From Hero to Villain: Daniel Murphy's Transition in the Eyes of Mets Fans

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Flashback to the Mets during their playoff run and eventually their postseason. Daniel Murphy was the star, and hero, for the Mets. He set a record of homers in six consecutive postseason games. His batting average was over .400. His slugging percentage was a 1.026. Murphy had the type of postseason players dream of having.

Despite Murphy's postseason performance, the Mets did not give him the contract he was looking for. Instead, they only gave him the qualifying offer of 1-year, $15.8 million, which he rejected. The Mets ended up trading for Neil Walker and Murphy signed a 3-year $37.5 million contract with the Washington Nationals. Defensively, Walker has a slight edge over Murphy. Offensively, they're practically the same player... well, on paper that was.

For both the Mets and Nationals, the completion of their thirteenth game against each other this season marked the beginning of the All-Star break. The Nationals have won 9 out of the 13 games in which they've versed the Mets in 2016. The player who's had the largest impact against the Mets? Daniel Murphy.

Greeted by a standing ovation during his first game back at Citi Field, Daniel Murphy quickly saw that reaction to his presence change as he was no longer greeted by cheers, but by boos. Boos because of his success against his former team sound through the stadium as he comes up to bat. In 13 games, Murphy's hitting .423 against the Mets. He's slugged seven home runs and recorded 21 RBIs. Murphy has, basically, single-handedly defeated the Mets so far this season.

While Murphy is hitting .348, Neil Walker is hitting .254. Their home run totals are about the same, but Murphy has nearly double the number of RBIs Walker has. Walker also has nearly twice the amount of strikeouts that Daniel Murphy has. While they may have seemed similar on paper before the season, it's been clear that, offensively, the Nationals currently have the better second baseman.

No one could have possibly predicted that Murphy would have the first half he's had. He's surpassed the number of home runs he hit throughout 2015 regular season. He's also batted in only seven-less runs than he did throughout the entirety of 2015. If this was predicted, his contract would have been for a lot more money than it was. And depending on how his second half goes, the decision to not give Murphy a better offer may be one of the biggest regrets of 2016 for the Mets. However, there's still lots of baseball to be played, so it will be interesting to see what occurs during the second half of the season. Even so, Murphy is undoubtedly one of the best hitters in the game right now.

As Murphy is enjoying success against his former teammates, Mets fans have become tired of seeing him. While many are happy he's doing well for himself, that happiness stops as soon as that success is against the Mets. He's relishing in his success, leading the NL in batting average, and ultimately making his former team regret not signing him back.

The player that was such a hero for fans in 2015 has become the villain, and quite possibly the one who becomes labeled as the one who got away.

For the Mets, a Third Baseman of the Future is Someone to Look For

When news broke last year regarding Mets Captain and Third Baseman David Wright's Spinal Stenosis, the thought of his career coming to an end and a replacement being needed because of it came to be in the minds of both fans and the organization. However, he worked his way back and those thoughts dissipated as he returned for the playoffs and postseason to help the team try and win a World Series title. Now, with news of the herniated disk in Wright's neck keeping him on rest for 6-8 weeks before being able to begin baseball activity, that thought has once again resurfaced.

It's frustrating. Not only for the fans or the organization, but no doubt for Wright to face the physical issues he's had to go through these past few years. When everything seems to be going good, something comes up and suddenly the entire structure of his game changes. One day, he's on the field, the next, he's off and resting on the bench. One thing's for sure: David Wright seemingly can't catch s break. No matter how much he's worked to change his routine, his swing, his preparation methods, or how much he rests, he's still facing these same physical issues. When he's out on the field, he gives his all to the game and he's produced fairly well despite what he's dealing with this year. There's no one like him in that clubhouse. His leadership, both on an off the field, is something that sticks with the players and is an important part to this team. That thought still sits in the back of most people's minds: How much more can he take? How much longer is the organization willing to go before finding a strong replacement?

The word replacement itself has a negative ring to it, but it's time the Mets begin to find their third baseman of the future, and that's a hard thing to do because of how beloved Wright is to the organization and fans. He's the Captain. The All-Star. Captain America. He's an inspiration to so many. Once he's better, he'll come back and play strong, but until then, the Mets need to be thinking about the future of the organization. There's only so many more years David Wright can take the field in his true form, and even then, no one knows what possible injuries may plague him.

