The Flash Recap With Spoilers: Everything You Missed in “The Man in The Yellow Tie”

Last week on The Flash, a new speedster was introduced with the arrival of Meena Dhawan, a scientist at Fast Track labs who has been working on her own artificial speed. This week, Barry works with Dr. Dhawan to better control her powers but gets a stunning surprise when he meets who she’s working with. The previously released preview for the episode reveals she’s working with Eobard Thawne (Matt Letscher). Yes, that Eobard Thawne. Need to find out what happened on this week’s episode of The Flash? We’ve got you covered with our recap, but just know that there are full spoilers for “The Man in the Yellow Tie” beyond this point.

Episode opens with a voiceover about from Meena as she races through the woods, the fastest woman arrive for around the next 3 minutes. She’s racing with The Flash, but soon loses control and zaps The Flash with her own lightning bolt. The artificial lighting interacts strangely with Barry’s organic powers. Meena, running out of speed, must go back to the lab.

Cecile is at the bank trying to make a deposit when there is a bank robbery. She tries to go for her phone but ends up confronted by the criminal and suddenly is overwhelmed with his emotions to the point that she can see them and is able to deflect them and change his feelings with a wave of her hand. Back at STAR Lab, they run some tests and her empath abilities are up a 1000%. The team has questions about why this is happening. Cecile can tell Barry is worried about Meena.

Barry goes to Fast Track labs to see how her artificial speed force works. Meena shows Barry her device and introduces her to her colleague — Eobard Thawne. He built the machine. Barry is shaken. Eobard claims to not know The Flash or Barry. Eobard says that he has a rare form of retrograde amnesia and can’t remember anything from his personal life from over a year before. When Meena steps out, Barry confronts him, but Eobard continues to act like he doesn’t remember anything.

Barry calls Chester and there are no security alerts. Barry is concerned and confused. We get a flashback to Thawne interviewing with Meena at Fast Track, but she thinks he is a joke until he ends up completing her formula for artificial speed. Meanwhile, Thawne (as played by Tom Cavanagh) is still in his jail cell on Lian Yu. This Thawne claims to not know what’s going on and to not care. Barry figures out that when Thawne was almost erased in Armageddon, his past was also erased so this Thawne must be from another timeline. Thawne can confirm that Meena’s device is the one that Thawne built in the future and, eventually, the Negative Speed Force will eventually destroy her personality. Thawne also warns Barry that this New Thawne is only out for himself. After Barry leaves, John Diggle emerges from the shadows.

Diggle can’t get the box he found in the Arrow finale to open again. He thinks Thawne can open it. Diggle’s obsession with opening the box has also created issues in his family. Thawne agrees to help, but only if he gets to see what’s inside when the box opens. The Flash races back to Fast Track. Meena is preparing to juice up with more speed than ever before. Flash shows up and stops her just in time and tries to explain the Negative Speed Force. However, even though Flash confronts him, Meena still tries to power up. The Flash tries to stop her but is too late. The large dose of Negative Speed Force impacts her personality and makes her crave more speed. She races off and starts absorbing energy.

On Lian Yu, Thawne explains that the cube only comes to those who are at a crossroads and that it closed because he wasn’t ready. Now he is and Thawne walks him through being able to get into the headspace to open it. It opens but after he sees everything, Diggle tells it that he doesn’t want what it offers because none of the offers lead him home to his family. The cube closes and it goes away.  He gives up his cosmic destiny for his family.

Back at Fast Track, Barry’s speed is canceled out. The Flash continues to confront Thawne and reveals that he and Meena are in love. Turns out that Meena changed his entire goals — he had wanted to be a speedster but falling in love with Meena shifted his focus. He also explains that he gave the speed to Meena to save her from her heart condition. Thawne begs The Flash to save her, and The Flash realizes that this Thawne is not the man he thought he was, he’s a better man. Flash’s speed returns and they figure out where Meena is going to get more speed.

She starts absorbing even more speed at the dam, but The Flash shows up to stop her. They start to race so that The Flash can burn off her extra speed as calculated by Thawne. However, Meena grabs power directly from the Negative Speed force and cancels out The Flash’s power. Thawne confronts her. He tries to stop her, appealing to the good in her and it works. She overcomes the influence of the Negative Speed Force and returns to him.

Back at Fast Track, The Flash suggests that there is a way around the danger of the Negative Speed Force: Meena just needs to use her love for Eobard as her lightning rod. Chester gets a message from Ray Palmer who catches them up on the events of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and how Eobard came to learn that history shouldn’t change. The Flash suggests that when Eobard died a hero, he was given a chance to be a good person in the present.

In Central City, a guy tries to mug a woman and is suddenly overcome. It’s Cecile, out on the streets using her powers, but she’s observed by a mysterious figure. Caitlin calls Mark, who has figured out how to bring Frost back without the Mirror Gun. He just needs Caitlin. In Lian Yu, Thawne reflects on his confrontations with The Flash when he’s visited by Deon, the cube having allowed Deon to find him. It’s time for Thawne to fulfill his destiny.