08x08 - The Fire Next Time

Episode transcripts for the TV show "The Flash". Aired: October 2014 to current.*

Moderators: wolflover4219, Max2023

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"The Flash" revolves around Barry Allen, who is a CSI scientist and also a superhero with incredible speed. His mission is to find out the truth about his mother's strange death and correct the injustice of his dad being falsely convicted of her m*rder.
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08x08 - The Fire Next Time

Post by bunniefuu »

Hasta mañana, Stan.

Have a good one.

[faint crackling]

Donna?

[screaming]

[suspenseful music]

If you're trying to
scare me, it won't work.

I told you I ain't paying
you a damn cent more.



[Loosely Tight's "Through
Thick N' Thin" plays]

♪ Whoa! ♪



Come on, man. That's enough.



♪ Well, I go where I want,
and I go where I need ♪

[growls]

[screaming]

- [heroic music]
- [electricity crackling]



[sighs] Ooh!

- Iced java... thank you, baby.
- Yeah.

Hey, I was thinking that we could get

an early dinner reservation tonight.

Sure.

[pensive music]

Actually, um, you know what?

Why don't we, um, stay in,

have a quiet night, just the two of us?

That feels better.

Thank you. I'm okay.

You know, I gotta get
used to it eventually.

It's just another day.

I can clear my schedule.

I'm fine, really.

Besides, things are...
Things are busy at CCC.

- You need to be there.
- [phone dings]

And I need to get to work.

I'm just a phone call away.

I know.

[electricity crackles]

[sighs]

Is it that bad?

Huh? Sorry.

That fire just kind of
weirds me out is all.

[clears throat] The vic's
name is Stanley Mullen.

Uh, he's the manager of
this local watering hole.

It's weird.

The body's burnt through,

but the ground underneath
isn't even charred.

Yeah, this was definitely a meta att*ck.

Dark matter levels are off the charts.

Well, whoever that is, they produce fire

that ignores the laws of physics.

Oh man, you know, this
is giving me, like,

"Goodbye, Armageddon, but
hello, Dante's Inferno"

type of a vibe.

- Morning, Allen.
- Morning.

Runk.

Find anything that can
help us piece this together?

Uh, no. Not yet.

Were there any witnesses?

Uh, the bartender, Donna
Winters, didn't see the crime.

But she said our victim got

into a pretty nasty argument last night

with a recently paroled ex-convict.

Apparently, the guy had a bad temper.

Oh, and he was wearing a
L.I.P.S. concert T-shirt.

You know, as in the rock band.

I was gonna ask him
some follow-up questions.

Would it be okay if I showed
her a picture of someone

- who could be our suspect?
- Sure.

[suspenseful music]



Donna, this is CSI Barry Allen

and CCPD consultant Chester Runk.

Ms. Winters, the person you
saw arguing with the victim,

was this him?

That's him. That's the guy.

Jaco Birch. I'll put out an APB.

This way, ma'am.

The Hotness did this?

I thought it was all about the moolah,

not cold-blooded m*rder.

Plus, how did he k*ll someone

without burning half the place down?

Looks like we're not the only
ones who leveled up this year.



[distant police sirens]

Here you go, boss lady.

This is every suggestion
the bullpen brainstormed

for who should be our first
CC Citizen of the Week.

Nice work.

Only, this is every suggestion...

except the winning one.

[apprehensive music]

- Rosie Levin.
- Mm-hmm.

Uh, boss, I don't think launching

our first profile section on some

shallow social media
influencer is the way to go.

I just thought we were supposed
to be the voice of the people.

I hear you.

But Rosie Levin is who the
people are interested in.

, of them, to be exact,

and if we could bring
those eyeballs to CCC,

then, hopefully, people will
read the stories that matter.



Is there something
that you wanna tell me?

Yeah. Okay, fine.

Taylor brought this to
me earlier, and I told her

it wasn't right for us,
and she went behind my back.

She believed in the story,
and she followed protocol

and made an appeal to
the editor-in-chief,

and I approved it.

Is that a problem?

Yes!

I mean, no.

I just mean if the bullpen
knows they can come to you

when I say no... my word means nothing.

[sighs] Look, you're still their boss.

