The Geekcap: Arrow "Schism"

Damian Darhk tosses Curtis aside and chokes Donna to force Felicity to reactivate Rubicon. Felicity reminds him that Rubicon is off-line, and threatening her mother means nothing if the world is destroyed. Darhk nevertheless begins draining the life from Donna before Oliver and Diggle burst in from the window to stop him. Oliver fires an explosive arrow, but the explosion disintegrates under Darhk’s stronger power. He sends the ghosts to fire against the two, but they manage to evade the onslaught. Just as Oliver is about to strike, Darhk stops him and begins to drain his life as well. Just then, Thea appears with Darhk’s daughter. She threatens to kill the girl unless he releases Oliver. Darhk relents his attack and escapes with his army and daughter. Unfortunately, Felicity notices that the laptop containing the anti-Rubicon code. For now, the team rushes Curtis to the lair to check on his condition.

On the island, Reiter shoots Oliver in the leg and goes after Taiana. He insists that he can take the power as the runes on his arms prevent the idol from taking over his mind. Taiana nevertheless threatens to kill him. Oliver also points out the plane leaving island, removing all of the prisoners from his grasp. Reiter, however, uses his power to cause the plane to explode, absorbing the power from their deaths. Taiana also absorbs the power and finally attacks Reiter.

Darhk: I know you don’t live here anymore, but those were nice windows.

In the lair, Curtis’ status remains stable, despite the situation on the outside looking bleak. Felicity questions Oliver on why Darhk’s magic affected him this time. Oliver responds that the hope he felt from Felicity is no longer strong enough to fend off Darhk. With Rubicon off-line and unable to be tracked, he is beginning to lose hope in winning himself. Lyla arrives to learn of the news as she tries to help Felicity stop Darhk’s plot. She questions why he would want to destroy the world since the bunker was destroyed, but Oliver replies that even Darhk has lost hope. Fortunately, Felicity believes that she has tracked the GPS of the laptop, allowing them to find it and save the world.

Oliver, Thea, and Diggle enter an office but only find the tracker instead of the laptop. A screen on the wall then lights up and displays the nuclear pattern. With the plan in motion, Felicity notes that they have approximately two hours before destruction.

The team regroups at the base to work on the new crisis. Lyla informs ARGUS to contact the president on the nuclear issue in order to warn the public. From the data, Felicity detects over 15,000 nuclear missiles to be launched worldwide. Even worse, she finds that a missile aimed for Star City has been sent out earlier, giving the city only forty-five minutes before its destruction.

On the island, Reiter and Taiana continue to fight. Reiter flings Oliver aside as he tries to help and then proceeds to drain the life from Taiana. However, the draining then turns on him as Taiana fights against it. She then sucks the life from him, causing him to be destroyed.

Back at the lair, Lance arrives after receiving a call from Felicity. She quickly advises him to take Donna on a route out of the city since she trusts him to keep her mother safe. Meanwhile, Lyla and Diggle say their goodbyes to their daughter, acknowledging that they can at least be together if the worst should happen. Diggle also laments how he has lost hope, something that Lyla believes came from Andy’s death. She tries to remind him how the death was self-defense, not knowing the truth, but they are interrupted by an ARGUS team successfully infiltrating city hall, the site of Darhk’s power. Oliver advises against sending the team who has no chance of defeating Darhk’s power now, but Lyla insists they take the opportunity. The ARGUS team corner Darhk with his daughter in the Nexus Chamber but immediately falter under his magic to the horror of the team listening to the events. Moments later, the lair is soon invaded by ghosts. With the return of Malcolm, the team manages to fight off the army despite Diggle being haunted by the image of Andy in a cornered ghost, but the lair is destroyed.

Taiana begins attacking Oliver herself, furious at him for killing her brother. Oliver pleads with her to keep control to fight the darkness. She manages to break from her rage, but she fears the hold the darkness has on her. With that fear, she pleads for Oliver to kill her.

Despite defeating the ghosts, they have approximately twenty-seven minutes before the nuclear warhead hits the city. As Oliver helps Felicity clean the base, she reminisces on Laurel when they find her Black Canary suit, how she wouldn’t want them to give in now. Oliver, however, feels disheartened that his efforts to unite the city against Darhk had failed, wondering whether or not Laurel would have lived if he stayed out of the city altogether. Curtis then hears them talking and offers his own view. He recalls his husband Paul’s incessant comments on the dangers of the city after three terrorist attacks, leading to them wanting to move. However, they changed their mind when they saw the Green Arrow on their screen, inspiring the people. Curtis states that, while it takes a special tenacity to live in Star City, the citizens prove their spirit and strength by surviving. He believes, even now, that the Green Arrow can inspire people.

With this in mind, Oliver enters the city as himself while the people resort to chaos. He stands among them and reminds the people that despite their fears, they have survived disasters in the past. Using Curtis’ words, he encourages the people to hold on to their hope that they will survive because this is their city. They are worth defending by standing united.

Oliver: I know what you're feeling right now! I'm feeling it too. It's a sense of helplessness, of hopelessness. I don't know how we even begin to process what might happen to us right now. But there are a few things that I do know. I know that this city has been through tough times before and we have pulled through. We survived the Undertaking. We survived the siege. We survived the outbreak, and somehow, someway, we will survive this! A friend of mine told me that living in Star City takes a special kind of tenacity, but we do live here. Because this is our home. …We will look to each other for hope. We will cling to each other for strength. If we do that, no matter what happens, we can all stand here, united.

In the lair, the team spots the nuke headed to the city. By seeing the nuke, Curtis then theorizes that they can now affect its path. The two move to the roof where they track the missile’s GPS signal for Felicity to upload a code to set the missile on a different path. With the code also programmed to make the missile think it already exploded, the nuke passes the city harmlessly to the surprise and relief of the city.

The two return to the lair. Although they have stopped the missile for Star City, they still need to stop more than 15,000 worldwide. By uploading the code, fortunately, Felicity and Curtis found a way to hack into the main computers for the missiles. From there, they can devise a code to divert the missiles like before throughout the world, using Lyla’s connections to enforce it. Still, they need to locate Darhk’s hacker to ensure that the missiles can be shut down. She tracks Cooper’s source while Oliver lays down the plan. He orders Diggle, Malcolm, and Thea to protect Curtis and Felicity as they find Cooper’s whereabouts while he will go after Darhk himself. Diggle protests that he will go with Oliver, but Oliver insists that he needs to make sure they are safe. Diggle reminds him that his speech inspired all of them as well.

Taiana continues to beg Oliver to kill her, something he refuses to do. She pleads that she fears killing him and everyone on the island by becoming worse than Reiter, and, if he ever cared for her, he would do it out of mercy. Before he acts, she reminds him to keep his promise to return to her home in Russia which he agrees to fulfill. Oliver then snaps her neck, only to be found by fellow prisoners.

Diggle prepares to go out in the field, but Lyla then questions him about freezing in the field. She asks if it was because of Andy, leading him to reveal that he killed Andy in cold-blood rather than self-defense. Lyla understands that it was in the fog of war and refuses to blame him for what happened, stating that he had to kill his brother. Diggle, however, cannot see past what he had to do.

Oliver confronts Darhk in the Nexus Chamber, beginning a fight that spills into the streets. Darhk easily overpowers him with his magic while the rest of the team move Curtis and Felicity to the source. Darhk mocks Oliver’s attempts to stop the end of the world but is stopped by the citizens themselves defending the Green Arrow. He further taunts the crowd, reminding them that they were ready to tear the city apart in their chaos. He tosses them aside and insists that he is providing a mercy killing for a feckless world. Nevertheless, Oliver stands up and says that he will defeat him because, this time, he is not fighting alone. The people stand up behind Darhk. Oliver fires an arrow that finally grazes Darhk’s face. He is now immune to Darhk’s magic with the hope of the people of Star City. Darhk then fights Oliver hand to hand with the city cheering their hero.

Felicity and Curtis find Cooper setting the code for the missiles while bleeding in the process. He reveals that Darhk fired a bullet at him and is slowly moving that bullet to his spine. If he moves away from the computer, he will be killed. Felicity advises him to be the man she loved seven years ago and fulfill his goal of saving the world by helping her disarm the missiles. Inspired by Felicity, he releases himself, causing Darhk to sense and kill him. Felicity then works to disarm the missiles herself.

The fight continues with Darhk nearly killing Oliver before being stopped by Diggle and Lyla who decided to save their friend despite the risk. Darhk then reveals an army of his own as ghost pour in to fight. The citizens then move to fight the ghosts as Oliver further fights Darhk.

Felicity has three minutes to disrupt the multitude of missiles despite having no way of changing their paths. Curtis then suggests that instead of disrupting the war head, they should go after the missile itself. Felicity and Curtis send out codes to order the missiles to explode before they hit their targets, saving the world from a nuclear death.

Darhk then grabs hold of Oliver’s bow and fires an arrow into Oliver’s chest. Oliver is then helped by a returning Lance. He states that Donna is safe, but he had to protect his city after hearing Oliver Queen’s speech. Oliver orders Diggle, Lance, and Lyla to fight off the ghosts to help the people while he takes on Darhk himself.

Lance: That Oliver Queen guy gives a hell of a speech.

Oliver finally corners Darhk with an arrow. Darhk tells him to stop posturing, believing that Oliver will not killing him after sparing the life of the man who killed even his own mother. Oliver, however, points out that Darhk had killed not only his friend but tens of thousands of people. While he made a choice regarding Slade, he has no choice here. Oliver stabs Darhk, defeating him once and for all.

