The Flash 2x04 Recap

The Fury of Firestorm. 
There's a new Firestorm in town, or at least someone the team thinks could be a match for Dr. Stein. The team is attempting to pair Jax with Dr. Stein so Firestorm can still exist, but if he truly is a match is the question. There's also love in the air in Central City between Barry and Patty. And on top of all that, Harrison Wells has returned from the dead. Let's get into what happened. Warning: Spoilers Ahead. 

Dr. Stein's condition is worsening because the molecules in his body don't have anything to bond to in order to stabilize. This was a different story when Ronnie was around, but now that he's gone, the team needs to find another match. Caitlin's been doing research and has found two possible matches: Dr. Hewitt and Jackson Jefferson.

Two years ago, Jackson 'Jax' Jefferson was hit by the Particle Accelerator explosion after a football game. He's now a mechanic. Dr. Hewitt was also hit by the Particle Accelerator. The team speaks to each in order to determine who is the better candidate. Everything changed for Jax that night, so he was the more hesitant. He went from having a football scholarship and dream of playing pro-ball to injuries that would prevent him from being able to play to that caliber ever again. Dr. Hewitt agreed right away, but Barry wasn't too keen on the choice. Problem is, it didn't work, but his dormant abilities were triggered by trying to bond and his violent history will cause a bigger issue now.

Lucky for the team, Jax shows up to the lab. He says no, originally. He would have to give up his whole life for this and Caitlin's the most surprised that he's saying no to becoming a superhero. Some tough words push him away more and it's up to her to fix it. She goes to visit him at the garage, and gives him words of encouragement, telling him her own story. A surprise visit by Dr. Hewitt occurs, and he shows up at the garage, attacking them, but they get away safely.

They make it back to S.T.A.R. labs and Jax decides that he will merge with Dr. Stein. It's a do or die moment, especially since Stein's temperature is 142 degrees. It works and Firestorm's back, just in time for his first test. Hewitt's at Jax's old football field where he got hurt and he's taking in the energy from everything around him. In order to stop him, they have to get his fuse to blow. The Flash and Firestorm work together, getting him angrier and angrier, until he's defeated.

In regards to romance in Central City, Barry and Patty have a little something going on and even Joe senses it. Since Patty doesn't know about Barry's secret identity, he has to play it off as if metahumans aren't really his thing, but agrees to run tests for her.

Iris meets her mother after two decades. It's not a meeting of hugs and kisses. Not even close. Iris has got some tough questions for her mother, one of which is "Why now?" Iris recognizes how much she might have gone through, but she wants to do what's best for herself. They've lived separate lives for so long, and she wants to keep it that way. Francine's got news that she hasn't share and shows up to the station to inform Joe that she's been diagnosed with MacGregor's (a fictional terminal illness). She was told that she had by the end of the year if she was lucky, and that's why she came back. She wanted her daughter to be able to get to know her. Iris is still hesitant, but agrees to meet with her again after she finds out that she is indeed telling the truth. She also discovers something, or rather someone, else, too. Wally West has now been introduced into the Flash universe. That secret is what pushes them apart again, and the reason why she wants Francine gone.

There's someone lurking in the shadows of S.T.A.R. Labs and that someone is a familiar face: Harrison Wells. Applied Sciences had a break-in and he stole an item. The person that was identified as the one that broke in was Harrison Wells. And to the surprise of the woman who runs the facility and has worked with him for so long, he's walking again. Joe needs Patty to keep this a secret.

When Barry gives Patty the results, she's keeping a secret about Harrison Wells and acting. Joe and Barry have a little talk about what he's found out about his wife and how exactly Barry feels about Patty. They have lots in common and he does like her, but she's not Iris. Joe encourages him to try things out with her. Iris was his first love, nothing's going to compare to that.

Before Dr. Stein and Jax head off to Pittsburgh for some training as Firestorm, Stein encourages Cisco to tell his friends of his abilities. They're what makes him special. We'll see how soon he tells them.

The idea behind episode 4 was largely the idea of second chances, as told in Barry's ending monologue. Second chances for greatness, for love, for family. From the way he looked at Patty through the glass windows of the coffee shop, there is definitely something there between them, and he's willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately, his gaze is interrupted when he's taken into the hands of the massive shark metahuman, who Patty tries to shoot down to no avail, but a hooded figure appears and shoots him down with a specialized gun of his own. And that's why Barry Allen comes face-to-face with a man who he believed was dead: Harrison Wells, who we'll get to learn more about next episode.

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