But I'm also yours,

and that means that sometimes
we are going to disagree

on the stories that we tell.

It's part of the process.

Yeah, you're right.

Of course, I...

Actually, you know
what? Why don't you both

interview Rosie?

You want Taylor and me to work together?

You're my supervising
editor. Go supervise.

Plus, opposing perspectives
make for better stories.

And keep an open mind. I
mean, you might be surprised

at what the two of you can do together.

Yeah. You got it.

[sighs]



Whoa, whoa. Easy with
the guitars, roadies.

You're unloading the gilded
weapons of true rock gods.

Come on!

You gotta trust your old man, Harold!

Watching a L.I.P.S. concert's
gonna blow your freakin' mind.

Yeah. Whatever, dude.

Hey, you know I'm sorry

I couldn't land the backstage passes

I promised, all right?

I kind of ran into a little

bit of a cash flow issue.

You bribed me here with stuff

you couldn't even get, Jaco?

You're even more lame than usual.

[chuckling] I know, right?

But, uh, hey, look,
maybe after the show,

we could grab some food, huh?

I could tell you some stories

about these crazy things these bands

I'm working with get into.

You aren't with the bands, Jaco.

You're arena security.
Anyone could do that.

I'm gonna go for a walk.



But... but Harold...

- [sirens wailing]
- [tires squeal]

Whoa.

[tense music]



Jaco Birch.

You're under arrest for the
m*rder of Stanley Mullen.

Nah, I think you got the wrong guy.

What's going on?

Take him somewhere safe.

Hey.

Let go of me, jerk.

Hey, hey, hey! Get
your hands off my son!

Calm down, and put your
hands behind your back.

Nobody's taking my kid away from me.

Never again!

[steam hissing]

Thanks, Flash.

We got it from here.

Harold, I'm innocent. I swear.

I'm innocent! Please believe me.

Flash! You gotta help me.
Please, I didn't do anything.

Please, I can't lose my son! Please!

I didn't do it.

I swear to God I didn't do this.

- [yelling] Where's mom?
- What's gonna happen

- to my son?
- Dad!

- Barry!
- Dad!

Harold, I didn't do anything. I swear!

I swear. Please. Please
believe me, please!



[dramatic music]



Okay, I gotta be honest.

Uh, based on this police report,

I'd advise Mr. Birch here

to start thinking about a plea bargain.

[sighs]

I'm guessing you feel differently.

I just want to make sure
they got the right guy.

Well, it seems like they do.

He had an argument with the victim

hours before he was k*lled.

He's got no alibi.

The crime matches his powers,

and the guy is an ex-con.

Who was released early
for good behavior.

You know, Korber and those
other officers could've been

k*lled, too, if you hadn't intervened.

I know... I... I know
how it looks for Birch,

but there isn't any hard
evidence that he's guilty.

And last night, he
supposedly k*lled a man

and then instead of laying low,

he went back to work this morning?

As a security guard of all things?

It's just... it doesn't add up.

Yeah. Stranger things have happened.

I know, look, I-I've...

I've worked hundreds of cases like this,

and I'm telling you,
something about this just...

It doesn't feel right to me.

Okay, okay, but you know
that Birch had motive

and opportunity to commit this m*rder.

You didn't see the look on his face

when they took him from his son.

He was...

he was begging for me to
believe that he's innocent.

And you do?

I'm not sure yet.

Look, would you... would you
be willing to meet with him

to get a read on his emotions?

[sighs]

Yes, of course, I'll meet with him.

Guilty or not, everyone
deserves proper representation.

But Barry...

using my powers to read a client...

[stammers] It's an ethical
line that I can't cross.

Yeah, of course. I'm sorry. I...

I just don't wanna see
someone go to prison

for a m*rder they might
not have committed.



So Rosie, dropping out
of Cornell to become

a social media influencer took guts.

What inspired you to
make such a bold decision?

Let's just say
institutionalized learning

felt like a total prison.

Ugh. Mm-hmm.

Trust me. It's not.

[chuckles]

What my supervisor
means is that our readers

are just so eager to get to
know the real Rosie Levin.

So sorry. Will you excuse me?

Uh... [scoffs]

So sorry, I don't know
what her problem is.

Uh, now why don't you take
me through a typical day?

