Original subtitles

[DeVoe] The effects...

...of Taoism...

All right, uh, class. Write your essays from...

this list of topics. You have two weeks to complete them.

Does... Does anyone have their notes from earlier?

I'm afraid I can't read my own handwriting.

[bell rings]

Class dismissed.

[students chattering]

Oh, I know that look.

I felt the same after my 11:00 a.m.

Introduction to Fluid Mechanics and Physical Thermodynamics class.

See, I tried explaining turbulent flow rates and ten minutes in,

I wanted to pull my hair out.

It's a good thing I know water flowing to the axis

of a tube is called...

You better get this right.

Laminar.

-Ah! So, you do listen. -To you, always.

Nothing matters to them if it's not digestible in YouTube videos

of talking babies or inane pet tricks.

Have you seen the husky singing Like a Virgin?

[laughs]

I made you smile.

How can we enlighten them if their minds are too small

to handle the gift of knowledge anymore.

Well, your plan will work.

We just need to re-fashion the delivery system.

It's not the plan that's flawed. It's my ability to execute it.

-Clifford... -I'm simply not smart enough.

You are the most brilliant mind I know.

It's not enough.

Not yet.

What?

At this point it's just a concept.

I call this my thinking cap.

Just like their minds have gotten too small to handle their full capacity,

mine's too small to deliver it.

This can change all that... If you build it, of course.

Your dream is my dream.

And your passion is my passion.

I'm nothing without you.

[chuckles]

[Marlize] I hope it's not too sweet.

Mmm.

-This is amazing. -Just like my wife.

Somehow she finds time to take care of me

and still keep an immaculate household.

And her three-cheese macaroni, second to none.

[Marlize laughs]

Sometimes I think I'm the luckiest man alive.

Gentlemen, how can I help?

The name "DeVoe" came up in an investigation of ours.

Uh, we... We would just like to ask you some questions, if that's okay.

Why him? DeVoe's a common name.

[DeVoe] Yes, I'd wager

at least 1,100 individuals, give or take a few,

with that last name in the Central City area alone.

The name's been identified for its connection

to four separate criminal cases.

So, you think my husband is a witness to these crimes?

No, we'd like to eliminate him as a suspect.

-You can't be serious. -It's all right, Marlize.

Do go ahead.

So, Professor, what brought you to Central City?

I grew up in South Africa.

And after studying history and econometrics

at the University of Johannesburg, I took a teaching position at Oxford.

-That's where we met. -Mmm-hmm.

He swept me off my feet. We've been together ever since

It did take a tenured offer from Central City University

to lure me away from the Oxford faculty.

That was four years ago.

Question. Do you know Ramsey Deacon?

No. Should I?

What about Becky Sharpe?

-No. I'm afraid not. -Ralph Dibny?

-Mina Chayton? -Mina Chayton, oh, yeah.

That name's familiar.

Isn't this the Native-American woman that left abruptly?

-You know, the anthropologist? -Yes, I remember.

I was so sad to see her go.

You were colleagues. Did she mention her work?

No, no, no, but Mina was a... An animated woman.

Then again, people like us, who see education as a calling, we often are.

-[laughs] -That painting...

Uh... It's beautiful.

The samurai, they were formidable foes.

They'd often make unstoppable enemies to their opponents.

You wouldn't want to cross one.

[chuckles]

So you spent time in Japan?

The feudal history of Medieval Japan, it's one of my areas of expertise.

Then you must speak the language.

[speaking Japanese]

Yes, but only in academic circles.

He also speaks French, Italian, Mandarin, several other languages.

Here's the thing. Here's the thing. I love teaching.

It gives me the opportunity to broaden perspectives.

But you can't just inspire people to be better.

You somehow need to change the way people think.

Mmm, Clifford. My husband is very passionate, but he also needs his rest.

Is there anything else we can do to help?

No. Thank you. If we have any more questions we'll get in contact.

-Barr. -Yeah.

You know where to find me.

Well? Is it him?

[Joe] I don't know, Barr.

