All The Flash Questions You Have After "Welcome to Earth-2," Answered

Well, maybe not all of them, but EPs Todd and Aaron Helbing answer a lot

By Jean Bentley Feb 10, 2016 2:00 AMTags
The Flash, Earth-2CW

Got a lot of questions following the epic "Welcome to Earth-2" episode of The Flash, where Barry (Grant Gustin), Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Wells (Tom Cavanagh) traveled through the breech to the alternate universe populated by their own doppelgangers?

We do too. Luckily, after watching the hilarious, Easter Egg-packed outing with a small group of reporters, we got to chat with executive producers Todd and Aaron Helbing about what we'd just seen. Here are their thoughts on some of the biggest revelations—and a tease of what's to come next week, when the three men need to figure out how to return to Earth-1 with Wells' daughter, Jessie, in tow.

WTF Is Zoom's Plan?

The super-villain might've captured Barry, but he still hasn't taken his speed. "You will find out in the next episode [what he's going to do about that]," Todd says. "That is his big plan, to take his speed, so now that he has him, he has let's say 50 percent of what he needs." Adds Aaron, "He doesn't have all the ingredients, per se. We established earlier in the season that he needs other people to help that process."

What About the Other Prisoners?

This is the first time Barry is meeting Jessie, so we'll see how their relationship begins to form. As for the other person trapped in Zoom's lair, the man in the mask, "He's there for a reason," teases Todd.

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OMG, How Will Cisco React to Reverb?

The Earth-2 baddie told Cisco he could harness his powers much more effectively—then promptly died. The Cisco Ramon we know would never use said powers for evil, but how will he be able to use them for good if the guy who knows how is gone?

"Once you're exposed to something that's possible—it's like the first time Tony Hawk did a 720 on the skateboard, everyone could then do it—so it's once Cisco saw the magnitude of powers that he's capable of, anything's possible now," says Aaron.

How Will Earth-2 Barry Allen Fit In?

"In the next episode you will see a lot of Earth-2 Barry," Todd says. "He's quite a bit different from Earth-1 Barry. I think from Joe's point of view he's pretty selfish and I think that plays into what happens to him in the episode."

The second half of this two-part Earth-2 adventure will see Barry's doppelganger play a "pivotal role," Aaron says. Adds Todd, "He has his own arc and journey throughout this episode to become something bigger than he is. …Ultimately, yes, I would call him a hero."

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How Will Earth-2 Barry Allen Affect Earth-1 Barry?

Once Barry and co. make their way back to their own planet (we have a hunch they will, since next week's episode is called "Escape From Earth-2"), Barry will continue to dwell on his doppelganger's perfect life—mom alive, married to the girl he's loved since childhood.

"It affects him quite a bit. I think the relationship with Iris sits with him quite a bit and I think that is going to be on his mind quite a bit in the upcoming episodes," Todd says, later adding, "Barry's been in love with this woman his whole like, and I can't even imagine what that would be like to go over to a different reality and find out that you're married to them."

How Will They Escape?

"The central story is basically, Barry's trapped by Zoom, how do we deal with that?" says Todd. "Cisco and Wells are trying to come up with a plan to get Barry out of the predicament he's in, so they seek out help from somebody that you'd never expect and they do their best to set up this rescue mission. On Earth-1 they have to deal with Geomancer and this breach issue."

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.

Watch: "The Flash" Crossing-Over With "Supergirl"?