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Context Recap / TheFlash2014S1E2FastestManAlive

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1->''"This is the part where I'm supposed to the whole intro thingy. "Barry Allen, Fastest man Alive," but you know all that. All right, let's get to the good stuff. You see that smoke? That's a fire on Western and 3rd downtown Central City. And that blur...? That's me on my way to it. I'm going 352 mph, and it's a slow day."'''
2-->--'''Barry's opening.'''
3Barry has to fight a self-cloning villain while juggling secret identity, his two mentor's arguments about his heroic career, and sudden dizzy spells.
4
5----
6!!Tropes:
7
8* AngerBornOfWorry: Caitlin isn't happy about Barry putting himself in danger to handle a fire rather than metahumans. Later when she learns about his dizzy spells.
9* AntiVillain: Danton Black may be a revenge seeker, but when you learn that Stagg stole his research and fired him before he could save his dying wife, it makes him all the more sympathetic.
10* ApologeticAttacker: As Wells takes out Stagg by stabbing him in the heart, he apologizes, saying it's NothingPersonal, it's just that Barry must be kept safe.
11* ArcNumber: Engine 52 responds to the fire in the ColdOpen.
12* AssholeVictim: Simon Stagg. He was amoral, greedy, was the cause of Danton becoming a villain, and planned to exploit Barry. He had his death at Wells' hands coming.
13* BecauseISaidSo: In a flashback, Joes responds with this when Barry asks why Joe won't let him visit his dad in prison. Not exactly the best thing to say to a young boy who's recently been traumatized by his mom's death and his dad's wrongful imprisonment.
14* BothSidesHaveAPoint: During Barry and Joe's argument about Barry's heroics both bring up valid points for either continuing or stopping it. Joe brings up the fact that Barry is just jumping into this and relying on his powers to deal with metahumans while having no idea how to actually handle them and Barry points out that the police aren't able to effectively deal with metahumans while he actually has the powers to do so.
15* {{Foil}}: This episode helps set up the contrast between Barry to Oliver in his first season. Oliver was a very big picture thinker, entirely devoted to his plan, and needed to be convinced to do things of a SmallStepsHero. Barry, on the other hand, has the instinct to help others, big or small, and has to be reminded of the bigger picture (deals he made, proper procedure, etc.).
16* {{Foreshadowing}}:
17** Joe asks Wells if he knew about Barry having SuperSpeed all along.
18** After Wells arrives at his office and snarked at him, Stagg mockingly snarked back saying that "he shouldn't get up"...
19* TheGlassesComeOff: Harrison coolly takes off his glasses before standing up and murdering Stagg.
20* HeroicFireRescue: Barry saves people from a burning building in the beginning of the episode.
21* HowDoIShotWeb: Barry overshoots the scene of a fire by a couple of blocks, even when Cisco is guiding him.
22* HyperactiveMetabolism: Barry's SuperSpeed and HealingFactor requires enormous amounts of food to maintain. He gets a brief HeroicRROD and fainting spells before he realizes that he needs food.
23* KickTheSonOfABitch: Harrison Wells quite coldly murders the amoral, greedy businessman Simon Stagg entirely for the sake of keeping the Flash safe.
24* MotiveMisidentification: Initially, Barry and the others thought that Danton's reason for going after Stagg was because he [[StealingTheCredit stole the credit]] for his organ growth research. Danton explains that the real reason was that he had developed the research in order to grow his ill wife a new heart, only for Stagg to steal it, resulting in his wife dying.
25* MundaneUtility:
26** The centrifuge in the forensics lab does not work, so Barry [[SuperSpeed makes his hand its own centrifuge]]. This is a ShoutOut to the [[Series/TheFlash1990 1990 series]], where Barry does the same thing, except he had to keep it secret from the other lab tech, who wasn't in on the secret.
27** He also tells Iris how he feels about her in BulletTime.
28** Using his super speed to steal clothes and change into them.
29* MythologyGag:
30** The gun store that was robbed was named "Hex's Gun Shop" with "[[ComicBook/JonahHex Hex]]" in a Wild West font.