Lydia.

Garcia.

Oh, my God. It's so good to see you.

How are you?

Look who decided to come say hi.

I haven't seen you since Iron Heights.

At least, not in person.

Then again, your face is plastered

all over that news website.

CCC Media, yeah.

I work there now.

These days, I'm writing the headlines,

not starring in them.

Must be nice.

So you've been working
here since you got out?

No, um, my first gig was
cleaning out porta potties.

That was fun.

I guess this is kind of
like a promotion for me.

Not that you care.

What's that supposed to mean?

I get it, you're too busy
to help out old friends.

You're mad because I'm a reporter now?

Look, you got out, walked
into a legit career.

Good for you.

Meanwhile, I busted my butt
to get my GED in prison,

and look where it got me.

This is just temporary.

I mean, I'm sure you can do better.

Gee, thanks.

I didn't mean it like that.

I know what you meant.

The truth is cleaning floors
is the best job I can get

with a record like mine.

People like you don't see
who I'm trying to be...

Only who I was.

It makes it really hard, you know?

No.

I don't know.

Not yet.

But...

I'd like to try and help you.

How could you possibly help me?

Let me share your story with the world.

Trust me.



Before we get into this, I
need to know my son's okay.

The cops won't tell me anything.

Yeah, Harold is fine.

He's with Social Services,

just until they can track down his mom.

Good luck with that.

She's been in and out of
his life since he was born.

No telling when she'll turn up again.

Harold's mother... she took care of him

while you were in Iron Heights, right?

Barely.

That's why I got my act together

and got the hell out of that place.

Harold, he never forgave me

for abandoning him,
and I don't blame him.

Every second of the four
years I spent in that prison,

it's like he was serving time too.

And the thing is, Harold's a good kid.

I don't know what he did
to deserve a father like me.

Okay, why don't you tell
me what happened last night.

Stan and I got into it at the bar.

I sold him a guitar so I could
buy Harold backstage passes

to the L.I.P.S. concert,
and at the last minute,

Stan decided to only pay me
half of what we agreed on.

Then what happened?

Sure, we argued.

And yeah, I told him this wasn't over.

But then I went home.

That's the last I saw of Stan.

Is there anybody that can confirm that?

Anybody... was your son
home with you last night?

No! He was out with friends.

So unless my vinyl
collection can talk...

I got nothin'.



All right.

Listen, I've been around
long enough to know

you're about to tell me I'm screwed.

But I'm telling you, I'm innocent.

Jaco, the bartender
places you at the scene

moments before the crime.

Any jury is gonna see that
as more than enough evidence

- to convict.
- [yells]

I won't leave my son
without a dad again!

Okay?

You got that?

I wish I had something
better to tell you, Barry.

But Birch just doesn't have
the pieces that you need

to build a strong defense.

And all of the evidence,

it's still pointing
to him as the k*ller.

I know you didn't use
your abilities in there,

but what does your gut tell you?

It's telling me that whether
he is actually innocent

or not, he definitely
believes that he is.

But it's not nearly enough.

Yeah, but look, if there's any chance

he is innocent, we have to help him.

[door opens]

[suspenseful music]

What's going on?

Jaco Birch just escaped
custody en route to holding.

Was anybody hurt?

Thankfully, no, but so much for his

"I'm innocent" sob story, huh?



[gasps]

You told the cops I k*lled Stan?

Come on, man.

I only told them what I saw.

And when you think about it,
I really didn't see anything.

Hey, you and me are good, right?

I'm gonna lose my son because of you...

Because of what you said!

Hey man, relax, I...

Maybe I didn't see anything!

- [whooshing]
- Damn straight,

'cause you're gonna take it back.

You're gonna take it all back...

right now!

Wait, man! Please! [screams]

[computer whirring and beeping]

Nothing on the satellites yet.

Keep trying. We have to figure out

where Birch is going before CCPD does.

That's the only way we'll have a chance

to prove he's innocent.

I'm sorry, are we talking about the guy

who just b*rned his way

through a CCPD transport convoy?

The fact that Birch ran away
doesn't change the evidence.

There's still nothing directly
tying him to Mullen's death.

