Essential Reading: Spider-Man in the 1980’s

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February 18, 2016

*Warning: Very mild Spider-Man spoilers ahead. Nothing major, just enough to explain the general gist of each story.*

The 1980’s were an amazing time in comic book history. Pioneers like Alan Moore and Neil Gaimen took the medium to new heights, writing stories with depth and gravitas. Frank Miller, on the the other hand, took it to new lows, in the best way possible, telling street-level, gritty tales. Some of the best story arcs were written in the 80’s, especially for Spider-Man, who was previously known for light-hearted romps. Here are the web-slinger’s best stories from the 1980’s!

Amazing Spider-Man #200

The decade started with a bang for the web-head: Amazing Spider-Man #200 was published in January of 1980.

This landmark issue features the return of Uncle Ben’s killer, The Burglar. Peter hunts down his first foe, seeking revenge, and willing to stoop to great depths to get it. The whole notion of “closure” permeates the issue, and many elements from Amazing Fantasy #15 are revisited. Marv Wolfman and Stan Lee clearly did everything they could to ensure that their readers felt fulfilled after reading. Whether or not Peter achieves closure, though, is better left unsaid.

“The Spider and The Burglar…A Sequel” is a story full of angst and rage, an early indicator of what the new decade would offer.

The Alien Costume Saga

Up until the 1980’s, costume changes were just for C and D-List characters on the brink of disappearing. So when Marvel took their most iconic character and put him in a stark black outfit, the world went nuts. It may have been a pure marketing ploy, and an effort to sell more toys, but it made for a classic storyline.

Peter Parker didn’t just sew up some new duds out of boredom; the black costume is actually an alien symbiote! The symbiote bonds itself to Spidey, slowly tries to take him over, and generally screws up his personal life. That’s what makes this story so great: it’s a Peter Parker story even more than a Spider-Man story. It marks a landmark moment with Mary Jane, and showcases one of the darkest periods in the character’s life.

Do not let Spider-Man 3 spoil this story for you; the original comic is far superior to its campy big screen adaption.

Venom

“Venom” is the natural follow-up to “The Alien Costume Saga,” and the start of a legendary run on Spider-Man by Todd McFarlane.

Eddie Brock has inherited the symbiote, and they both seek revenge on Spider-Man. Their hatred runs deep, fueling one another. And, because the symbiote was previously bonded with Spider-Man, that means that Brock now knows all about Peter Parker’s life and secrets. He’s even invisible to Pete’s spider-sense. Never had Spidey faced a villain so lethal before this terrifying tale.

McFarlane just wanted to draw a jacked up version of Spider-Man, and, in doing so, he created one of the webhead’s greatest rogues.

The Death of Jean DeWolff

This may be the best Spider-Man story that you’ve (probably) never heard of. Police Captain Jean DeWolff, close friend to the web-slinger, gets murdered in cold blood by the Sin-Eater, and the hero seeks justice.

“The Death of Jean DeWolff” is great because it is not a super-villain tale; it’s Spider-Man versus a maniac with a shotgun. It’s dark; it’s gritty; it’s real. The notion of justice gets explored (with a little help from a blind attorney from Hell’s Kitchen), as do mental health issues. Peter David writes Spider-Man at his best: as a street level hero, fighting street level crime.

Most importantly, this story humanizes Peter Parker. Whereas Superman and Captain America have always symbolized ideals to strive for, Spider-Man is supposed to be relatable. His reaction to his ally’s murder, and the lines he crosses thereafter are not very hero-like, but they are genuine.

Hobgoblin

The Green Goblin has always been one of Spidey’s greatest rogues, but it was the Hobgoblin that captivated readers during the 1980’s.

Writer Roger Stern created Hobby without any strong idea of who was under the mask. He decided on an answer after three issues, but wanted to keep it a secret for just one issue longer than Stan Lee had done with the Green Goblin (Hobgoblin may have been a knock-off, but he was a great knock-off). To complicate matters further, Tom DeFalco took over writing duties before Stern could do his reveal. He disagreed with Stern’s choice for the Goblin’s identity, and thought that the mystery should go on even longer. Then, editorial disputes led to more disagreements and sabotage, prolonging the process, until Hobgoblin’s identity was finally revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #289, more than four years after his introduction.

This may sound jumbled and convoluted, but it actually led to one of the greatest mysteries in Spider-Man history, and Hobgoblin was a better character for it. Read his full publication history here.

