Flash: Cloudy Day

Flash: Cloudy Day

• Barry is at his desk working on forensics when Captain West comes in to scold him. Barry has been doing some personal forensics off the record with no case file and Joe demands to know what is going on since this breaks an ethics code. Barry confesses that he has been reevaluating the evidence from his father’s conviction. Joe understands why he is trying but tells Barry to move on. Joe thinks he just needs to let go. He says it is also insulting to the department assuming they did their forensics wrong in the past. 

• A meeting then gets called in the police station briefing room to go over some celebrity assault case. Barry shares his evidence, showing how much of an expert in forensics he is. The meeting concludes with Captain West introducing the new detective to their station, Ethan Bennett. 

• Their work day is then interrupted by an emergency weather broadcast signaling. Their devices are telling them all to seek shelter immediately but this confuses everyone because it was supposed to be clear skies today. Questioning this, they head to the windows and check. What they see is a massive storm cloud funneling downwards on an office building. Barry sees this and instinctively decides it is time for the Flash to get out there to save any civilians in danger.

• Flash approaches the storm, saving civilians as he goes. The large funnel continues to make its way down to the surface so Flash decides to try running the opposite direction as the spiral. He does this and is able to quell the forming tornado. The clouds remain in the sky and down from the sky descends a man holding onto a golden wand. He proclaims himself the Weather Wizard and says he isn’t surprised the scarlet speedster showed up. He might’ve been able to handle one twister, but how about four? Weather Wizard then summons four tornadoes down to the ground. Barry panics but rushes to handle the four twisters. He was capable of canceling out the tornados but after that, Weather Wizard had vanished.

• Barry goes back to work and Iris is seen talking to her dad, Captain West, along with her nephew Wally. Wally’s family had a cruise ship vacation planned but the 15-year-old Wally was busted taking their family car for a joy ride, getting a speeding ticket. Because of this, he is stuck in town being watched by his family. She is asking her dad for updates on the celebrity assault case so she can publish her story. Joe is giving her the details and Barry approaches. Barry questions if this is ethical for Joe to give this information to the public during an ongoing investigation, especially with civilian ears like Wally listening in. Joe tells Barry that it is in the department’s best interest to have good PR, especially given their public mishaps with metahumans lately. Barry says he tried to warn him but Joe gets irritated and tells Barry he should stick to his lab work and get out of his business. Just because he is dating his daughter, he doesn’t get special treatment. Iris leaves Wally and Joe to walk Barry back to his lab and assures him not to worry because her dad actually really loves him. Barry is surprised to hear this but then Iris jokes that what she really meant was that she loves the Flash, so technically he does. Barry tells Iris that her dad ripped him a new one for reexamining evidence for his dad’s case, but Barry feels like he was so close to a breakthrough to exonerate his dad. Iris gives Barry positive affirmation by telling him she believes he is innocent too, and Barry will find a way to help prove it somehow. She also playfully regrets to inform Barry that she has to go to work so Wally will be the police station's babysitter now.

• As Iris leaves, we see that Detective Bennett just so happened to overhear their conversation and pick up on Barry’s problem. Bennett says he knows that he has been told not to reexamine old evidence, but to dig deep and gather new evidence to exonerate him. Barry says that could work but questions what else they could possibly find? He’s been working on this for years and hasn’t found anything groundbreaking and new. Bennett tells him not to worry because now he has the best detective in town on his side. 

• Barry goes to talk to his father in prison to find out if there is anything he or the police could have missed in the initial investigation. Barry's dad can't think of anything but Barry makes him tell the whole story of how he found his mother again. He tells the story of how they were in the kitchen and some mysterious rushes of air, streaks of lightning, and loud booms came out of nowhere. Before he knew it, Barry's mother was stabbed. The knife has his fingerprints on it and the improbable story leads to his quick prosecution. Listening to the story again, Barry thought of a new breakthrough for an overlooked piece of evidence. Listening to the story again, Barry thought of a new breakthrough for an overlooked piece of evidence. He asks his dad if there was really streaks of lightning or electricity. There was no listing of any singes or contact burns in the case files. His dad confirms and posturizes the fact that they might not have cared about burns, figuring it was a kitchen and hot can accidentally cause damage all the time. Since nobody believed the story about winds and lightning in the house back then, it wasn’t even considered looking into. Barry saw it for himself and knows that metahumans exist so he will go back to his parent’s old house and find the evidence. Barry thanks his dad and goes back to the station to catch up with Bennett.

• At the Central City news station, gray clouds begin circling from above. A heavy fog falls, leaving the visibility almost zero, as the temperature drops and lightning cracks. A few reporters, including Iris, come out to investigate the surprise weather event. From out of the fog, Weather Wizard abducts Iris. He holds her in the back of a van while the fog clears outside. He explains to Iris that she needs to share the truth about Maxwell Lord’s misdeeds. Iris is confused but Weather Wizard goes onto explain that his brother died and it was all Maxwell Lord’s fault. His brother was a construction worker who passed away after an on the job accident that should have been prevented. The geological surveyors determined that Lord’s most recent office building development was unfit for the development, but Lord paid off the city regulators and continued to build their anyways. His brother was operating a skid loader when the ground gave way beneath him and he was lost in the rubble below. Iris is confused and wonders why he is telling her all this. Weather Wizard demands that she run the story so that the public knows what kind of a monster Lord is, and if she doesn’t, he will bring down the news station in a storm of biblical proportions.