So, though hard to think about, the Mets need to start thinking about the future of third base. They need to seek the talent that will fill the position of such an impactful player so they can begin to learn how exactly they'll do so. This year's draft may be an important opportunity to do so. It's a difficult decision for the organization to make and for fans to admit, but the time is now to consider options for the future while that player has a chance to still develop before it's too late to do so.

The beloved Captain isn't able to play everyday like he used to, and now he won't be able to play for a few months. It doesn't take away from what he's done for this team or who he is for the fans by saying it's time to think of the future. Time changes things. He'll always mean so much to the team, but maybe it's time the Mets need to take this time to think about what, or rather who, comes next in the lineage of third baseman, not only to help the team, but to also take the pressure off of Wright to be the sole third baseman this organization can rely on.

The Flash 2x20 Recap: "Rupture"

Rupture.
Zoom's back in Earth-1 and intends to take over Central City, so Barry and Wells develop an extremely dangerous plan to stop him. While Joe thinks Barry can handle it, Harry is very opposed to Barry risking his life again. Cisco's also meeting his brother Dante's doppelgänger, Rupture, when he vibes him. He's seeking justice for Reverbs death. Iris also opens up about something during the episode. Lots going on in tonight's episode, so here's how it went down.

The Debate Over Barry's Speed. 
Using a hologram system, Cisco, Iris, and Barry are going after criminals without The Flash being there. This way, the cops can get to the criminals, but Barry obviously isn't actually fighting against them. Wells has a different idea regarding the Flash. He wants to recreate the particle accelerator explosion that is contained. He knows how everything needs to work using Wells' older reports.

While Joe believes the decision is Barry's and that he can handle it, Henry's concerned that Barry may end up in a coma again, or worse. Barry walks in on their argument and says that this decision is entirely his own and he knows that they all care about him, but he needs this to be his own choice.

Dad's visit. 
Barry goes to visit Henry in his log cabin using a car and he tells him that he no longer has his powers because he gave them up to save Wally. Henry's missed a lot, so Barry basically gives him a quick rundown. He mentions Wells' idea and he's against Barry getting struck by lightning again. Barry feels like every time something good happens, it's taken away, and maybe it's time something's done about that. Henry also thinks that maybe he'll move back for good.

Iris' Feelings. 
After Barry goes off to think, Iris goes after him to talk. Barry thought having his dad there would make things easier, but it hasn't. Iris doesn't know what she'd do if she has go through not having Barry around again. She tells him that he always has her to come home to and she's been thinking about the idea of them a lot lately. She knows what the future says, but she doesn't care if he's the Flash or not. She just wants to see if she has a future with him. Not the Flash. Barry Allen, if that's what he wants, too.

Zoom's Return. 

Zoom shows up at CCPD and orders everyone to tell the entire city to obey him. Because of Caitlin, no one gets killed, at least not right now. Wells knows Zoom's plan and is worried that the exact same thing that happened on Earth-2 will soon happen to Earth-1. Meanwhile, Zoom is still keeping Caitlin around (albeit handcuffed), but she's company for him and he also claims to see a darkness inside of her. After informing her that Rupture will attack Jitters, Caitlin gets her hands on a phone from a box under one of the desks in CCPD and alerts the team of the attack.

Zoom, obviously unhappy after finding out what Caitlin did, goes to Jitters and kills Rupture (because he failed) and some of the police officers. Being that the news is there, the public also gets a message. The Flash is gone. They have to obey him. If they don't, well... watch out. He doesn't hurt any of the Team, but threatens that if they try anything against him again, no one will be able to save them.

Rupture. 
After seeing Dante in a vibe, Cisco goes to see him to see what's been new. Their relationship is still the same. They're distant. While they're leaving the bar, Dante's Earth-2 doppelgänger shows up and it's time to meet Rupture. He wants Cisco dead because he thinks that Vibe killed Reverb. Cisco's also got to figure out how to explain this all to his brother. He tells him about how he went to another earth and how he's a metahuman. There really is no easy way to explain these things, is there?

Being that Barry decides to not go through with the particle accelerator explosion at this point, they're going to have to face off against Rupture without the Flash. Using the hologram system, they're able to disorient Rupture enough for CCPD to take him down.

After Cisco and Dante both witness what happens, they agree that they want things to change. They're brothers and they want their relationship to be one of brothers, not strangers. So their relationship should be closer beyond this point.

