In ‘The Flash’ recap, Barry attempts to steal a power source to help save Iris as the showdown with Savitar looms just hours away…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
For the past few months, Barry Allen has known Iris West’s fate and how she would die at the hands of Savitar so he’s been doing everything in his power to stop it.
He attempted to alter the future and stop events that could set in motion the chain reaction that ends with Savitar plunging his metal talon through Iris’ heart, leaving her dead on Infantino Street in the middle of Central City.
In the latest episode of ‘The Flash’, Barry goes on one final mission in an attempt to stop Savitar from killing the woman he loves by wrangling a piece of alien technology that will power a weapon that could trap his greatest foe in the Speed Force.
Time ticks away rather quickly and by the end of the episode, Barry is standing just a few feet away from the scene he’s played out in his head a million times except this time he’s finally living it. He watches as Savitar hoists his dagger in the air before running it through Iris West’s body and ultimately there was nothing he could do to stop it.
With that said, let’s find out how we got here with the recap of the latest episode of ‘The Flash’ titled ‘Infantino Street’…
Cold Day in Hell
There’s less than 24 hours to go until the fateful moment when Savitar kills Iris so Barry is down to the wire while trying to find a way to stop the evil time remnant version of himself who claims to be “the God of Speed”.
Tracy Brands has finished work on the Speed Force Bazooka, but the weapon requires a tremendous amount of energy to fuel it — more than even the sun produces so that’s a problem. Thankfully, Cisco has scoured the Earth looking for a power source and he finally locates it deep in the bowels of the ARGUS headquarters, which gives the team a small glimmer of hope.
Unfortunately, Lyla refuses to hand over the power source that was recovered from the battle against the Dominators because she just can’t trust Barry any longer. Remember, Lyla knows that she once had a daughter named Sara until Barry created the Flashpoint time line, which turned her baby girl into a baby boy. Add to that, Barry’s message from the future where he warned everybody not to trust him and that’s enough evidence for Lyla to refuse to turn over the alien power source to him even if that means Iris is going to die.
Barry leaves feeling defeated but quickly comes up with a plan ‘B’ — he’s going to steal the power source from inside ARGUS.
Of course there’s another obstacle in their way because ARGUS has a dampening field throughout the building that stops meta-humans from using their powers. That means Barry can’t run into the building much less phase his way through the doors to steal the power source that could save Iris’ life.
That means Barry has to come up with an alternative plan to steal the power source so he turns to Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold.
Barry travels back to 1892 where he meets up with Snart, who has been time traveling with the Legends of Tomorrow. Now Snart actually gave his life during this past season of “Legends of Tomorrow” but Barry finds him at a time before he dies so he can convince him to return to the future with him to help steal the alien technology that could help save Iris.
Snart agrees to help when Barry states his case and the two of them return to the present day to begin plotting a way to break into the most heavily fortified building in the world so they can steal the power source that could finally put a stop to Savitar.
Remember Everything
Back in Savitar’s lair, he’s putting some repairs together on his battle armor following his last fight with the real Barry Allen while Killer Frost wonders why he’s so adamant about killing Iris West. See, Killer Frost knows that Savitar may be a time remnant of Barry, but he’s still got his memories and emotions, which all tie back to how he feels for Iris no matter how blackened his heart might be.
It seems Killer Frost is still feeling Caitlin tug at her heart strings and that’s playing a part in her questions to Savitar.
Still, Savitar stays steadfast that without Iris dying, he’ll never be born. More importantly, killing Iris and Killer Frost completing her final mission will bring them both into God status, which is what they’ve always wanted all along.
Or at least that’s what it seems.
Shark Week
At ARGUS, Barry and Snart break into the facility and as they look around the cells at some of the famous villains being held there, Barry even mentions this is the place where Amanda Waller holds her Suicide Squad.
They find the cell where the Dominators’ power source is being held and easily hack into the $10 million dollar lock fortifying the door. There’s only one problem — ARGUS has turned King Shark into a guard dog of sorts to serve as an extra layer of security for the powerful alien weapon.
Desperate to save Iris with time running out, Barry asks to borrow Snart’s cold gun because he intends to end Killer Shark’s life in order to get the power source. As it turns out, Snart actually prefers when Barry has a moral compass rather than breaking bad and doing whatever it takes to get the job done.
Snart suggests dropping the temperature in the room below 55 degrees because Great White sharks don’t swim in waters any colder than that and he’s betting it will put the killer security guard down for a nap. Sure enough, as the room fills with cold air from Snart’s gun, Killer Shark falls asleep on the floor as they make their way inside to steal the power source.