Kraven’s Last Hunt

Kraven hunts down Spider-Man, shoots him, buries him, and then spends weeks trying to prove himself the superior vigilante.

Pretty dark, right? It gets darker. “Kraven’s Last Hunt” is probably the Spidey story that stands out most from the 1980’s. It visits themes of mortality and purpose, and it’s actually pretty terrifying to boot. J.M DeMatteis took a lame villain and went full Dostoyevsky, all because he was flipping through a Marvel Universe Handbook and noticed that Kraven was Russian.

Peter digging himself out of his grave (no spoiler; he obviously didn’t die) is also one of the most chilling sequences of his publication history.

Kid Who Collects Spider-Man

Break out the tissues. In this one-issue story, the hero reads about a boy claiming to be his greatest fan, with a collection of every article ever written on him. He swings into his fan’s bedroom, and the two converse for hours. It’s a deeply intimate tale that’s left its mark on Spider-Man history. Google “Best Spider-Man Stories of All-Time,” and this will be on every list.

For the record: the above image may be considered a spoiler by some, but trust that it wouldn’t have been used if the story wasn’t much larger than just that one panel.

The Commuter Cometh!

Here is another outstanding single-issue story from the 80’s. Spidey tracks a common crook out of the city and into the suburbs, and quickly realizes how ill-equipped he is without any skyscrapers to swing from. While it’s amusing watching the hero interact with suburbanites and get stuck in trees, writer Peter David throws some existentialism into the mix for good measure.

Simple Spider-Man stories are usually the best, and “The Commuter Cometh!” is all the proof that you need.

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Is your favorite story missing from this list? What other characters thrived during the 1980’s? Frank Miller revolutionized Daredevil and Batman, but what’s your top pick? Sound off in the comments below!

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11.22.63 – Where are all the female leads?

By

Jess Morton

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February 18, 2016

Where were you when JFK got shot? 11.22.63. It’s one of the most significant points in American history, and one of the best-known pop culture references. JFK, the man himself, is legendary and radical. One of the most popular conspiracy theories on JFK is his own government organized his assassination.

It’s likely all of these and other ideas will take up a bulk of the show. Without getting into any spoilers, there are several elements that add a science fiction feel. Stephen King, notorious for writing about horror and science fiction, used the not-so-simple concept of time travel. 11.22.63 takes all the paradoxes that come with time travel and immediately go out to hash out the dirty details. What are the repercussions? Will they make a difference?

There’s an added detail that doesn’t come up often enough in time travel narratives: will time fight against change? There’s a strange supernatural force at work, and it gets more violent whenever Epping (James Franco) does anything incredibly out of line. It’s like some unknown, greater force can feel a grandfather paradox coming on. This gives the writers the opportunity to put in the stuff of nightmares. These added details always follow the phrase, ‘you’re not supposed to be here.’ Well no kidding.

Despite all this added detail to make the story richer, the show is entirely lacking on complex female leads. Executive producer J.J. Abrams doesn’t have a great history how he writes in female characters. Epping even walks into a tavern with a sign that reads ‘Men Only.’ This show feels like an old boys’ club, and the concept of how ‘this is the 60s’ is a shoddy excuse. Mad Men, which is set in the same time period, has several complex female leads. Two women show up in 11.22.63 with significant screen time. One of them is Epping’s ex-wife, Christie. The second woman is a beautiful blonde named Sadie, who’s clearly Epping’s new love interest. A Hulu Original series can do much better than that.

Anyway, every time James Franco gets closer to finding information about JFK’s assassination there’s always this supernatural crap literally pushing back. It’s hard to say why Hulu cast James Franco. The man does a great job carrying the show, but there’s nothing audiences haven’t seen before. Franco has the same comedic relief, the same charming expression, and the same ‘whoa did that just happen,’ reaction. Al, played by Chris Cooper, brilliantly upstages Franco in spite of having so little screen time. It’s obvious Hulu cast Franco to appeal to the generation where the events on 11.22.63 seem outdated, before their time.

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Saturday Night Live … With your Host … ‘Deadpool’

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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February 17, 2016

A ‘Deadpool’ themed petition was created this afternoon on Change.org for the film’s star Ryan Reynolds to host Saturday Night Live in character as our favorite merc with a mouth.

The petition is directed at NBC and SNL creator Lorne Micheals. Reynolds once hosted in 2009 and discussed superhero films in his monologue. With as aggressive as 20th Century Fox publicity is, it wouldn’t be shocking to see this petition become a reality soon.

