The Flash Recap With Spoilers: Out of Time

One year earlier, the night the particle accelerator exploded, the Mardon brothers escaped in a helicopter after killing Joe West's partner. Clyde and Mark are thrilled with their escape, though Mark scolds Clyde for not buckling his seat belt. Suddenly, they see the explosion and in seconds, they are caught in it. After a few seconds, the helicopter starts to come apart, and without his seat belt, Clyde falls into the storm.

Back in the present, Barry takes Linda on a date to the local bowling alley. He calls it one of his favorite places and points out that it is the only sport where he has a chance of beating her. Suddenly, they bump into Eddie and Iris, also on a date. After an awkward hello, the two couples find themselves on a double date. Linda is uncomfortable with how comfortable and friendly Iris and Barry are, and becomes even more so when she hears Iris describe the bowling alley the exact same way Barry did. "It's one of my favorite places in the world."

At the City Morgue, the Coroner examines a body, determining the cause of death to be homicide. As he covers the remains, Mark Mardon walks in. He knows a cop killed his brother Clyde, and wants to know who. The Coroner tries to evade, until Clyde forms a huge hailstone in his hands from nothing and throws it at the Coroner, who falls. Mark makes another hailstone.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco and Wells have set up a projector screen and are enjoying a Buster Keaton film. Cisco is surprised that Wells never saw this movie before and promises to make him a movie list. Wells asks about dinner Cisco is supposed to be at with his brother. Cisco doesn't want to talk at first, but admits he decided not to go and is choosing to distance himself from his family. Suddenly, Cisco's equipment alerts them to the break in at the City Morgue.

Eddie gets a text about the break in and says a hurried goodbye to Iris. Barry also says goodbye to Linda, telling her they will need him as well.

The Flash runs through the city, on his way to the Morgue. Suddenly, he sees a duplicate of himself, running alongside him. Stunned, The Flash stops and takes in his surroundings. There is no sign of his double. He continues on. At the Morgue, The Flash finds the Coroner's dead body, surrounded by water and melting ice.

A short time later, the cops have arrived. As Barry hurries through the scene, he crashes into Captain Singh, spilling the Captain's drink all over both of them. Singh screams at Barry about his new coat being ruined before storming off. Barry and Joe discuss the water. Barry checked the sprinkler and knows that's not where it came from. He shows Joe one of the few small remaining bits of ice. Joe suspects Snart, but Barry replies that the cold gun couldn't do this. The ice plus the bruises on the body indicate that he was somehow killed by hail. While inside. Eddie brings over the auto dictation device the Coroner had been using to record himself while he worked. The entire murder was recorded and Joe recognizes Mardon's voice. They hear The Coroner admit that Joe killed Clyde Mardon before his own death.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin and Wells talk about the Mardon brothers. Barry confirms that Mark's power is similar to Clyde's, only more precise. Cisco names Mardon the Weather Wizard and offers to make a sort of grounding machine, something that will suck up all the electrons that Mark uses to control the weather. It should render him powerless. Joe has listened to all of this, and as he leaves, Wells tries to reassure him. Joe brushes it off though, acting very casual about the whole thing. Wells also offers Barry some reassurance. Barry tells Wells about seeing his own duplicate the night before. Wells suggests it is a speed mirage, an image made by his speed. Barry isn't sure, and Wells promises to help him figure it out once Mardon is captured.

Joe, Eddie, and Barry update Captain Singh on the investigation. Singh tells Joe to coordinate from the police station while Eddie leads the hunt. Joe isn't happy about it. Iris arrives as the three men leave the Captain's office, and Joe makes both Eddie and Barry promise not to tell her what's happening. As Iris walks over, Eddie immediately walks away and goes to his desk. Barry and Joe greet her, but offer no information as she asks them for a scoop. Instead, they tell her they are on their way to lunch, and leave. Iris confronts Eddie about him trying to avoid her. Eddie admits that he did not like seeing Iris and Barry together and felt like the odd man out. He knows Barry will always be in her life, but something is different and he is not okay with it.