The team returns to the destroyed lair as they ponder their future. Lance reveals that he plans to leave the city with Donna since his suspension from the force was made permanent. However, he admits that he did not feel a loss from losing his job and believes that leaving the city will give him a new perspective. Following that, Thea also admits that she wants to leave the city. After her recent threat to kill a little girl, she believes that she needs to leave to discover her real self, something Laurel would want her to do. Thea exits, leaving the original Team Arrow alone in the lair. Despite the reunion, Diggle admits that he may have to leave as well after the things he had been through so far. Oliver argues that Diggle has been the moral support since he began, but Diggle says that Oliver has been the bigger support recently.

On the island, Oliver explains that Taiana was overpowered by the idol, forcing him to kill her after she begged. He also clarifies that Reiter was the one who took out the plane, but Oliver believes there’s another way off the island. After burying Taiana, Oliver once again meets up with Amanda Waller who received his alert on the link he had returning to the island. She commends him on completing his mission and stopping Reiter’s force, saving many lives. Oliver rejects that, remembering that he took a few lives in the process. Waller explains that the situation demanded the darkness that was always a part of him, and sometimes justice requires killing. ARGUS confiscates the idol, but Waller returns a package to Oliver containing his hood, bow, and book of names. She offers to utilize his skills for ARGUS or have him return to his life as a vigilante. Oliver instead asks to fulfill a promise.

Oliver speaks to Laurel’s grave about how he killed Darhk. Although he believes it was not what she would have wanted, he apologizes for having to kill him. Felicity comes and asks about how he feels. Oliver admits that he doesn’t think he could defeat the darkness within him, but Felicity believes it is just a conflict within him, one between the man who killed Darhk and the man who inspired the city to fight. Inside him is a schism between the light and the dark, something that he needs to fight to maintain. Suddenly, Oliver receives a call from Thomas Kemp, a member of the city council who was interested in Oliver’s display to the city and asks for a meeting.

Oliver returns to city hall where, after Oliver’s display as well as his massive support as a write-in candidate, he is about to be sworn in as interim mayor. As he recites the oath to the public, the others prepare to leave the city. Lance drives out with Donna. Thea sits in Laurel’s old apartment, pondering where to go. Diggle packs his things and says his goodbyes to Lyla and Sara before returning to his military role.

After the ceremony, Oliver returns to the destroyed lair, looking on at the preserved suits. In the back, Felicity emerges to join him, stating that there’s not a chance that she would leave now.

The Geekcap: The Flash "The Race of His Life"

Barry rushes to his father’s body to find him dead. Zoom stands over him, remarking that after watching Henry die Barry can become like him. Barry, in his anger, fights Zoom as they race around the city. Zoom then sends a time remnant of himself that fights Barry. Barry finally stops the Zoom but remains hesitant to kill him. The real Zoom then kills the remnant himself, warning Barry that he will never be ready until he has the strength to kill himself.

The team then gather for Henry’s funeral. While Barry is at a loss for words, Joe speaks on behalf of all of them. He remembers Henry as a man who lost both his wife and son in the midst of being accused of a crime he did not commit. Still, Henry was a man who proved how love and hope can triumph. Once Joe’s speech ends, the group returns to the West house after the ceremony. Wally talks to Barry after learning that he was the Flash. After learning about what happened to Henry, Wally offers to help Barry in any way that could make him feel better. Barry thanks him for the offer as the rest of the team tries to come up with another plan to stop Zoom. They ponder what Zoom could mean by being ready as well as Cisco’s vision of Earth-2’s destruction. Barry, meanwhile, excuses himself to get some air.

Outside on the porch, Iris comes to talk to Barry. He tells her that, after his encounter with the Speed Force, he felt that he had finally come to terms with his mother’s death. Now, he must go through all the emotions once again in his father’s death. Iris states that while she knows he’s in pain he must find a way to move past it in order to live his life. Before they can go further, Barry spots Zoom racing past the house, forcing Barry to follow.

Barry corners Zoom who claims he was allowing Barry to grieve his father before meeting up again. Zoom then reveals what he really wants from Barry: a race to see who is truly the fastest man alive. If Barry chooses not to race, Zoom threatens to take down everyone he loves.

Barry informs the team about Zoom’s offer, wondering why Zoom would just want a race. Harry, however, discovers Zoom’s real motivations for the race. He has tampered with Mercury Labs’ magnatar generator. With the power utilized from the race, Zoom could turn the machine into a pulsar weapon that could effectively destroy the Earth-2 universe. Barry nevertheless insists on running the race in order to have a chance at Zoom and protect the others.

Joe then talks with Barry to try and convince him out of the race. He argues that running the race would be fighting on Zoom’s terms, already losing an advantage. Barry insists that this is his only chance to get his hands on Zoom without risking the others. Even so, Joe recognizes that Barry is mostly after revenge for what happened to Henry, an allegation Barry confirms despite sounding irrational. Since Barry refuses to compromise, Harry knocks him out with a tranquilizer. When Barry comes to, he sees that he has been locked inside the pipeline. Harry confirms that everyone, including Joe and Iris, decided that if Barry wanted to race against Zoom, the best decision would be to take Barry out of the equation. Barry pleads for them to change their mind, but they leave Barry in the pipeline to work on a new plan. Joe questions Iris on whether they made the right call, though Iris believes they have.

In the lab, the team track Zoom’s movements to the machine near the magnatar, and they go over their new plan. Caitlin will distract Zoom long enough for Joe and Harry to place the boot onto him. Then, Cisco will open the breach for them to toss Zoom back into Earth-2. After that, they will destroy the weapon. Despite her previous experience with Zoom, Caitlin agrees to go along with the plan since she can reach him. Meanwhile, Jesse confronts Harry on what they plan to do after they catch Zoom. Though Harry hasn’t thought about what could happen after, Jesse wonders about leaving STAR Labs. She tells him that she’s seen him at his happiest when he’s helping the team while she misses her friends back home in Earth-2. She suggests that, once everything is clear, he could stay in STAR Labs while she returns home, giving him a chance at happiness.

Cisco: Classic psychopath. Why can’t they ever just say about they’re gonna do.

The plan works in motion as Joe, Harry, and Cisco mind their positions while Iris and Jesse keep an eye in the van as Caitlin moves to the weapon. She calls out for Zoom, causing him to appear. While he reminds her that he would show no mercy if she betrayed him, she claims that she was wrong. He was the one who had her admit that there was a darkness inside her. She states that she wants him to be the only one who understands her again. Zoom states that it’s too late, but, as he moves to kill her, Caitlin is revealed to be a hologram with the real Caitlin still in the van with Iris and Jesse. Joe and Harry quickly move to boot Zoom with Cisco opening the breach. Once Zoom is knocked into the breach, though, he grabs onto Joe, dragging him into Earth-2.

Back at the lab, Cisco tries searching for Joe through his visions, but the image keeps shifting due to Zoom being on the move. Wally then arrives to have Iris inform him on Joe’s kidnapping. He asks for Barry to see if he can do anything, but Iris reveals to him their plan to lock Barry up as they capture Zoom themselves. Wally wonders how they could have thought to defeat Zoom without the Flash and then asks if they have a plan to save Joe. Unfortunately, Iris also reveals that the team agreed that if they succeeded in trapping Zoom in Earth-2, they would not open the breach under any circumstances.

Joe is now trapped in Zoom’s prison when he comes to consciousness. Joe states that if he wants to kill him he might as well now, but Zoom has other plans. Joe then spots the man in the iron mask and asks who it is. Zoom reveals that in his quest to become faster he developed the drug Velocity 9 and worked in traveling through dimensions and timelines. In his travels, he came across a world with another speedster acting as a hero. Zoom kidnapped the man and attempted to take his speed. However, his efforts to siphon the man’s speed failed, leading Zoom to take him prisoner as a trophy as well as a way to ward off the time wraiths in his tests. After capturing the speedster, he then came up with the idea to play the hero in Earth-2 by stealing the speedster’s name: Jay Garrick. Now he plans to do the same to Barry.

Meanwhile, Wally lets Barry out of his cell in the pipeline, stating that he never agreed to trapping Barry. Barry admonishes the team from preventing him from taking on Zoom despite their protests on his anger. Caitlin reminds him that when she felt the same anger and hollow feeling after watching Ronnie die, he advised her to take a breath and calm down before acting. Barry insists that he isn’t angry and emphasizes that the only way to get Joe back is to agree to the race. Harry then hooks Cisco to the machine that allows Barry to project himself in Earth-2. From there, he agrees to Zoom’s terms on the race for the sake of Joe’s return.

The group meets at the magnatar to face Zoom. They reveal they know Zoom’s plan to create a pulse wave, but Zoom goes further. Since Earth-1 is the axis point for the multiverse, he plans to use the weapon to destroy all alternate universes, leaving Earth-1 as the only in existence. He then settles the terms for Barry. Each lap around the machine charges it by one gigawatt, with the system needing 500 gigawatts to work. If Barry can stop Zoom before that, he can save the multiple universes. However, if he stops at any point in the race, then Joe will be killed.

Zoom: Run, Barry. Run!

The race begins. Zoom continues to elude Barry as the machine continues to gain power. As Barry keeps running, however, he then forms his own time remnant that escapes the race to rescue Joe. With Joe safe, Barry takes on Zoom, stopping the race. Unfortunately, the machine is already powered and ready to destroy the multiverse. Quickly, the time remnant that races around the centerpiece, causing his own pulse to cancel out the machine. However, the effort disintegrates the remnant, effectively sacrificing his life. Barry then corners Zoom who taunts him on the inability to kill. Fortunately, Barry responds, he doesn’t have to this time. Suddenly, the time wraiths emerge from a rift and set their grasp on Zoom, changing him into a black skeleton speedster before whisking him away.

The team returns to STAR Labs as Barry attempts to explain to everyone what happened. Using his speed, he traveled back to a few seconds prior to the race, thereby creating a duplicate of himself. When the world was threatened, the remnant sacrificed himself. In the meantime, Harry and Cisco manage to remove the iron mask from the captive Jay Garrick. Once it is removed, he introduces himself, revealing Jay Garrick to be a doppelganger of Henry Allen.

