is now stuck in an obvious roadblock, because these guys are looking for any excuse to hold off on Barry/Iris.  Now, it's this Scott guy, who is her boss and hates The Flash for no real reason.  Well, it's because he reminds him of some corrupt senator, but whatever.  This whole thing is so lame.

 

Cisco "vibes" that Zoom has Jay's face, so everyone automatically assumes it's actually Jay, even though Caitlin already knows there is some guy name Hunter out there with the same, so really.  There are several other ways this can go.

 

Amongst all that, there was just the silly stuff like Barry dramatically smashing the glass case instead of just opening it, his hilarious overdramatic scene, and then, of course, ordering four shots even though he never attended to let Jessie drink.  Dick move, Barry.  Dick move.

 

Only moment I really liked was Joe/Jesse L. Martin's face, when Eliza dropped the Law & Order reference.

[zannej]

Speaking of Linda Park, isn't E2 Linda still running around naked in Central City? I wonder which (if any) Linda might return to the show. I really liked her.

 

I got annoyed when Caitlin was saying the V9 is what made Jay sick and all that stuff. Zoom wasn't taking V9 or V8 or even V6. Wells said that five times he had tried to make speed serum and five times he had failed. I wonder how he determined that it was a failure. Did he test it on rats or something?

 

The idea of ARGUS making fake IDs for Jesse and Harry actually makes sense. It would be nice if that had happened and if they had mentioned it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Iris and her boss was creepy, she asked him out for coffee, it's the middle of the day, she's his employee and he assumes it's a date? A placeholder romance is bad enough they could at least make the set-up less awful or am I supposed to want WestAllen simply because the alternatives have been less than impressive?

Scott and Iris went to Jitters after dark, so it was not really "the middle of the day."

When Iris and her boss had their conversation about the story he wanted to run, the office was full of other people and there was sunlight (or some really bright streetlights) streaming through multiple windows, which made me think it was the middle of the work day. The dialogue we heard was:

Iris: I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around your vision for the story. Something isn't adding up. How about we talk about it some more, uh, grab some coffee? What do you say?
Scott: Coffee? Right now?

Iris: Yeah, a little caffeine never hurt anybody, right?

Then Iris picks up her coat and they leave to get coffee. I saw that the outside shot of Jitters looked dark outside, so either (1) this episode was supposed to take place before daylight savings time (2) they were working after dark to put the paper to bed or (3) production was lazy and accidentally used a shot of the Jitters exterior when it was dark. But my feeling is that regardless of how light or dark it was outside, they left work to get coffee to discuss a work issue which means it's not a date. And no matter how dark it is outside, it's presumptuous for a boss to assume that his employee is asking him on a date when she clearly states that she wants to discuss her work while drinking a beverage.