 The Beginning of Jesse Quick and Kid Flash. 
While Zoom's in town, Wells and Joe want to make sure Wally and Jesse are safe, so they'll be staying in one of those hidden rooms in STAR Labs. They both want to help, but they can't find a way out of the room. Jesse's pretty "quick" at solving problems, so she'll see what she can do. And, Jesse's able to open the door and her and Wally are through, just as the Particle Accelerator is exploding.

As they're running away from the explosion, Jesse and Wally are hit and it seems that we'll be getting Kid Flash and Jesse Quick faster than we expected, which I am super excited for.

Getting His Speed Back. 
Initially, Barry was hesitant, but after seeing what Zoom did in Jitters, Barry decides that he wants his powers back. He needs to stop Zoom. So, the particle accelerator explosion will occur. They're creating their own lightning since there isn't a storm outside. So, into the contraption Barry goes and onto the roof Cisco goes to conduct lightning. Before the machine starts, Iris tells him that no matter what happens, it won't change the way she feels about him, and Barry tells his dad that being the Flash is the best version of himself he can be and he has to do this.

And the explosion begins, and then, as the process is occurring, Barry just... disappears. Completely vanishes. What. An. Ending.

Next week on The Flash, the Team is trying to find Barry's location, wherever the force landed him, and bring him back home, so we'll see how that goes down then. These next few episodes leading up to the finale should be great, so I'm very excited. Great, great episode tonight. Lots going on, but so many new and awesome things happening.

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

Supernatural 11x19 Recap: "The Chitters"

The Chitters. 
Every 27 years, a new set of mysterious disappearances occur in a small town in Colorado and Sam and Dean head there to investigate. There, they meet two hunters who have their own personal vendetta against these monsters.

With no lead on Cas or Amara, Sam and Dean take on a new case where six people have gone missing within 48 hours. A friend of one victim said that she saw a creature dragging her friend away. These events occur every 27 years at the same exact time of year.

Naked, hairless, pale, human-looking creatures with eyes that flashed green, and absolutely no sign of a gender. There's also a buzzing sound. That's the description the victim's friend gives Dean.

After looking at some old police reports and previous investigations, Sam and Dean go to speak to the wife of a former victim, Pete, named Etta Day. After he went missing, they found him with a bunch of women. According to her grandma, once a generation, people would get "the chitters" and people would go crazy, having orgies in the woods and doing other things. Burning sage was apparently the way to keep yourself safe. They got their name as a result of the sound that could be heard from the woods. If someone got the chitters, a person's eyes would shine like emeralds as a result of the lust. Etta's also heading out of town to stay with her sister for a few weeks.

Dean goes to check out the woods and comes face-to-face with the Chitters himself. There, he meets Jessy and Cesar, two hunters who are also a couple. The formal name of the creatures they're hunting is Bissan. They're a cicada-like creature that take over a body because they can't do things on their own. Jessy's brother was taken by the creatures 27 years ago. They can be killed by cutting off their hands, but they need to prevent any eggs from being laid so the cycle can stop.

Sam and Jessy split from Cesar and Dean in order to find out more information. On their drive, Jessy explains that he found his brother after he saw him be taken, but then he saw his eyes and he took off running. He never saw him again after that. They go to speak to a man named Mr. Cochran to ask questions and explain that they're there because more people have gone missing. He followed one back in '89 back to it's lair. He found his daughter there, meanwhile she was supposed to be back at school. The entire time, he told Jessy that he was making it up, but Jessy accuses him of wanting no one to know that his daughter was one of them and that he killed her.

While Cesar and Dean are in the woods, Cesar is attacked by that emerges from under the ground, but is okay. They're searching for the borough, and Dean's got a lead. They find their hideout place and head inside. They're attacked (separately), but are able to fight off the monsters. The women are pregnant with the eggs, but they're already dead. The men were protecting them. The only thing left to do is get rid of the eggs and then it's finally over. The events that occur every 27 years won't occur anymore.

Dean proposes the idea to Sam that maybe Jessy and Cesar can give them a hand with Amara. Thing is, when they had a deal that when they finished this hunt, if they were successful, they'd retire from the hunter life. Being that they said that before Dean could ask, even though they did offer them help if they needed it, Dean didn't mention the Amara situation to them. He couldn't take away their newfound freedom.