This shy college professor who likes mac-and-cheese

doesn't exactly seem like a criminal mastermind to me.

I mean, come on. It wouldn't be the first time

somebody played nice, and then turned out to be our bad guy.

The Council of Wells gave us his name for a reason.

-They gave us one name out of... -1,100.

1,122, to be precise.

He was off by 22.

I mean, isn't that a little suspicious?

Not if he googled himself.

I'm just saying there's something weird about this guy.

He likes samurai.

Who doesn't? Have you seen Zatoichi,

-The Blind Swordsman? -...The Blind Swordsman?

-Best criterion collection. -Great box set.

-[Barry] Okay, guys, think about this. -Ever.

If the Council's right, that means Devoe arranged for me

to come out of the Speed Force exactly where he wanted.

-Even you couldn't do that. -You have a point.

-Okay, let's cover all our bases. -[Joe] Agreed.

Okay, Cisco, Harry, you guys wanna see what kind of

digital footprint you can get on this guy.

Caitlin, you've got friends at CCU.

Let's see what kind of person we're dealing with.

-Will do. -Dad, CCPD,

-background check. -All right, sweet one.

And you...

[sighs]

-You all right? -Yeah.

-But thank you for asking. -Mmm-hmm.

Ooh, you know, I think Human Resources

might not be okay with this, us being co-workers and all...

Yeah. Think they'll let it slide,

considering I get to marry the co-worker of my dreams

a week from now.

You know, sometimes I feel like...

-Like what? -Like I'm the luckiest man alive.

[Harrison] Physics and condensed matter of cosmology,

even relativity, all these fields, will be revolutionized overnight.

[chuckles]

[woman speaking indistinctly on TV]

You've infused my design with life.

We still have a problem.

There's currently no way to power a prototype this sophisticated--

We'll find a solution.

Expanding a mind to an infinite capacity

requires an expanding energy source.

Where are we going to find that kind of power?

-[woman on TV] Can you tell us how... -Turn that up.

It'll change the way we think about science, about quantum mechanics,

about molecular physics, once my Particle Accelerator goes online.

[chuckles] It'll blow the doors of science off their hinges.

-[woman] That's amazing. -[Harrison] Thank you.

We needed a power source unlike anything imaginable.

Well, it seems

Harrison Wells just imagined it for us.

It will instantly change lives.

History moves in cycles.

We must, therefore, learn from what came before us

in order to carve a path for what's to come.

Because those who don't learn from...

Because those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

[bell rings]

Class dismissed.

Don't forget your reading material. Chapter 11,

on the counter-culture backlash and its influence

on the Reagan Administration.

Mr. Allen, twice in one day?

Yeah. I'm sorry to bother you again.

Look, I do have a stack of mid-term exams...

Yeah, no. I understand you're busy. This won't take long.

I just wanted to ask...

[sighs]

Where were you four years ago on the night of January 7th?

Honestly, Mr. Allen, I have no idea.

How far back does this investigation of yours go?

I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you.

Also, do you ever use public transit?

[laughs]

What, like the subway? I mean, imagine me in a wheelchair--

More like a bus.

Is this really necessary?

I'm just being thorough.

Fine. I prefer Lyft. They're wheelchair friendly.

Honestly, Mr. Allen, how are my vehicle options important,

or a date I can hardly remember?

I'm just trying to establish a timeline and solve a mystery.

Mysteries are for novelists and archaeologists.

You were supposed to be ruling me out as a suspect.

Instead it seems like you've got your guy.

Oh, no. This is just procedure.

Feels like persecution.

Now, can I get back to you or do I need to accompany you downtown?

No, of course not.

Uh...

Just email me. And again, I'm sorry to bother you.

So this is an example of meta DNA.

This is the DNA you brought me from DeVoe.

It's completely normal.

Do you see all the differences?

Clifford DeVoe is not a meta.

Did you two find anything?

Well, he's never been arrested,

he pays all his taxes and his mortgage,

he has a very reasonable 401k plan.

