‘Welcome to Earth-2’ The Flash 2.13 Recap

Warning: Our television series recaps contain spoilers of the episode being reviewed as well as episodes leading up to it.


“Oh, I’m shivering. I’ve been dying to kill The Flash.”

Cold puns aside, this week’s episode of The Flash takes us to one of the most anticipated locations in the series: Earth-2. It’s been a long time coming, and with a parade of doppelgängers to keep the momentum going, Welcome to Earth-2 is one of the best episodes of the season.

We get a whole slew of character introductions, both baddies and good guys recognizable from our home base of Earth-1. Obviously in Earth-2 there are some stark character differences: Earth-2 Barry is even nerdier than regular Barry (he wears a bowtie and a jacket with padded shoulders), Iris is the tough-as-nails lead detective, and her father Joseph (Earth-1 Joe) has a deep dislike for Barry. Oh, and Barry and Iris are married–quite happily it seems.

flash-2

Killer Frost makes her debut in the most badass way possible, introducing us to one of the most anticipated characters in the entire show. In stark contrast to the Caitlin we’ve come to know and love throughout the past season and a half of Flash, Killer Frost is everything Caitlin is not—cold, cruel, ruthless, with a serious sarcastic and sassy side. Danielle Panabaker does an incredible job showcasing her new persona, exceeding expectations and living up to the hype that’s been set since it was made known that she’d be carrying the Killer Frost mantle. With Deathstorm by her side, Killer Frost is a formidable enemy, terrorizing Earth-2 and posing a serious threat to Team Flash.

A wonderful emotional moment is executed beautifully when Iris relays to Barry that his mother called and Barry, hesitantly at first, gets to pick up the phone and speak to his mother. It’s easily one of the most heartwarming moments of the entire episode, as anyone who watches the show knows this is the main motivation behind Barry Allen as a person.

flash-1

Earth-2 has its light and dark sides, one of the biggest issues being that despite Barry marrying Iris, there’s now a serious rift between Barry and Joe. The animosity between them is so out-of-character and strange that it’s palpable. But obviously, it’s all part of the Earth-2 ‘charm’; where some things are all sunshine and daisies, this is one of the things that has drastically changed for the worst. It’s clear this turn of events effects Barry deeply, considering his close relationship with Joe on Earth-1.

We also get up close and personal with Reverb, Cisco/Vibe’s doppelgänger, who works to get inside Cisco’s head and convince him to go to the ‘dark side’ (indeed, Cisco even asks Reverb if he’s ‘Cloud-City Darth-Vadering’ him). It comes to the surface that Reverb’s not exactly into working for Zoom anymore, despite Killer Frost’s assertions that Zoom has very specific instructions regarding the capture of Flash. When Zoom shows up and reams everyone out for harming Flash and disregarding his orders, he’s quick to kill and flees the scene, an injured Barry in his clutches.

With the introduction of new (but familiar) characters, a deep-rooted plot, and the promise of more action and character introductions to come, this week’s Flash episode was a fast-paced hour of excitement. Next week we head back to Earth-2 as Barry, now in the hands of Zoom, must rely on his friends to help save him and the others imprisoned by Zoom. The stakes have never been higher for Team Flash, and as they work with their Earth-2 counterparts to stage a rescue, it’s more than just Barry’s life at risk.

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