History Recap / TheFlash2014S2E15Trajectory

As Barry tries and tries to get faster to combat Zoom, Team Flash is caught off guard by an evil female speedster running amok in Central City.
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!!Tropes:

* ABNegative: Played with. Harry says that Jesse's blood type is "PZ negative." Presumably this is an Earth-1 blood type under a different name, but they have no idea which one. Thankfully, Harry is a match, so they don't have to figure out translating the blood types on the fly.
* AnAesop: DrugsAreBad, even if its fictional.
* AntagonistTitle: Not a hard guess on who's the VillainOfTheWeek.
* AntiVillain: Eliza was turned evil by the V-9.
* BigNo: Barry does this upon learning that Jay Garrick is Zoom.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Apparently Earth-2 has a blood type called "PZ-negative".
* BlackBossLady: Jesse reveals that Music/{{Beyonce}} is a senator on Earth-2.
* BookEnds: The episode begins and ends on the same waterfalls.
* BrokenPedestal:
** When Team Flash learn that Jay is Zoom, Barry Goes to canyon and [[SkywardScream screams]].
*** Also, a literal example, as when the team starts getting suspicious that Jay is Zoom, Barry shatters the glass box holding Jay's helmet, which has been mounted on a pedestal.
** Jesse completely lost her trust in her father after she learned that he killed Turtle.
* CelebrityParadox: Eliza Harmon mentions ''Franchise/LawAndOrder''. Some actors were major cast members of its different shows, such as...
** Jesse L. Martin (Joe West), who was one of the long-running cast members of [[Series/LawAndOrder the parent series]]. Bonus points for Joe [[ActorAllusion being present]] when Eliza mentioned the franchise.
** Jamey Sheridan (Robert Queen), who was one of the main cast of ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent''.
** Creator/ColinDonnell (Tommy Merlyn), who, as of this episode, is one of the main characters of ''Series/ChicagoMed'', which officially takes place in [[SharedUniverse the same universe]] as the ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' shows.
** Creator/AlexKingston (Dinah Drake Lance) was a RecurringCharacter in ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU''.
** Colin Salmon (Walter Steele) was a RecurringCharacter in ''Series/LawAndOrderUK''.
** Many actors from this universe have also guested on the franchise at different points, [[YouAllLookFamiliar some more than once as a different character]], such as Creator/DaniellePanabaker (Caitlin Snow), Creator/SusannaThompson (Moira Queen), Creator/CaityLotz (Sara Lance), Creator/WentworthMiller (Leonard Snart), Ciara Renee (Kendra Saunders), Creator/NealMcDonough (Damien Dahrk), Peyton List (Lisa Snart), Seth Gabel (Count Vertigo), and Creator/EmilyKinney (Brie Larvan). Like Joe above, Caitlin was also present when Eliza mentioned the franchise.
** It is yet to be revealed if the main Franchise/{{Arrowverse}} shows share some characters with the ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' universe. If that's the case, then Laura Benanti (Alura Zor-El and Astra) was a RecurringCharacter in ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU''. Mainstays Creator/MelissaBenoist (the titular Supergirl), Creator/MehcadBrooks (James Olsen) and Jeremy Jordan (Winschlow Schott, Jr.) have also guested on the same show, with Jordan guesting twice [[YouAllLookFamiliar as different characters]].
* ChekhovsGun: Cisco uses his drones again, this time as net-holding safety devices for the canyon jumping's test.
* ChekhovsSkill: Barry dashing InASingleBound.
* ContinuityNod: When Cisco is in denial that Jay could be Zoom, Barry reminds him that [[TheFlash2014S1E15OutOfTime speedsters can appear two places at once]].
* CynicismCatalyst: The reason why Scott Evans couldn't bring himself to trust the Flash is that back when he was a journalist, he exposed a corruption scandal in a mayor's office. The mayor was young and loved by everyone just like the Flash, only difference is that the mayor was bought out by the mob.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Mainly involving the Velocity drugs.
** Velocity drug addicts such as Eliza Harmon is portrayed like a RealLife junkie.
** Barry's complaints about other speedsters taking velocity drugs to go faster is basically presented as a hard working athlete always at the losing end of his competitors who use performance enhancement drugs.
* EurekaMoment: Barry notes that Trajectory's lightning turned blue, just like Zoom's, just before she disintegrated and Caitlin interprets the disintegration as being her cells breaking down from the Velocity-9. Wells suggests that Zoom might be dying because he'd also taken Velocity and he needs Barry's speed to stay alive. Then they all realize to their horror that Jay had taken Velocity and his cells had been breaking down as a result, which causes Cisco to connect the apparently random vibes he's been getting of Zoom and his proximity to Jay's helmet.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Trajectory is outright jovial when she has Team Flash at gunpoint.
* ForTheEvulz: Trajectory gets off on both V-9 and the chaos her speed causes.
* GenreSavvy: when Trajectory attacks STAR Labs, she makes short work of the Flash by trapping him in the Pipeline before he could even react.
* IDidntMeanToTurnYouOn: Iris unintentionally got her boss, Scott Evans, interested in her.
* InASingleBound: Barry's ChekhovsSkill for the episode. He's struggling to do it at first, but it comes into play when Trajectory destroys the bridge while he's chasing her.
* InstantExpert: Eliza hasn't been taking the Velocity-9 for very long, yet she already seems to have mastered her SuperSpeed. While this technically applies to virtually ''every'' metahuman encountered on the show, it's particularly jarring here given that these powers are the same ones possessed by TheHero, who has nearly a year and a half of training and experience under his belt.
* InternalReveal: Jessie find out that Harry have killed the Turtle.
* ItsAllMyFault: Caitlin blames herself for changing Eliza into Trajectory. Wells counters that there's "plenty of blame to go around."
* JekyllAndHyde: Eliza Harmon and Trajectory.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Scott Evans isn't particularly friendly about the Flash, but what he is correct about is that journalism requires reporting the truth and that metahumans need to be held accountable for their actions.
* KnightTemplarParent: Jesse confronts her dad about always putting her life above the lifes of countless innocent people, no matter the cost.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: The scene at the club really illustrates the fact that Wally is the only main cast member to not know The Flash's true identity.
* MythologyGag:
** Once again, there's a nod to the Flash's [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths iconic]] HeroicSacrifice: after overdosing on V-9, Trajectory becomes DeaderThanDead, and all that's left of her is her costume.
** Opal City is the home of {{Comicbook/Starman}}.
** Trajcetory's costume resembles Johnny Quick's.
* NoBodyLeftBehind: Happens to Trajectory after taking too much V-9.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Invoked by the person being OOC for once.
--> '''Caitlin:''' Cisco's right, we need a break. And if ''I'm'' saying we need a break, you know it's serious!
** Harry doesn't want Barry to take the V-9 drug, contrasting earlier in the season where he was the one who introduced the concept to Team Flash, for the very reason that he wanted Barry to go faster.
* ProperlyParanoid: Cisco was totally right about bringing his safety drones in case Barry couldn't jump through the canyon.
* PsychoSerum: The Velocity-9 is firmly cemented as this. Not only can it cause [[YourDaysAreNumbered rapid cellular degeneration]] in those who take it, but in the case of Eliza / Trajectory and possibly even Jay / Zoom, it seems to introduce psychotic tendencies.
* PutOnABus: Jesse leaves Central City on a bus for Opal City, in order to stop her dad from giving in to his darker urges.
* TheReveal: Zoom is dying and he wants Barry's speed to cure it.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Although much of Team Flash's deductions about Jay being Zoom are sound: they're wrong about one thing - the Jay that Zoom killed wasn't a speed mirage but an actual person.
* SelfDisposingVillain: Ultimately, thanks to the unfair advantage V-9 gave, Team Flash is completely unable to do anything to stop Trajectory, who ends up dying as a result of her own actions of taking the constantly V-9.
* ShipTease: Between Jesse and Wally [[note]]both of whom are speedsters in the comic canon[[/note]], although Jesse leaving at the end of the episode will likely put this on hold.
** There was one between Barry and Iris as well early in the episode.
* ShoutOut:
** Jesse is watching a documentary about Music/{{Beyonce}} leaving Music/DestinysChild. She reveals that Music/{{Beyonce}} is a senator on Earth-2.
** Harry turns out to be a fan of Music/KanyeWest.
** Eliza Harmon mentions the ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' franchise, creating a huge CelebrityParadox (see above) for the Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}.
* SkywardScream: Barry has an epic one at the end of the episode after discovering that Jay is Zoom.
* SplitPersonality: Eliza developed one due to the Velocity-drug. Whether this is unique to Eliza or a side-effect of the drug is unknown.
* SpottingTheThread: Barry mentions that Trajectory's lightning turned blue just before she disintegrated, and Caitlin suggests the disintegration was due to the Velocity-9 causing her cells to break down. That leads to the EurekaMoment when they realize who Zoom is.
* SuperHeroOrigin: Implied to be one with Jesse, given that she is injected with Velocity-9 ''and'' the fact that Trajectory's costume is recovered by Team Flash after she disintegrates. However, Jesse is also PutOnABus at the end of the episode.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodSandwich: Scott and Iris don't take a single sip of the coffee that they ordered.
* SwissCheeseSecurity: Trajectory has no trouble breaking into STAR Labs. It's par for the course.
* WhamShot: Trajectory taking V-9, going faster and her lightning turning ''blue'' like Zoom's, then running so fast that she disappears into '''nothing''', leaving only her costume behind.
* WritersCannotDoMath: Once again, taking all his previous records in consideration, Barry's new clocked top speed of Mach 3.3 is laughably low.

