Are you breathing yet? There’s only one episode left on this Season of The Flash, and this episode set the stage for one incredibly emotional Season Finale with that final moment. All things considered, you could stop the episode a minute before the end and consider this a pretty epic Series Finale. But of course, that false sense of security and overconfidence won – or lost – the day for both us and Barry as Zoom returned to make good on his promise of “showing Barry how similar they are”.

So what’s at stake now? Did we see this coming? This and more on this week’s Closer Look at The Flash “Invincible”

How We Saw THAT Coming – Henry’s Choice, Barry’s Closure & Zoom’s Mission:

As I spoke of last week, Henry was one of the two prime candidates to die in the coming episodes – the other of course being Caitlin. This episode did a good job of faking us out with Caitlin’s breakdowns and even made us suspect for a moment if Zoom’s mission was to turn her; but of course that wasn’t the case and the real mission was to break Barry down. We first suspected this a few episodes ago when Henry decided to stay in Central City. Additionally, the fact that Barry has moved past blaming himself for his mom, he needs a new idea to wrestle with. Of course, this is what the Speed Force warned him of and hopefully Barry remembers who he is and why things happen.

The moment Henry and Barry had that heart-to-heart where Barry wondered why he was trying to ‘take his optimism’ away, we knew this was indeed going to be the case – but not how Barry meant it. The final nail came when Zoom spoke to Barry while looking over the crime scene photos of the night Barry lost his mom. Zoom is set on showing Barry that they aren’t that different and the only way to fully set the stage for that would be to – like Wells did a few episodes ago with Barry’s speed – recreate that moment. Although it is important to note that the moment didn’t go QUITE like Zoom had wanted.

Why Zoom’s Mission Failed – The Difference Between Zoom & Barry:

Again, Zoom feels that when put in the same situation, Barry will become a monster just like him. After all, they both want to be the fastest and have similar origin stories, so obviously they must be one bad day away from becoming the other right? Well actually wrong. Yes seeing his father murdered in front of him is going to want Barry to get revenge; but there are still some key differences between him and Zoom – and one that even makes Zoom flinch.

I could of course mention how Barry had a loving and supportive family whilst Zoom went from orphanage to orphanage; but that’s not it. Let’s compare their final moments. Like Zoom, Barry is now about to witness a parent murdered by a psychopath; but there is one thing Zoom can’t recreate: and that’s WHO does it. Zoom’s father killed his mom in front of him. Meanwhile, Zoom hears Henry not beg or plead but only tell his son how much he loves him and how proud he is of him. Notice how Zoom flinches as if in pain. He’s agonized by how even in trying to recreate his origin he can’t because Barry has a selfless father who loves his son dearly. This could be even more compelling if we discover Earth-2 Henry is Zoom’s dad and he’s flinching from how different the men are; BUT we’ve of course already heard of Henry-2 and know he’s not locked up. If anything, Henry-2 could be the real Jay Garrick – which I’ll explain in the next section.

Hey Central City likes Canada! Or that’s where they film… lol

Evidence Thus Far For Earth-2 Henry Being The Real Jay Garrick?

• We know the Jay Garrick uniform is a military uniform and thus not specific to one person.
• We know Earth-2 Henry Allen has friends in Atlantis. Either Atlantis is just a resort or he actually means the city of Atlantis, in which case being a Speedster could give him the friends necessary to score such an elite ‘fishing trip’.
• As for how come people wouldn’t recognize a different Jay, remember how “Jay” once said they called him the Crimson Comet. What if the real Jay never stayed in one place too long; so when Zoom took over and started stopping and revealing his real face/voice, no one noticed.
• Henry said “Garrick” was his mother’s maiden name, so perhaps Earth-2 Henry uses it to honor his mother. Maybe he lost her like Barry lost his on Earth-1
• When Zoom said “you wouldn’t believe me” when asked “who’s the man in the iron mask”, we know it must be a convoluted answer. So it can’t simply be “my dad” or “Barry’s dad doppelganger”; but “Barry’s dad who just so happens to be the real Jay Garrick” is just the right amount of shocking.
• Dr Well’s was a father-figure to Barry in Season 1 and then he left; but was replaced with the better “Harry” in Season 2. So what if that happens in Season 2-3 as well and Henry is replaced by Earth-2 Henry aka the real Jay Garrick.
• Fans have been begging for this forever! JWS played the original Flash in the 90s, so having him return as the Golden Age Flash would be epic!

