The Flash Season 1, Episode 15 Recap: Out Of Time

Are we doing the time travel thing tonight? If so, I might take some painkillers ahead of time, because time travel makes my head hurt.

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“Out of Time” is supposed to have a lot more than that in store for us, though, including a second Weather Wizard and the latest in the ever popular Barry Allen-Iris West-Eddie Thawne love triangle. And maybe some more Reverse-Flash too.

Sounds like fun! Let’s do this …

Not-So-Fast Recap: We begin a year ago, on the eve of the particle accelerator accident and the robbery pulled off by Clyde Mardon, the now deceased Weather Wizard. We see that he has a partner with him when his plane is struck by the wave of energy. Remember that — it could be important.

Barry and Linda Park are out for a night of bowling when they run into Iris and Eddie, who had the same idea. Both Barry and Iris enjoy bowling, and have since they were kids. Needless to say, this makes for one awkward double date.

At the Central City morgue, the coroner gets a visit who can literally control the weather in the palm of his hand. He’s also pretty angry.

Cisco Ramon and Harrison Wells are watching an old movie together at S.T.A.R. Labs, and the latter tries asking the former how things are going with his family. Better, Cisco says, since he stopped seeing them as much. The silent alarm goes off at the morgue, springing Harrison, Cisco, Barry and Eddie into action. That also leaves Linda and Iris together. Still awkward.

While on his way to the scene, the Flash sees something. Possibly himself. My head twinges just a little. At the morgue, he discovers the coroner is dead. When the cops all investigate, Barry says it appears he was killed by hail. Yes, indoor hail. Eddie finds a clue, and they all discover the coroner gave up Joe West as the person who shot Clyde Mardon to his assailant.

That’s crucial, because Mardon’s partner on that fateful night with his brother, Mark. The S.T.A.R. crew figures he also got the ability to control weather, but on a more precise level. Like a Weather Wizard, says Cisco. Right. As always, he was already working ona way to neutralize Clyde that might help in the present. Barry asks for a moment with Harrison, where he reveals what he saw while running: specifically, another Flash. Wells downplays the vision, saying it might have been a “speed mirage” (yeah, right!), but also claims they will investigate it after they stop Mardon.

Captain Singh tries getting Joe to sit this one out, and he tells both Barry and Eddie not to tell Iris. She ends up having a heart-to-heart with Eddie, who makes it clear he’s not okay with whatever is going on between her and Barry. So sensitive, that one.

Barry and Joe try talking about the same thing from the other side, but the weather is getting increasingly bad as they drive — despite the radio calling it a beautiful day in Central City. That’s due to Mardon following behind them in a truck, and he calls down a lightning bolt right through the sunroof. Fortunately, Barry is just a tad faster. Despite that close shave, Joe still doesn’t want extra help or protection.

At the newspaper, Iris gets an assignment to find out more about Wells, as he was the last person seen with Simon Stagg before his disappearance. After a not so great apology to Linda, she tries to get Barry to talk, but he says Harrison is a good man, and she’ll find no story there.

Cisco has cooked up something he proudly calls the Weather Wand that should use the electrical properties of the weather to cancel out Mardon’s powers. After Wells leaves the room, Barry tells his science pals about Iris sniffing around about their boss, and he says he told her she was on the wrong track.

Soon after, Cisco is at the police station, leaving the wand with Joe. On his way out, he passes Mark Mardon, and he makes a frantic call to Barry from the elevator. Mark finds Joe pretty quickly, making it clear he’s out to avenge his brother’s death. With the wand just out of reach, the cops are somewhat helpless against Weather Wizard, and Captain Singh ends up jumping in front of a lightning bolt means for Joe. The Flash shows up and successfully uses the wand to stop the bad weather, but Mardon gets away as he speeds Singh to the hospital.

You know when you just can’t let something go? Cisco is experiencing that feeling right now, as he confides in Caitlin that he’s having his own doubts about Wells. Specifically, he’s thinking about the night they set up a containment barrier for the Reverse-Flash, which ended up failing. Could Wells have set that up? Caitlin says it’s crazy to think that Harrison could be in league with the man in yellow, but Cisco asks her to keep their boss away from the building the next morning.

Barry and Joe head to check on Singh, whose fiancee learns some bad news: he might not ever walk again. Joe wants to end things with Mardon, and he orders Barry to keep an eye on Iris. He goes to the paper looking for her, but he runs into Mason Bridge instead. The reporter claims he has evidence that Wells is involved in Stagg’s death, but Barry will have to read about it on Sunday just like everyone else.

Cisco is running tests on the barrier from the night of the Reverse-Flash encounter. Meanwhile, Joe is looking for Mardon in one of his old hideouts, and Eddie meets him there. Barry is busy confronting Iris about her mentor’s proof, but she claims no knowledge of what that might be. Talk turns to Linda, and Iris says she isn’t the right girl for Barry. So who is?

The Reverse-Flash appears inside the barrier at S.T.A.R. Labs, just as a gust of wind pulls Joe out the window. Man, there’s a lot going on at once tonight.

Ooh, that’s a nasty broken leg for Joe. Mardon says he broke nearly every bone in his body when he was pulled out of the plane. Weather Wizard also has more than “an eye for an eye” in mind.

As asked, Caitlin stalls Harrison with an extra-long breakfast. Barry promises Iris he’ll bring Joe back alive, and Eddie sees them having another one of their moments. Conveniently, Mardon calls Iris on her cell, requesting her presence at the waterfront. No cops, obviously. Sorry Linda, we’ve got to go. It’s kind of an emergency.

Despite Caitlin’s best efforts, Harrison is getting suspicious. She gets up to get their coffee to go, and … holy crap, Wells is not in his chair. That’s because he’s at S.T.A.R. Labs, sans glasses and wheelchair. As Barry and Iris arrive at the waterfront, Wells comes clean to Cisco. About everything, really. That he’s the Reverse-Flash, that he killed Nora Allen (though he was actually there to kill Barry), and that he’s stuck in this time and desperate to get back to the future (sorry). His tutoring of Barry is simply a means to an end, as the Flash’s speed can get him home. Cisco offers to help, but Harrison … oh, I mean Eobard Thawne, says he’s not that smart. Thawne says he’s grown quite fond of Cisco, which makes what he’s about to do, vibating his hand inside Cisco’s chest to kill him, all the more difficult. Wow! Did not see that coming. But to Thawne, Cisco has been dead for centuries.

Faced with a giant tidal wave caused by Weather Wizard’s powers, Barry and Iris come clean and kiss. Then, because these last few minutes haven’t been heart-stopping enough, he reveals that he’s the Flash and tries running back and forth as fast as he can at Caitlin’s suggestion. It seems like it might be working, but Barry ends up going so fast that he ends up going back in time. Yep, he did see himself earlier, and I think we just entered a super-powered version of Groundhog Day.

That headache I mentioned before? It’s coming on, but the adrenaline rush is helping to keep it at bay.

Favorite moment: Too many “OMG” moments to mention. I think my abosulte favorite is knowing that Cisco isn’t dead, because Barry went back in time. Hopefully things turn out differently next week.

Final thought: It’s not an exaggeration to say those last 15 minutes were the most thrilling I’ve ever seen in a super hero TV show. Many people on social media were incredulous, comparing it to a season finale, and it did have that feel. This is going to be some ride over the next few weeks.

Next: Previously, on The Flash: our recap of Fallout

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