On the next episode of Supernatural, a fog is rolling through town that's certainly the work of Amara and she's trying to send messages to the brothers, specifically Dean.

Supernatural airs Wednesdays @9/8c on The CW.

Arrow 4x19 Recap: "Canary Cry"

Canary Cry. 
On last week's episode of Arrow, we said goodbye to Laurel Lance. This week, the team struggles to come to terms with her death. Diggle, especially, since the guilt for choosing to trust Andy is taking a toll. Lance refuses to believe that she's gone and asks Nyssa to bring her back. Not only is this due to his denial, but also because of the Black Canary spotting in Star City.

May 2013. 
Tonight's episode begins with a flashback to the past, to when Tommy Merlyn died. Laurel gave the eulogy for him because Oliver couldn't handle doing so. It was too painful. This episode's already hitting the emotions. Oliver didn't know where to go after the burial, so he goes to see Laurel. He tells her how he wrote page after page for a eulogy, but didn't feel he had the right to say any of those things. He failed him. He came back to make the city better and now his best friend is dead, and if she knew the truth, she'd blame him, too.

A week later, Laurel and Oliver are reminiscing about their memories with Tommy and how much Tommy loved her. Laurel proposes that they attempt to make the city a better place together. He leaves her to go to Lian Yu because she is the hero and he needs some time alone, leaving a note behind.

Diggle's guilt. 
Oliver asks Diggle not to blame himself, but Diggle does. Oliver warned him and if he trusted Oliver, Laurel would be alive right now. It's evident how much the guilt is taking a toll on him.

He goes out on his own to go after Darhk's wife, not playing any games at all. Oliver stops him and that causes an argument between the both of them because Darhk's wife is the mayor and she has the media, the police force, everything that can be used against him. He has guilt and anger bottled up inside of him and he doesn't know who he is anymore. He needs to find his brother, but finding Andy won't bring her back. Oliver tells him that he can't forget who he is and they can never become them. Such a strong scene between them.

Felicity also talks to Diggle about the guilt he's feeling and tells him that she blames herself, too, but if Laurel was there, she would tell them all that none of it was their fault, especially Diggle.

The Ghost of the Black Canary. 
After Laurel's death, another Black Canary appears in Star City, going after criminals. This causes Lance to doubt that Laurel's actually dead. Someone stole the Canary Cry device from Laurel's hospital room since it's not in the bag of her belongings from the hospital. No one else is supposed to be able to use that device, which is why Lance believes that it must be Laurel. After a check in at the morgue, her body's still there. Laurel is really dead.

In order to discover who this is, Oliver confronts the doctor who's been very good to them. He trusts her and she tells him that there's been a frequent flyer in the hospital that may be the culprit. This imposter attacks Alex next, while he's on a date with Thea, and Thea catches a look at her face. Oliver's able to go after her and when he stops her, she accuses him of leaving them in Reddington Industrial to die, whoever they are. Reddington is where Darhk held his HIVE prisoners. According to her, he failed the city. The sonic device was tampered with and she's using it at much higher decibels than Laurel ever did.

Evelyn goes after Damien's wife at a party and the Green Arrow makes an attempt to stop her before she shoots her. He tells her that if she truly wants to be the Black Canary, she should do what the Black Canary would do. The Black Canary wouldn't be killing people. After Evelyn goes, guards are ordered to arrest the Green Arrow, but as Oliver says, we've all seen this before, and he simply shoots an arrow up and gets out of the building.

Lance in denial. 
Lance wants Laurel back and asks Nyssa how to bring her back. The Lazarus Pit was destroyed and she's unable to help to bring her back. Lance is determined and says that he'll find some other way to bring her back, but at some point, his entire world is going to come crashing down.

Nyssa contacts Oliver to inform him of the situation so that he can keep an eye on him. Oliver meets up with Lance after this conversation and he tells him that Laurel won't be coming back. Oliver's never lost a child, but he's lost plenty of people in his life and if there was any way to bring Laurel back, he would find it and do it, but there isn't. Laurel was Lance's rock and now she's not there anymore, and Lance finally lets himself feel the extent of the emotion that he's been bottling up inside.