Barry leaves into the hall as he breaks down seeing his dad alive once again. Joe reminds him that Jay does not know about Barry’s dad, making him a different man. Although Barry is hesitant to watch his father leave again, he knows that Jay needs to return home.

Jay dons his old costume, the one stolen by Hunter Zoloman, as he prepares to leave. He remarks that Zoloman stole the Jay Garrick look for him, except for the helmet that belonged to Zoloman’s father. Harry responds that the helmet on his world represents hope, leading Jay to take it as his own. He requests the team’s assistance to return him to his universe which he refers to as Earth-3. Cisco offers to take him to Earth-2 while Harry offers to help him from the other side. Both he and Jesse plan to return home to their world.

At the breach, Harry says his goodbyes to the team individually. He remarks that Caitlin is a brilliant doctor but an even better person. Cisco admits that he may use the machine to check up on Earth-2 as he tosses Harry’s stuff around, leading Harry to call him by his first name for the first time. Finally, he confides in Barry that he was a better man since coming to Earth-1, and he owes that to Barry. Meanwhile, Jesse says her goodbyes to Wally, who also mourns the fact that they likely can’t message each other in alternate worlds. Finally, Jay takes Harry and Jesse as they whisk back into Earth-2.

The family returns to the West house with Barry remaining on the porch. Iris once again speaks to him as he mourns that he doesn’t feel any better after Zoom’s death. Iris understands that seeing his father as a different man was sure to shock him but offers to help him through the rough times in their new relationship. Barry is glad to hear her confirm her love but believes that he is not ready for a relationship with the broken sense he feels now. Despite that resolve, Iris offers to wait for him, just as he waited for her, leading the two to share a kiss. Iris then returns inside, but Barry remains on the porch. He takes one last look at the family inside before running away.

Barry runs through the city before going through a breach in time. He quickly finds himself back to his childhood home on the night of his mother’s death at the hands of the Reverse Flash. Just as his future self rescues his child self, Barry rushes in and beats the Reverse Flash into submission. Barry looks over and sees his other self, the one who jumped one year earlier, upon saving their mother. Satisfied, that Barry evaporates as the timeline is changed. Barry then goes over to his mother, assuring her that she is finally safe. 

Flash Notes

• John Wesley Shipp reprises his role as the Flash in the episode but this time as Jay Garrick! They even use the traditional Flash theme for his look!
• Jay's not the only speedster introduced in the finale. As the time wraiths take Zoom, he begins to change into what looks like the Black Flash, otherwise known as a grim reaper for speedsters. Perhaps this might not be the last time we see Hunter Zoloman.
• Comic book fans should recognize Barry's return to save his mother. Looks like season 3 will feature the Flashpoint Paradox!

The Geekcap: 12 Monkeys "Immortal"

In 2044, Jones once again looks out at the red storm as she smokes a cigarette on the roof. Eckland joins her, questioning how the world’s destruction could come from the deaths of a few people. Jones reminds him that those people were primaries, and their deaths will result in the destruction of time as they know it. They must find the remaining primaries and protect them from being hunted by the Messengers. Eckland provides her with some interesting information.

Inside the base, Cole and Ramse look prepared to take someone down. Turns out, they are really playing with Ramse’s son Sam as they hunt him around the facility. Jones comes to stop the fun and informs Cole of the name that they have tracked the man Kyle Slade in 1975. As Cole prepares for a new mission, Ramse speaks with Sam. Sam asks whether or not Ramse will go with Cole this time, something that Ramse doesn’t answer directly. Sam then reminds him suddenly that Ramse could have stop the bad people but chose not to instead. He then tells his father that while he understands that he did those things for love, the things they do know are for the future.

Jones and Eckland fill in Cole on Kyle Slade, the man Jennifer and Cassie found relation to the primaries. With four messengers still lost in time, they also advise him to be aware of those who will be looking to kill Slade. More importantly, however, is their information on Slade: he is a man known as the Immortal Serial Killer, wanted for the murder of about twelve people over the course of one year. Their only form of tracking him was the one murder where he was identified, the death of a woman named Victoria that took place on July 2^nd 1975 which is also the date of his death. Ramse then enters and deduces that they want to send Cole back to protect Slade from his death since the messengers could have tracked him with this knowledge as well. With the mission in mind, Ramse offers to join Cole, believing that it would save him the trouble of having to save his skin later. Jones agrees to Ramse’s accompany Cole but reminds both of them not to interfere with Victoria’s murder due to the threat of disrupting the time line even further. Using the machine, she is able to send them both back to July 1^st, 1975.

In 2016, Cassie tends to Jennifer’s injuries at the Emerson Hotel and gives the woman a few sedatives to sleep. Jennifer is less reluctant to sleep, however, and begins feeling an odd presence in the room. Jennifer asks Cassie whether or not she believes in ghosts. Despite remembering her vision of Aaron in the Red Forest, Cassie tells her no. The sedatives eventually work, and Cassie takes Jennifer back to her bed.

In 1975, Cole and Ramse track the woman Victoria to a diner where she works as a waitress. She serves them some breakfast and coffee, remarking on their hearty appetites. Ramse has a conversation with her on where to find an interesting spot when she replies that anyplace in New York can be a good time. Cole reminds Ramse that they can’t get involved in Victoria’s life knowing that she will die that night, but they then spot Victoria meeting with an older woman and a little boy, her mother and son. Ramse then asks Cole what would become of them after she dies.

The two track Victoria outside the building a night where she meets up with a man to deal her cocaine. As predicted, they spot Kyle Slade fighting and preparing to kill Victoria. Although they agreed to stay behind, Cole rushes in to save the woman and fights off Slade. When he secures Victoria, a ripple sounds off in the universe, rattling Cole and Ramse. They have affected the timeline by rescuing Victoria. In the chaos, Slade takes off in a vehicle while they spot a man, one of the messengers, chasing after it.

Cole and Ramse take Victoria to the Emerson Hotel to explain what had happened. Against their instincts, they tell Victoria the truth about them being time travelers tracking down then Immortal Killer and order her to stay in the hotel where she can be safe for now. Victoria protests since she has a child to look after, but Ramse fires back that a way she could help him is to stop taking cocaine. He reminds her that they have given her a second chance at life, something that she should not waste.

Cole and Ramse then plot out a new way to catch Slade. Using the knowledge they have from the future, the two inform the police on what they know about the killer including his name and his backstory being dishonorably charged from the military. After disclosing the information, they then request to be present at the arrest to secure Slade. The officers, at first, refuse the request, but then Cole blackmails the men using a newspaper article from the future reading about the officers’ failure to stop the murder. With no choice, the officers take Cole and Ramse on their search for Slade in their own resources. The police have investigated the Immortal Killer on their own time as he has not only killed his victims but mutilated their limbs and drained their bodies of blood. In that time, we see that Slade has painted an image of a monkey using his victims’ blood.

Back in 2016, Cassie goes to the hallway to retrieve some ice when the lights begin flickering. She then hears a voice calling her name. She follows the voice down the hall until she reaches their room 607.When she opens the door, she comes face-to-face with Aaron.

The police chase on Slade leads the group to a grocery store where Slade has apparently taken a woman hostage. While the police plan to send a negotiator, Cole rushes into the store to confront Slade. Cole sees the killer and tries to calm him down, explaining that he understands the visions that he has been seeing. Slade then recognizes him as James Cole and agrees to go with the man, releasing the woman in the process. Cole leads Slade to the police, planning to keep him in jail for protection against the messengers. Slade instead offers a release in exchange for leading Cole to the Witness himself. The police take Slade into custody before Cole can elaborate further on the matter. Because the officers refuse to let Cole and Ramse any closer to the arrest, Cole has no choice but to steal a cop car and track Slade down himself.

Aaron then explains to Cassie that he was rescued from the fire and nursed back to health by the army but states that he doesn’t plan to hurt Jennifer. Cassie nevertheless states that he betrayed them to the army, helping to cause the deaths of billions. Aaron recalls that in his final moments of life and his first moments in his new life Cassie was the only thing he could think about to give him strength. He claims that she was the reason he fought back to live and apologizes for what he has done.

Cole and Ramse successfully chase down the police and hold the officers at gunpoint to retrieve Slade. Ramse questions why he goes to this much trouble to rescue a serial killer. Although Slade claims to have the Witness, Ramse persists that they have no reason to trust Slade. Ramse instead argues that this plan is just Cole rushing into situations without thinking them through with any consequences. He refuses to follow Cole on his search with Slade.

Ramse: You’re all leap no look, little brother.

Ramse returns to the hotel where he finds Victoria tied to a chair. He then faces off against the messenger who tracked Ramse down after finding a sheet of paper they used from the Emerson Hotel. The two fight off as Victoria manages to free herself and stab the messenger. Using the distraction, Ramse fully kills the man to the shock of Victoria. He tells her to take care of her son and to leave the town, saying that this would be the best thing for both of them.

Slade leads Cole an alley outside his lair where he explains what he has been doing. All of his murder victims had been primaries as well that he killed to prevent the disaster. Victoria, who wasn’t a primary, was only a means to an end. He also mourns the fact that in his experiences, both as a killer and in the military, he had remove any attachments to others. Connected to his explanations, Aaron also tells Cassie that the army is not the enemy. The true enemy is time itself. By destroying the primaries, the army can create a world with no death. Slade tells Cole of this plot as well, where the people will essentially live in a forest of blood as immortals.

Slade shows Cole his lair filled with body parts as well as rigged bombs to explode. He shows to him the Witness, a cloaked and masked figure chained to a pole. Slade believes that the Witness came back to kill him after killing Victoria. He assured that he and Victoria could be identified in order for the Witness and James Cole to find him. Once he has both of them, he can ultimately kill the Witness and return to the future, where the Witness also emerged as a traveler. Slade describes that while the Witness has special powers he is still a man that can be killed. In the meantime, a police officer files a report finding Kyle Slade in the area, just as Ramse finds the lair.

