In this week’s Naomi, Zumbado finally begins telling Naomi the information she’s been craving, and she realizes her initial beliefs were incorrect. Meanwhile, in an unexpected but delightful team-up, Dee and Annabelle search for Naomi. Read on to find out what happens in “I Am Not a Used Car Salesman.”
Finally, the Truth
At S.T.A.R. Labs, an unconscious Naomi wakes to find Zumbado fighting a small group. He goes to her, and she tries to use her powers, but they don’t work. Zumbado gets them to safety, where he tells her about the building’s dampener and shuts off the power. Naomi tells him about Dr. Bell’s machine, then admits she thinks Zumbado hates her, because he won’t tell her anything. He explains that he doesn’t; he wants to protect her and agrees to share the truth.
Using his powers, he transports Naomi into his memories, at a bar, where he’s back on Earth-29 and happy. In the present, Naomi smells something called a Nebula flower. Zumbado continues, saying he wants to show her Earth-29 before everything changed. She notes how beautiful it is, excited to see her home planet. Zumbado, though, is somber. Naomi asks about Akira and wants to know why Zumbado waited so long to explain if what happened wasn’t his fault. Before he can, the power returns, and they escape through a plasma ventilation duct.
Zumbado’s Destiny
Naomi and Zumbado crawl through the ducts. They stop for a moment and Zumbado shows her the day he got his powers. He was working on a forklift when meteors crashed onto his Earth. An earthquake followed that caused him to fall off, but he caught himself before he hit the ground. Naomi wonders if that’s when she got her powers, but the event was before she was born. Zumbado explains that it was an environmental disaster, one out of their control. He didn’t know anyone else who got powers, so like Naomi, he felt alone.
Then he met Akira. At the bar, she shows him her abilities. She reveals that she is a mineralogist and noticed discrepancies that led her to Zumbado. He wonders if that’s what caused their powers, but Akira says it was destiny. Zumbado doesn’t believe this, but Akira remains firm on her stance. After, the plasma ventilation begins, and Zumbado and Naomi get out just in time.
Find Naomi
Annabelle goes to Naomi’s, where Jen and Greg greet her. They’re confused when Annabelle asks where Naomi is, but she covers. She heads to Dee’s shop next, claiming she and Naomi planned to meet there. Dee senses something is wrong. Annabelle caves and says she can’t find Naomi. She hopes Dee can help, because of his wings. After a beat, he asks where Annabelle last saw Naomi. She tells him school, and that Naomi also had another encounter with Zumbado.
They head to the car lot and search Zumbado’s office. Zumbado finds blueprints of S.T.A.R. Labs, and Annabelle tells him what Naomi told her about Dr. Bell. Dee is worried, knowing dangerous things go on there. However, neither know why Zumbado would be there.
Don’t Believe Everything You Think
Naomi and Zumbado continue searching for an exit. Naomi asks if Akira was right about other people having powers. Zumbado says there were 29. The next memory he shows is of him and Akira saving people from a burning car. He notes that while they instilled hope, the planet kept dying. In the present, leaves from Earth-29 begin to flutter around the room; Naomi’s powers brought the memory to life. Zumbado goes on, saying that not everyone liked him and Akira. A few people hunt Zumbado, working for someone named Brutus, who hated The Twenty-Nine. Before Zumbado can explain why, alarms start blaring. Dr. Bell addresses them over the PA as others surround the room they’re in.
Naomi gets them to a stairwell. She notes that despite the power dampening, Zumbado still showed up. He tells her it’s because she needed him, and she admits that she always thought he was her enemy. Zumbado continues his story. The next memory is Akira meeting him at the bar. He asks about The Twenty-Nine and realizes something is wrong. Akira tells him that Brutus found all of them, thanks to the disc. She accuses Zumbado of betrayal as people surround him. It was Akira who betrayed him, so he had to leave his planet before learning who told Brutus.
No One Left Behind
Zumbado and Naomi reach the exit. Naomi stops to ask why Zumbado chose this planet and sympathizes with having to move. He shows her one more memory: working at the used car lot. He explains how he had to adapt to this Earth, and that people like him and Naomi were treated different – not because of their powers (because they’re Black). In a flash of time, Zumbado goes from his casual wear to the suits he prefers now and takes over the car lot. Naomi apologizes for her misconceptions about him. Time is running out, and Zumbado says he’ll buy Naomi some. He apologizes for not telling her everything soon and urges her to run.
Naomi decides to go back for Zumbado, who’s strapped in a chair beneath Dr. Bell’s machine. She plans to use Zumbado to open a portal. Naomi bursts in and manages to use her powers to stop the machine, which begins to malfunction. Zumbado and Naomi fight their way out of the building. Dee arrives and helps. Naomi finishes it with her powers, and they leave.
The Final Piece
Dee drops Naomi at home. Before she exits the car, Annabelle excitedly suggests they come up with a team name (but Dee and Naomi aren’t as enthusiastic). Naomi heads inside, where her parents greet her with pizza. Jen notices something is off, but Naomi plays it off as nothing. Meanwhile in the car, Annabelle tries to play it cool about being friends with Dee, who doesn’t think they are. However, he makes it clear that should Annabelle need him, he’ll be there. He tells her she’s a good friend to Naomi, and Annabelle says the same of him.
The next day, Naomi goes to see Zumbado. She asks him why The Twenty-Nine were being hunted, but he won’t tell her… until he does. He explains that Brutus learned that two of the members had a child, one with powers that could best Brutus one day. And that baby was Naomi. Zumbado knew her parents, and they were the only ones who believed his innocence. So, he promised to watch out for Naomi. While she was safe and loved with Jen and Greg, Zumbado always checked in on her. He never wanted her to feel alone. But now, she needs to prepare. Brutus will send more people, and she’s destined to save their world.
Naomi airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on The CW, available the next day on The CW app and cwtv.com. Keep up with our weekly recaps and other coverage here.
