The Flash - Rupture

"I challenge you... to a GOOF OFF!"

Onwards and upwards, with another episode featuring a titular villain of the week.

Opinion is divided on Harry's plan to recreate the accelerator explosion, with most people feeling it's about as nuts as... Well, as one of Barry's plans, not that the rest of Team Flash recognise Barry's failings in this department. Or as using a hologram of the Flash to scare the villains into giving up, although that seems to be working. In particular, however, Barry is conflicted, recognising the risks to himself and others, but also his responsibility to fight Zoom.

Cisco vibes on his brother and goes to catch up with him. There's some spiky tension between them, and then they get attacked by a dude with a plasma scythe who reveals himself as Rupture, Reverb's brother (and so the Earth-2 Dante Ramone,) out for revenge. At about the same time, Zoom returns to the police precinct and orders them to stand down in acknowledgement of his absolute mastery of Central City. Caitlin apparently persuades him not to start painting the walls red yet, but Joe and Barry still persuade everyone to decamp to the safer ground of the CC Jitters coffee house (presumably because the set already exists.)

You have to admire the optimism.

Zoom sends Rupture to murder the cops, for basically no other reason than that he's a douche, and after he is captured by holo-Flash and the police, the man himself turns up, takes out the entire department in less than a second and kills Rupture.

Realising that only a speedster can possibly stop Zoom, Barry agrees to Harry's plan. Naturally, this is the best time for Iris to tell him her 'destined to be together' theory. He gets strapped into a mini-accelerator and Cisco channels a bolt of lightning from the roof with the Wizard's Wand. Zoom sees what they're doing and runs to stop them, but by the time he gets there, Barry has already disintegrated.

Yeah, you read that right. Zoom in control. Barry Allen disintegrated. Although on the upside his dispersing molecules seemed to wash over Jesse and Wally in a way that suggests Zoom may not be entirely without opposition, and since I know he's at least got a Supergirl crossover ahead, I'm guessing Barry is just chilling in the Speed Force or heading for a Legends crossover or something.

'Rupture' is a good arc episode, but Rupture himself is a bit weak. Still, good set up for next week.