Slade offers Cole the bone that the Witness planned to create a paradox by stabbing him. With the bone, Slade orders Cole to kill the Witness, ensuring their victory. However, Cole instead unmasks the Witness to reveal a face he recognizes as one of the remaining primaries. The messenger planned to trick Slade into believing he caught the Witness in order to ensure his capture. The real Witness is the figure speaking to Cassie in 2016. She recognizes this reveal as the world shifts around him, and his eyes turn to black slits. He mocks her stating that wanted to take a form she would be comfortable with and shifts into Cole to further haunt her. He then disappears as Cassie realizes that she is walking in the middle of the lobby with Jennifer coming to her rescue. With all of the hotel guests staring, Jennifer guides Cassie back to their hotel room offering to listen to what happened.

Slade demands the death of the messenger, refusing to believe Cole’s claims that it’s not the Witness. Cole doesn’t desire to kill the man, so Slade advances to kill both himself. Ramse arrives to hold the man at gunpoint as Cole tries to explain. Slade then grows angry at the fact that the army would send a regular messenger to kill him with his status. At the standoff, the police officers then arrive to take in Slade, but a stray bullet hits against Slade’s bomb, causing the room to be engulfed in flames. The messenger uses the distraction to try and kill Slade, but Cole shoots the messengers before turning his gun on Slade. Slade warns Cole that he was sent to be protected. However, Cole reminds him, that was only protection from a paradox not an ordinary death. Cole shoots Slade.

Cassie begins packing her and Jennifer’s bags, preparing the two to leave the hotel. While Jennifer understands that Cassie is scared from her encounter with the Witness, she also remarks that the encounter actually proves that the Witness is scared of them, trying to stop them by rattling them. Jennifer believes that the best course of action would be to fight back by hunting down the army themselves. Cassie is more unsure, remembering how the Witness made the destruction of time and the end of death sound persuasive. Jennifer counters that death, in its own way, is beautiful as it makes them human and strives them to do better.

Jennifer: We have to go monkey hunting!

Cole and Ramse return to 2044 as Jones and Eckland remark that the red storms have been receding. Their work in the past is having an effect on the future after all. Cole and Ramse then talk privately with Cole remarking that he was surprised seeing Ramse rush in to save him. Ramse states that he understands that rushing into situations is who Cole is, and he hopes that never changes. Cole than begins to say “I love-“ before Ramse quickly interrupts, not wanting him to ruin their moment. Cole claims that he was only going to say that he loves whiskey as the two laugh walking back inside the facility.

In 2016, Cassie returns to check on Jennifer, only to find a note by the bed. Jennifer has left to begin their fight on the streets, knowing that Cassie has to return to the future. As Cassie ponders Jennifer’s note, the room begins to shift as though a time traveler is arriving. She then spots the figure of the Witness before it instantly disappears. As she looks around, her eyes also turn a dark black, the same as the Witness.

Notes from 2044

• Looks like Jones and Eckland are getting a little closer by this episode's end!
• Could whatever happened to Cassie at the end affect her return to 2044?

The Geekcap: Legends of Tomorrow "Legendary"

The Waverider arrives in Star City 2016. Because of the randomness of time without the oculus, Rip has decided to bring everyone back to the meeting point. The team argue that the mission isn’t finished if Savage is still alive, but Rip states that since they can’t find Savage, and can’t kill him with Carter and Kendra, they are better off returning to their regular lives. However, because of the randomness of time now, he could only get them to May 2016, five months after they left. They continue to argue on staying, but Rip reveals he already made the choice by showing that the Rip they were speaking to was a hologram. The real Rip takes off on the Waverider, leaving the others behind in the present. Each member then returns to their old lives.

Sara returns to the Arrow lair where she finds her father waiting by the computers. He informs her about an attack by Damian Dahrk, which Sara remarks is business as usual. However, Lance tearfully informs her that in the time she was gone Laurel has been killed by Dahrk. Sara breaks down as she hugs her father.

Rory returns to crime, giving a new partner Snart’s old cold gun. However, he finds that the new recruit wastefully uses the weapon and therefore incinerates him. The crime is interrupted by Ray who asks for a talk. Ray formally apologizes for what happened to Snart, believing that he was the one destined to die. Rory thinks nothing of the situation, but Ray sees it as an opportunity for them to have a new partnership, especially when they both have the same goal in mind. Meanwhile, Stein reunites with his wife, though she notices that he has been noticeably quiet about his sabbatical. Stein reveals that he believes that his work was not yet done.

The team then reunites at the meeting point where both Ray and Stein come up with a machine to contact the Waverider. Rip, listening to recordings of his wife and children, receives the message from Gideon and returns to recruit the team, despite his previous reservations.

In 1944, Kendra escapes from Savage and runs into a French soldier. She implores him to escape but then recognizes his helmet. Kendra takes the soldier’s helmet and writes down a message to place inside the lining. Savage then arrives and kills the soldier to take back Kendra back to the ship.

Back on the Waverider, Sara immediately attacks Rip for knowing about Laurel’s death. He warns her about messing with the timeline, but she demands that Rip takes her back to save her sister. Moving quickly, Rip knocks her out and has Rory takes her to her room to sleep it off. The rest of the team then try to find a way to locate Savage without the oculus. They notice an old World War II helmet that was moved from its original spot. Rip understands it as a temporal change when something occurs in the past that ripples in the future. Inside the helmet, they find Kendra’s message with her location in France of 1944.

In 1944, Kendra wakes to find herself strapped to a chair in the ship. Carter wakes up next to her, still disoriented but seemingly recognizing Kendra. Savage interrupts the two to take blood from Carter. Kendra orders him away from Carter, but Savage explains his plan. Kendra and Carter’s blood arise from the meteorites that fell upon the region in 1700 B.C. Those meteorites, he reveals, contained Thanagarian materials which granted Carter and Kendra powers. Now, with their blood, Savage plans to erase time back to 1700 B.C. where he can ultimately rule.

Rip finally confronts Sara on Laurel’s death. Sara once again asks to go back to save her sister, but Rip further explains. Taking Sara resulted in Laurel’s death, but returning Sara to the timeline would have resulted in Laurel, Lance, and Sara’s death. Sara argues that he can’t be sure that it will happen, but Rip insists that they can’t risk it. Sara tearfully states that she can’t continue knowing that Laurel has died. This leads to Rip admitting that she can because she is the strongest woman he knows. She the agrees to help save Kendra.

The team arrives just as Savage attempts to attack some soldiers. Firestorm meanwhile finds the ship and rescues Kendra, freeing Carter in the process. The rest of the team fights off against Savage, holding their own while Firestorm leads Kendra and Carter to the Waverider. When a soldier confronts them, Firestorm takes hold of his weapon, causing it to dissolve in his hands. Jax marvels at what occurred which Stein explains was transmutation, changing the molecular structure of an object. The team escapes to the Waverider, except for Kendra who was shot by a soldier and fell to the ground.

Stein: Concentrate!

Jax: Why are you always saying that like I'm not concentrating?

On the Waverider, Carter attempts to explain what he knows to help the team. He recalls Savage describing the meteors as Thanagarian technology and how Savage stole their blood. Whatever Savage has planned, they also realize it involves the meteor that was spotted in 1958. Meanwhile, Jax hopes to practice the transmutation move with Stein since he was shocked at the action earlier. Using Ray and Kendra’s lucky vase, the two as Firestorm attempt to transmute the material, but the vase instead shatters to pieces. Stein encourages Jax to keep trying since the third time’s usually the charm. From that revelation, Stein realizes just what Savage wants to do.

Rip and Stein discover that Savage wants to detonate the Thanagarian meteors in three different time periods using a ritual with Carter and Kendra’s blood. With the power from the meteors and the paradoxical actions, he could effectively send the time stream back to 1700 B.C., the time of the first temporal displacement. Using coordinates from the distance between Earth and Thanagar, Stein figures that the three time periods to find and set off the meteors would be 1958, 1975, and 2021. With Savage’s power of immortality and a time machine, he can effectively set them off at the same time using his past selves. As they speak, Savage meets with his past self from 1958 to plot to detonate the meteor from that period. Fortunately, the radiation from having contact with the meteor should be enough for the team to kill him once and for all.

In order to stop Savage, the team breaks up into three groups to stop the meteors. Ray and Rory track Savage to Harmony Falls 1958, the site of the crash. Sara and Firestorm follow Savage to Norway in 1975. Finally, Rip and Carter find Savage and Kendra in St. Roch 2021. Once Savage activates the ritual, the team attacks. Ray and Rory take on Savage together while Sara fights Savage one-on-one. Carter tries fighting Savage on his own but struggles in the fight. Seeing Carter hurt, Kendra bursts from her restraints and takes on Savage, stabbing him. The fight continues across the three timelines, leading to Rory torching Savage and Sara snapping his neck. In 2021, Savage starts to bleed out, but he still taunts Rip on how killing him will not bring back his family. Rip tosses him into an electrical system, effectively killing the dictator.

Although the fight is finished, the meteors begin to go critical. Ray stops the meteor in 1958 by using his new technology to shrink the blow. In 1975, Firestorm combines Jax and Stein’s concentration to transmute the meteor into water. However, when the team meet up in 2021, neither are able to stop the third meteor as their power has been spent. The team believes that they could fly the meteor out, but none of them have the speed or power to eliminate the threat. Rip then arrives with the Waverider to drag the meteor out on its tractor beam. Unfortunately, his idea is to fly the meteor into the sun with him on the ship.

Sara: Aw, man. You got my boots wet!

The team try talking him out of the mission, but Rip simply thanks them for their dedication and states his was proud to be their captain. As he flies into the sun, he sees a vision of his wife and son one last time. However, he later emerges and converses with Gideon who is as unprepared to die as he is. He then prepares for one last time jump.

