The Flash Episode 18 Recap, All-Star Team Up

As these shows are wont to do, we start with a car chase. Eddie and Joe are in hot pursuit and just as they ring Barry for some help he appears in the backseat, along with another perp that definitely needed arresting. They play a quick game of musical cars as Barry switches out Joe and the driver of the fleeing vehicle and apprehend the suspects along with two more at a jewlery store. Joe is clearly loving this new partnership, but Eddie not so much. Meanwhile at Hudson University, a professor enters her car and in a scene straight out of “The X-Files” is killed by thousands of bees. Barry, Eddie, and Joe investigate in the morning at which time Barry reveals she was killed by multiple puncture wounds. He and Joe have a sidebar about their suspicions of Dr. Wells where Barry says they can’t tell Cisco or Caitlin because they might be on “his side.” At STAR, they run tests on the wounds and find she was stung by bees and just as they’re figuring it out, Felicity appears and asks everyone to come outside. There they wait only to be greeted by a bird, a plane, Ray Palmer! (Get it kids? He was Superman once!)

Later Barry and Felicity speak and he is very clearly jealous about the circumstances. Caitlin notes why do all billionaires have to be superheroes. Dr. Wells is impressed with Ray’s work and though he’s grateful for the praise, he is present to ask for their help in improving it. Barry does a poor job of trying to dissuade the idea in favor of catching the bee-controlling meta-human. Cisco agrees to tinker with the ATOM suit while Wells and Caitlin will help hunt the baddie. Felicity takes Barry with her to Jitters, sensing something is wrong. At CCPD, Iris goes to see Eddie and asks him if he’s been working with The Flash. Eddie is a bad liar as expected and later tells Joe he can’t keep lying to Iris about knowing the truth.

Barry tiptoes around the truth with Felicity, saying he doesn’t want to get anyone else in danger. Right on cue, Eddie shows up and tries to bring up Barry’s alterego as gently as possible, but Felicity knows so it’s cool. He asks for help in smoothing it over and Felicity decides a group dinner, including fifth wheel Barry Allen. Over at Folston Tech, a jerk on a phone enters and we see our bee totin’ lady targeting him. Back at STAR, Ray and Cisco talk about the suit of which the main problem is overheating. Then when Ray says the same quote as Dr. Wells in the previous time-travel episode, Cisco has a flashback to his own death at the hands of Dr. Wells, which didn’t happen because Barry went back in time.

The killer bees are at it again though as they have entered Folston Tech. Barry runs to the scene and finds him already dead though the bees are missing, but they make themselves known after emerging from his agape mouth. Cisco guides Barry out of the building but he gets cornered. Joe arrives on the scene to an unconscious Barry who has suffered a number of stings, but luckily there’s a defibrillator in Barry’s suit and they’re able to remotely revive him. Later at STAR Labs they mention the defib unit in the suit is fried now, and a sly reference to Oliver’s death is made for those really paying attention. Barry changes clothes for his dinner with Felicity, Ray, Iris, and Eddie, but as they leave one of the bees emerges from his suit.

The five of them enter the restaurant for their meal, which Ray bought out just for the occasion. Meanwhile, Cisco goes to see Joe at CCPD where they make the connection that both victims were robotics professionals, but his initial reason was to talk about Barry. Cisco is worried about him, but Joe makes a quick cover, prompting another Reverse Flash (ahem) flashback. At the dinner, Iris and Eddie have a thinly-veiled conversation about their trust and communication issues when talking with Felicity and Ray. Barry excuses himself and is joined by Felicity where he reveals to her what he knows about Dr. Wells and that nothing makes sense anymore. Iris and Eddie’s fight escalates and she leaves, saying she’ll be at her father’s place. Barry gets a message there’s an emergency at STAR, leaving Ray and Felicity to finish the remaining 17 courses.

At STAR, Cisco and Caitlin hunt the lone bee in the lab. Just as Dr. Wells is going to stand up and snatch it, Barry appears and “saves him.” They investigate the insect and find that it’s actually not a bug at all, but a little robot. Barry looks into it and we see the young woman controlling them starring back at him from her secret lair. They contiue to test it and realize it’s no meta-human but a mad scientist, so they head back to Mercury Labs (from the mid-season finale!) and learn about one Brie Larvan, who was previously fired from the establishment for trying to militarize this technology. They try and warn Dr. McGee but she’s reluctant to take their help.

Barry meets up with Felicity at Jitters later where they talk about his reluctance to tell Cisco and Caitlin about Dr. Wells. Felicity talks about her own instincts when she met Oliver and that she knew he was a good man. She cites that Cisco and Caitlin are no different in their ability to believe. Afterward Barry goes home to find Iris and does his best to cover for Eddie, reminding Iris about the trials of police work and how they used to see it in Joe when they were kids. Back at STAR, the lone bee starts going nuts and the group is able to trace the swarm of bees as heading toward Mercury Labs. Dr. McGee sits in her office and the swarm forms outside her window into the face of Brie Larvan.

As they prepare for their plan, Ray and Cisco come up with the “Bug Eyed Bandit” moniker. They track her to an abandoned greenhouse and decide Barry should go after her while the fully-protected Ray sees to Dr. McGee. Ray flies through the skyline and Felicity is able to coerce the bees into chasing Ray instead of attacking McGee’s window. Barry finds Brie in the greenhouse where he’s chased by even more thousands of bees. Felicity hacks into their frequency to get them to stop attacking. Cisco convinces Ray to fly into the ocean to damage the bees, though it will also ruin his suit. Luckily they’re nearby in the van and are able to catch him. Brie and Felicity have a computer fight which ends with Felicity disabling the bees and Barry handcuffing Brie. As they prepare to head back, a bee crawls out of Ray’s suit and (ahem) makes a beeline for Ray, but Cisco jumps in the way and takes the sting. Barry rushes over and manages to use his hands as defibrillator pads and bring him to life.

Dr. McGee visits Barry at CCPD the next day and apologizes for ignoring their advice. As she leaves he asks her about Dr. Wells where she reveals they used to be very close but after his fiance died it’s like he was a different person (Remember? Cause he is). She leaves and Joe enters and inquires about Cisco’s condition. Barry sees Ray and Felicity off at Jitter’s where Ray reveals that to make his suit work properly they’ll need to go smaller. At CCPD, Iris waits on Eddie and reveals what Barry said to help her out the other night, which is a valid explanation but still not a good excuse in her eyes. She tells him to think it over or they’re over. Barry sees her leave and sees Eddie stuck between a rock and a hard place. Later, Cisco and Caitlin show up at CCPD expecting to go to karaoke but Joe and Barry have a different plan. Barry reveals to them that Dr. Wells is the Reverse Flash, but Caitlin doens’t believe it. Luckily Cisco reveals the dreams he’s been having, where Dr. Wells is the Reverse Flash and kills him.

You can check out the promo for Episode 19 of “The Flash” in the player below. Titled “Who is Harrison Wells?” the episode is officially described as follows:

“Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Cisco (Carlos Valdes) head to Starling City to continue their investigation of Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh). While in town, the duo enlists the help of Captain Lance (guest star Paul Blackthorne), and Cisco meets the Black Canary (guest star Katie Cassidy), who asks him for a favor. Meanwhile, back in Central City, Barry (Grant Gustin) races to catch a meta-human named Hannibal Bates (guest star Martin Novotny) who can transform himself into every person he touches — which includes Eddie (Rick Cosnett), Iris (Candice Patton), Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) and even The Flash.”

Wendey Stanzler directed the episode written by Ray Utarnachitt & Cortney Norris. “Who is Harrison Wells?” will air on April 21.