Welcome back to your weekly recap of our favourite Central City speedster, Barry Allen, as he fights crime and other metahumans. Today’s episode is Episode 5 of Season 3, titled Monster.
Barry, having finally moved out of Joe’s house, prepares breakfast for Cisco. A grumpy Cisco who, although he loves the breakfast treatment, needs some space from the constant Flash experience. While they sit down in Cisco’s apartment munching away on breakfast, they discuss their opinion of the new Wells recruit and their uncertainty about his fit with the team.
In the meantime, Caitlin leaves for a couple of days to visit her mom, Dr. Tannhauser, who works as a biomedical researcher in a lab. Caitlin asks about a recent paper her mom published, about a certain branch of biomedical science. However, her mom continues to act distracted, until Caitlin reveals with a burst of ice that she needs her help.
Back in Star City, the new Wells recruit is trying desperately to impress Team Flash. Brewing coffee for every member of the team, he tries to suggest that team building exercises would help them all get to know him better. Cisco disagrees, telling Wells to take a back seat and observe for the time being. The team splits up for the day once they receive Caitlin’s message that she’ll be out-of-town for a few days.
Barry speeds off for work, but ends up called into the Captain’s office because surprise-surprise: Julian has reported him, for not one or two, but NINE work violations. Uh oh Barry. Barry apologizes and is let off with a warning from the Captain. Cisco calls Barry to tell him there’s something going down downtown, but all the traffic cams aren’t working.
Barry speeds down to the scene to see a giant monster like something out of Pacific Rim, minus all the glowing limbs. Barry tries, and fails, to explain what the monster is to Cisco. The monsters flails around wrecking havoc, causing a bus crash nearby, which Iris and Barry both go to the rescue of. Finally managing to open the doors, freeing the people inside. However, when Barry turns back to the monster it vanishes without a trace. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Team Flash tries to figure out how to stop the monster. Wells suggests using carbon-fibre ropes to tie the monster up. Barry also mentions that a nearby transformer blew up without the monster even touching it, but the team is at a loss as to how.
While Dr. Tannhauser runs tests in the hopes that she can find out the sources of Caitlin’s powers, she ends up treating her daughter like a test subject. Caitlin grows colder and colder as the day progresses, bringing up old wounds about the passing of her dad, leading into an emotional fight between them. Caitlin ends up revealing that her beloved husband died last year, so she knows how her mom felt.
Barry talks to Julian about shadowing his work for the day in the hopes of improving his own, but really he just wants to create a working relationship with Julian. Julian allows him to, in exchange for moving out of the lab, to which Barry agrees. Barry and Julian investigate the scene of the monster, noticing a pattern, when suddenly the monster reappears. Barry manages to save Julian’s life just as the duo are about to be fried. The monster disappears yet again.
Caitlin decides to leave, but her mom’s assistant Nigel locks her inside the room. Once threatened, Caitlin’s inner killer frost is challenged and she freezes Nigel’s arm. Her mom bursts into the room and manages to talk Caitlin down from becoming a killer, telling her to leave and she’ll take care of Nigel.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry and Cisco discover that Wells is just repeating their suggestions and acting sketchy. They investigate and find a recording pen which Wells reveals is because he’s writing a novel about his adventures. The Team still thinks something about him is off, so they confront him again only to realise that Wells is a con-artist.
Caitlin returns to S.T.A.R. Labs just as the monster makes another appearance. Barry speeds off to create a carbon-fibre rope that will trip the monster over, but when the monster walks right through it the team realises the monster is actually only a projection. The Task Force assigned to the monster begins to shred it with bullets, only to be stopped by the Flash who warns them it’s only a projection. Julian having narrowed down the area from which the monster could be controlled, approaches the mastermind. He fires his gun but the mastermind is saved by the Flash, who reveals to Julian that it’s only a kid. The kid explains to Joe that he is bullied at school and only wanted to make people fear him, to feel powerful. Joe reprimands the boy, but tells him that he can change his life around.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells explains to the team that he’s just the idea man from the Earth he comes from. He acted as the face of the company, until everything fell apart, or rather, the public discovered he was a fraud. Despite his lack of scientific skill, he explains that he can help the team since he helped fight the metas from his earth. They agree to let him stay, as he wants his shot at redemption, and Team Flash is all about redemption.
Barry and Julian bond after Julian admits that he nearly killed a kid, who was being bullied. He also admits that he grew up as the odd child of the family, a very wealthy family from England (hello Malfoys). He didn’t want to be like the rest of his family so he came here to become the best scientist he could possibly be, but now he feels powerless because of the metahumans. Barry then invites him out for a drink, which Julian accepts. Finaaaaally.
Caitlin’s mom sends her a message that sounds like a parent-child talk about puberty, but is actually about Caitlin’s body changing the more she uses her powers. Caitlin then turns the computer into a Popsicle, because controlling her powers ain’t exactly easy.
Next week on The Flash
I found it quite interesting that the producers were going through a non-metahuman episode. It was rather refreshing to see the Flash trying to figure out a more human crime. I’m glad we’ve gotten to know the new Wells and Julian better. What did you think of Monster? Comment below, or tweet me @SohoDoll. And as always, “Run Barry, run!”
skatronixxx.wordpress.com 
Recent Comments