Twenty minutes before he left, Rip returns with the meteor destroyed in a temporal displacement. He picks up the team and agrees to take them back to where they desire. However, he plans to stay with the Waverider. With the oculus destroyed, someone needs to protect the timeline. As a former Time Master, Rip sees himself as an ideal guardian. With that in mind, he offers the rest of the team the opportunity to rejoin him.

In the present day, everyone considers the offer as they return to their lives. Sara visits Laurel’s grave with her father, offering flowers in her honor. Sara believes that she should stay and fight Dahrk in Laurel’s name, but Lance helps to remind her that Laurel was the reason for her to go on the Waverider in the first place. Stein returns to his wife, but she and a returning Jax then convince him that he is meant for bigger things, such as protecting the timeline. Rory, however, arrives in a 2013 Central City bar to see Snart alive and well. Snart is confused as to why Rory called him, but Rory simply tells him that he is the best man he knows, a hero even if he doesn’t know it. Snart shrugs it off, so Rory returns to Rip and Ray outside a bar. Rip reminds Rory that he could visit Snart anytime he likes in the past to see him again.

The team meet up once again in 2016 to rejoin Rip’s mission. However, Kendra and Carter decline the offer, desiring to live a life without Vandal Savage following them. They come to say their goodbyes and fly off, leaving the team for a new adventure. Just then, a second Waverider appears in the distance and lands near them. A man emerges from the ship and asks them for the date. Confirming that it is May 2016, he warns them against getting on the ship for the risk of death. Rory is skeptical of the man, but the figure states he was sent by Rory himself. He introduces himself as Rex Tyler, a member of the Justice Society of America. 

Notes of Tomorrow

• The three different timelines of the fight also take place in "Pilot, Part 2" and "Night of the Hawk."
• Rex Tyler is also known as Hourman, a hero with a chemical drug that grants him superhuman beings for one hour at a time.
• Rex also references the Justice Society of America which, as we all know, is the precursor for the Justice League!

The Geekcap: Arrow "Lost in the Flood"

Oliver and Diggle attempt to shoot Damian Dahrk, but the arrows and bullets dissolve on his body. Dahrk quickly flings them aside and causes the cave to collapse around them. He keeps them alive only for them to experience the destruction of the world after he regains control of Rubicon. Fortunately, Oliver and Diggle escape the rubble.

In the underground city, Thea continues to mourn over Alex’s body. She then finds a phone on his body and quickly messages to Felicity. Malcolm returns with some ghosts to the house to see Alex dead and asks about what happened to Anarky. She turns to see that Anarky has disappeared when she went to see Alex. With Anarky gone, the ghosts and Malcolm take Thea back into the house to ensure she won’t try anything rash.

Back at the loft, Felicity watches a news report on the destruction of Havenrock. Behind her, her father Noah Cuttler turns off the television and insists that they focus on trying to stop Rubicon after they bought themselves twenty-four hours. In the panic, Felicity hugs her father than quickly tries to get to work. However, they are interrupted by Curtis who came to talk to Felicity about the Havenrock destruction. She introduces him to her father whom Curtis recognizes as a man wanted by the FBI. In the rush, Felicity brings Curtis aboard to work on the Rubicon problem with Cuttler after she receives the message from Thea. She leaves to inform the team.

Curtis: You make so much more sense now!

Meanwhile, in a secret lair, Dahrk reunites with his wife as they discuss getting back the Rubicon system. Dahrk assures her that they have it under control by recruiting another escaped prisoner: Cooper Seldan, Felicity’s ex-boyfriend. However, Dahrk also realizes that they have the additional threat of Anarky in the underground city.

The team reunites in the lair where Lance questions what has been happening. Felicity informs him on the Rubicon system as well as Thea’s message. Oliver and Diggle unfortunately inform them that Dahrk appears to be unstoppable. Fortunately, Felicity uses Thea’s message to track the location to somewhere near the Glades. Oliver and Diggle move to find Thea, advising Lance to stay behind and give the city someone to watch over them.

On the island, Oliver and Taiana keep running with the idol. Taiana questions Oliver’s look of fear when he admits that her eyes began glowing just like Reiter’s, hinting that she may be contracting the idol’s power. Before they can go further, Reiter’s soldiers begin shooting against them. Oliver ducks for cover, but they hit Taiana directly. However, Taiana appears to have survived the shots, giving Oliver the opportunity to fire back at the soldiers. After the soldiers’ death, Taiana absorbs more power, finding that she enjoys the rush.

Back under the dome, the ghosts have Thea strapped to a chair. Malcolm warns against her acting defiant in the town. She once again refuses Malcolm’s orders, leading Malcolm to try other methods to ensure her compliance.

Oliver and Diggle reach the location but find that there is nothing there but an empty street. Diggle then reminds them that whatever is in that area should be relatively new considering Dahrk’s plan. Oliver spots a new sewer cover which actually leads to an underground tunnel. Felicity remarks that there were no plans for this system in the city files, but Oliver reminds them that Dahrk had control over city officials. Oliver and Diggle follow the tunnel to the underground town. There, Ruve advises Malcolm to deal with the Anarky problem, as well as the new arrivals of the Green Arrow and Spartan.

At the lair, Felicity loses the signal to Oliver and Diggle and receives a text message from Curtis advising her to come back to the loft. When she returns, she finds her mother has arrived and is now locked in argument with Cuttler. Donna says that she has been calling Felicity endlessly with no reply and wants an explanation for why she was with her father. Felicity tries to tell her something, leading Donna to believe that she is pregnant. However, Felicity then informs her that the world is in danger, and she needs Cuttler to save it. When Donna questions how she can do this, Felicity reveals that she has worked with the Green Arrow for the past three years. Under limited time, Donna stays as Felicity continues to work with her father.

In the underground town, Oliver and Diggle split up to look for Thea. Oliver eventually locates the house by spotting Alex’s body. He enters and finds Thea strapped to the chair. As soon as he sets her free, she attacks him and pulls a gun towards him, threatening to shoot. Malcolm arrives with the ghosts to take Oliver in, but Diggle returns just in time to offer Oliver and himself a chance to run. Diggle wonders what happened to Thea, but Oliver explains it was the yellow pills. Malcolm had likely drugged Thea to keep her docile and sent her against them. In the chaos, they escape into another house. Unfortunately for them, a family is present inside, and Ruve announces to the citizens to apprehend and kill the vigilantes.

On the island, Taiana becomes more wrapped into the power of the idol as she begins to understands Reiter’s motivation. She remarks that he wanted revenge for his village’s destruction just as she has a village she wants to protect of her own that is run by a government strong arm named Kovar. Oliver tries to assure her that they will return her to Russia if they can save the others, just as her brother would have wanted them to do.

Ruve implores Malcolm to find the vigilantes as Dahrk orders Cooper to find Rubicon. Felicity and Cuttler work against Cooper when Curtis comes up with an idea. Instead of trying to shut Rubicon down, they can flood it with too many access requests thereby shutting it down. Cuttler argues against it, saying that they need a better idea besides brute force, but Donna argues that they might as well try, believing it to be a creative choice. They begin to argue leading Donna to mention how he abandoned his family, but Cuttler reveals that she didn’t give him a choice in the matter. Before they can explain, Felicity loses control of her systems as Cooper activates her old virus to work into her computer. Cuttler recognizes the virus pattern, revealing that he kept track of Felicity from time to time, and begins to work against it. Cooper sends electrical surges to disrupt the loft, but it gives Felicity the opportunity to work back to his location. Curtis counters the attack, sending the surges back at Cooper and effectively destroying Rubicon. Cuttler congratulates Felicity, which leads to a disappointed Donna.

Under the dome, Oliver and Diggle quiet the family to stop them from turning them in to the ghosts. Diggle tries to force them into being quiet, but Oliver stops them, believing they are not in their right minds. One of the members actually responds that none of them have taken the pills. They chose to follow Damian Dahrk since the world has become an awful place while Dahrk provides hope for a future. The family questions how the Green Arrow with his hood and his weapons could inspire the same.

On the island, Oliver and Taiana fight off the soldiers with their deaths providing her with more power. Oliver then spots a wounded man and asks Taiana for help to carry him. Taiana, however, offers to kill him instead. She says since the man will only slow them down, they may as well kill him to make her stronger.

Back at the loft, Felicity finds Donna folding clothes in a bedroom. After seeing Felicity with her father, Donna finally reveals the truth about what happened. While Donna led Felicity to believe that he father left, Donna had, in fact, took Felicity and herself away from Cuttler. She states that she could not trust Cuttler to change his criminal ways and wanted to protect Felicity. Felicity, though surprised at the reveal, hugs Donna and assures her that she could never lose her.

Oliver and Diggle then tie up the family as Oliver ponders how Dahrk could inspire the innocent better than he could. Suddenly, the place is ambushed by Malcolm, Thea, and more ghosts. Diggle fights against the ghosts while Oliver is forced to fight his sister. Oliver tries to appeal to Thea, reminding her that she is stronger than this just as he’s seen of her every day in the field. Before Malcolm can kill Diggle, Thea arrives to shoot a dagger from his hand. The three corner Malcolm when Anarky appears on the screen. He reveals that he now has Ruve and her daughter held captive in the center base, and, unless Dahrk should surrender, he will kill the two and destroy the base. Malcolm warns the team that if Anarky had access to materials that could kill everyone under the dome, forcing the group to work together. Oliver states that his team will fight Anarky while Malcolm evacuates the people. Malcolm argues that the world outside could be destroyed by a nuclear holocaust by now, but Oliver maintains hope that the world is safe.

Oliver: I have hope.

Back on the island, Oliver fights Taiana for her gun, refusing to let her kill an innocent man. She demands the man’s power and tosses Oliver aside to snap the man’s neck.