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

• I don’t know about you, but Cisco and Caitlin playing their doppelgangers stole the show for me. HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK!
• Wait, was that Earth-2 Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the opening Metapocalypse segment?
• “In blackest night you see the light” is a reminder of the “in blackest night” chant Green Lanterns usually use as well as a comic line with the Black Lanterns, which featured many coming back to life as evil Black Lanterns, not unlike Earth-2 being the world where everyone is basically evil.
• As originally suspected, Barry is much faster now that he’s with the Speed Force, as now he’s taking down multiple Metas at a time.
• Iris’s comments about fear being healthy because it shows what chances to take is reminiscient of Barry a few episodes ago who HAD TO poke the hornets nest that was Zoom again – instead of leaving it alone.

• At first Cisco’s “Dead Bird” visions could have meant Black Canary – who is dead – being around now as Black Siren; but later we see this is a potential glimpse of the future of Earth-2 being split in half.
• Having Christina McKee and Henry Allen be flirty was a great reference to the 90s show where they had an on again, off again relationship where he of course played The Flash and she played… Tina McKee…. Why didn’t we see this coming sooner?
• Wally earned the most powerful moment of the week as he revealed his motivations for wanting to be a hero, because otherwise he’s only the guy who avoided his dying mother for weeks, stole people’s cars and caused the flash to lose his powers and cause the whole metapocalypse.
• While we’re still waiting to find out who’s the new Sppedster – Wally or Jessie – we see Cisco tap into another hidden ability, which for lack of a better phrase we’re going to call a Force Push
• Zoom’s comments about Barry losing because he has to play hero almost came true, had it not been for Caitlin and Cisco’s save. Zoom may be right about Barry’s weakness; but he forgot about the thing Barry has that he doesn’t – a team/friends.
• If you remember correctly, Hartley is now a good guy and so we got him assisting Team Flash – from afar – in coming up with their Earth-2 Dimensional Tuning Fork.
• “We’re supposed to think we’re something we’re not, until we become that thing” Why do I have a feeling these words are going to have either really good or really bad consequences soon enough?
• All things considered, it was a very good call to NOT tell Sarah and Captain Lance about Earth-2 Laurel
• Earth-1 and Earth-2Doppelgangers are all mirror images of themselves (ie: if Earth-1 you is right handed, Earth-2 you is left handed). And before you go back to watch Season 1 Wells, remember that was Eobard, NOT Wells.
• There’s that Jessie and Wally vibe again!
• Well now Wally knows Barry’s the Flash, which is good because it was so awkward that he was the only one there that didn’t know Barry’s secret.
• Favorite Quotes – Winner: Cisco
  • “I think I’m smelling what you stepping in” – Cisco to Barry
  • “Birds! Why! It’s like a Hitchcock movie in my head!” – Cisco about his visions
  • “I thought throwing things was Harry’s preferred method of dealing with stress” – Caitlin to Cisco
  • “Why do so many villains we go up against use sound as a weapon” – Caitlin to a deaf Barry
  • “What?” – Barry not hearing Caitlin’s question
  • “Where’s Barry? I need a taste of that ‘walking on sunshine’ thing he’s got going on right now” – Cisco
  • “Beats by Wells” – Cisco
  • “What the what?” – Caitin

So next week is the Season 2 Finale of The Flash and it looks like Zoom wants a race. Is this how Cisco’s vision comes to pass? Is their race so severe that they tear dimensions apart? When do we find out about the man in the ironmask, or will that be a final moment cliffhanger reveal? I guess we’ll find out next week on the Season Finale of The Flash!