The Flash Recap: Here’s Everything You Missed in “Heart of the Matter, Part 1”

It’s been quite a journey, but the first of the last two episodes of the seventh season of The Flash are here, kicking off with this week’s first part of the two-part finale, “Heart of the Matter, Part 1”. As fans saw in last week’s “P.O.W.”, the Godspeed War is rapidly amping up with Team Flash not having a whole lot of options to stop it. However, in the final moments of that episode Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris’ future children, Nora West-Allen/XS (Jessica Parker Kennedy) and Bart West-Allen/Impulse (Jordan Fisher) arrived to lend a hand.

This week, it will be a family affair as they take on the Godspeed clones and try to find a way to stop this war for good. However, a secret may threaten things for the West-Allen family even as the fate of Central City grows ever more uncertain thanks to the ongoing speedster war. Need to get caught up on the major details and stories from “Heart of the Matter, Part 1”, this week’s episode of The Flash? We’re here to help. Here are the major plot points for “Heart of the Matter, Part 1”. Warning: Full spoilers for the episode beyond this point. Read on only if you want to know.

From the future to now

The episode opens in Central City 2049 with Godspeed/August Heart nearing his goal of infinite velocity when XS stops him. However, he quickly recovers and prepares to attack her when Impulse races in and phases through him, bringing Godspeed down. XS chastises him for what she sees as reckless behavior and while they disagree, Godspeed phases through the street and heads to the Flash Museum. There, he uses the Cosmic Treadmill to escape. XS and Impulse follow him.

In the present at STAR Labs, Barry gets Bart and Nora up to speed about how August has no memory and there are hundreds of clones. The kids also get to meet the past versions of the various people in their lives. Nora tells them that she and Bart can’t really stay because it’s against the Allen family rules, but Barry explains there’s no way back right now due to the Godspeeds in the Speed Force. Chester tells everyone he’s come up with a plan to stop the Godspeeds using the device his father was working on – the Solar Encryption Engine. He just needs Allegra to charge it.

Jay Garrick runs again

Barry spends time with the kids with Nora explaining that she knows about the other Nora – she is not the same Nora we met previously – but while talking they get an alert about Godspeeds. The three of them head out to deal with them. However, when the Godspeeds realize they are there, they all end up following only Impulse, saying “kill the Adversary”. They are almost successful, but they have to leave to recharge before they can. Bart and Nora are keeping secrets and back at STAR, Bart reveals that Godspeed is his Thawne. 

Barry goes into the Time Vault to try to find additional help, but Wally is unavailable. Iris shows up, Deon having stabilized her. She already knows about the kids, having seen it all from the Still Force. They both realize that if Godspeed is Bart’s Thawne, the situation is far more serious than they realize.

In Keystone City, Jay Garrick has his speed back thanks to the restoration of the Speed Force. He is planning to head to Central City to help Barry. His wife, Joan, reminds him to be careful. Before he can leave, however, he’s attacked by Godspeeds.

Secrets

Barry and Iris tell Bart that they are benching him because of the threat Godspeed poses to him personally and how impulsively he acted. Nora backs their play and he races off, upset. She goes to speak with him. She finds him at the West house. It’s revealed that in their time Godspeed killed their “Uncle Jay” right in front of him and Jay was the one person who really understood him and his impulsiveness. Bart wants to tell their parents, but Nora says no.

Allegra’s grief

Chester approaches Allegra for help, but she’s not acting like herself. She’s also unable to charge the device. Barry has to do it in a pinch as the Godspeeds are back. It’s later revealed that Allegra’s power issues are connected to her emotions. She’s blasting ultraviolet light as she is channeling negative emotions. Allegra tells Chester that Esperanza is dead and she blames herself.

With the Godspeed clones back, Barry and Nora get the SEE out in the field and lead the clones to it. They activate the device and it works initially but the clones suddenly repower and attack them. Frost shows up in the nick of time to save them both. Turns out, Barry’s energy was too much to charge the SEE and it ended up giving the clones a mega-dose of Speed Force energy. They realize they need more help and Bart shows up, ready to be tagged in but Barry and Iris are benching both of their children.

Cisco returns

Barry and Iris talk about how tragedy seems to follow them everywhere and how they need to break the cycle by stopping the clones and preventing August from getting his powers. Then, they get a message from the Rebel Godspeeds demanding that they hand over the Adversary or else they will kill Jay Garrick. Bart tells Barry they don’t have time to come up with a plan. Bart goes to where they are and it’s a trap. Barry and Nora go to save him. When they arrive, Bart is being attacked as the Godspeeds take his speed. Nora creates a distraction and Barry uses Bart’s phasing trick to stop the primary Godspeed clone. Bart isn’t responding and before they can escape, the Godspeeds circle them. However, Cisco shows up and is able to temporarily stop them so they can get out of there.

Into the mind of a monster

Having no luck restoring August’s memories, Caitlin and Camille try to jog his memory by having him look at things like the treadmill. He gets a zap of power, but no memory. He’s frustrated, worried that he doesn’t remember anything.

Bart is in bad shape. His speed healing is just barely keeping him alive. Barry suggests that they get into August’s mind to try to get the answers they need to stop the clones. Cisco and Frost will protect Central City while he goes inside August’s mind. Once Barry gets inside, he finds the real August. Turns out he’s been waiting for him and he says he has all the answers, menacing that it will be so much fun.

Odds and ends

In Midway City, Kramer speaks with the FBI about Adam but does not reveal the part where he said that the real Kristen Kramer died. Joe finds that suspicious.

On the way back to Central City, Joe presses Kramer about what Adam said about seeing her die, but she doesn’t really answer him. They see that everyone is trying to leave Central City and are nearly in an accident when a pair of fighting Godspeed clones drop down on the car they are in.