“The Darkness and the Light” is episode five of season two of The Flash.
In the previous episode, “The Fury of Firestorm”, Barry, as the Flash, had been grabbed by a giant shark man sent to kill him by Zoom. Patty, who had been looking for said shark earlier, was present and unloaded her gun into the shark man, to no effect. The someone blasted the meta-human from behind, causing it to collapse. That someone proved to be Harrison Wells.
This episode opens on Earth Two, 8 months ago, at S.T.A.R. Labs where Harrison Wells is giving a presentation. Wells is talking to the crowd about the meta-humans, how many of them have turned to evil and how S.T.A.R. Labs has created something to help with this. A new line of meta-human awareness apps. A bit more… mercantile than might have been expected.
Dr Wells says that these apps will instantly detect the presence of a meta-human, such as an approaching speedster like Zoom. Or, when the app goes off and Earth Two Flash, Jay Garrick, appears, the Flash. Jay tells Wells that he needs to tell the truth, that everything related to meta-humans is because of him and the dark matter energy that was released beneath Wells’ lab. Jay demands to know how long Wells will refuse to take responsibility. Wells, he appears to be a master at presentations, tells Jay that they will all be safe if the Flash would do his job and stop Zoom. After Jay leaves, a young woman in the crowd approaches Wells and asks if he is okay; she is Wells’ daughter.
In the present on Earth One, this Wells is now at S.T.A.R. Labs looking at his autobiography, an autobiography he didn’t write. Caitlin and Cisco give him a complicated explanation as to why people have a problem with Wells; unsurprisingly, as it was very garbled, Wells didn’t grasp any of it. Wells shows Caitlin a bag that went through the wormhole, and she agrees it might be hers. Possibly. She wants to run some tests on Wells, but he says they will simply shows him as being identical to the Harrison Wells they knew. Caitlin is going to run them anyway.
Harry tells Wells that he doesn’t believe Wells travelled between dimensions simply to meet the Flash. Dr Wells tells him that’s exactly what he did. Wells wants to help Barry stop his greatest enemy – Zoom. When asked what Wells knows about Zoom, he says everything – because he created him. Wells says that he is responsible for all of the Earth Two meta-humans, something he has ignored for far too long, and he’s finally going to do something about it. Why isn’t stated, but is partly revealed in the post-logo scene, and it can be guessed. According to Wells, Zoom is obsessed by speed and will never allow another speedster to exist in the multiverse.
When Caitlin is talking about Ronnie, Wells tells her that everyone loses someone they care about. Then Joe arrives at the lab, sees Wells and pulls out his gun and shoots at him. Barry manages to stop the bullets and Joe wants to know how Wells is still alive. Wells’ response is because Joe missed. Caitlin says she knows someone who can help explain things and Barry goes to speak to Joe. Joe wants to know how Barry can deal with someone who looks just like the Harrison Wells they knew; Barry says it’s difficult and Joe’s shooting is not helping.
Joe goes to see Iris to warn her, and give her a gun for protection. He says that you can’t murder someone that everyone thinks is dead. Cisco and Barry head to Jitters, although Cisco says that, when he said he wanted a drink, he meant a real drink. Barry tells Cisco that this Harrison Wells isn’t a meta-human, he’s a regular, normal guy. From another universe. Cisco says that he never thought he would miss time travel, just as Patty approaches them. She asks if there is a time travelling meta-human, and is told no, time travel is impossible. Patty thinks this is a shame, as time travel is pretty cool. To which Cisco mutters that he wouldn’t be sure about that. Patty is far too excited about all of this stuff.
Patty asks if Barry can help with her report on King Shark – Cisco loves the name – but Barry pleads off because of science stuff. Yes, science stuff. After Patty leaves, Cisco asks why he hasn’t done anything and Barry responds that he was going to ask Patty on a date. Then King Shark and Wells Two showed up. Cisco gets a vision – he has still been hiding his powers from everyone, although Dr Stein guessed – about a meta-human robbing a bank and Barry heads there.
This meta-human is called Dr Light and, according to Jay – the person Caitlin had gone to fetch – was just a small time crook until she gained powers. Jay says she isn’t a killer. Wells wants Barry to catch Dr Light so they can use her as bait for Zoom. Jay thinks this is a bad idea – he and Wells do not get along – but Wells says that Zoom is getting faster and needs to be stopped. And Barry can do it. If Zoom isn’t stopped, he will keep sending meta-humans against Barry, and those under Zoom’s thrall will do things that are out of character.
Jay and Caitlin are getting closer and Barry finally asks Patty out on a date. Although he needs a bit of help. This version of Harrison Wells is definitely not making friends and, in general, seems rather more unpleasant than the Harrison Wells everyone is familiar with. On the plus side, Wells Two doesn’t appear to be trying to kill anyone.