BWW Recap: THE FLASH Sees Double and Secrets Have a Price

THE FLASH deals with a villain who can clone himself at will as one of his friend's literally kills to keep a secret on the second episode of CW's THE FLASH.

Let's dive in!

Steve Jobs once said you can't be everything to everybody. It's a lesson that THE FLASH could learn from, judging from the second episode of the hit CW show.

Keeping secrets, sharing secrets, and moonlighting all have a price. As THE FLASH, Barry (Grant Gustin) has literally been running himself ragged. After saving various people from an apartment fire and thwarting a would-be assassination attempt on scientist/philanthropist Simon Stagg (played by guest star William Sadler), Barry suddenly collapses in pursuit of a sextet of bad guys fleeing from the scene.

Of course, Barry has been keeping the condition hidden from the STAR labs team. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) in particular is pissed about it. Science is all about sharing. The team discovers the root cause when Barry takes a modified treadmill for a spin. Turns out, it's low blood sugar. Barry is passing out because he is running out of energy. Looks like Barry will be buying a bigger fridge for his loft/lab.

Det. West (Jesse L. Martin) discovers another one of Barry's secrets when he pays a visit to Barry's loft when Barry isn't there -namely the board of information he has been keeping as he tries to solve his mother's death and exonerate his father. Perhaps more startling is the STAR labs sweatshirt Barry has left behind. He confronts Barry about his superhero moonlighting at the lab. The pair again have a fight when Barry reminds West that he isn't his father.

We finally get a line on the villain of the week (VOTW). A man named Black has a fight with one of Stagg's body guards. Black vibrates, creating copies of himself. Comic book fans realize we are looking at Danton Black, aka Multiplex. Black and his five copies beat the crap out of the guy, killing him

Unfortunately for Black, he left a bit of himself at the crime scene in the form of skin samples and the police have a lead.

West and Thawne (Rick Cosnett) pay a visit to Stagg, thinking he might be the target of an assassin. Stagg brushes off the threat. He's a scientist and a philanthropist; those people aren't usually the kinds of folks who have targets on their back. Stagg does have a disgruntled employee he recently fired, though. It's Black. Right on cue, multiple copies of Black show up and open fire. West, Thawne and Stagg all take cover.

The Flash arrives and fights it out with Multiplex. Trouble is, as soon as he knocks one copy down, three get generated. Barry gets his red-leather butt handed to him and Black escapes.

Turns out, Stagg has his own secrets. Black wasn't just fired. Stagg stole his research on cloning. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) suggests naming the VOTW "Captain Clone," before quickly withdrawing the suggestion by saying he'll "think of something cooler."

Wells (Tom Cavanagh) and West meet at the police station. Both are trying to be a surrogate father to Barry. Wells feels West is sowing the seeds of doubt in Barry. He is convinced that such doubt will ultimately get Barry killed, because Barry doesn't trust his abilities.

Over pie in the coffee shop where Iris works, Barry learns that she (Candice Patton) has a new focus for her journalism class: she is intrigued by the red streak that has been saving people. Viewers realize Barry can never tell Iris his secret. The whole journalist/superhero thing is Superman and Lois Lane's thing and I wonder why we need it here.

Before Barry can say something he regrets, his phone rings. Black is at STAR labs.

He rushes there and it turns out it is a perfect clone that Caitlin grew in the lab from the sample taken off Barry's suit. It doesn't move. It is incapable of doing anything without the original copy to think for it. All Barry has to do is take out the one showing signs of weakness or fatigue, as controlling clones has got to take a lot out of Black; much like running at super speed does for Barry.

Black comes to kill Stagg (again). The Flash saves Stagg and battles again with Black and his clones. Mid-fight, Black reveals that his wife needed a new heart. He was in the process of cloning one when Stagg stole the research. He blames Stagg for his wife's death.

Barry is still trying to isolate the prime in a sea of clones. Finally, he notices a trickle of sweat on one of the Blacks. None of the others are sweating. Barry knocks him down and all the clones fall with him. As he surveys the scene, he doesn't notice the prime Black get up. Black lunges, Barry moves quickly and Black goes flying out a window. Barry grabs him by the wrist, but Black generates multiple copies of his hands, forcing Barry to drop him. Black falls to his death.

Barry and West hang out at Barry's loft/lab. West offers to help Barry find his mom's killer. An entire childhood of resentment washes away over a couple of large pizzas.

Barry's other surrogate father isn't done protecting him, though. Wells confronts Stagg. Stagg has seen the Flash and wants to capture him so that he can harness his power and profit from it. Wells isn't hearing any of it. Wells stands and shoves a knife into Stagg. "The fastest man alive must be kept safe."

It's a twist that leaves us further guessing if Wells is friend or foe. What'd you think of tonight's episode? Comment below. Catch us next week for more of THE FLASH.

Check out a sneak peek at next week's episode titled "Things You Can't Outrun":