Welcome to Earth-2 is a damn near perfect episode for me. It’s got everything I love about comic books in general and this show in particular. Alternate realities, heroes-turned-villains, foreshadowing, easter eggs and jokes! Enough foreplay though, I think I’ve whet your appetite enough…

Awwww, yeah! This is the money shot. All over my face! This episode is fit to bursting with easter eggs and it all starts with this little sequence. Not only do we get to see some familiar faces with the likes of Gorilla Grodd, Supergirl (who will be teaming up with Barry in an upcoming episode which I’ll be reviewing, don’t worry) and a very cool looking shot of JOHN WESLEY SHIPP IN HIS FLASH SUIT! Yooooo! We also get some shots that are no doubt intended for Legends of Tomorrow with an appearance by Jonah Hex, a black Green Arrow (Connor Hawke?) and an honest to goodness Legion ring! Fanboying so hard right now!

Earth 2 is everything I could have wanted! It’s an art deco metropolis (a nod in and of itself, no doubt) full of all the characters you love but with fun new twists and none more surprising than Flyod Lawton! I’ve missed Deadshot (more like Dead Shit, amirite?) from Arrow and it was an amazing surprise to see Michael Rowe here. Killer Frost and Deathstorm are delightful bad guys and it’s always great to see Robbie Amell. Even Iris and Joe have fun new twists to them, Joe’s antagonism towards Barry is especially cool to watch. The mural for the CCPD is even changed in a sly nod to the Justice Society rather than the Justice League on Earth-1.

Not to mention this. Squeeeeeeee~!

The scene with Barry talking to his mum gets a mention purely because god damn… Grant’s killing in this episode by playing so many sides to Barry you’d think he was a Rubik’s Cube.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Jay suiting, and speeding, up. Granted, he eats shit three seconds later but Jay being in costume with speed is a great step towards having a whole team of speedsters in this show and the Velocity drug is no doubt key to that.

I called Cisco’s doppelganger being a bad guy but I didn’t expect him to be a cool badass! Hopefully Cisco will learn from his evil twin and gain more power this season.

This two-parter ends with Barry captured by Zoom and in the presence of both Jesse Quick and a mysterious man in an iron mask. Who is he? What is he? I bet we’ll be finding out soooooon…

Welcome to Earth-2 is my favourite episode of The Flash this season so far and next week only promises to build on this excellent opening salvo with Escape from Earth-2!