“Borrowing Problems from the Future” is episode ten of season three of The Flash.
In the previous episode, “The Present”, Barry and Jay Garrett successfully launched the Philosopher’s Stone containing Savitar into the Speed Force. However, Barry ended up travelling in time as a result – into the future. About five months into the future. Before Jay dragged him back to the present – and told Barry that travelling into the future was definitely not allowed – Barry saw Savitar kill Iris. Which would suggest that their efforts to contain Savitar were perhaps not quite as successful as they thought. Jay told him that was one possible future. In “Invasion!” Barry had showed Oliver the headline on the paper in the time vault that was originally written by Iris West-Allen – but is now written by Julie Greer.
Barry is having a nightmare of Iris being killed by Savitar. It starts him awake; he’s in bed with Iris in their new loft. Iris asks if Barry wants to talk about his dream but he avoids the subject long enough for both their phones to go off – a fire at Michigan Heights. On the scene a woman is saying that detective Patterson is inside and the fire department won’t make it in time. Then two streaks enter the building – Wally, in the new suit he got for Christmas, is accompanying Barry. Inside, Patterson is trapped and Barry says they can’t open the door to the room he is in. The fire inside is starved of oxygen and opening the door will cause an explosion. So, they need to create an exit point for the heat and remove the oxygen at the same time. Which they do.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Wally asks how Barry can stay so calm. Experience. That’s why Barry wants Wally to shadow him. Cisco starts telling Wally that being a superhero isn’t about kicking ass – then corrects himself, saying that’s a straight up lie. Wally leaves after the conversation – leaving his suit on the mannequin for Barry’s. They need a new mannequin.
Caitlin is hitting one of her power suppressors and complaining that they are on the fritz and make her feel like a criminal. Cisco tells her they aren’t on the fritz – she just needs to charge them like he told her. Caitlin doesn’t fancy plugging herself in like a human tablet. If the cuffs aren’t charged, she will go all frozen. Or Cisco could fix them. H.R. arrives on a Segway at this point – the new S.T.A.R. Labs museum he had the idea about in “Shade” is ready for soft opening.
At the CCPD, Wally arrives to meet Joe. He overhears Patterson basically bad-mouthing the kid in yellow for just watching. Another cop says that he’s probably just a rookie learning the ropes; Patterson replies that when they have rookies on patrol, they expect them to perform. Joe, of course, defends Wally.
At the lab, H.R. introduces the others to Olga. Who doesn’t speak that much English. He suggests that Caitlin could run the cappuccino stand – H.R. has a thing for coffee. H.R. tells them they need an income and to cover their operations. He’s also got a hologram of Cisco. The others find this more amusing than Cisco does. Cisco tells H.R. that when he said he wasn’t being a tour guide, he meant virtually as well. The hologram is also a bit flaky. Cisco doesn’t want to take a look at it either.
Caitlin has headed to see Julian at CCPD. He asks if she’s there for another kidnapping – as she kidnapped him in “Killer Frost”. Caitlin wants to know how Julian is doing – he claims his conscience is clear about Alchemy’s actions. Although he’s taking medication to help him sleep. What Caitlin wants is Julian’s help as the world’s foremost specialist on meta-humans. She wants to get rid of her powers before she hurts someone else. Julian’s response is that he doesn’t cure metas, he puts them in prison. On the way out, Caitlin just manages to plug in for a recharge in time.
At Barry and Iris’ loft, Barry is still avoiding the subject of his nightmares. Iris knows these are different to normal. Then he gets saved by a robbery in progress. A man with an eyepatch and an unusual weapon is robbing a jewellery store. When Barry arrives, he recognises the man – Jared Morillo – from his trip to the future. Which distracts him and results in Morillo escaping.
Back at the lab, Caitlin is checking Barry out. Cisco wants Morillo’s gun. Caitlin gets a message and has to leave and Iris says they are dealing with a man with a futuristic rifle who steals jewellery and looks like a pirate. H.R. christens him ‘Plunder.’ Another thing Barry recognises from the future. Wally is eager to help catch Plunder but Barry wants him to sit this one out. For reasons other than the ones he gives.
As expected, Caitlin’s message was from Julian. He apologises – he knows he was rude and behaved like a world class jerk. There is a reason. Caitlin suggests that it’s because he is a world class jerk. Julian admits that’s fair. However, he’s been trying hard not to think about his alter ego and what he did. The officers on the CCPD taskforce who were killed. Caitlin tells him they have something in common. Julian doesn’t know how to move forward. So, Caitlin invites him to join the team at S.T.A.R. Labs – Barry revealed that he was the Flash to Julian in the previous episode.
Barry asks H.R.’s advice – as a writer of scientific romances – on time travel. H.R. did read a story about a man trying to prevent his own murder. He says that there are two schools of thought – one that the future is changeable and another that it’s fixed. H.R. falls into the latter. Then Plunder is robbing a hotel and, during the fight, Barry decides to get hit by the gun to change the future. Only Wally shows up and stops Plunder.
Barry has a go at Wally over this – again not for the real reason – and then they have to soft open the museum. Which falls somewhat flat. Two people turn up, then flee, then Julian arrives. He wants to accept Caitlin’s offer. Which it seems she neglected to tell anyone else about. Caitlin tells them that, with what they do, they can’t do it alone. This makes Barry think, he talks to Iris then they tell the others – except Joe, who would try going after Savitar himself – about the future.
To change the future, they need to know everything they can about it. And Iris’ death isn’t the only bad thing that happens. Knowing a bunch of future events will allow them to see if individual ones can be changed. Cisco ends up giving H.R. a pep talk about the museum and in the post-logo scene something new enters play.