The team make their way to the facility to fight Anarky who reveals that the base is powered by a dwarf star alloy. One stray shot could bring down the entire dome. Oliver and Thea nevertheless take aim and fire, causing explosions throughout the facility and the dome. Anarky then stabs Ruve and proceeds to fight the team. In the chaos, the people of the dome and Anarky escape, but Oliver goes to rescue Ruve’s daughter. When he goes back for Ruve, she dies after making him promise to protect her daughter. The team ultimately escapes the dome just as it creates a giant chasm in the middle of Star City. Felicity finally makes contact with Oliver who informs them that everyone is safe, but the city still needs saving.

On the island, Oliver takes the idol and finally gives Taiana an ultimatum. If she wants the idol, she needs to kill him. However, they are interrupted by Reiter, who is eager to kill both of them.

Dahrk remains alone in his lair after the loss of Rubicon and his family. Malcolm arrives to inform him that the channels are down due to Anarky, but Dahrk asks about gaining control of Rubicon. Malcolm reminds him that even if they took back the nuclear weapons, there would be no safe reserve for survivors. Dahrk, however, just wants the world to burn.

Donna finally confronts Cuttler on the events. Though he has proven helpful and honest in his care for their daughter, she orders him to leave since he is still a danger to Felicity. He accepts her decision and leaves the loft.

Curtis then talks to Felicity regarding Donna and Cuttler. Felicity informs him that Donna left Cuttler because he lived a dangerous life that she didn’t think he would change. Curtis remarks that the situation is similar to her own relationship with Oliver since she left Oliver because she didn’t think he could change. Suddenly, the group is interrupted by the appearance of Damian Dahrk who demands a favor from Felicity. 

Arrow Notes

• The name Kovar is an interesting Easter Egg. It's the surname of the former Teen Titan Red Star! Could he be in Russia?
• The dwarf star alloy, the material that makes up Ray Palmer's ATOM suit, makes an appearance once again.

The Geekcap: The Flash "Invincible"

The city is ravaged with the police unable to handle the metahuman army attacking. The Flash saves a squadron by whisking the metas away, but the rest of the city crumbles under what is known as “Metapocalypse.” Iris reports on the event and reassures the people not to give up hope. Despite the overwhelming odds, Barry believes that he can stop the army. Meanwhile, the team at STAR Labs is surprised to see Caitlin alive and safe. She reveals that Zoom let her go and fears what he can do to Barry. He reassures her that the universe, the Speed Force, is with them, meaning that Zoom cannot win. The rest of the team grows nervous at Barry’s invincible confidence from his trip to the Speed Force.

At Mercury Labs, Dr. Tina McGee works on a project before the building is attacked by a meta with a sonic scream.

At STAR Labs, Cisco keeps an eye on a sleeping Caitlin, worried about what happened to her. Barry still reminds him that the Speed Force is with them. Before Cisco can respond, he experiences a vision where he sees a dead canary. Once he comes back, the news reports an attack on Mercury Labs. Barry races to save Dr. McGee as the building crumbles. When they reach the ground, Dr. McGee reveals that she is aware of the Flash’s identity. In the distance, the meta turns to reveal herself as Laurel Lance’s doppelganger.

Dr. McGee: Come on, Barry. I’m a scientist. We’re paid to be perceptive.

Barry and Dr. McGee return to STAR Labs where she meets up with the others and is introduced to Henry. They ask her if she knows anything about the attack, leading Dr. McGee to remember a security system programmed in the building. It should be able to show them the events prior to the building’s destruction. In questioning why someone would attack Mercury Labs, she also brings up seeing what looked like Dr. Wells just a few months earlier. With what they know, and what they can’t tell Dr. McGee, they go to work.

Meanwhile, Wally patrols the city before spotting a meta trying to steal from a woman. He stands and tries to fight the villain off until he uses his powers. Joe then arrives and uses a STAR Labs device to level the meta while saving his son. He lectures Wally about recklessly endangering himself by trying to help in these situations. Wally reminds Joe that he was saved for a reason, but Joe says that he shouldn’t be throwing his chance away like this. Wally then admits that he needs to prove to the Flash and himself that he was worth saving by helping others.

Back at the lab, Caitlin begins testing Jesse’s blood upon Jesse’s request. Harry questions why she would need to when Jesse reminds him she was hit by dark matter. Within those circumstances, it is just as likely that she would become a metahuman as well. Harry assures her that she is not a metahuman, and, even if she was, she has a genius IQ that could prove to be very helpful during the chaos. Suddenly, Caitlin sees a flash of Zoom. Cisco and Harry both reassure her that Zoom is not there, and he won’t come after her at STAR Labs. Despite her fear, Barry still believes that they can handle the metahuman attack.

Questioning Barry’s confidence, Henry has a private talk with him. He asks about Barry’s experience in the Speed Force which Barry describes as not only a change in his view but a change in himself. Henry responds that he can’t understand where Barry gets the confidence, leading Barry to comment that he can’t understand because he wasn’t always there. Henry apologizes for missing out but assures his son that he’s here now. They ultimately reconcile that disagreement before the team spots a news report featuring the Flash symbol burn upon a building calling him to CCPD. Despite Henry’s warnings, Barry races to the station.

At the police station, Barry comes face to face with Jay who instead talks to Barry about their pasts. He remarks how they had similar backgrounds with a tragic past and the desire to go faster. However, he states that the only difference is that Barry wants to be a hero. With that as a distraction, Jay believes that he will succeed. He proves so by showing Barry the destruction of another Barry, knowing that Barry would want to save the people.

Barry returns to STAR Labs to try and come up with an idea to take out the metas. He theorizes that without the metahuman army, Zoom would be vulnerable. With Cisco, they theorize a form of vibrational technology that could, in theory, stop the army without having to take them down one by one. Unfortunately, they have no idea what it is yet. Once again, Barry assures the team that they can do this. Joe takes Barry aside to talk while Cisco has another vision of various dead birds. Joe reveals to Barry about Wally’s activity. Barry understands Wally’s desire to help though he agrees with Joe that he will try to talk Wally out of dangerous heroics.

In the back of the lab, Cisco and Caitlin become frustrated at the inability to create a vibrational device. Caitlin continues to have flashes of Zoom appear before her, frightening her. Cisco stays by to comfort her, but Caitlin still worries. She states that Jay took away everything from her including her sense of safety and sanity. Cisco reassures her that things will be okay and hugs her.

Wally continues to patrol the streets using a stolen police scanner in his car. Barry as the Flash finally catches up to him to talk. While he is flattered by Wally’s desire to help, Barry insists that the best thing Wally can do is stay safe and leave the fight to him. Wally reminds the Flash that the fight is not only his anymore. Since the city’s in danger, it’s the citizens’ job as well, like Wally. He insists on protecting his new home. Before Barry can persist further, Cisco notifies him on the location of the metahuman behind the Mercury Labs takedown in the city. Barry speeds off while Wally secretly follows after hearing the location.

Wally: No, it’s all of ours. This is my city, too, now, and it’s up for all of us to protect us.

Barry is shocked to find that the metahuman is Laurel Lance’s doppelganger known as the Black Siren. She informs him that the Laurel Lance of this Earth is dead while she only enjoys watching things fall. Unleashing a powerful scream, she knocks Barry down and almost easily beats him into submission.  Though she believes she can take him out easily, the Black Siren remarks how Zoom must be afraid of Barry if he must go to this trouble to defeat him. Before she can finish off the Flash, however, Wally rams her with his car and whisks Barry away to safety.

Caitlin and Cisco tend to Barry who, despite some bleeding, is fine. Joe, however, rebukes Barry for not being able to dissuade Wally from running into danger. In Barry’s belief that things are on their side, he still quickly brushes off the accusation. Iris then confronts him on his new-found confidence. While she is glad he feels they can win, she reminds him that fear can be a good thing in reminding him the risks they are taking. Barry finally understands the team’s feelings.

Meanwhile, at the CCPD, Black Siren speaks to Zoom. He recognizes that she failed to kill Barry, but she reminds him that she is the only one of his lieutenants still alive. In the time now, he orders her to keep destroying major buildings in order to keep the attacks random. She asks what his major plan is, but Zoom remains vague.

Fortunately, Cisco and Harry come up with a device known as a universal vibrational disrupter. Since every Earth-2 being vibrates at a different and higher frequency, Cisco figured that they could harness a vibrational force at a high enough frequency to disrupt every being from Earth-2, including Zoom, without harming the citizens of Central City. To guarantee the plan, Harry also develops soundproof headphones to protect himself and Jesse from the machine. However, they quickly learn of Black Siren planning to attack the high rise of the city, where a majority of the city lives. In the desperate situation, Cisco comes up with quick idea.

At the high rise, Black Sire is confronted by Killer Frost and Reverb, Caitlin and Cisco in disguise to distract her. They argue as their doppelgangers that with her powers they could stand up to Zoom himself. Utilizing the same words Reverb said to him, Cisco convinces Black Siren that she could be a god among men. In the meantime, Harry, Henry, Jesse, and Barry begin their plan by starting to activate the machine and having Barry create a sound pressure barrier around the city with his speed.

Black Siren eventually catches on to the two’s charade by tossing a pipe to Cisco. When he catches it with his right hand, Black Siren remarks that all doppelgangers are mirror-images of each other. Reverb was left-handed. Cisco and Caitlin run to escape but stop at a dead end. Black Siren begins a scream, but Cisco stops her with a blast of his own emerging from his hand. She is knocked aside, giving the two a chance to leave. Before Black Siren can follow, the amplifier is activated, effecting every Earth-2 metahuman in the city. The metahumans begin to fall unconscious from the rupture, but the amplifier seems to be affecting Jesse even with her headphones, causing her to suffer intense pain. Desperately, Harry gives Jesse his headphones, causing him to fall unconscious from the attack. Henry assures the others that Harry will be fine. During the attack, however, Zoom manages to escape by creating a breach on his own. Barry begins his cleanup of the city.