Joe and Barry eat in Joe's car as it rains. Barry asks why Joe is being so cavalier about Mardon, but Joe brushes it off. So instead, Barry asks Joe for advice. He admits there's something happening between him and Iris. Joe laughs about his adopted son asking for romantic advice about his daughter, who is also his partner's boyfriend. As they drive, the rain comes down harder. Barry turns on the radio and finds a weather report talking about a clear day with no cloud in the sky. They realize Mardon is in a truck behind them, making it rain. Mardon sends a bolt of lightning at the car, and Barry speed Joe to safety just before the car's fiery explosion.

Singh confines Joe to the station where he can be protected until Mardon is caught. Singh also asks Joe to have Iris call The Flash, but Joe claims he won't involve her. Barry, who watched the whole encounter, lectures Joe on being safe and smart. Joe points out that the other cops can't protect him from a metahuman. Barry asks Joe to trust the group from S.T.A.R. Labs.

Iris works on her newest article about The Flash. Bridge walks over and tells her about Simon Stagg's disappearance six months earlier. He has a picture proving that Wells was the last person to see Stagg. He wants Iris to question her friends who know Wells.

Iris gets up from her desk to get some coffee, where she bumps into Linda. Iris apologizes for getting in the middle of Linda and Barry's date. Linda is upset, when Iris admitted that Barry had feelings for her, she neglected to mention having feelings for him as well. Iris tries to deny it, but Linda is not convinced.

Barry and Iris hang out at Jitters. Iris talks about how much she is learning from Bridge and asks Barry about Wells, showing him the picture of Wells entering Stagg's office. Barry defends Wells.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco presents a device he calls the Wizard's Wand. Wells praises Cisco before leaving the room. Caitlin sees that Barry is not all there. Barry tells Caitlin and Cisco about what Iris said about Wells and Stagg. Caitlin dismisses it, but Cisco is less sure.

At the police station, Cisco finishes teaching Joe how to use the wand. Cisco also brings up Joe's previous suspicions of Wells, but Joe brushes it off. On his way to the elevator, Cisco walks right past Mardon. As the elevator doors close, Cisco realizes who he saw and quickly pulls out his phone to text Barry. Mardon and Joe face off, the wand several feet from Joe and between them both. Joe attempts to creep closer while they talk, until Mardon summons a huge wind to knock Joe back. Eddie, Singh, and the other cops all draw their guns, but Mardon brings a larger wind into the station, stopping them all. Mardon once again tries to kill Joe with lightning, but Singh pushes Joe out of the way, taking the blast himself. The Flash arrives then, grabs the wand, and uses it to prevent Mardon from controlling the weather. Mardon runs, and The Flash sees Joe and Eddie tending to Singh. The Flash grabs Singh and speeds him away.

Caitlin tries to talk to Cisco at S.T.A.R. Labs, but he doesn't respond to her at first. When he does, Cisco reveals his suspicion of Wells to her. Caitlin defends Wells, but Cisco shares what he learned from Joe as well. Cisco also tells Caitlin that the containment field they had used to try to capture the Reverse Flash shouldn't have failed. Escape should not have been possible. He asks Caitlin to keep Wells out of the lab the following morning.

At the hospital, Barry brings a coffee to Rob, Singh's fiancée, who he never met before. Rob says that Singh always speaks very highly of Barry. The doctor emerges from Singh's room and Rob, Barry, Joe, and Eddie gather round. Singh is experiencing some paralysis and possible neurological damage. Rob wants to see him, but at first the doctor says no, only family. Joe explains that Rob is Singh's fiancée and the doctor allows Rob in. Joe asks if Singh can ever return to work, but the doctor says he might never walk again. Joe storms away, ready to go after Mardon himself. Barry tries to stop him, but Joe insists that as revenge for Clyde, Mardon will go after Iris and Barry. He begs Barry to protect Iris, and Barry promises. Joe takes off.

Barry goes to Central City Picture News in search of Iris, but meets Bridge instead. Bridge calls Wells a sociopath and a liar and warns Barry he has a file with proof that Wells is up to no good. He also admits to following Wells sometimes. Barry tries to find out more, but Bridge tells him to read the Sunday paper.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco examines the containment field, determined to find out what went wrong and how the Reverse Flash got away.

