“Fast Lane” is episode twelve of season two of The Flash.
The episode opens two years ago at Roofing Tar and two men are holding another over a vat of boiling tar. One of the men says that tar isn’t just used as a roofing product; it’s also used as medicine and as a flavouring for candy and liquor But, he says, he’s sure that the man they are holding isn’t thinking about that – he’s thinking that this means Clay is serious about getting his money back. The man, Clay, wants the account number for where the money is. Clay removes the tape over the man’s mouth and the latter tells him the account number. Then Clay drops him into the vat anyway. As the two men leave the building they meet another at the car, who asks where Joey is. Then the particle accelerator accident happens and the three quickly leave as the energy wave hits the vat of tar. In the present day, a digger at the, by the looks of it closed for some time, Roofing Tar place digs up some of the ground. Revealed is a pool of still-liquid tar. Which is odd. Then an arm sticks out of the tar. Which is even more off.
Wally is with Joe and Iris at their home. He asks Joe if he always wanted to be a cop, and Joe says yes. It was what his father was and he always looked up to him. Wally says that he wanted to be an astronaut and Joe tells him that Barry wanted to be as well. Wally doesn’t think that for Barry it was the same reason. For Wally, it was because that’s the fastest a human being can go; for him, it’s all about the speed. Iris asks Wally if that’s why he’s still drag racing. Which he is, even though in “Potential Energy” Wally had said it was the only way to pay for his mother’s hospital bills – and Francine has now died. Iris says that it’s dangerous and Wally says yes, for the people who race against him. Then he makes his excuses and leaves. Iris is not happy that Joe seems to be ignoring something that could get Wally killed. Joe’s response is that he simply wants Wally to get to know him, but Irish thinks the Joe that he is showing Wally isn’t the father she knows.
Wells is talking into his diary, saying that, using the Turtle’s brain matter – presumably he harvested some when he killed Turtle in “Potential Energy” -combined with what he learned from the Reverse-Flash in the previous episode, “The Reverse-Flash Returns”, he has created a device that, when installed inside the Flash’s suit, will be able to harness Barry’s speed. The next time Barry taps into the Speed Force Wells says that he can begin collecting Barry’s speed. For Wells had agreed to help Zoom eat Barry’s speed in “Running to Stand Still” in order to save his daughter, Jesse.
Later, Wells is working in the lab when Barry arrives. As he is newly single – Patty having left in the previous episode – Barry thought he would work with Wells on closing the breaches. Harry says that he works better alone; Barry asks if he’s heard the phrase that two heads are better than one. Apparently not. Wells says that, as Barry’s Earth hasn’t created CFL quark matter yet, he can’t help and there isn’t time for him to catch up on the science. So Barry asks if the science is in the book he’s holding. Which it is. So Barry speed reads it. Which Wells finds annoying. Wells does agree to let Barry help but only if he agrees that Wells is in charge.
One of the two men who were holding Joey over the tar vat at the beginning is in a garage, and on the news is an article about Oliver Queen’s mayoral campaign. The man hears a noise and goes to look but only sees a puddle of oil on the floor. Only it isn’t oil; it turns into a man – think T-1000, only with black tar not silver metal – Joey, the person who was dropped into the tar. Joey tells the man what being dropped into burning tar feels like. Then decides to show him. It seems he can turn into very hot tar too.
Barry arrives at the scene and Joe tells him that the dead man, Daniel Burge, looks as if he was dipped in a volcano. Barry agrees, saying that Burge appears to have been covered in something like lava, only with a lower burn temperature. So takes a sample back to S.T.A.R. Labs.
Wells is planning to put the device on the Flash suit, but it seems he isn’t looking forward to this. Barry gets to the lab, talking to Cisco, who has just developed a new app, one which will enable him to get notifications when meta-humans are detected around the city. Barry asks Cisco if he is going to use it to find a new girlfriend – Cisco realises he has essentially created a meta-human Tinder. Wells does not look entirely happy about tapping Barry’s speed, but adds the device to the suit under the emblem. When Wells and Barry are working together, and Barry says it’s like old times, with the other Wells, Harry gets a bit angry. It looks as if the pressure is getting to him.
According to Caitlin, Burge died of suffocation. In tar. So Cisco christens the new meta Tar Pit. Cisco’s app works and Barry arrives as Tar Pit is about to attack Clay. It seems Tar Pit can also throw flaming balls of molten tar around. Cisco suggests that Barry cool Tar Pit down; Wells is currently siphoning off Barry’s speed, and Cisco notices the speed loss afterwards.
Wells is going ahead with his deal with Zoom, but can he really trust Zoom? He’s also becoming increasingly conflicted, even telling Barry that if it came down to Jesse or Barry, he would choose Jesse every time. Will Wells be able to continue going through with this?
Iris has decided to follow Wally to races. Wally is the reigning champ, called Tail Lights, and Iris photographs the organiser. She then approaches Joe with articles on racers who were injured or killed. Iris wants Joe to be Wally’s parent, and asks what he’s afraid of. Joe admits he is afraid; he’s afraid that Wally will reject them if they push him too much and, after all the years lost, Joe wants Wally in their lives. Iris then decides to threaten the man who runs the races with an expose on him. That sounds more than a little dangerous.