“Flash vs. Arrow” is episode eight of season one of The Flash.
The episode opens with the Flash zipping around Central City randomly helping people whilst Barry talks about emotions, and how as a scientist he knows that they all have a scientific basis, until he sees Iris. And then his belief in science stops.
A man walks into a bank and the security guard asks if he can help. The man removes his sunglasses and his eyes glow red as he says he will be just fine. The guard does not react at all to red glowing eyes. The man then walks into the bank’s vault and one of the staff says he is not supposed to be back there. When the man speaks to her, her eyes start glowing red as well. When the man leaves the vault again after helping himself to some cash, all of the other customers and staff in the bank are trying to kill each other.
Barry gets a message from Cisco about the bank robbery and Caitlin says that’s the bank she uses. Cisco tells her that, with supervillains on the scene, he now puts his money under his mattress. When Barry arrives on the scene, he is just in time to stop one of the customers shooting another. The place quickly gets back to normal afterwards.
Iris is talking to Eddie about the Flash, and that she has got another picture. Eddie suggests that it’s been Photoshopped, but Iris says it’s real, and not a hallucination either. Iris can’t see why Eddie doesn’t believe it yet, but Eddie says that he only believes he can see and touch and hear. Like Iris.
When Barry arrives at the bank, Joe tells him that half a million dollars in cash has been taken, but there’s a tracer on it. Everyone got back to normal once the influence of the meta-human had stopped, and now can’t believe how they acted.
At the precinct, Eddie is trying to talk Captain Singh into doing something about the Flash. Eddie wants to figure out who he is and what he wants. Singh suggests that Eddie ask his girlfriend, as Iris is the one blogging about the Flash. When Eddie asks Joe for help, he doesn’t get much. Iris isn’t happy to find out what Eddie is doing either, and suggests he’s jealous.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, when Dr. Wells mentions that the new meta-human is enhancing anger, hate and aggression, Cisco says in a Yoda voice that Jedi do not need these. This joke does not go down well. They have also got the CAT scans the hospital did on everyone at the bank. Their executive function, which is what stops people from doing any random and potentially destructive thing that pops into their heads, were overwhelmed and still show signs of this. When Barry gets a message to the Flash from Iris, Caitlin gives him some advice – wanted or not – that Barry, as either the Flash or Barry, shouldn’t be the one responsible for Iris and Eddie breaking up.
There’s also a ping from the tracer in the stolen money and SWAT, along with Joe, are closing in. It doesn’t take much figuring out that a meta-human capable of causing people to act out their aggression is going to cause problems when you have a bunch of armed men. As is shown when one of the SWAT team – who fortunately (and stupidly, given his job) didn’t have a shell in his shotgun and needed to rack one in – decides to take a shot at Joe in anger. Barry saves Joe and then the Arrow turns up and takes down the officer.
Afterwards, Barry runs out to meet Felicity, last seen in “Going Rogue”, and John Diggle, both from Arrow. Diggle didn’t know about Barry’s powers. Then Oliver turns up as well. The Arrow team is in Central City following up on a weird murder case in Starling City involving an unusual boomerang. Which Barry says is cool when he sees it, then corrects himself to awful. When Felicity hears about the rage-inducing meta-human, she says that’s cool. Then awful. A team up is suggested, to help solve both cases, but Oliver doesn’t want to. Felicity does.
For now, Barry whisks Felicity back to the lab, unfortunately causing her top to catch fire in the process. Meaning she has to quickly remove it. Just as Cisco and Caitlin enter. Neither Dr. Wells nor Joe are that happy to have the Starling City vigilante around, as they don’t trust him. Cisco wants to run some tests on the boomerang – which results in it flying wildly around the lab as Caitlin runs away.
Iris is impressed to find out that Barry knows Oliver Queen. He’s on her ‘three’ list – the three people she can cheat on Eddie with. Of course, she never actually expected to meet anyone on her list in person. Felicity also badgers Oliver into helping Barry out. Oliver wants Barry to train first, as he may have powers but he lacks precision. Barry may not see it yet, but the Arrow is right – the Flash has done quite badly many times, even if he was eventually successful. Oliver points out that he’s been doing it a lot longer, has no superpowers, yet is still alive. Barry would do well to listen, but currently isn’t in the mood to do so.
This results in Barry confronting the meta-human by himself. This doesn’t seem to have an effect, but as Barry starts angrily snapping at people it’s clear that it did have an effect; it’s just slower to take hold. Which is why this episode is called “Flash vs. Arrow” – they need someone able to take Barry down before he causes real damage.