Check out the petition here https://www.change.org/p/lorne-michaels-saturday-night-live-ryan-reynolds-nbc-have-deadpool-host-saturday-night-live

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Listen To Kanye West’s Saturday Night Live Meltdown

By

Matthew Sardo

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February 17, 2016

Kanye West went on an epic rant before his appearance on Saturday Night Live, last week. According to the New York Post, Kanye was upset that staffers ripped up some shiny flooring from his set because it was reflecting the stage lights, creating a confusing effect on the video wall behind him.

“Are they f—–g crazy? Whoa by 50 percent [I am more influential than] Stanley Kubrick, Picasso, Apostle Paul, f—–g Picasso and Escobar. By 50 percent more influential than any other human being. Don’t f–k with me. Don’t f–k with me. Don’t f–k with me. By 50 percent dead or alive, by 50 percent for the next 1,000 years. Stanley Kubrick, ‘Ye,” said West.

Apparently West wanted to bail on the show, but Lorne Michaels brought him back to perform.

Listen to rant below. We apologize for the New York Post’s long commercial.

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Looking Back on 2006: The Killers’ Sam’s Town

By

Oscar Moreno

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February 17, 2016

When Sam’s Town came out, it had something of a mixed reception by fans, being seen as inferior to Hot Fuss. The likes of Rolling Stone magazine panned the album with a two-star rating. However, it didn’t take too long for the album to be reassessed and seen as another great work from a great band.

Perhaps the most affecting thing for Killers’ fans back then was how different the album sounded from Hot Fuss. That great album was more of a straight forward attempt at pop rock, meanwhile Sam’s Town is more interested in giving a weird blend of sounds. It’s mostly pop rock with a touch of the electronic, with everything played up to eleven. Take for example, “Bones”, one of the singles from the album that had its video directed by Tim Burton; it’s operatic and thrilling, a potent rock piece with use of synthesizers and a choir. It’s not such a stretch from a song like “Everything will be alright” from the previous album, but here, The Killers play things broadly. It seemed like too much at the time, but now that we have grown used to this effort, one can appreciate The Killers having fun and experimenting here.

Also, perhaps another surprise was the Sam’s Town’s more seemingly personal touch. Hot Fuss dealt with its themes in a more general way. That doesn’t make it any less personal, but something about Sam’s Town just feels like Brandon Flowers putting himself out there. There’s a certain naïveté to the lyrics, fitting for the themes of nostalgia throughout the album. There’s a certain sincerity that may strike some as clumsy, but that’s the point.

The album has won many fans ever since, with many seeing it as some of their best work if not their best. It is true that often bands suffer something of a sophomore slump, and that can be seen as their failing but this is one of the occasions where the failing was on the fans’ part. But now many have changed their mind and as the fans get older, I wouldn’t be surprised if they connected even further with the album.

If you haven’t given it a listen, you can do so here.

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Tim Cook Vs FBI: His Message To Apple Customers

By

Matthew Sardo

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February 17, 2016

United States Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym ordered Apple to help the government unlock and decrypt the iPhone 5C used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who shot up an office party in a terrorist attack in nearby San Bernardino in December 2015.

The federal judge instructed that Apple provides the FBI a custom firmware file, that would enable investigators to brute force the passcode lockout on the phone.

Tim Cook pledged to fight a federal order to unlock the phone, arguing the court ruling would force a loophole into the encryption of iPhones that could breach Apple users’ privacy around the world.

Tuesday night, the CEO of Apple responded with an open letter to his customers on apple.com.

A Message to Our Customers

The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.

This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake.

The Need for Encryption
Smartphones, led by iPhone, have become an essential part of our lives. People use them to store an incredible amount of personal information, from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and health data, even where we have been and where we are going.

All that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission. Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in our power to protect their personal information, and at Apple we are deeply committed to safeguarding their data.

Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk. That is why encryption has become so important to all of us.

For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe. We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business.

The San Bernardino Case
We were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino last December. We mourn the loss of life and want justice for all those whose lives were affected. The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the government’s efforts to solve this horrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists.

When the FBI has requested data that’s in our possession, we have provided it. Apple complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants, as we have in the San Bernardino case. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI, and we’ve offered our best ideas on a number of investigative options at their disposal.

We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.

The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.

The Threat to Data Security
Some would argue that building a backdoor for just one iPhone is a simple, clean-cut solution. But it ignores both the basics of digital security and the significance of what the government is demanding in this case.

