"To understand what I'm about to tell you, you need to do something first. You need to believe in the impossible. Can you do that? Good, because all of us, we have forgotten what miracles look like. Maybe because they haven't made much of an appearance lately. Our lives have become ordinary, but there is someone out there that is truly extraordinary. I don't know where you came from, I don't know your name, but I have seen you do the impossible to protect the city I love. So for those of us who believe in you, and what you're doing I just want to say thank you."
Iris continues investigating the Streak, while Barry runs into an old enemy.—Iris' Message to The Streak.
Tropes:
- Action Survivor: Iris gets some credentials here for knocking out Woodward. A flashback shows her boxing.
- Anger Born of Worry: Dr. Wells yells at Barry after he gets injured fighting Girder before he learned how to beat him. When Barry tries to justify his recklessness with his Healing Factor, Wells angrily tells him that he can't heal if he's dead.
- Boxing Lessons for Superman: With actual boxing. Barry remembers training with Joe and Iris during his childhood and takes new lessons at S.T.A.R. Labs and with Eddie, all in order to pull off the Megaton Punch.
- Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: With the Megaton Punch. That said, given Barry's abilities, he gets better.
- Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames:
- Done differently than usual this episode, as "Girder" is Cisco's name for his metal training dummy, which Woodward gets compared to, rather than Woodward himself.
- We also see the aversion with the "Flash" name getting established. During Iris' meeting with "the streak", he tells her that he doesn't want to be called that, but doesn't offer an alternative. Later, she's chatting with Barry, and he drops the word "flash" in order to subtly steer her to the name he wants.
- Contrived Coincidence: Used as a plot point; Joe is initially suspicious of how Dr. Wells moved to Central City at the same time the man in yellow killed Barry's mother.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Eddie tells Barry that his father was a politician that shut down a local factory which caused the children of the jobless workers to bully him.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: How Iris figures out Woodward's motivation.Iris: No, I don't think that Tony had a girlfriend, not with the way that he was hitting on me when he...he came into Jitters. He's after me. Again. (looks to the side)
- Flash Step: Barry uses his super speed to stop a man who knows about Woodward.
- Foreshadowing:
- Iris mentions another incident she's heard rumors about; a man on fire who does not burn up.
- In The Stinger, the Reverse-Flash shows up and steals Joe's evidence just as Joe writes down the possibility of Wells being involved in Nora's murder.
- Formerly Fat: Eddie mentions that he used to be overweight rather than his current attractive appearance.
- Idiot Ball: Barry revealing himself to Woodward, until you remember that he just broke the number one rule of being a superhero: revealing his identity to a bad guy who's still alive. What would happen if Woodward ever gets out of his cage?
- Improvised Weapon: Barry and Tony use improvised weapons. Tony uses doors of cars and Barry eventually uses a flagpole.
- In-Universe Catharsis: Barry really enjoys getting to gloat to Woodward's face when he has him locked up in the particle accelerator. Cisco then asks if they can imprison his childhood bullies.
- Meaningful Echo: Iris takes over the opening and ending monologues in this episode, during which she uses some of the lines Barry did in the pilot.
- Megaton Punch: If Woodward's made of living steel, then the only option is for Barry to punch him at Mach 1.1.
- Mythology Gag:
- After Barry returns from getting beat up by Woodward the first time, he mentions that Woodward was able to turn his body into living metal. Wells is fascinated by all this, offhandedly referring to Woodward as a "Man of Steel".
- Everyone assumes that the Flash was running away from his foe, when he was actually setting up for a powerful attack? Wally West from Justice League did it first.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Barry gives one to Woodward about how he never stopped being a bully and only used his powers to hurt people.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: You can only see them for a second, but the Reverse Flash has glowing red eyes.
- Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: Woodward is the same person he was in school. This seems to be the only way Woodward knows how to function. A co-worker mentioned that when the mill he was working at closed down, Woodward beat up his supervisor. Barry lampshades it.The Flash: Bully then, bully now.
- She Is All Grown Up: Iris tells Tony that he has become attractive.
- Stab the Picture: The Reverse-Flash attempts to intimidate Joe West into stopping his investigation of Nora Allen's murder (which was committed by the Reverse-Flash, though they don't know who he is yet.) Reverse-Flash writes "STOP OR ELSE" on the wall, with a photo of Joe's daughter, Iris, pinned to the wall with a knife.
- The Stinger: Joe is alone at home going over Nora's case file, and then the Reverse-Flash zooms in like he did the night of Nora's murder. He steals the case file, wrecks his living room, and puts a knife through a picture of Iris as warning for Joe to stop looking or else, and it all freaks the hell out of Joe.
- Tuckerization: Caitlin's childhood bully, Lexi LaRoche, is a reference to Flash writer Alexa LaRoche.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Wells scolds Barry when he nearly gets killed when he goes after Woodward without thinking (namely, Barry still doesn't know how to beat the guy).
"Today I was saved by the impossible. A mystery man, the fastest man alive. Then a friend gave me an idea for a new name, and something tells me, it's gonna catch on."
—Iris' christens "The Flash" to Central City