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* SelfDisposingVillain: Ultimately, Team Flash is completely unable to do anything to stop Trajectory, who ends up dying as a result of her own actions.

* WhamShot: Trajectory taking V-9, going faster and her lightning turning ''blue'' like Zoom's, then running so fast that she disappears into '''nothing'''.

* ABNegative: Played with. Harry says that Jessie's blood type is "PZ negative." Presumably this is an Earth-1 blood type under a different name, but they have no idea which one. Thankfully, Harry is a match, so they don't have to figure out translating the blood types on the fly.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: Although much of Team Flash's deductions about Jay being Zoom are sound: they're wrong about one thing - the Jay that Zoom wasn't a speed mirage but an actual person.

** Jessie completely lost her trust in her father after she learnd that he killed Turtle.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Invoked by the person being OOC for once.

* ChekhovsGun : Cisco uses his drones again, this time as net-holding safety devices for the canyon jumping's test.

** Opal City is the home of {{Comicbook/Starman}}

* ProperlyParanoid : Cisco was totally right about bringing his safety drones in case Barry couldn't jump through the canyon.

** Barry's complains about other speedsters taking velocity drugs to go faster is basically presented as a hard working athlete always at the losing end of his competitors who use performance enhancement drugs.

* InternalReveal:
** Jessie find out that Harry have killed the Turtle.
** Team Flash finally finds out that Jay is Zoom.