Oliver's regrets.
Oliver feels responsible for Laurel and for that girl who's now pretending to be the Black Canary. He speaks to Felicity about it and she tells him that she feels she should've been there and blames herself, thinking that if she was there behind the screen, she would've still been here. Sometimes, they just need a reason for why things happen when a situation hurts too much, and that's why Oliver puts the blame on himself. It's a reason.

Mayor's orders. 
After Diggle attacks Darhk's wife, she orders an arrest warrant for all masked vigilantes, blaming them for the horrors that are occurring in the city. She knows Laurel was the Black Canary and now the entire city is scouring for a teenager.

Remembering the Black Canary. 
Evelyn destroyed Laurel's memory out there, but Oliver refuses to let that happen. She wasn't the real Black Canary. Lance and Diana go to Laurel's burial and this time, Lance makes sure Diana knows that she's not coming back, not this time. At this funeral, Oliver does give a eulogy. He speaks to who Laurel was. Being a lawyer wasn't enough for Laurel because of how much she loved the city. He tells everyone there that she was the Black Canary and she told him that before she died. She was a hero. She wasn't the picture that was painted of her in the media the past few days. He loved her and she loved him, and he knows that she'd want them to save their city.

Barry's visit. 
Barry comes to say his goodbyes and Oliver tells him that it's his responsibility to handle Darhk. He's going to kill him. This is the scene we saw in the beginning of the season that teased the character death. Neither Oliver nor Felicity are okay and Felicity knows what Oliver has to do, as does Oliver. He has to kill Darhk, but he doesn't know how. His magic is too strong. It isn't just magic, it's darkness, and Oliver has never been able to face that. Felicity refuses to believe that he's unstoppable. She fell in love with him for many reasons and one of those reasons is that he always finds a way. He needs to find a way now for Laurel, the city, and all of them.

Next episode, Diggle's facing his brother Andy. Really, really great episode tonight by everyone. I loved the entire thing and it was a good way to pay tribute to Laurel after her death.

Arrow airs Wednesdays @8/7c on The CW.

The Flash 2x19 Recap: "Back To Normal"

Before this recap begins I want to apologize for not posting any of the recaps I usually do this past week. I was completely exhausted and didn't even have the capacity to watch any of the shows, so these are still my original reactions. When I don't have the capacity to watch the shows I completely love, you know I have to be pretty tired. This week should be a lot better so you'll be seeing six recaps this week, two per show, since I'm playing a bit of catchup.

Back To Normal. 
Griffin Grey is making an appearance on The Flash this week and kidnaps Harrison Wells, mistaking him for the Earth-1 Harrison Wells. He wants to be cured from his current condition of super strength. Meanwhile, Barry's back to normal and Wally's got some questions about The Flash.

Human Again. 
Regular day's in Central City aren't so regular for Barry anymore, especially since he doesn't have his speed anymore. He actually has to wait on the coffee line, take the bus, dress himself in normal time, and do everything just like everyone else does. Without his speed, he can't even try and save Caitlin.

Barry struggles with not being able to use his powers and while he's looking at the Flash suit, he talks to Iris and tells her how she was the first person he saved in the suit. He felt like he missed so much after Eddie, but he knew he could save her, and when he did, it felt like they were the only two in the world. Suit or no suit, that guy is and will always be Barry Allen because that's the kind of person he is. Iris makes it a point to make sure he knows this.

Wells' Search. 
Wells got a hold of Jesse's location and is going after her. He should be leaving with help, but there's no one to help him right now, not with Barry's powers gone. Jesse's got her own place with a roommate and she refuses to leave with her father. The danger she's in is because of Wells and she wants no part of that. The line that hurt the most? She may be afraid of Zoom, but she's just as afraid of him. Ouch. After she gets word of the accident, she heads back to Central City and blames herself for what happened.

Zoom's Lair. 
Caitlin's trapped in Zoom's lair and refuses to talk to him in the mask. Hunter tells her that he won't hurt her because he cares too much, but Caitlin doesn't care for him or trust him. He's keeping her with him because he loves her and feels that eventually she'll grow to feel the same way. (Nothing creepy about that.) He does tell her to make herself at home, though, so she's able to wander around the lair where she comes across the man in the iron mask and her own doppelgänger, Killer Frost.

Killer Frost doesn't know why Zoom needs her, but she wants out. If Caitlin helps her get out, she'll help Caitlin get home. It's a team up of the doppelgängers. Their mothers are quite similar, both very cold, and Killer Frost became Killer Frost after she was hit with the black matter from the Particle Accelerator. Using her knowledge of science, she connects some things that should heat up the glass enough so that Caitlin can break it, and she does.