Donates to the Sierra Club, volunteers at an orphanage,

is a Big Brother.

Dad didn't find anything either.

He says that he's an upstanding member of the community.

Yeah, I talked to some friends at Oxford.

They said DeVoe's a little absent-minded,

but everybody likes him.

Guys, I'm telling you Clifford DeVoe, he's not what he seems

That could just be the wheelchair.

-I mean, you do kinda have a bad history-- -No!

-That wasn't me. -Come on. He's just... He's too perfect.

Okay, I just... I have a strong feeling that he's hiding something.

You don't believe me.

[Iris] No, it's not that we don't believe you, Barry. It's just...

Right now, DeVoe seems like a good guy.

Guys, it's him.

I thought we were done just assuming people are villains.

All right, you know what? Vibe it.

Mmm.

Oh, my God!

You were right.

That mac-and-cheese looks unbelievable.

See, that doesn't sound very villainous, does it?

Barry, can I talk to you outside?

Mmm-hmm.

Okay, so do you wanna tell me what's really bothering you?

My spidey sense is just tingling way off the charts.

Barry, is there any chance that this is about the wedding?

-I mean, maybe you're feeling a little-- -No, I''m not nervous.

But you're not acting the way that you normally do.

Look, Savitar and Kadabra warned us about someone named DeVoe.

This DeVoe guy could be behind everything.

The bus metas. Me coming out of the Speed Force

at the wrong place. The Samuroid.

Barry, is there a possibility

that you were so determined to find the bad guy

and get ahead of everything that you're seeing things

exactly the way you wanna see them?

No, I...

Maybe. I don't know...

Look. In seven days, I am going to marry the man that I love.

But right now I have to lock down a new DJ,

because the last one got fired

for drinking too much and wouldn't stop dancing

with the father of the bride.

Joe might be into that actually.

Which is exactly why I need to go home.

And I would really like your help.

Ready for the press conference?

Absolutely.

[cheering and applause]

Yeah.

-All right. -[Harrison] Thank you.

My name is Harrison Wells. And tonight, the future begins.

The work my team and I will do here

will change our understanding.

Physics will bring about advancements in power,

advancements in medicine will bring about advancements.

Period. This is the future.

And trust me, it'll be here faster than you think.

What does it mean to you?

Hey! My laptop. It's got my dissertation!

[people exclaiming]

[clears throat] Well, it appears tonight's entertainment

-is not limited to the stage. -[laughter]

What's the first thing you'll do once the accelerator is online?

Crack open an expensive bottle of Dom Perignon with my staff.

'Cause I ride them very hard, and they've earned it. Yes?

Those protesting this accelerator believe it could

open a black hole in Central City.

But is it not more likely to cause a benevolent phenomenon

like a Higgs-Boson bridge?

The only phenomenon that will occur this evening

is one that has been calculated to the tiniest detail

to the tiniest decimal point.

So you've foreseen every possible outcome?

Yes, I have, Miss...

Mrs. Marlize DeVoe.

DeVoe...

DeVoe.

I expect that would make the gentleman to your right

your husband.

Clifford DeVoe.

I'm a big fan of your work.

Sir, I believe it'll have an enormous impact on our future.

Thank you for coming, Professor. Good luck.

[applause]

[chanting in protest]

Wells is lying.

He knows the accelerator won't succeed.

He'd risk an explosion?

No. I think he wants one. Only the fallout from dark matter

being released into the atmosphere

will produce variants we cannot yet predict.

We need to delay our plan.

No, this is even better. We'll have all the power we need.

No, it's too risky.

I'm willing to take the chance.

That blast is the only thing that can power the cap.

We should wait. Try and find another way.

This is the only way.

[thunder rumbling]

[protesters continue chanting]

Shut it down. Shut it down.

Shut it down. Shut it down.

Shut it down. Shut it down.

[beeping]

Ready, my love?

In position.

[chanting continues] Shut it down. Shut it down.

It's starting.

[screaming and clamoring]

What's happening?

[screaming]

Clifford!

