THE FLASH Season 2 Episode 6: Zoom Zoom!



A common problem THE FLASH and other shows like it encounter is that due to the episodic nature of the series, there’s a lack of consequences from story to story. Loose ends from previous episodes get brushed off to the side so the show can dive straight into this week’s main conflict. “Enter Zoom,” however, managed to nicely subvert that trope as it took the time to deal with the fallout from the last few episodes while still advancing the season’s overarching conflict.

Right off the bat, we see everyone struggling to process recent events. Linda is shaken after seeing her boss killed in front of her and desperate to stop this criminal running around with her face. Patty is utterly bewildered at Joe’s sudden willingness to drop the Doctor Light case and attempting to discover why she’s being kept out of the loop. The entire STAR Labs crew is on edge because of Wells’ reappearance and trying to figure out what their next move should be. Even the glimpses we see of Earth-2 primarily deal with the aftermath of the Jay and Harry’s public confrontation seen in flashbacks. The consequences of the previous weeks are clearly heavy on everyone’s mind. 

So heavy, in fact, that Barry decides it’s time to go on the offensive and stop waiting for Zoom to make a move. He enlists Linda’s help as part of a risky plan to trick Zoom into believing Doctor Light has killed Flash. While the rest of the team is doubtful it’ll work, Linda is endearingly overeager to help however she can — even when her version of “help” means accidentally setting things on fire. Linda makes a great edition to the team and her dynamic with Iris is especially fun to watch. Hopefully now that she’s learned Barry’s secret identity we’ll be seeing more of her, especially since Wally, her comic book husband, is due to make his appearance soon. 

As the plan begins to falls apart, Barry’s dedication to tracking down Zoom quickly turns into an obsession and we’re given a nice bit of character introspection that helps add some emotional drama to the Barry/Zoom relationship. One of the things that made last season’s conflict with the Reverse-Flash so compelling was that it was an intensely personal one, reaching all the way back to Barry’s childhood. Zoom, on the other hand, is a total unknown, not even hailing from the same universe. And while that does add quite a bit of mystery to him as a villain, it also means the stakes aren’t as high, from a character viewpoint. But through Barry’s conversations with Joe, we see how catching Zoom has become a kind of coping mechanism for him after reliving Nora’s death and travelling back in time. 

Barry made arguably the biggest decision of his life last season when he chose not to save his mother, and while he doesn’t exactly regret his actions, he also didn’t get the satisfaction or resolution that he needed. Chasing after Zoom has been a way for Barry to fill that void and give himself new meaning. This tied Barry’s new rivalry with Zoom into his previously established character problems of feeling stuck and unable to move forward. 

It was also a neat way of showing how much the Reverse-Flash is still in Barry’s head, as we see him still brooding over Wells’ smug declaration that defeating him won’t make Barry happy. Seeing Joe encourage Barry not to define himself by the supervillains in his life was one of the nicest father-son moments the show’s given us (which is saying something, considering the amazing chemistry between Jesse L Martin and Grant Gustin), even if it did lead to more dull scenes of Barry and Patty’s supposed romance. 

Of course, given the title of the episode is “Enter Zoom,” it’s hardly a surprise that Zoom does make a sudden appearance, just as everyone has completely given up hope. What follows afterwards is probably the most brutal fight scene THE FLASH has had so far. Not only does Zoom absolutely decimate Barry, he parades across the city showing off his bloody and broken body like a trophy of war. Zoom nearly manages to finish off Barry for good, but Cisco, in a truly badass moment, is able to shoot him with Ollie’s speed reduction dart before the worst can happen. It’s unclear if this will have any lingering aftereffects on Zoom, but the repercussions of their encounter will definitely be felt by Barry, who appears to be completely paralyzed in his lower half. While it’s doubtful he’ll be down for long due to his accelerated healing (and his status as the main character), it’s still quite the ominous note for the show to end on and goes a long way towards establishing just how ruthless Zoom is.

Written by Kaitlin Roberts, THE FLASH Beat Writer