That deal they had goes down the drain as soon as Killer Frost is out. She attacks Caitlin and nearly kills her, but then Zoom comes to save her and instead puts the ice crystal through Killer Frost instead. He gives her a firm warning to not try that again. Caitlin insists that she wants to leave, causing flashbacks to Zoom's mother's death, and Zoom tells her that he'll take her home with the plan to conquer more Earths, starting with Earth-1.

Wally's Questions.
Wally's put multiple events together where The Flash has been around and either himself, Joe, or Iris have been there, also. He knows that The Flash has some connection to the family and also knows that Joe can't tell him who he is, but he does want to meet him. Wally wants to thank him for his life. He's done reckless things in his life, but never thought he was going to die, not until Zoom took him. He truly feels he would've died if The Flash didn't save him and he needs to tell him how much that means to him. Joe makes it happen and Wally is finally able to meet and thank The Flash. He doesn't plan on wasting the chance that he's been given to live and he's very happy about being able to say this to The Flash in person.


Griffin Grey. 
On his way back after his encounter with Jesse, Wells hits a man with his van, but the man isn't hurt. That's because this man is Griffin Grey, a metahuman with super strength who is after the Harrison Wells from Earth-1. He wants the power to go away because it's caused him to grow at a very fast pace. He should be 18, but instead, is growing so fast that he'll die soon at this rate.

With his abilities gone, Barry takes the field as a human with Cisco and Joe, making their attempt to save Wells from Grey. Things become a little difficult when he starts to hurl huge, heavy barrels towards them. He knocks Barry down and then ages some more right in front of him before running away. In scientific terms, the reason why this happens is because of the way his body is dealing with proteins, but in simpler terms, the more he exerts himself, the faster he ages.

Cisco and Jesse were only able to reinforce the suit just a little bit so that Barry can take some hits, or rather a hit, without his speed and abilities to recover quickly. While they're working on their own plan, Wells has created a "cure" for Griffin, but it's not a real one because there is no way to help him.

Cisco, Joe, and Barry are back at it again, this time with Barry in the suit doing some normal fighting skills instead of the speed. Barry gets punched the one time he was allowed and the is able to move out of the way enough for Griffin to exert himself enough to the point of death, and with this death, he returns to his normal age, dying as an 18 year old.

Reuniting. 
Wells and Jesse are reunited and Jesse decides to live back home again. They finally talk about things and he says that his want to protect her comes from when her mother died. He swore on his life to keep her safe and when Zoom took her, it was a breaking point for him. Jesse understands why he did everything he did, but she needs to be able to have fun and live her life without worrying about him trying to save her. As long as she promises to never run away again, he promises to be the kind of father she can be proud of, and they promise that to each other.


Barry can't sleep because he doesn't know how to get Caitlin back without his powers. Wells can't help but think that he still hasn't paid for what he's done, especially after being captured from Griffin Grey. He can't forget about it, but Wells is going to help Barry get his speed back. His plan is to create another particle accelerator explosion.

Next episode on The Flash, Henry Allen's back and it's time to see what happens with this new Particle Accelerator Explosion plan. Great episode tonight, especially the scenes with Wally & Joe and Caitlin. I'm exciting to see what happens next.

The Flash airs Tuesdays @8/7c on The CW.

The Flash 2x18 Recap: "Versus Zoom"

Versus Zoom. 
Barry believes his fast enough to stop Zoom with a new device and it's time to open the breaches again. After he convinces Wells, Wells reveals that Cisco has the power to reopen the breaches, which will allow them contact with Earth-2 once again and ultimately lead to Barry's face off with Zoom for the first time since knowing that Zoom is Jay. We're also learning about Zoom's origin on Earth-2 for the first time.

Hunter's Past.

Little Hunter Zolomon's life wasn't the best in the world. His father, after returning home from war, abused his mother and shot her right in front of him after giving him his helmet. The helmet would eventually become the one he would later wear as The Flash. After this happened, he was brought to an orphanage to live in since he had no other family that wanted him.

