And so we conclude our time on Earth-2 (at least for now); but even though this episode might not have been as satisfying as last week’s “Welcome To Earth-2”, it wasn’t supposed to be. “Escape From Earth-2” was purely meant to drive the plot forward and – like the title – raise the anticipation to overwhelming levels! New characters, new mysteries and a stunning display from our actors in Earth-2 Mode, “Escape From Earth-2” had it all – including a mysterious reveal that even I can’t fully make sense of!

So let’s take a Closer Look at this watershed episode and discern what’s ACTUALLY going on here.

The Not So Different People Of Earth-2 –Barry Allen, Killer Frost & Telling The Difference:

One of the biggest problems Barry had last week – and the whole reason Well’s plan failed – was because he couldn’t separate Earth-2 people from Earth-1 people. When he saw Iris and Joe, he still thought of them as his family despite the fact that this was an entirely different universe. But how different is this universe really? Whereas last episode focused on how things were different on Earth-2, this week’s focused more on what remained the same. Earth-2 Barry might not be the Flash, but he still has the heart of a hero – and is a brilliant CSI. Earth-2 Caitlin might be Killer Frost, but in the end her love for Ronnie was just as intense and she ended up saving the gang from Zoom at potentially the cost of her own life.

This isn’t the last time we’ll see this blurring between same yet different, and if the writers play their cards right, they just set up an awesome personal struggle for Barry once Zoom’s identity has been revealed. IF Zoom is indeed the Earth-2 version of Barry’s dad (Henry Allen), that will lead to some incredibly powerful stuff down the line. The season started off with Barry finally being able to save his dad, but but then loosing him again as he moves away. So having the season end with him having to struggle between fighting or saving this other version of his dad would be poetically tragic. Although the mystery of Zoom’s identity is still just as shrouded as ever. There’s another character whom we must now ‘figure out’…

Who Is The Man In The Iron Mask? – The True Meaning Of “Jay”:

A lot of sites are already claiming that this episode confirmed that Jay Garrick is Zoom; but that’s an unprofessional kneejerk reaction as the truth of the matter is much more complicated than that. They figure that since the man in the iron mask tapped out “Jay”, he must have been saying that Zoom is Jay. Although if you focus not on what he tapped but how he reacted to it, a very different picture comes into mind.

After tapping “Jay”, Barry assured the man that Jay is fine and on Earth-1; but the man in the iron mask shakes his head violently. It’s almost as if he’s crying because Barry hasn’t figured out the real truth. What if the man wasn’t saying that “Zoom is Jay” – after all, how could he know these strangers knew who Jay was – but instead was saying that “I am Jay”. What if Jay never left Earth-2 in that wormhole, but instead was captured like Barry was and kept in a holding cell until his powers were fully drained. This makes sense since the cage holding the masked man looked an awful lot like the carbonite cell used to hold Speedsters that Barry was in.

This is the more probable of the two theories, because if Jay WAS Zoom, then there’s many points which don’t make sense. For starters, we saw the flashback of their battle. Additionally, IF Zoom and Jay were the same person, how can he be on two Earth’s at the same time? Sure he disappears at some pivotal moments, but the final scene where he is trying to fix the machine/help Caitlin and Killer Frost is attacking Zoom is impossible. Even with a Speed Mirage, it’s impossible since both are not only a great distance from each other, but also on completely different Earth’s. But if the real “Jay” is in the mask, then who’s the Jay we’ve known up until now? This is where things drift more into “theory” than “analysis”, so I’ll continue in a separate section.

Who Is “Jay Garrick” – Zolomon? Reverse Flash? The Rival?

The ‘Jay’ we’ve seemingly come to know is still a complete mystery. Not only has he been caught lying about how he lost his speed, but his constant disconnection with the Speed Force is becoming more and more concerning. What if he was never a speedster to begin with? Why does his ‘shotty’ connection with the Speed Force sound so familiar? Does Earth-1 Hunter Zolomon have anything to do with this? Well, at the moment, here’s the best I can make of the situation, evidence and comic potential.

For starters, if Earth-1 and Earth-2 ‘Jays’ are accounted for, who is the Jay we’ve known. Well it could be that perhaps Jays and Zolomon’s are separated twin brothers on both Earths; but there’s a less confusing idea – especially since we’ve seen it before. In Season 1 of the Flash, we saw how Eobard Thawne changed his appearance to Harrison Wells. Well what if something similar is going on here? That could explain why Hunter Zolomon’s cells truly couldn’t heal Jay’s deteriorating condition. Additionally, bringing up the idea of Thawne/The Reverse Flash should remind comic fans of someone else: ‘The Rival’.

The Rival is a lesser known mainstream Flash villain, but he’s basically the Reverse Flash to Jay’s Golden Age Flash. His name is Edward Clariss and was a professor at the university Garrick attended. Clariss became obsessed with recreating super speed and thus created the highly potent but short-lived speed serum called Formula 9… wait … as in the Formula 9 that Caitlin just helped Jay finish? Yup! It’s all starting to add up! Even if there’s no body changer technology on Earth-2, perhaps Garrick was part of a separated twins.

Either way, Zoom could have partnered with this Rival to take down Jay and then go to Earth-1 in an attempt to help Barry get stronger. We already know that Zoom wanted Barry to be faster so when he did steal his speed, there’d be more to steal. Then again, perhaps the Rival is just another Earth-2 villain trying to hide out on Earth-1 from fear of Zoom. There’s still more puzzle pieces to collect, but at the moment this is the best we can make of the “Jay” situation.

In A Flash – Easter Eggs, Quotes & Other Notables:

• New Channel 52 – do I even have to explain these 52 references anymore? Lol
• Jessie Quick is certainly being set up to be Well’s successor – in both brains and speed – but one has to wonder when the speed will come into play for her and Wally. Perhaps Velocity 9 is another set up for that.
• So Iris’s new editor doesn’t like the Flash much. Wonder if this will play into eventual anti-Flash story lines.
• Cisco called Zoom’s lair – yes, it’s a lair – the “Cliffs of Insanity”, an obvious Princess Bride reference! 😀
• There’s a lot of focus on Cisco’s powers as of late – including him stealing Reverb’s gear. So hopefully we’ll see a fully suited up Vibe soon.
• On Earth-2, Patty is already an accomplished CSI. Perhaps that means her dad wasn’t murdered by Mardon.
• So the Earth-2 Allen-West family has family in Atlantis… interesting.
• Anyone else in love with Killer Frost right now? Just me? LIES!!!!!! I hope we see more of Killer Frost at some point.
• Favorite Quotes:
  • “Looks like he cares about me even less than you do Harry” – Cisco about Zoom keeping him alive
  • “He’s a bad guy! I’m calling it a lair! – Cisco
  • “It’s a work in progress Elsa” – Cisco to Killer Frost
  • “Her name starts with Killer, this comes as a shock to you” – Earth 2 Barry

There’s plenty of more mysteries to solve on The Flash, and next week it looks like Barry is going fishing as King Shark makes a savage return. Just when you thought it was safe right? This is one ‘day at the beach’ you won’t want to miss! So stay tuned!