In today’s digital world, the “key” to an encrypted system is a piece of information that unlocks the data, and it is only as secure as the protections around it. Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge.

The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But that’s simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks — from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable.

The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals. The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe.

We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack. For years, cryptologists and national security experts have been warning against weakening encryption. Doing so would hurt only the well-meaning and law-abiding citizens who rely on companies like Apple to protect their data. Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them.

A Dangerous Precedent
Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority.

The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer.

The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge.

Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government.

We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications.

While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

Tim Cook

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Where do you stand on this issue?

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The Venture Bros. Episode 3 Recap – Bruce Wayne Much? [spoilers]

By

Jess Morton

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February 17, 2016

This episode of Venture Bros. finally gets to develop that love interest for Hank. Remember in Episode 1 when Hank tried to heroically save a drowning girl in the building across the street? Well turns out she wasn’t drowning, and she’s also Wide Whale’s daughter.

A girl like Serena, that’s the daughter, feels smothered by her over-protective, mob boss of a father. As far as evil villains go he’s a pretty great dad. Of course, he’s a sworn enemy of Dr. Venture. The two are like rival businessmen, literally living across the street from each other. Dr. Venture doesn’t pay Wide Whale any mind after Brock kicked his ass in the previous episode. He’s busy setting up an R&D section in the basement of Venture Industries. Now Pete White, Billy Quizboy, and Dr. Venture have billions of dollars worth of mad science to play with. This opens the show up to some hilarious and science fiction-like possibilities for Season 6.

But this episode is really about Dr. Mrs. The Monarch. People try to manipulate her left and right. First it’s Wide Whale, and now it’s a new badass villain known as Copy Cat. Copy Cat seemingly wants to get a seat on the council, but the effort he puts into discrediting The Monarch says something more. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch will hopefully catch onto Copy Cat’s bigger ploy, whatever that may be, and continue to come into her own. She’s also so much of a badass that she doesn’t need The Monarch or Copy Cat. It would be great to see her really take advantage of her position in the guild.

With everything revealed about The Monarch’s father it’s possible he might turn to a life of a hero. Maybe? The Monarch’s father was really The Blue Morpho. Like father like son. The history between The Blue Morpho and Dr. Venture Sr. might explain why The Monarch feels this relentless need to arch Dr. Venture.

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Live-Action ‘Astro Boy’ Film Announced

By

Matthew Sardo

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February 17, 2016

The iconic manga and anime character, Astro Boy is getting the live-action treatment courtesy of New Line.

According to The Hollywood Report, the company is in negotiations to pick up the rights to the character. New Line has hired Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore to work on the script. The duo worked on San Andreas.

Astro Boy was created by Osamu Tezuka. Astro Boy is a robot boy created by a scientist as a replacement after the death of his son.

Monkeys Fighting Robots will deliver more details as they become available.

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Looking Back on 2006: The Fratellis’ “Costello Music”

By

Oscar Moreno

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February 17, 2016

One advantage of late night talk shows is that having musical guests can lead to people discovering some bands that could otherwise be left unknown. One such band was The Fratellis. They came on Late Night with Conan O’ Brien and played “Flathead”, a very catchy song. I was hooked and decided to listen to the rest. But how does the rest of the album Costello Music fare? Not bad, actually. It’s a solid work but like too many albums, very few of the songs rise above the level of memorable. Besides “Flathead”, there are other unforgettable pieces such as “Whistle for the Choir”, the sweetest tune in the album. It’s so good and melancholy that it made me wish that the band had delved more into that kind of songwriting on this album, instead of defaulting into pure feet-tapping rock.

The rest of the album is vivacious and fun to listen to, but it’s hard to imagine anyone listening to all of it more than once. Songs like “Chelsea Dagger” and “Baby Fratelli” have made their appearances in movies like Hot Fuzz and Pitch Perfect, and while entertaining and joyous, they don’t really live up to “Flathead” and “Whistle for the Choir.” One thing that has to be taken into account is that this was their debut album, and even some of the best bands have done a whole lot worse. Ten years later, it has stood the test of time; the great songs are still great and the decent ones are still decent. This may seem like a tough evaluation of the album, but it’s a good work and even if it’s just for something like “Chelsea Dagger”, it’s a good listen and a good debut for anyone looking to listen to The Fratellis for the first time.

If you want to listen to the album yourself, get it right here.