• By this point, reports of the strange weather at the news station have gotten to the department and Flash ditches Wally to head for the broadcast station to save Iris but Weather Wizard has already gotten away. She tells him what Weather Wizard said about Lord and his brother but Barry tells her not to publish it because that’s giving a terrorist what he wants and there is no proof that is true about Lord. The department identified and found records on Mark Mardon, aka Weather Wizard, who was a scientist from Star Labs who had his funding cut from a weather machine that the board of directors believed was going nowhere. He quit when they cut his funding and apparently it became his vengeful passion project. Iris’s information is still helpful to for the police because it provides a two solid motives for where Weather Wizard will strike next. Barry has Iris call her dad to inform him he might want to position officers at Star Labs and with Maxwell Lord, knowing the captain would never do it if Barry called it in. Joe listens to his daughter and does this.

•  Back at the police station, Barry is working in his lab with Wally playing on his phone when Detective Bennett strolls in with a smirk. Barry asks what’s up and Bennett reveals he has a sample of singed kitchen cupboard from his parent’s house that has been painted over.  Barry asks how he got his hands on this without a warrant. Bennett slyly tells Barry to never underestimate the smooth charm of a handsome man in uniform but he should hang into that for dear life because it's the only sample that was left after all the kitchen renovations. Barry thanks Bennett immensely for the sample and puts it on the top of his stack of evidence to be analyzed. All of a sudden, the windows of the station begin to shake. The entire building begins to rumble and those inside realize that Weather Wizard is there. With the police department stretched thin, they have almost nobody on duty to stop Weather Wizard. Bennett runs outside gun drawn and Wally wants to follow to see all of the action but Barry argues with Wally, telling him to stay put.

• During their argument, a colossal bolt of lightning comes crashing through the window of Barry’s lab. A far too familiar site, as the bolt of lightning shatters through shelves of chemicals and into Wally. With his to-be-nephew on the ground unconscious and flammable chemicals spreading the flames, Barry leaps into action as the Flash and rushes Wally to the hospital through the storm. Once Flash makes sure Wally is able to have care administered, he pushes forward back into the storm at the police station. 

• The maniacal laughter of Weather Wizard is heard through the streets as he expresses that the police shall pay for trying to get in the way of his vindication. Winds pick up and sideways hail begins to pound into anything on the streets, because of this, any present officers are driven back inside. Flash has trouble keeping his footing with the pavement having such low friction as well. Captain West notices the Flash is here and praises him for coming to help, but also asks if he can help put out the fire upstairs as well. Barry’s eyes widen as he realizes in his prioritization of Wally’s well-being, he completely forgot about the mess in his office. Barry zooms up to his office and uses his arms to create winds strong enough to snuff the oxygen away from any remaining fire. Barry’s heart breaks as he notices the singed cupboard square reduced to ashes.

• Flash’s sorrow dwindles as his anger grows. The only tangible chance to clear his father’s good name is gone. Flash’s emotions outpoor in a way he has never experienced before with an almost electric sensation. Weather Wizard put his family in the hospital and keeps his father caged! His body begins literally surging in anger as he rushes back outside to confront the Weather Wizard. Weather Wizard taunts the Flash and berates him with torrents of twisters but Flash is not having any of it, moving with enough momentum to burst through and nullify them. Weather Wizard panics and Flash pelts him rapidly with clumps of his own hail. To end things, Weather Wizard summons a gargantuan bolt of lighting from the clouds above, directly towards Flash. Flash continues to charge towards Weather Wizard like a raging bull, regardless of the incoming voltage. As the lighting makes contact with Flash, he inexplicably pivots, curving the bolt directly toward Weather Wizard himself. The shot lands and Weather Wizard soaks up the entirety of the blast. He falls to the ground motionless and his weather wand fried, causing the skies bleed sunshine once again. The officers emerge from the station and approach Flash standing over Weather Wizard. Joe asks if he is dead but Flash says no, he is still breathing but is likely nerve damaged or paralyzed. Flash zips away back the the hospital to check on Wally.

• Barry and Iris make it to Wally’s hospital room, where he lies there dormant. The doctor informs them that he is miraculously unharmed for somebody who was struck by lightning and doused in chemicals. They anticipate him to make a full recovery. Iris is relieved to hear this and find herself in Barry’s arms. Barry takes this opportunity to tell Iris that lately he has been made to realize that tagity can strike at any moment and they shouldn’t be wasting time as it passes by being unfulfilled. Barry then gets down on one knee and proposes to Iris with his mother’s ring. At that moment, Joe walks in and looks appalled. Iris says he better wipe that stupid look off his face because her answer is yes. They as they excitedly embrace, we hear a quiet “woohoo.” Barely conscious, Wally says, “I’ve always wanted a dorky uncle.”

• Cut to Barry talking to his dad in jail, telling him about his engagement to Iris. His dad is very happy to hear this and says he needs to be happy for himself and get on with his life instead of worrying about him. Barry then has to tell his father that he is sorry because he lost the piece of evidence that could free him in the horrible work accident. Obviously the dad is disappointed but says he knows Barry will find a way and asks if there could be more evidence at the house. Barry promises that if there is, he and Bennett will find it.

• In the last scene, we find ourselves in the kitchen of Barry’s childhood home. A figure dressed in yellow comes into frame and turns on the gas oven, letting the methane pool. After a moment, he takes a match and ignites it. Zoom rushes away, as the Flash’s childhood home combusts in the background.