“Fastest Man Alive” is episode two of season one of The Flash.
In the previous episode, “Pilot”, Barry Allen, after coming out of a coma that resulted from an energy-charged lightning strike, discovered that he could move really, really fast. Whilst in his coma, Barry had been kept at S.T.A.R. Labs, cared for by Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon and Dr. Wells. Cisco had a suit for Barry, an experimental fireman’s outfit, and Barry was also tested. According to Dr. Wells, there could be others like Barry – meta-humans – and indeed he encountered one, a criminal. Joe West knows the truth about Barry as well, but wants this kept from Iris.
Dr. Wells is keeping secrets. He tried to talk Barry out of being the Flash (he isn’t called the Flash yet though) at first, but later encouraged him. In the post logo scene, Wells entered a hidden room, got out of his wheelchair and looked at a newspaper headline about the Flash having disappeared, a newspaper from years in the future.
The episode opens with a building on fire and Barry running towards it at 352 mph – a slow day. The fire engines are two minutes out and won’t get there in time. Cisco tells Barry that he actually ran past the building, so he heads back and rescue a young girl and some others. Barry’s crime-fighting exploits were being kept from Caitlin, and she’s more than a little angry. Barry says he is using his speed to do good, as discussed; Caitlin says that what was discussed was stopping other meta-humans – no others of which have been found as yet. Barry had also been struck by a dizzy spell, which Cisco detected on the suit’s sensors, but says he’s fine. Probably a mistake.
Barry gets a call from Joe who is at a crime scene. A gun store was robbed, by one man according to CCTV footage, and six guns stolen. According to Barry, there were actually six people at the crime scene, all wearing the same size shoe. Iris is also upset with Barry, for convincing her to do journalism. Which is boring (she also knows he’s keeping secrets, but that’s another thing).
Barry had agreed to go to a presentation with Iris; Simon Stagg (William Sadler, who played Sloan in Deep Space Nine and President Ellis in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) is being honoured at the university, and Barry promised to interpret the science stuff. At the presentation, six people with guns turn up and demand everybody’s valuables. They also open fire at a security guard, but Barry whisks him to safety. Then faints.
There’s more yelling at Barry at S.T.A.R. Labs; he really should have told them about his dizzy spells. Testing quickly identifies the cause; Barry is moving really, really fast, and therefore burning up a lot of calories. And therefore going hyperglycaemic. In other words, he needs to eat a lot more.
The people who held up the presentation are actually just one person. It’s another meta-human, and it comes as no surprise to discover that he can split into multiple people. The man also has a serious grudge against Stagg, and wants him dead.
Joe thinks that Barry should not be endangering himself in the manner that he is. He’s not the police. Barry himself also has doubts about his abilities. Wells is definitely keeping secrets; it seems he has knowledge of the future at the very least, and perhaps more than that.