Clifford!

Clifford!

[screams] Clifford!

[sobbing]

Clifford! No, no, no.

Don't you dare leave me.

[grunting]

[sobbing]

[gasps loudly]

[coughing]

[panting]

I thought I'd lost you.

How do you feel?

Enlightened.

[knocks]

-Hey, Allen. Singh wants to see you. -Hmm.

One second.

I don't know, Allen. Singh's making that face again.

You might wanna hurry.

[Captain] Trust me, I understand.

-Mr. Allen. -What's this?

-Close the door, please. -Yeah.

Continue, Professor.

First my home, then my classroom. What's next,

our bedroom where we sleep?

[chuckles] Joe and I just wanted--

On behalf of the Central City Police Department,

I'd like to extend our sincerest apologies for this intrusion.

Mr. Allen?

Uh, yeah, I'm sorry for disturbing you, Mr. DeVoe.

Professor DeVoe.

[Captain] Thank you for coming in.

What the hell were they doing here?

They just filed a complaint against you.

-Said you harassed them. -No, I wasn't harassing them.

Why are you bothering them at all?

-It's a case we're working on. -Yeah.

What case?

-It's something that... -Do me a favor.

Stay away from the nice professor and his wife.

-Captain, DeVoe seems very... -Very what?

[sighs]

And unless the answer is "guilty of a very specific crime,"

you are way off base.

So are you, Joe.

You should know better than that.

We don't just show up at someone's house and start asking questions.

We follow protocol.

[knock on door]

[Iris] Anybody home?

Whoa!

[grunts, clears throat]

Hey.

Hi. Dad said you were

-having a bad day, so-- -What? No. I'm fine.

I'm great actually. How are you doing?

[clears throat]

What?

What are you...

What is this?

His wife, Iris. She's helping him.

No, listen. Okay, look.

She's not Susie Homemaker with her perfect mac-and-cheese,

she's a Stepford wife. She's got two doctorates, you know?

One in mechanical engineering and another in advanced robotics.

That's how they work.

He comes up with the plans, but she executes them.

She's some kind of mechanical genius.

So you think DeVoe and his wife are super-villains?

-Yes. -Listen to yourself, Barry.

What?

DeVoe's already filed a complaint against you.

I know, I...

Look. Cisco, Harry, my Dad, Caitlin...

They're the best and they have found nothing on DeVoe.

We're getting married in a week, Barry.

Please, for the sake of your job and my sanity.

Please, let it go.

I've solved them.

[laughs]

Solved what?

Riemann's Hypothesis, Hilbert's Fifteenth Problem.

The Standard Conjectures on Algebraic Cycles, and the list goes on.

[panting]

Clifford, this... This is incredible.

Ask me anything.

Um...

Who... Who was Jack the Ripper?

The prevailing theory is there was a London barber

by the name Aaron Kosminski who committed the crimes.

He also suffered schizophrenic and delusional tendencies.

But...

It was his nurse at the Colney Hatch Asylum, Catherine Jewell.

[panting]

It's like every little bit

of knowledge now resides inside my brain.

I know every answer to every question ever asked.

Oh, you're incredible.

We're incredible!

You made all this possible.

We now finally have the means to bring to the world...

Clifford, are you okay? Clifford.

-Clifford. Clifford. -[whimpering]

[vibrating noise]

[sighs]

[vibrating continues]

[vibrating continues]

[panting]

[car engine starts]

What are you hiding, DeVoe?

[car lock beeps]

Imagine your body is a river.

There's a dam blocking your legs.

My gastrocnemius muscles are degenerating, aren't they?

Well, yes.

-The symptoms are similar to-- -Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

But, your muscles are decaying faster and more rapidly than typical ALS.

I believe this is something else.

Is that your medical diagnosis? That I have a case of something else?

It's just, we've never seen a case like yours before.

An increase in complex fasciculation potential

explains the axonal membrane hyperexcitability, but it doesn't--

Of course.

When gamma wave activity exceeds 50 hertz,

my acetylcholine receptors draw away from my nerve receptors

instead of towards them.