Barry grabs the Dominator’s weapon but then a secondary alarm goes off and the door begins to slam shut. Barry is able to run through it but Snart is trapped on the other side. Barry could escape but he can’t leave Snart behind so he calls on Cisco to hack into the door to set him free before King Shark wakes up and has him for lunch.
They finally free Snart from the room only to turn around and find Lyla and several soldiers from ARGUS with weapons trained on them.
Lyla explains that she watched all of this unfold from a security camera and she even commends Barry for going back and saving Snart despite the opening that could have allowed him to escape with the weapon. She decides to allow Barry to use the power source to fuel his weapon that could stop Savitar from killing Iris.
Countdown to Extinction
As Barry is racing to retrieve the power source, Joe and Wally take Iris to Earth-2 where they join up with Harry in an attempt to keep her whereabouts a secret. Because everything Barry knows, Savitar knows as well, they have to keep it a secret from him as he races off to ARGUS to retrieve the power source.
On Earth-2, Joe and Iris share some family memories including late night sneaking out and using college funds to pay for a jazz cruise. Joe even sings to his daughter before the share a dance together in what feels like a final goodbye. Iris gives her father the engagement ring from Barry so he can hold onto it just in case things go awry. Of course remember when Iris dies in the future vision, she’s not wearing the engagement ring so this is actually one step close towards her ultimate fate.
Back on Earth-One, Barry races into STAR Labs after a successful mission to retrieve the power source for the Speed Force Bazooka and the whole team celebrates including H.R., who quickly reveals Iris’ location. When Barry turns around, the team sees the scarred face of Savitar staring back at them.
He tricked them into telling him Iris’ location and he quickly races off to Earth-2 to retrieve his victim. H.R. is horrified at what he just did while the team warns Joe and Harry that death is coming to their corner of the multi-verse.
Savitar shows up a moment later and despite their best efforts, they are no match for him. Savitar breaks Wally’s leg when he tries to intervene and Harry’s gun does no damage whatsoever. Savitar offers to spare Joe’s life if Iris goes with him willingly. She agrees and they are off to Earth-One for the showdown on Infantino Street.
Meanwhile, Barry returns Snart to his timeline and that’s when Captain Cold reminds him that the Flash is a power for good and that could be why he’s been losing to Savitar this entire time. Barry has been playing down to Savitar’s level rather than being the hero he was always meant to be in trying to stop him. Barry thanks him for the advice before returning to his own time when he finds out that Savitar has already kidnapped Iris.
He hands over the power source so they can fuel up the Speed Force Bazooka before the rendezvous at Infantino Street to await Savitar’s arrival.
While Barry prepares for the fight against Savitar, Cisco is drawn away to a battle of his own after he vibes a vision where he’s going toe-to-toe with Killer Frost in a forest. Cisco tells Barry this is what he needs to do if he’s ever going to save Caitlin and he goes off to face his best friend and greatest foe.
Back at the lab, H.R. laments how he’s done nothing for the team since joining STAR Labs and now he’s the reason why Iris is going to die. His contributions haven’t meant much all season long and now H.R. believes he’s the person responsible for Barry losing the woman he loves the most in this world. That’s when H.R. looks over and sees the implement that Barry broke off Savitar’s suit several weeks back.
Earlier in the episode, Barry used the transmogrifier to appear as Lyla when trying to break into ARGUS — the tool from H.R.’s Earth that allows a person to use a hologram to appear as someone else. Perhaps H.R. has plans to use that same weapon in an attempt to stop Savitar. More proof of this comes in the battle with Savitar when Joe is on the roof across from where he’s holding Iris but in the past memory it was H.R. who was there with a gun pointed down at the “God of Speed”.
Finally it’s time for the showdown as Savitar arrives with Iris and Barry begs him to stop. With options exhausted, Barry unleashes the Speed Force Bazooka and finally traps Savitar but only for a moment until he breaks free from its grasp. Savitar explains that in the lifetime he was trapped inside the Speed Force he figured out a way to counter the weapon that put him there in the first place.
The key was the Philosopher’s Stone and that’s exactly what Barry gave him when Wally tossed it into the Speed Force weeks ago before he was freed from captivity.
With that Savitar is ready to deliver the fatal blow to Iris as he rears back with his dagger before running it through her heart as Barry races to stop him only to arrive a moment too late. In flashes from the last morning they spent in bed together, Iris records a message on Barry’s phone where she says her wedding vows to him just in case they never get the chance to walk down the aisle together.
As Barry screams in torment, Iris West lays dead in his arms.
The track that’s played throughout the beginning and the end of the episode is “Murder (5,4,3,2,1)” by Aurora.
‘The Flash’ season finale is next Tuesday night at 9pm ET on the CW.
https://youtu.be/unDPoJ3SrEQ
