The Flash Episode 4 Recap, Plus Promo for Episode 5

What does the fastest man alive do on his day off? Apparently run around the room playing different games with his friends and partners. In an effort to toughen up Barry’s multitasking, he’s praciticing by playing Chess against Dr. Wells, Ping Pong against Cisco, and Operation against Caitlin. All the while, a heist crew is about to hit an armored car holding a world famous diamond collection (with a double whammy Easter egg of Blackhawk, a military unit in the DCU, and the Khandaq, the home of Shazam villain Black Adam). The crew attaches a tow truck to the moving security van and lifts it off the ground as the leader breaks down the door and goes after the cargo. Barry leaps into action and subdues them but the crew gets away as he takes a wounded guard to the hospital.

Later when the police are going over the crime scene, Barry shows up and offers some insight that clearly was gained from witnessing the crime. Back at the station, Joe gives Barry a phone book sized binder of potential candidates, which he flips through in about two seconds before finding the photo of one Leonard Snart, someone whom Barry does have a little bit in common with. Iris shows up and begins talking to Barry about her latest idea, her own blog about her new favorite subject, “the red streak.” Just as Barry is trying to talk her out of continuing with the idea they arrive in Barry’s lab where they meet an unexpected guest, one Felicity Smoak all the way from Starling City.

Over in a dark warehouse, Snart and his crew are going over the gameplan from the botched robbery attempt. Snart starts dropping science on the logistics of robbing a target in Central City, which he says is best to go after a moving target. One member of the crew says he wants out and Snart is happy to oblige, by ending his life. “We need to up our game,” he says.

Felicity and Barry take a stroll through the park where she hints that she knows about Barry’s “condition.” He runs to the roof of a nearby building and takes a photo of her as a way to show off. Barry confides in her that he has his own team of helpers and he takes her to STAR Labs to meet the crew, who aren’t exactly sure if they can trust her, so “Mister Blabber-Mouth” as Iris calls him drops that Felicity works with “The Arrow.” An impressive feat to Cisco. Dr. Wells enters and recognizes Felicity, citing a thinly-veiled reason to know who she is, which likely means she’s very important down the road in whatever plan he has for Barry.

Joe and Eddie sit lookout outside the Central City Museum waiting to see if Snart will show up, and Eddie tries to talk to Joe about his relationship with Iris. It goes poorly. Meanwhile, Barry takes Felicity to the cafe where Iris works where they decide to play trivia that night. Back in the dark warehouse across town, Snart is looking to buy some new wares from an arms dealer and he comes across a stolen piece from STAR Labs which he takes a liking to, and promptly kills the dealer.

That night at trivia, Barry, Iris, and Eddie wait for Felicity, who shows up dressed to impress. Snart cases the Central City Museum for the best way to steal the Khandaq diamond, but is spotted by one Dexter Myles (a comic Easter egg as the character runs “The Flash Museum” in the source material). Back at STAR Labs however, things aren’t so peachy as Dr. Wells drills Cisco about “the missing weapon,” which of course is Snart’s latest weapon of choice. Eddie gets a call that Snart was spotted in town and has to duck out of Trivia, Barry also leaves and gets a delightful cover story from Felicity.

Joe chases after Snart on foot, who uses the gun on an approaching police car sending it sliding across the road. Snart enters a theater with Joe close behind, and as Snart takes a shot at him, Barry arrives just in time to get him out of the way and take the brunt of the blast. To test out Barry’s speed Snart starts targeting citizens in the theater, most of whom Barry saves, execpt for one unlucky man who gets hit full on with the cold gun, freezing him solid.

Following his run in with Snart, Barry gets treatment at STAR Labs for the injuries he sustained from the cold gun, which Caitlin says would have killed him too without his powers. Barry starts to question why this technology even exists and Cisco admits to building it, as a precaution should they need to stop Barry at some point. This of course leaves the already dejected Barry quite irritated.