Caitlin mentions the name Hunter Zolomon to Barry and Wells overhears, and that's how the team at STAR Labs discovers all about Hunter Solomon's past. Turns out that after entering foster care, Hunter Solomon became a serial killer. He was eventually committed and given daily electroshock therapy. When Harry's Particle Accelerator explosion occurred, it created the unstoppable monster who came to be known as Zoom.

The Chase for Zoom.
With the new device that Barry attaches to his chest, Barry's going 4x faster than he's ever been. That's faster than Zoom. Now, they need to find Zoom, but Wells doesn't want to help. He promised he'd help him get faster, but not that he'd help them find a way to get to Earth-2.

Even Joe's worried about Barry taking on Zoom and going back to Earth-2. After Joe makes a comment about wondering what Wally's doppelgänger would be like, that gives Barry an idea. Cisco may be the way back to Earth-2, especially because of his doppelgänger Reverb. Cisco does have the power, but Wells goes to Joe to advise him to tell Barry that it's a bad idea. The thing is, once Barry sets his mind to it, that's that, but Joe asks Harry to go along with him because he thinks Barry's chances of defeating Zoom are higher with Wells by his side.

So, Wells goes to help Cisco and Barry open the breach, but then Cisco stops. He asks Barry to have him not open the breach before running off. When Barry sits down to talk to him, through a few Star Wars references, Cisco expresses his concern for eventually becoming "Vader." He's worried that, like his doppelgänger, learning new abilities will push him to the dark side, but Barry says that he has family behind him at STAR Labs and that he also worries about the same thing. So, we're giving this another go.

Now that everyone's aware of Hunter's past, Barry's got an idea on how to stop him. Cisco opens the breach and Zoom make his way through. Barry's faster than Zoom and he leads him to STAR Labs, into a room that pops up a cardboard image of Hunter's father, then mother. Each time, Zoom is slowed down enough for Barry to punch him and then use a different gun on him to bring him to the floor. He asked how they knew and Barry admits that he screwed up in telling Caitlin who his doppelgänger was. The Velocity 9 turning blue was the thing that told him that he was Zoom. The Darkness in Zoom pushes through and allows him to get through the chains and escape from Barry's hold.

Once Zoom has escaped, things change when Wally is kidnapped by Zoom. The way to get him back? A trade: Barry's speed for Wally. Cisco vibes to see where Wally is and if he's alive. He is, and Hunter can sense him. Cisco tells him that Barry will do it. The trade will be made.

Zoom brings Wally to STAR Labs and hands him over. Wally's now seen everyone, including his father and sister, involved, so it's safe to assume he'll have questions. Now, it's the tricky part. Let's explain how Hunter's still alive if him and Jay are the same person. Hunter's still alive because he went back in time and met another version of himself, a time remnant. He needed Barry to want to increase his speed and knew that his hatred for Zoom would fuel that. So, he goes back in time, convinces his time remnant to allow him to kill him, and that's how we are where we are. Caitlin repeats those same words Hunter's mother told his father: he's a monster. So, the whole time, Caitlin was actually dating Hunter Zolomon, who was putting on the persona of Jay. Hopefully that makes sense.

Agreeing to the deal, Barry runs out the speed force and he becomes human again. Hunter injects himself with it and becomes stronger than ever. Caitlin begs that if any of the feelings he had for her were real, that he let him go, and he does, but then takes Caitlin with him.

Wally's troubles. 
Wally's no longer living on campus at school because room and board has gotten too expensive, but he doesn't want Joe to help him out and says he'll cover it on his own. Meanwhile, he'll be doing his laundry at the West household.

Joe asks Barry for help because he knows that Wally's not letting him help him and Barry points out that Wally doesn't want money for a place to live, he wants a place to live. He wants to be able to live at home with his dad for the first time, and it'll be fun with him in the house, as well. As soon as Wally finds out the surprise, he's very happy, as is Joe.

Iris' new feelings. 
Last episode we saw Iris agree to go on a date with her boss, but on tonight's episode, her feelings are a bit different. She's been looking at Barry in a different way, and she knows that all signs point to them ending up together in the future. She's wondering if maybe the fact that she's ready to move on means that she's ready to move forward with Barry and take on this destiny.

So, Hunter's now got a hold of Caitlin, and next week, he'll be taking Wells, too. Without his speed, Barry will have to figure out a new way to stop Zoom before more people get hurt.

Tune in next week at 8/7c on The CW for an all new episode of The Flash.