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Review: The Flash ‘Escape From Earth-2’ A Glass Box Of Mystery

By

Sean McGrath

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February 17, 2016

With the team split between two worlds, the number of conflicts doubled, as Team Flash takes on every current conflict that has been in the forefront of their minds.

Earth-1 Barry is in captivity, Earth-2 Barry is coming to grips with reality that his other worldly twin was a mere couple of feet away from him. Harrison Wells is the closest to getting his daughter back as he ever could be. Jay, at least we hope it is, is a mere child’s joke away from another chance as regaining his speed. All that and more on Tuesday’s episode of The Flash.

It seem’s that a haunting monologue is the new starting point for many episodes to come. As Zoom is racing through Earth-2 Central City, he is heard calling out to Wells, knowing that he is back in his home world and itching to get a run at his daughters capturer. A feat that has been falling short since she has gone missing.

Overall, the episode shied away from any of the major storyline. Really having two world’s full of story to sift between, it was a real central plot driven episode, which was a nice break from the dozens of arcs going on through this season.

The goal was simple, save Barry, return to Earth-1 and lock Zoom back in Earth-2. Easy, right?

Well, like any episode, things get muddy real quick. In the search for Barry, and the harder search for Zoom’s lair; Harry, Cisco, E-2 Barry and Iris Allen put E-2 Barry’s CSI skills to the test and set out to find an unlikely ally, one who would know where Zoom’s hideaway might be. From the heartbreak of her leader killing her love, Killer Frost was the center of attention, and Cisco knew that he could get her to cooperate. Barry battles his cell, unable to get out of the glass-like case.

With software that might be useful on Earth-1 some day soon, E-2 Barry cross-referenced heat signatures, obvious related temperature drops and other markers, the hunt for Frost was on. Which led them right to the middle of the forest.

Back on Earth-1, reeling from the threat of Geomancer, we see the Central City Picture News and Iris is hard at work. But, a new sheriff in town seems to have other ideas. A new editor, Scott Evans, flexes his power muscle and strikes down a Flash “fluff piece,” wanting more hard hitting stories that put the Flash in a negative light. In an almost 180 degree direction, it seems that this new editor is ready to dirty his name and prepare the city for when the Flash is not there. In fairness, the sudden disappearance of the Flash is one to create controversy and to cause some worry that the lives of Central City’s residents may face danger that is far beyond stopping. However, this vendetta that came hastily screams of a hidden reason, one of which I believe we will be seeing very shortly.

One of the bigger events from last week going into this is the first taste of Jay Garrick and his speed. In his first confrontation with Geomancer, his Velocity-7 induced speed burst quickly wore off, but was around just enough to get Geomancer’s attention and set the stage for round two. The solution was not the Velocity-6 that was created, obviously leading to the development of Velocity-7. However, much like it’s predecessor, the effects were temporary and detrimental to those who use it. As we have learned, Jay has dabbled with Velocity-6, leading him to his current health state.

His second run-in was a good segway for the debut of Velocity 9. In an almost Microsoft-like way, Caitlin Snow seemingly skipped over the entirety of Velocity-8 and went right for nine. With Geomancer causing a tremor and toppling a building, Jay skipped the whole testing part and immediately injected it right into his bloodstream. In what could only be described as one of the coolest scenes that was a long time coming, we could see the spark in Jay’s eyes. One thing was for sure, Jay was back in business.

Sprinting away, Jay answered the call of Geomancer, aware of a second Flash in Central City and saved the people that we’re almost trapped inside the rubbled and debris.

While overall it was an underwhelming event and no physical altercation took place, it was a new change with the addition of a fourth speedster to the roster and the third current one running about. Despite this long awaited breakthrough, he was clearly run down from the rediscovered speed, opting to lay down while he adapts to the change. Upon looking at the further research of the Velocity-9, Caitlin realized a breakthrough in the V-9 and how it is helping Jay’s regenerative abilities and is actually healing his ailments. After trying to announce it to him, the third and final appearance of Geomancer happened right in S.T.A.R. Labs, as he must have followed Jay back to the labs and launched a full-on attack on her and Iris, with Jay nowhere to be found.

Unwavering, Geomancer attacked the ground and caused a tremor that seemed like it was going to take the entire lab down. Heading for the gun to subdue him, Iris and Caitlin were amazingly well-prepared for the unsuspecting attack. Things looked like they were going south fast, but Caitlin managed to get the gun and knock him out. Later on, Joe put the neck dampener on him and locked him up in the basement, preparing him for Iron Heights.

