In a terrifying episode, Barry’s endurance limits are put to the test as he races against a nuclear bomb.
Just to really get us in the right headspace, the show starts off with a sweaty Barry telling Iris that he can’t save anyone this time. From there we go back in time eight minutes and forty-nine seconds, where Barry is trying to run into a breach pulled up by Cisco before it closes so he can try to do the same thing to Devoe. He fails and in true Barry-fashion, he tries to keep pushing, but Cisco takes a break and Iris convinces Barry that they need some couple-time and he agrees.
In the lab, Harry points out a map that Cisco was able to create showing all the points that Devoe had breached into and out of. After a cute argument between Harry and Cisco, where they oddly sounded in love with each other, Jesse shows up.
We finally get to find out more about the fallout between Harry and Jesse. It revolves around the death of Jesse’s mother and Harry’s refusal to discuss it. Since he has a tendency to take guilt upon himself for everything, it’s easy to see that he blames himself for her death.
Joe sends a distress signal to the group as he, local PD officers, and Argus officers are in a gunfight with unknown criminals in a hanger where an Argus container was being transported. Barry, Frost, Jesse, and Cisco head out to help, but the ridiculously attractive leader of the criminals manages to get into the Argus container and sets off a fusion bomb before anyone can do anything.
Barry runs so time is super slow and Jesse joins him. With no ideas, he sends Jesse to Earth 2 two get Jake. Meanwhile, he uses his newfound powers to have Cisco move at his speed so he can ask for help. He’s able to explain that it’s a fusion bomb that starts as blue, will turn yellow, and then go purple right before end game. This is good as it gives the viewers the feel of time still moving. They have the bright idea to breach the bomb to a dead earth. Unfortunately, breeching takes time and with Cisco moving at Barry’s speed, he’s unable to open one. He starts feeling faint because his body’s not used to moving at that speed so Barry has to let him go. Right before he does, Cisco says to ask Harry.
Having Harry moving fast brings forth the idea to throw the bomb into the speed force, but Jesse shows back up with Jesse and vetoed that idea, which makes sense. If the bomb destroys the speed force, then none of the speedsters would have their powers anymore. Instead, he said there was a way to restore stability. They would either need to use nuclear fusion or cool it down. Luckily, they have Killer Frost, so back to the hanger they go.
Just like with breeching though, her powers need time to manifest. Like the others, she starts feeling weak and Barry has to let her go. In a moment of unusual behavior, Killer Frost asks Barry to not let Caitlyn die.
As so often happens on this show, Jesse sciences and they realize that the three of them throwing lightning bolts at the bomb at the same time could be enough energy to stabilize it. Sadly, Jake is not in his prime and he’s not used to running for so long. Unable to generate enough energy and unable to keep going, he stops running, freezing like the others.
With no other options and the bomb turning purple, Barry tells Jesse to go back to her Earth. Instead, she goes to her father and tries Harry trick of having him move at speed with her, but she hasn’t learned how yet. Even though he can’t hear her, she tells him she just wanted him to be happy. At the end of her endurance, she, too, stops running, freezing in time.
We come full circle with Barry telling Iris he can’t save them. Awesome wife she is, she tells him it’s okay. When he tells her that she is his lightning rod, she has an idea. The ball with Barry’s genetic material they threw into the speed force to replace him, is surrounded by a storm. The lightning inside would be more than enough energy to stabilize the bomb’s reaction.
Reinvigorated, Barry runs into the speed force and grabs the ball with the lightning trailing after him. Back in the hanger, he hurls the ball towards the bomb and the screen whites out. Barry stops running and everyone comes back into time moving normally, thankfully with the crisis averted.
They learn the girl who detonated the bomb is Veronica Dale, an activist turned terrorist, from a group called Eden Core. This is all mentioned very offhand, as if this is not something we need to remember in the future.
Jake decided to head back to his Earth and maybe taking some time off from being a superhero by training a new speedster. Jesse goes back, as well, but not before talking to her dad like she wanted. He decided to finally open up, but she tells him it’s okay and that she can’t force him to decide he’s ready, but that she will be there when he is. While he appreciates that, he offers to let her listen to his thoughts using the device that he made for Cecile. She gets to hear her mother’s voice talking about how Jesse is just like her. It’s really sweet and it helps ease the tension between father and daughter.
After all is said and done, Caitlyn and Harry have coffee at Jitters and Caitlyn admits that she could remember everything that happened with Frost which has never occurred before. The fact that Killer Frost was worried about her is somewhat confusing, but their convo is cut short when a girl spills coffee all over their table. The girl is super hyper and talks a mile a minute, irritating both Harry and Caitlyn and they head out.
The girl is someone we have seen before in Jitters, spying on the team. We still don’t know who she is or what she wants.
Next week looks hilarious! For whatever reason, Barry’s speed leaves him and goes to Iris. Run, Iris, run! Will she be able to use the speed to save the day?