Jo goes to a falling apart apartment building in search of Mardon. He runs into Eddie, who is there to back up his partner. The Mardon brother used this place as a hideout years earlier. It is flimsy, but it is the only lead they have. Eddie refuses to leave.

Barry finds Iris at Joe's house, leaving her father a voicemail. She is worried that he isn't answering his phone. Barry tells Iris about his encounter with Bridge, she knows nothing about the file. Iris asks about Linda, the tone of voice revealing that she doesn't think Barry should be dating her. Iris admits that she thinks Linda is wrong for Barry.

Cisco finds nothing wrong with the containment field. Frustrated, he turns it on, only to see an image of the Reverse Flash immediately appear inside.

Joe and Eddie find the apartment that Mardon was hiding in. Suddenly, the winds are back. This time, Mardon uses the wind to abduct Joe.

Joe wakes on a pier, his left hand cuffed to a pole and his left leg broken. Despite all that, Joe taunts Mardon, demanding Mardon kill him. Mardon takes out a roll of duct tape, stating that he wants much more.

Caitlin and Wells have breakfast at Jitters. He is surprised she wants to stay in and eat instead of getting it to go, but she insists. He notices her checking her watch.

At the station, Eddie organizes the other cops into a rescue effort while Barry and Iris look on. Barry promises to find Joe. Mardon calls Iris on Joe's phone, having gagged Joe with the duct tape. Using her father as bait, he tells her where to find him and threatens Joe if she tells any cops. Then he throws the phone into the water. Iris tells Barry, who insists on going with her. As they are walking to the elevator, Linda steps off it and asks if she and Barry can talk. He tells her that he can't as he goes to Iris. Barry promises Linda that it is an emergency and leaves.

Still killing time, Caitlin thanks Wells again for all he did for Ronnie. Wells mentions Cisco, making Caitlin nervous, but he only suggests something Cisco can do to find Mardon. Wells tells Caitlin that they should go, and she gets up to have their coffee put in to go cups. She turns her back on Wells for a moment and when she looks back, he is gone, leaving his wheelchair behind.

Cisco watches and listens as the image of the Reverse Flash says the same things it said the night they "captured" it. Wells appears, standing in the doorway. "Some would say I'm reverse."

Mardon watches Iris and Barry approach with binoculars, then lets Joe see as well. He pulls the gag off, and Joe pleads for Iris' life. Mardon won't be swayed, and he replaces the gag. He starts to manipulate the weather again.

Wells applauds Cisco and confesses his real name. Eobard Thawne. Cisco recognizes the last name as being the same as Eddie's and Wells admits they are distant relations. Cisco asks how they saw two of them in the containment field, and Wells demonstrates that he can move so fast, he can create a duplicate image of himself. A speed mirage. Cisco accuses Wells of killing Nora Allen and Wells admits that he wasn't trying to kill Nora that night. He was trying to kill Barry. He admits to being marooned there for 15 years. He needs Barry's speed to return to his own time, which is why he has trained Barry instead of killing him. No one will stop him. Cisco, who has listened tearfully to all of it, offers to help Wells in a last ditch effort to save himself. Wells vibrates his hand at super speed and tells Cisco that he thinks of him as a son. He thrusts his vibrating hand into Cisco's chest. "Forgive me. But to me you've been dead for centuries." Wells removes his hand and Cisco collapses, dead.

Barry tries to send Iris away. Iris admits that ever since Barry confessed his feelings to her, she can't stop thinking about him. He never stops thinking about her either, and they kiss. Meanwhile, Mardon makes a tsunami and sends it towards Central City. Barry calls Caitlin, who has just arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs. Caitlin starts to fill Barry in on what happened at Jitters, but he cuts her off to ask how to stop the tsunami. She tells him that he has to run up and down the coast to create a wall of wind. He might not be fast enough. Barry hangs up and tells Iris that he didn't plan on telling her like this. Then he speeds himself into his Flash suit. Iris is stunned. The Flash begins to run up and down the water's edge, creating a wall of wind. He goes faster and faster, until suddenly he is running through Central City, looking at his own duplicate. The Flash stops, finding himself exactly where he was the other night on his way to the Morgue. Not only the same place, but the exact same events are happening. He ran so fast that he traveled back in time, erasing the last few days.