At this moment, things began to get interesting.

With Barry and Jesse finally face to face and trying to figure out a way to escape, a third face began to stir the rumor mill and wild guesses on Twitter. A mystery prisoner donning a steel mask, only able to communicate via taps on the glass was a mystery up until this point. Clearly, he has a role in the whole scheme of things, because why would Zoom hold a random person hostage. Zoom is way too calculated and concise to be as random as to hold someone if they weren’t of some value. He is holding Jesse as a bargaining chip so Wells cooperates in stealing Barry’s speed, and he is holding Barry in order to sap his speed.

It’s only until Jesse and Barry discover that the tapping is in sync with a certain pattern. He never goes above five taps, but it’s obvious that he is attempting to say something. Boiling it down, Barry realizes that he is using a form of tap code. Using a 5×5 grid of the letters of the alphabet, excluding the use of K for C since they’re similar phonetically, they finally have a way to talk to this man in the mask. His message is simple, J…………A………..Y…………Jay? As in Jay Garrick?

The discussion was brief, as Zoom rushes in and cuts him off, scolding him for talking, clearly trying to hide some big piece of the puzzle. Zoom approaches Barry’s cell and easily phases through, grabs Barry by the neck and threatens him for attempting to get him to talk.

Rumors began, as well as my own thought process running rampant, what did he mean by J-A-Y? My only logical explanation, could the Jay that we know right now be a veil for Zoom? I mean, it makes sense. Zoom’s end game is really to become the fastest and strongest speedster in the multiverse. Could he actually be a Jay clone behind the mask and actually projecting another Jay lookalike. We have actually seen Zoom’s alter ego, Hunter Zolomon in the park scene when Jay was showing Caitlin his Earth-1 twin. While there isn’t much to see in the few close shots of the masked mystery, a profile shot shows what looks to be a Jay Garrick-like person.

Nothing angered me more than when they just sort of left that plot right there. Moving onward with the story, Wells, Cisco, Iris and Barry, with the help of Killer Frost, managed to make their way up the hill and happen upon an old abandoned cable car area. In a place that only a speedster can reach, Frost uses her powers to create a wall for them to climb. Once up there, they easily get Jesse out, and turn to Barry and attempt to free him. Frost tries to freeze the glass but fails, and it’s only when Wells identifies it as carbide that the only way for him to get out is to phase through. Knowing that he cannot make up the difference of the different frequencies that the two Earth’s have, Barry comes face to face with his Earth-2 self, who offers some words of encouragement, almost like giving yourself a pep talk in the mirror. Sure enough, he takes it on slowly and manages to phase through the pane and into the crowd.

Concerned about his silent friend, Barry attempts to free him, but is quickly thwarted by Zoom, who returns to his lair. Things get a bit deeper when he thanks Killer Frost for bringing them to him, despite Cisco’s pleas to her and his reminding her of Ronnie/Deathstorm’s death at the hands of Zoom. Giving him the cold shoulder, it seems that Zoom and her had baited them perfectly and Zoom was about to kill Jesse, but was blindsided by Frost, who showed that she does have a warm heart. Barry tried to save the masked man, he was desperately out of time and promised him that he would be back to save him when this was done and over with.

Allowing the team to escape, they were faced with an issue. With Geomancers attack at the lab, the speed cannon was badly damaged and the breach became unstable. Improvising on the fly, Jay used the remainder of his V-9 to open the breach long enough while Joe opened the override switches to keep the portal open. Getting everyone through, Zoom was able to take Wells back, but Wells was able to dose him with the speed dampening serum and Barry pulled him back through to Earth-1. All seemed good, until Jay was ripped back through to Earth-2 by Zoom, and the episode was done, leaving a lot to be answered.

All in all, The Flash continuously delivers on all cylinders, and this episode was nothing short of that. While the weaving of storylines was relatively small this week, the overall plot progression was a well paced thing. It’s always exciting seeing Zoom and Flash face to face, because you really never know how things will end up. Zoom clearly has issues in sapping his speed, even though he has tapped Jay’s speed and ripped it from him. Which raises the question about Jay entirely, and why Zoom is unable to leech from him directly and needed Wells’ help this time.

With next week already pointing fingers at the resurfacing of King Shark and his return to cause mayhem in Central City, it’s likely we will see a small break from Zoom and focus on Barry getting better, faster and stronger. A lot was shown, and a lot more questions have been posed, which is heading towards a dazzling finish of season two.

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