“Running to Stand Still” is episode nine of season two of The Flash and the mid-season finale.
The episode opens with Harrison Wells running through S.T.A.R. Labs, pursued by Zoom. Given how fast Zoom is, the villain may well be toying with Wells. Wells grabs a weapon but Zoom knocks it out of his hand and takes Wells by the throat. Wells asks Zoom to kill him, not his daughter, Jesse, because she’s innocent. Zoom remains silent and Wells tells him to say something. What Zoom says is ‘Merry Christmas.’ Perhaps not the expected response.
Iris is Christmas shopping and shows Joe the Flash action figure she has picked up. Apparently it’s the last one. She couldn’t find a Green Arrow figure. Joe wants to get Barry something, but hasn’t found a suitable gift yet. Iris points out that Joe’s father bought him a really nice watch. Joe says that his father gave him the watch because he was always late. His gifts always had a hidden meaning and Joe promised that he would only give fun presents to his son. The conversation makes Iris think.
Patty and Barry are in his lab kissing and she says they really need to be more professional. Barry points out that she’s the one who instigated it. Iris arrives and, after Patty leaves, says that she needs to tell Barry something, something that her conversation with her father made her think about. In “The Fury of Firestorm” Iris had met her mother, Francine, bur, before the meeting, had discovered that Francine had a son, Wally West. She was pregnant when she walked out on Joe and Iris. Iris hasn’t told Joe this yet, and she’s upset now. Barry tells her that they will both speak to Joe together about it. After the conversation it starts snowing.
Jay Garrick is at the lab talking to Caitlin about sealing the breaches to Earth-Two so that Zoom can’t keep bringing meta-humans through to attack Barry. Caitlin mentions Christmas and Jay asks what it is. Caitlin gives a really terrible explanation as to what it is, but Jay tells her that yes, he knows what Christmas is. Caitlin says that there’s a party at Joe’s and she can bring someone she wants, and what she wants is Jay. To invite Jay that is. Cisco is finding this painful to watch and says he’s going to find Harry, but nearly bumps into Wells when he arrives.
Two guards at Iron Heights are commenting on the snow and how it wasn’t forecast when the windows explode, followed by the door as Mark Mardon the Weather Wizard arrives. His first stop is Leonard Snart’s cell and he releases him, in return for Snart freeing him in “Rogue Air”. Before they leave, Mardon has one more stop – James Jesse, the Trickster, who was recaptured in “Tricksters”. Snart doesn’t seem totally happy about freeing the madman.
When Barry arrives at the prison following the breakout, Joe tells him about Patty’s grudge against Mardon, because Mardon killed her father. Which does affect her actions. It might help if Barry simply told her he was the Flash. Patty tells Barry he doesn’t know what is going on and she doesn’t have the time to bring him up to speed. Which, Barry comments under his breath, is ironic.
Mardon tells Jesse and Snart that he wants help. He owed Snart and the other guy is just crazy. According to Mardon, they all want the same thing – to see the Flash dead. Mardon tells them that another speedster – Zoom – nearly took the Flash out in “Enter Zoom” and that the Flash is weakened as a result. Snart warns Mardon not to underestimate the Flash. Plus, the others may want the Flash dead but that may not be true of Snart. Not that he’s likely to tell them that.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco has an idea about a device to nullify the Weather Wizard’s powers. When Barry starts saying the same things, Cisco asks if they have had this conversation before. Barry says that they have. Sort of. Barry mentions Mark Mardon destroying Central City with a tidal wave, and explains to Wells that the reason it is still standing is because he went back in time and had a do-over in “Out of Time”. Barry tells Cisco that he designed the Wand before, and that it worked.
When Barry and Iris arrive home, Snart is waiting for them. He wants to warn Barry that Mardon wants revenge on Barry and the Trickster wants chaos. Snart is not as… emotionally invested. Barry tells Snart that he actually wants to repay Barry for saving his sister’s life in “Family of Rogues”, which would be the honourable thing to do. He also asks Snart for help stopping the Weather Wizard and the Trickster but Snart says that he is not interested in being a hero. Barry points out that Snart is doing a lousy job of being a villain. So, the Trickster and the Weather Wizard need stopping, but Captain Cold doesn’t. Plus, forewarned is forearmed. To a degree anyway.
Zoom wants something from Harrison Wells, and it looks like Wells’ daughter’s life will be the payment. Not a good position for Wells, who has figured out what Zoom is up to.