The team also manage to lock Black Siren in the pipeline where her powers are useless. Despite her resemblance to Laurel, Barry believes that the should avoid informing their friends in Star City about the incident, stating that she is not the real Laurel. Caitlin remarks that, despite her fear, she felt more at ease helping others than she had before, believing that she will be okay. She, Cisco, and Barry then move for a group hug.

Back at the CCPD, Joe informs Captain Singh about the capture of the metahumans, ensuring him that the ones that aren’t in Iron Heights are being dealt with accordingly. The Flash arrives to corroborate with Joe but states that Zoom seems to have escaped back to Earth-2. Singh then asks to find Barry Allen, leading the Flash to quickly leave for Barry to return. Barry then informs Joe that he will ultimately not talk to Wally anymore since he refuses to stop Wally from being a hero.

That night, Iris throws a celebration party at the West house to honor the end of the metapocalypse as well as Henry’s return home. To Henry’s surprise, Iris also invited Dr. McGee whom he seems to have quickly developed a connection with since their meeting. Iris congratulates Barry on capturing the metahumans, and Barry, feeling more invincible than ever, decides to ask Iris to give their relationship an official try in dating. In the meantime, Jesse congratulates Wally after hearing that he saved the Flash, admitting that she’s proud of him. Joe then gives a short toast to the people around them, leading Cisco to have another vision. Instead of birds, however, he witnesses the destruction of Earth-2 before him. When he comes back, Cisco quickly informs the others, but their party is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Zoom himself. He takes Henry and dares Barry to follow him. Barry takes off, revealing his identity to Wally.

The two race off until ending at Barry’s childhood house. Zoom proclaims that he will make sure Barry turns out like he did by having Barry witness the death of his parent himself. Henry makes one final proclamation that he is proud of his son before Zoom sticks his hand through his chest, killing him. 

Flash Notes

• Henry Allen finally meets Dr. Tina McGee. An interesting pair-up considering John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays starred in the original The Flash series from the 90's!
• Joe West apparently wants his grandchildren to call him Pop-Pop.
• The show continues to hint at Wally and Jesse's futures as speedsters with Wally's desire to be a hero and Jesse's blood testing. 

The Geekcap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Absolution"/"Ascension"

The episode opens on what looks like the alien planet Maveth. There lies a sole pod on the ground. Inside are Daisy and an injured Coulson. Daisy works on the wires in the pod when Coulson remarks that they are the only ones left. He says that they will survive since it’s in their blood while Daisy touches the cross necklace now on her neck. She states that she can rewire the system to hopefully pilot them back to Earth. Coulson however reveals that this is Earth.

Daisy then wakes from a dream, revealing her to be in a pod on the base. Elsewhere, Mack, Lincoln, Elena, and May are headed to a new location. Lincoln hands Mack the kill switches for his and Elena’s vests in case something goes wrong. Mack takes the devices while May struggles to fly under a new circumstance.

At the pod, Simmons arrives to update on Daisy’s condition just the same. Daisy remarks that the only reason Simmons is doing it is because Simmons was the only one she didn’t hurt directly. Simmons only wants to keep track of Daisy’s vitals as well as update any information she can remember about Hive. Daisy reiterates that Hive knew everything about his followers, but he did not share the same courtesy to them. Fortunately, the information Daisy has given them already has provided them with a baseline to track new activity at a U.S. military base where an alarm was just activated.

At the military facility, Hive, James, Giyera, and Radcliffe take over the base and captures the soldiers in attempt to activate the warhead. While the plan is in motion, Hive orders the others to keep an eye out for SHIELD. The quinjet then arrives from out of the ocean and lands clandestinely outside the facility.

Back at the base, Talbot attempts to negotiate the kill code for the missiles out of a superior. While the superior refuses to divulge the information, Fitz works around it by simply capturing his image before the superior leaves. Fitz then informs Coulson of the Defense Logistics Building location for Coulson to complete the next part of their plan. Mack, Elena, Lincoln, and May sneak into the building to place a trap and search for the hostages. Fitz then uses his technology to create a motion capture image of the military official to communicate with the undersecretary to get the kill codes. He and Talbot manage to convince the undersecretary to send them to a nearby ATCU agent: Coulson. Coulson quickly relays the codes back to Fitz merely seconds before the warhead launches, and they succeed in stopping the missile. Meanwhile, Simmons questions Daisy about the word absolution, something Hive mentioned, but Daisy says he simply believes he’s saving the world.

With the missile halted, Hive orders Radcliffe to override the system. Radcliffe states that he has no knowledge of how to work the systems but offers to try for fear of death. Hive decides to deal with any SHIELD agents.

May and Lincoln hack into the security feed to find Hive after their plan succeeds. Lincoln remarks that at least stopping the warhead assured that what happened to Daisy and Andrew wasn’t in vain, but May rebukes him for bringing it up now. Lincoln then spots a camera and believes they have been spotted. The two then split up to find a way out the base. At the same time, Mack and Elena work to set up electrical systems, though Elena criticizes Mack’s slow speed. She also reassures him on using the murder vest as she would rather die than become Hive’s slave. With that fear in mind, Mack offers to return her necklace, but she refuses since it was supposed to be a sign of faith for him.

In the lab, Coulson and Fitz remove the old memory machine from storage and plan to restructure it. Simmons informs Coulson that Daisy is awake but still is not aware of what Absolution could mean. Fitz remarks that perhaps the information is buried to deeply. Coulson responds that they should just keep waiting.

Radcliffe meanwhile attempts to work on the machine using only the primitives as help. Despite their lack of knowledge, they seem to retain some muscle memory in working on things.

Hive tracks Lincoln hidden in a back room. He states he understands his feelings for Daisy and how her betrayal must have hurt. At the base, Coulson finally talks to Coulson, updating her on their stopping of the missile. Daisy appreciates the update but states that she has told them everything she knows, just like she told Hive. Coulson reassures her that while she’s a prisoner now, the new security protocols should only be temporary. Daisy throws back that the protocols should remain permanent because she deserves every punishment for her crimes.

Hive reveals that Daisy did love Lincoln, but only Hive made her whole. He offers Lincoln a sense of peace, but Lincoln instead warns that Hive will never see Daisy again. Meanwhile, Coulson tries reassuring Daisy that she is only going through withdrawal, and vengeance against Hive will not bring her peace. Someday, she will feel better. Daisy instead argues that she only deserves to feel the pain of making others suffer. She then suggests using the memory machine to force the moments back into her head, helping the team and assuring she will never forget what she’s done. Coulson, however, reveals that the machine was not meant for her.

Lincoln races down the hall to Mack and Elena with Hive on his trail. Mack warns for Lincoln and Elena to run to avoid having to use the vests. Elena, however, quickly rewires the system, a larger version of the memory machine. Lincoln powers the device, forcing Hive to go through all of his victims’ memories. When Lincoln runs out of power, the team escapes to rescue the hostages. James and Giyera come to Hive’s aid, but he begins losing his grasps between his memories of Ward, Will, and Nathaniel.

May finds Radcliffe and orders him to take down the warhead. The primitives fight against her while Elena rescues the military hostages. Hive eventually regains control of himself and orders Giyera to disconnect the warhead from the missile. May succeeds in fighting the primitives before being stopped by Radcliffe at gunpoint. He demands to know if she’s from SHIELD. When she responds that she is, he agrees to come with her. At that moment, the warhead is taken, forcing the team to evacuate. Before they leave, Hive stumbles out, demanding to know what they did to him. Elena activates and plants a device to capture Hive in a containment gel, effectively stopping the villain.

Hive is brought back to the base, much to Talbot’s surprise after sending Inhumans to fight him. Coulson warns that the warhead is still on the loose with a pathogen that can alter humanity. With Radcliffe on the base, Talbot demands the doctor find a cure for the primitives. Radcliffe apologizes for his work but reveals that the process is irreversible. Nevertheless, they put him to work with Fitz and Simmons to counter the effects. Meanwhile, Coulson orders Mack and Lincoln to work on securing the base before Hive’s followers come back for their leader. He also congratulates Lincoln on his work in the field and offers him an agent status following these events. Lincoln declines the offer, believing that an agent life is not for him, though he is unsure about what he wants to do. Mack then asks about letting Daisy know about the situation. Against Coulson’s orders, he visits his partner.

Radcliffe: I can tell from your moustache that you are a man not to be trifled with!

Mack informs Daisy that they’ve captured Hive safe and sound. Daisy appreciates the news but warns him about security protocols forcing him out of her room. Mack states he doesn’t care despite Daisy reminding him what happened the last time she saw him. Nevertheless, Mack forgives her for everything she’s done. Daisy responds that she didn’t ask for his forgiveness and asks him to leave for his own good. Mack instead fights back, insisting that he forgives her and taking her in a hug. She breaks down into tears, believing that she doesn’t deserve her friend’s forgiveness.

Fitz works fruitlessly on trying to crack a cure but achieves no solution. He asks Simmons for some assistance only to find her browsing a traveling site. She reveals that she was planning a trip for the two of them to the Seychelles Islands after everything is secured. Despite Fitz’s remarks about her not being romantic, Simmons promises an event that will take his breath away: snorkeling. Fitz then leaves to supervise the transporting of Hive’s unit onto the base, taking a SHIELD jacket and Elena’s necklace as he leaves.

Mack and Daisy continue to discuss Hive and Mack’s faith. Daisy responds that since Hive steals people’s memories and forces people to kill for him, he’s the closest thing to a devil that either of them will see. Mack reassures her that Hive will not get out but also states that instead of fighting darkness they must let the light shine. The entire base goes to lockdown.