31** Stagg and Danton Black/Multiplex are both particularly obscure DC characters. In fact, Multiplex isn't even a Flash villain, but a Firestorm one.
32** Barry running to a treadmill as the S.T.A.R. Labs crew figures out what's wrong with him is directly taken from ''Series/TheFlash1990'', under the same circumstances.
33** Speaking of Firestorm, Caitlin's fiancé is mentioned as "Ronnie", a.k.a. Ronnie Raymond, one half of Firestorm [[{{Foreshadowing}} who is set to appear later on in the show]].
34** Cisco's first attempt at naming Multiplex is Captain Clone, a nod to the inordinate number of "Captains" in Flash's RoguesGallery (especially Captain Cold) as well as the original character in the comics, who first gave him the same nickname verbatim.
35** Simon Stagg calls the Flash "like Mercury on Earth". In the comic book ''ComicBook/Earth2'', the Flash, Jay Garrick, got his powers literally from Mercury landing on Earth.
36* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown:
37** When Danton Black is punched by Java, he multiplies himself and they all surround him, killing him this way.
38** Also gives one to Barry during their second encounter
39--->'''Barry:''' I just got my ass handed to me.
40* NothingPersonal: Wells says this when he kills Stagg.
41* OhCrap:
42** Simon Stagg's reaction when Wells [[ObfuscatingDisability stands up]].
43** Also Barry's when Caitlin comes over the intercom instead of Cisco.
44* PapaWolf: '''Joe:''' You're just a kid. ''MY'' kid! Barry's response is CallingTheOldManOut. See BothSidesHaveAPoint, above.
45* PersonalityPowers: Danton was a stem cell researcher before he gained the power to make clones of himself.
46* PersonAsVerb: Cisco notes that the super-treadmill has been "Ciscoed".
47* ProtagonistTitle: The title refers to Barry and his abilities as the Flash.
48* PsychoSupporter: Wells is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Barry safe, no matter how morally wrong. Although whether this concern for Barry is because he genuinely cares for him as a person, or he has ulterior motives for which he needs the Flash alive is unclear at this point.
49* SarcasticClapping: Harrison Wells shows up at Stagg industries sarcastically clapping and snarking about what a humanitarian Stagg was.
50* SaveTheVillain: Barry attemps to save Danton Black but fails because he doesn't want to be saved.
51* SelfDuplication: Danton's power is the ability to create countless amounts of EmptyShell clones that he can control.
52* ShootTheShaggyDog: Barry's efforts to save Stagg are rendered pointless when the latter is killed by Wells. Then again, it's also ShootTheDog, as Stagg wanted to experiment on him, and Wells is protecting him.
53* TemptingFate: Stagg mocks Wells' paraplegic state by saying he shouldn't bother to get up from his wheelchair. Cue OhCrap from Stagg when Wells does just that.
54* ThisIsThePartWhere: PlayedForLaughs in the opening, where Barry, in a voice-over, notes that this is usually the part where he says who he is and what he is, but that the audience already knows that stuff. Even more funny, the audience has already sat through that same opening just seconds before anyway.
55* TitleDrop: By Wells regarding the show itself, at the end--
56-->'''Wells:''' The man in the red mask is called the Flash...or at least he will be one day.
57* TooDumbToLive: The lone security guard that attempts to stop Danton Black as he and five of his copies are robbing the science conference has a serious case of suicidal overconfidence. Going up against six armed guys as just one man, especially while standing out in the open and drawing attention to yourself by calling him out, seems very ill-advised on every level.
58* WellDoneSonGuy: A motivational speech from Joe is what gets Barry back on his feet to finish off Multiplex. Then at the end, they share a wonderful moment, bonding over their renewed search for Barry's mother's killer.
59* WhatTheHellHero: Caitlin wasn't exactly pleased when Barry didn't tell her about experiencing dizziness whenever he uses SuperSpeed.
60-->'''Caitlin:''' We're ''your doctors!'' Do not keep secrets!
61* YoureNotMyFather: Barry tells this to Joe but latter amends that he was [[ParentalSubstitute like a father]] to him after all.
62* ZergRush: Danton Black's general strategy is to make [[ExpendableClone huge amounts of replicas]] and overwhelm his enemies.

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