What did you say you're a professor of?

History.

What's his prognosis?

Life expectancy for typical ALS is about two to five years.

In this chrono dispersion, it'll be half that.

Complete paralysis will come first.

Excuse us, please.

[door opens and shuts]

This doesn't make sense.

My mind is drawing energy from my body.

Like a parasite feeding on an ailing host.

We're so close to everything we ever dreamed of.

Only for it to be ripped away by this body.

No, no, no...

We can stop this, Clifford. I'll never give up.

2,600 individuals developed the meta gene

and they use it to rob jewelry stores and summon tornadoes.

I use mine to save humanity and I'm condemned?

-Dying wasn't part of our plan. -[shushing]

Guys, I found a camera in the Samuroid head.

Where did it lead back to?

Where do you think?

DeVoe.

So, you pinged the camera to his computer's IP address? Good.

Well, no, I didn't ping it.

Well, then, how did you figure out it was him?

-Well... -This camera isn't even active.

No. I heard it. It was making a noise.

-Noise? -Yeah.

Inside the Samuroid head.

It was buzzing and then I found that thing inside.

He's been watching us for weeks.

And I could've proved it, but his wife came back too soon.

Too soon? From where?

-I don't know... -[Iris] Barry.

Tell me you did not break into their house.

Well...

-Wow, okay. -[Barry] No.

Guys. No, that sounds bad.

You have to listen to me. This guy wants us to think

he's unassuming and weak. But he's not.

He's powerful and smart.

And he's been ahead of us every step of the way.

-He's ahead of us right now. -Easy, Allen. Calm down.

-I'm fine. I'm fine. -Okay.

Hey. We just don't want you to do anything else you'll regret.

Anything else? What do you mean? What have I done?

For starters, breaking and entering.

Oh, my God! I don't understand why you don't see what's going on.

He probably has cameras everywhere. At the lab, at CCPD.

I mean, he's always watching us.

[phone vibrates]

Hey, Joe. What is it?

-Hey, I found something. -Barr, stop.

I just don't feel safe any more, you know?

I mean, I thought the police were supposed to protect people.

I haven't done anything to you.

You broke into our home.

We're good people. We don't deserve this.

[Captain] I don't want you to worry anymore.

Mr. Allen will stop all of this immediately, I assure you.

Stay away from us.

I told you to stay away from those people.

-Captain, you have to listen to me-- -You're taking two weeks off.

And that is not a request.

You're suspending me?

You're lucky I'm not arresting you.

Use your time away to consider your future in law enforcement.

-What is this? -A restraining order.

I have to stay 500 feet away from Clifford DeVoe.

And are you going to?

Barry.

This is not you. You've gotta stop.

-I can't. -You can't or you won't?

I don't know anymore.

I've faced a lot of bad guys.

People that would hurt the ones that I love

destroy everything good in the world and think nothing of it. But this guy,

he feels more dangerous than all the others combined.

And we still barely know anything about him.

It scares the hell out of me, Iris.

Barry, how many times have we been up against the unknown?

-This is different. -How?

Ever since I came back from the Speed Force

I have been constantly and genuinely happy.

My friends are safe. Joe is going to be a dad again.

And next week I get to marry the love of my life.

I have more to lose now than ever before.

Yeah, but...

What about after Cecile has the baby?

Or after we get married? Or...

Even when we have our first child?

You know, as time goes by, there's gonna be even more for us to lose.

And people are always gonna be coming after us.

You can't let that consume you.

You just have to live in the moment and face it as it comes.

How are you not scared?

[sighs]

Because we're the Flash.

[grunts]

Clifford. Clifford. Clifford.

Get away from me.

I'm trying to help you.

If you really wish to help, then construct a temporal vortex distortion chamber

and prevent me from ever becoming this atrocity.

This is what we wanted.

'Cause I cannot grab a damn book from the shelf.

What am I, Marlize?

You are my husband.

Your husband is gone.

No.

Let me die.