Back at their house, Iris and Joe talk about Iris wishing to discuss her relationship with Eddie, but Joe doesn’t want to hear it. Can’t blame him. Over in the dark warehouse, Snart is ready to hit the museum, despite his run in with the cops, and his crew isn’t keen on the idea so they bail, surprisingly they make it out alive. Felicity goes to comfort Barry about working with his STAR Labs compatriots, citing that Team Arrow butted heads a lot in the beginning too (failing to mention the recent head bumpings), meanwhile, Snart enters the museum and takes his prize.

Cisco figures out a way to track the cold gun and with the help of Felicity they realize he’s trying to make his getaway via train. Barry speeds into action, but he makes it crystal clear he doesn’t want any help in the field. As Joe and Eddie chase after Snart in the train station, Felicity talks to the STAR Labs crew, instilling hope in them about Barry but letting them know they need to be more encouraging. Snart boards an already moving train, getting away from Eddie and Joe just as they arrive, but he’s not quick enough to get away from Barry.

Barry boards the train to stop Snart, but in a very dastardly move he fires the cold gun at the bottom of the train, freezing the gears and sending it into a nasty collision. As Barry runs through the cars saving the tumbling passengers, in one of the coolest scenes so far in the series, Snart makes his getaway but is quickly confronted by Barry. Snart takes a shot at Barry and freezes him to the ground, and right as he’s about to deliver the killing blow Cisco, Caitlin and Felicity show up with a bigger cold gun (secretly just a giant vacuum cleaner) and intimidate Snart into leaving, though he does get to keep the diamond.

As Felicity prepares to leave Central City she tells the STAR Labs crew they’ve got a great time, they ask her to say hello to The Arrow for them, and she departs with an awkward hug from Barry. Wells however quickly loses his smile and chastises for Cisco for the entire situation, making him promise to never let something like that happen again. Back at CCPD, Iris goes to apologize to Joe for keeping her relationship with Eddie a secret but Joe is the one that ends up apologizing, citing that he underestimated Eddie. Iris and Joe embrace and she makes a promise to keep no more secrets from him, which Joe agrees to but clearly won’t abide by.

On the train home, Felicity reads Iris’ blog about “The Streak,” and just like that Barry appears on the train. They talk and of course the conversation leads to Barry’s affection for Iris, which is obvious to Felicity, but Barry counters with Felicity’s feelings for Oliver, which he can also see. The two kind of sigh about being perfect for each other and pining after people they can’t have, but they promise to help each other any time that they can. Barry seals it with a kiss. Meanwhile at the Keystone City Motel (Easter egg alert!), Snart talks to an unseen figure whom he has clearly worked with before and wants to again. He offers him a piece of equipment he took from the arms dealer earlier in the episode, this one very clearly a heat gun instead of a cold gun. The unseen figure, who is no doubt Dominic Purcell’s Heat Wave, agrees.

You can check out the promo for episode 5 of “The Flash” in the player below. Titled “Plastique,” the episode is officially described as follows:

“After a bomb goes off downtown, the army, led by General Eiling (guest star Clancy Brown), rolls in and takes over the case, much to Joe’s surprise. Suspicious, Joe tells Barry that he and his friends at S.T.A.R. Labs should look into the army’s involvement. Wells informs the team that Eiling was experimenting on his men to turn them into super soldiers. Cisco confirms one of Eiling’s soldiers, Bette Sans Souci (guest star Kelly Frye), was at the bomb site. The Flash tracks her down and realizes that she’s not setting off the bombs, she is a meta-human who can blow things up just by touching them. Meanwhile, when Joe learns Iris is writing about “the streak,” he tells Barry to make her stop. Barry realizes Iris won’t listen to him so he decides to have The Flash pay her a visit.”

Directed by Dermott Downs and written by Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing & Brooke Eikmeier, “Plastique” is set to air November 11. “The Flash” airs Tuesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW.

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