Fitz and many agents explore the supplies in the hangar before Fitz spots packages labelled from Absolution, Montana. The supplies from the jet are revealed to be a pathogen bomb that turns many of the agents into primitive at first blow. The rest drag the others to become new victims. Coulson and Simmons work to unseal Fitz from the hangar as Fitz tries to save the remaining agents. Simmons recalls an old theory from the academy, allowing her to work through the system. Fitz and one agent escape, but the remaining primitives break Hive free from his containment unit.

Mack and Daisy watch the events unfold. Daisy reveals that she told Hive about the Zephyr One’s systems, more importantly its altitude capabilities. Instead of a missile, Hive could use the Zephyr One to spread the pathogen. Mack quickly leaves to inform the team, but they are unsure how to deal with it. Any human will be turned by the gas, but any Inhuman could be swayed by Hive. With no option, Daisy programs her pod to rise to the Zephyr, facing Hive herself.

She confronts the Inhuman on what he did to her. Though his memory is still foggy, he recalls that she was in pain. Surprisingly, she begs him to take her back. However, Hive finds herself unable to sway her after her contact with Lash. Furious at the creature, Daisy unleashes a quake that short-circuits the ship and tosses Hive against a wall.

The team recollect their data after losing more than twenty agents to the gas. Before the earthquake fried the security feed, the team caught a malfunction in Daisy’s containment unit, realizing that Daisy went to fight Hive. Coulson demands Radcliffe to find a weakness to fight the primitives. Radcliffe deduces that the creatures are strong but have weak memories and poor eyesight. Unfortunately, they have no time to figure out more details as the primitives sneak through the vents. May and Fitz explore Daisy’s unit to confirm that she escaped through the pod. They leave to help find Daisy and face Hive.

Daisy attempts to fight Hive using her skills and her powers. While she puts up a strong fight, he remains strong. She tries stabbing him and breaking his body, but he simply heals from her blows. An escape helicopter then arrives for him as a primitive knocks out Daisy. The group loads the Zephyr One with the warhead and some of the primitives to complete the plan. To ensure that SHIELD does not attack the ship, Hive takes Daisy aboard the pod. With the knowledge of Will and Ward, he believes he can pilot the ship.

The team plan to fight against the primitives. Mack and Elena check the weapons facility only to be confronted by a primitive with a gun. It fires at the agent, but Mack survives unscathed. He looks behind him to see that Elena has taken the blow of the bullets using her speed.

Coulson, Lincoln, Radcliffe, Mack, and Elena gather in the workshop to barricade themselves from the primitives. Mack reveals Elena’s bullet wounds, but the team realize that some of their members are missing. Simmons secretly hides in a boiler room while the Zephyr One leaves the base.

Hive programs the ship to ascend to 100,000 feet. Once it reaches the optimal altitude, they will activate the warhead while they escape through the pod, infecting most of Europe. Secretly, May and Fitz hear the plan after they have snuck to the ship.

Radcliffe and Lincoln attempt work on Elena, but the lack of tools leaves few options. Radcliffe then theorizes that using a blowtorch could to cauterize her wounds, effectively stopping the bleeding. Lincoln works to try, but Elena orders him to give the tool to Mack since she trusts him. While Simmons hides, a primitive barges into the room. Before it can find her, however, it then leaves unexpectedly. Simmons then realizes that the heat in the boiler room must affect the creatures and turns up the fire.

Mack succeeds in sealing Elena’s wounds as she jokes that she was only trying to catch the bullets. She was just too slow. Radcliffe meanwhile notices Fitz’s notes on decoy models, mostly for Coulson’s hand. He’s fascinated by Fitz’s work and even more impressed seeing it on Coulson’s body. The team then become suspicious when they no longer hear the primitives pounding against the door.

May and Fitz take out the guards and meet up with Daisy. When Fitz tries to release Daisy, however, she demands to be kept inside the pod. Fitz lets her stay inside while he inspects the ship for further weaponry. At the base, the team begin to notice the increased heat. Radcliffe then deduces that Simmons increased the heat, effectively blinding the primitives with their limited eyesight. With that assistance, the group can sneak through the base without being detected.

Daisy then confides in May her anger at being defeated by Hive even with her powers. May assures her that she was made an agent by her not by having powers. Daisy doesn’t believe that she deserves the effort, but May remarks that Andrew saved her for a reason. She tells Daisy that even if she chooses to stay in the pod her hurt feelings won’t go away. The only way to fight feelings is to do something good every day to balance the scales. May almost reveals her feelings regarding Daisy but is quickly knocked out by Giyera who wields a large weapon against the returning Fitz. Fitz quickly warns Giyera that he has a weapon that will destroy him. If he is dead, Giyera will never find it. Giyera lowers his weapon only for Fitz to shoot him with an invisible gun. Fitz frees Daisy and helps May into a lab. He has disabled the pod, preventing Hive from leaving. However, they have no other plan to escape. Daisy shivers under her symptoms and the thin air, leading Fitz to give her his SHIELD jacket.

May: I don't give a damn about your powers. They're not what made you an agent. I did.

The team sneak to Coulson’s office where they find Simmons. She informs them that May and Fitz likely snuck onto the Zephyr. With Elena still suffering from her wounds, they become even more desperate to find an escape. Simmons has found a way but only after a large drop. Fortunately, Coulson reveals that he has control over a remote quinjet through his hand, inspired by Radcliffe’s technology. He orders the team to take Elena to medical and inform Talbot for military authorization to take back the base. In the meantime, he will go after Hive on his own, against the protest of the team.

On board the Zephyr One, Hive finds Giyera’s dead body, realizing that SHIELD agents are on the ship. He orders them to be find. Fitz, Daisy, and May prepare as they notice that a quinjet has landed. At this moment, Daisy finds the cross necklace in her pocket, recognizing the same situation from her vision.

Coulson finally confronts Hive. He acknowledges that this situation began when he let his desire for revenge kill Ward, leading Hive to escape. Now, they can face each other hand to hand with no other casualties. Hive remarks that he could just kill Coulson and take his body, revealing his own true tentacle form. From that, he could control SHIELD from the inside. Coulson retorts that, unlike Hive’s followers, Coulson’s team don’t always obey his orders such as now. Simmons, Mack, and Lincoln have snuck onto the ship and plan to disrupt the ship. Coulson is simply the distraction as he is revealed to be only a hologram.

Coulson: Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only-

The team reunite as they escape the guards, though Lincoln is dangerously wounded by James and a fiery chain. Simmons tends to him when Daisy notices that she, Mack, and Lincoln are now all wearing the SHIELD jacket from her vision. She reconciles with Lincoln and apologizes for everything that happened. She also remarks that he never came to see her, but he responds that he knew she needed her space to heal as he understands what it’s like to be addicted and shameful at what he has done. Coulson reveals to the team that he has set the quinjet to fly to space. If they can somehow load the warhead onto the quinjet, they can set it off harmlessly in space. Daisy reveals this plan to Lincoln, believing her to be destined to be on the jet with the warhead. Lincoln recognizes her vision and pleads with her not to go. He makes her promise not to try to atone for her sins with a sacrifice. The rest of the team prepare to face Hive and his minions with the help of Mack’s new shotgun-axe while Daisy defies Lincoln and loads the warhead onto the jet.

Daisy then faces Hive, stating that she plans to lead him and the warhead off in the quinjet to head to space. Hive reminds Daisy that Ward would be able to reprogram the coordinate, but, to the two’s surprise, they are stopped by Lincoln who limped onboard earlier. He blasts Daisy off and seals the jet just as it takes off, claiming that he short-circuited the board to prevent Hive from changing the coordinates.

Daisy rushes to the controls to order Lincoln back since she believes it was her fate to be on the jet. Lincoln, however, believes it was his destiny since he would have been the only one to be able to short-circuit the system and prevent Hive from escaping. He further proves it by revealing the cross necklace he stole from Daisy. She begs him to come back, pleading that she can’t have him die. Lincoln reassures her that he has found a purpose: to die for the world and the woman he loves. The communication is then cut off as the ship leaves the atmosphere. Lincoln confronts Hive and warns him that even if he was swayed, the ship cannot be stopped. Hive accepts his fate to death.

Daisy begs Coulson to try and find a way to save Lincoln, but Coulson explains that there is no way, especially since the quinjet was not designed for space travel. Daisy mourns that Lincoln has to die for her mistakes. Coulson disagrees, saying that Lincoln died for all of their mistakes. Lincoln and Hive watch the world from above before the warhead explosion. Hive remarks that all he wanted was connection with the human race, something that Lincoln experienced in his desire to sacrifice his life for the world. Lincoln responds that the people are only human after all. The warhead explodes as the team watches. They wonder what to do next.

Six months later, Coulson and Mack are endlessly searching a new lead for a super-powered vigilante known as Quake. They watch for a remote location at a meeting between Charles Hinton’s wife Polly and Daisy, who is in disguise. Polly thanks Daisy for the financial aid as she was considered a pariah where she previously lived. Daisy states that she was keeping a promise to Charles and further proves it by giving his daughter the carved robin and hoping to introduce Polly to a nearby clinic for work. Coulson spots Daisy, and he and Mack move in to catch her. However, she takes off in an alley and, using her powers, propels over a building to escape. Coulson tells Mack to inform the director that Daisy has eluded them once again.

In the meantime, Radcliffe returns to his office after the last day of his hearings. He calls on Fitz to celebrate, but his A.I. informs him that Fitz has already left to prepare a surprise for Simmons. Despite this, Radcliffe still plans to celebrate his newest project: the creation of a Life Model Decoy.

N.O.T.E.S.

• The Life Model Decoys or LMD's were a notable feature for SHIELD from the comics. Even Nick Fury himself had a model!
• Daisy Johnson is finally referred to as Quake, her codename from the Secret Warriors.
• The voice behind AIDA, Radcliffe's A.I. computer is actually the voice of Maurissa Tancheron, the co-creator of the show!
• Apparently, there's a new director in town, but who could it be?