[sniffles]

[groaning]

I'm not going anywhere.

This body will expire.

[beeps]

It will last longer, with this.

[door opens]

You are in violation of a restraining order, Mr. Allen.

Well, you could call the cops.

Do you intend to harm me?

[chuckles]

Then pray, do tell

what is so paramount that you'd risk incarceration?

I wanted to look you in the eyes and ask...

Mmm-hmm?

Who are you really?

Who's asking?

Barry Allen...

Or the Flash?

-How did you-- -Oh, please.

Your little secret was one of the more underwhelming revelations

I have uncovered.

I was born on the same evening you were, January 7th.

The night S.T.A.R. Labs' Particle Accelerator

bathed Central City in gene-altering dark matter.

We were both struck by lightening.

I knew you were affected.

How did our tests not show your meta DNA?

Well, for such a fast man, you're rather slow. I'm smarter than you.

[chuckles]

You and your "science team"

have devised no strategy, no action, no coordinated effort

for which I'm not already prepared.

The Samuroid.

The bus metas. It was you.

But why reveal yourself now?

Because I have nothing to fear from you.

Yeah? Well, I'd think twice about that.

I have a team of some of the smartest minds from across

-the multiverse. -[laughing] Yes.

Your Council of Wells.

Could any one of those clowns identify what my abilities are?

You could gather every genius on every planet

and you still couldn't out-think me.

Plenty of metas have come after me,

the people that I love. You know the one thing they have in common?

They failed.

You've done wonders all these years

punching gorillas with rudimentary powers.

Chasing mad men shooting icicles.

Those were all children with play guns. Savitar. Zoom. Thawne.

Their powers are nothing compared to the power of limitless thought.

That's your ability.

Your intellect was amplified by the Particle Accelerator.

You may be the fastest man alive, Allen,

I'm the fastest mind.

[gate opens]

[chattering]

So this is how we begin whatever twisted game you have planned.

No, Mr. Allen. You've already lost and you never even realized it.

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.

I'll be thinking of you.

There is something I need to tell you.

I confronted DeVoe.

Oh, come on! Barry, he could get you arrested.

-No. He won't. He wanted me to come. -How do you know?

Well, for starters, he knows I'm the Flash.

So, you were right all along.

-And we didn't believe you. -I'm sorry.

Don't be. DeVoe's been playing all of us.

How?

[sighs] It's his powers.

He has an intelligence beyond anything we could have imagined.

He's orchestrated everything that we've encountered.

He's moved us like chess pieces

in a game we didn't even know we were playing.

How do we stop someone who has super-intelligence?

-We're pretty smart. -Maybe we're not.

The Thinker.

It''s good. Apt sense of menace. Nailed it in one.

Guys, it's gonna take all of us to stop him.

Sounds like you all could use a hand.

[all exclaim]

Wally!

[laughing]

-Good to see you, Son. -You, too.

Oh!

How was Blue Valley?

Oh.

Self-reflection and a battle with a starfish from outer space...

-[Barry] Huh. -...gives you perspective.

So you found what you were looking for?

I don't know, to be honest.

[Joe laughing]

Well, we are glad you're home.

Looks like you found the guy behind the bus metas.

[Barry] Yeah.

So, you wanna suit up, take him down?

No. Now, it's his move.

But I think we take our time. Formulate a plan.

What now, boss lady?

We get married.

[Marlize] He came to you. Just like you said he would.

He's finally seized control of his fear.

He drew his strength from those he calls friends.

Sounds like you admire him.

It is fascinating. In the chain of 4,900 possible events I predicted,

there was one which resulted in them calling me "The Teacher."

[laughs]

I prefer "The Thinker."

They will be the first to experience the enlightenment.

[clears throat]

You've been unplugged for too long.

[whimpering]

[voice breaks] I'm nothing without you.

Proceed.

[mechanical buzzing]

Your body's deteriorating faster than the chair can handle.

-It will survive long enough. -[beeping]

You're really gonna let them get married?

What is knowledge without love?

[chuckles]