Sure, Barry, sure, but fleeing custody

is not exactly exculpatory,

and I am saying that as his lawyer.

She's right, Barr.

If Jaco Birch is innocent, why run?

Why did Frost run when
Chillblaine framed her?

Because unfortunately,
sometimes people don't get

a fair sh*t from the justice system.

Yeah, and as a former DA, I know.

I know that sometimes, it's true.

- They don't.
- Okay, but how do we know

Birch isn't the same
hothead he's always been?

I mean, he'd be halfway
across the country by now.

No, he didn't skip town...
Not without his son.

- And you know this how?
- I just do.

- Okay.
- [computer whirring and beeping]

Uh, guys. Emergency dispatch is getting

calls about a fire...

right outside O'Shaughnessy's.

What? Why would Birch go back

to the scene of the crime?

If it's really Birch.

Yeah, I'll find out.

[suspenseful music]

I'll come with you for backup.



Holy crap.

What kind of fire is this?

I think I know who this is.

Is that the witness who
pinned it on Birch...

The bartender?

You know, your innocent man, Barr,

is not looking so innocent anymore.



I thought we were supposed to
be working together on this.

Next time.

Right now, I am in the zone.

Thought I saw you two were back.

How's the interview go?

Great. I feel like this story

is exploding out of me.

So everything went well?

[sighs] Yeah.

Peachy.

Seriously, you're gonna love

what I'm doing here, I promise.

Excuse me. I just need to get some air.

[chuckles]

All right, well, I'll
let you get back to it.

I'm looking forward to
reading the finished product.

Roger that.

I got back the tomography
reports from the crime lab.

Donna Winters, the bartender who d*ed?

The thermal lesions on
her body match the marks

on Stan Mullen's body
exactly. Too exactly.

I mean, there's no pyrokinetic meta

who could replicate burns
like that even if they tried.

I... I... I told you
something about Birch's case

just wasn't adding up.

Barr, we're the ones who told Birch

that Donna blamed him
for the first m*rder,

and now Donna is dead. She's dead!

You have got to see
how that looks, right?

Yeah, but the facts are
still on Birch's side.

Neither crime scene has any

direct evidence tying him to it.

No DNA, no fingerprints, no witnesses...

That are still alive.

Barry, you gotta admit
Birch has motive...

and the more emotional he gets,
the stronger his powers are.

Like, you know, earth-shattering.

Thank goodness he wasn't
in a bad mood today.

That doesn't make him a k*ller.

[sighs]

Okay, look, we know
that you're just trying

to do the right thing here.

We do, but Barry, we can't help

but wonder if just maybe
you're not thinking clearly

about this case.

Oh, so that's it.

You've already decided
you're giving up on him.

[stammers] We're just
looking at the facts, man.

So am I.

The two exact fire signatures

makes me think Birch is not our guy.

Chester, could you please
at least take a look at this,

and see what you can find?

[inquisitive music]



Yeah, okay.

Look, I know you all thought

Birch was guilty from the start.

No, we haven't. That's not true.

Each of us have been trying
to help him from the beginning.

But then Birch ran off.

He was just trying to protect his son.

I mean, what about other suspects?

There are none.

Both victims worked at O'Shaughnessy's.

Maybe they owed somebody money
or pissed off the wrong person.

I get Birch is a known
fire meta and an ex-con.

That also makes him
the perfect fall guy.

Okay, now you think he's being framed?

I'm saying it's possible!

Look, Birch is the freaking Hotness

and a bad guy.

It feels like he's changed!

Not to us,

and honestly it feels like

you're asking us to believe

in something impossible.

Yeah, I am!

'Cause if anyone had when I was a kid,

my dad wouldn't have gone to jail.



Barry...

Barry, honey.

Look, we're sorry.

We... we... we weren't thinking.

Look, here's the deal.

I believe Birch is innocent.

So with or without your
help, I'm gonna do everything

within my power to clear his name.

[sighs]

[apprehensive music]

That looks familiar.



Been what, seven, eight years

since I've seen this board?

Except the last time, it
was covered with photos

of a different man.

Cecile told me what happened.

The team is worried about you.

No, they don't have to be. I'm fine.

No, you're not.

They don't know what today is.

I do.

February st... Henry's birthday.



I remember when he was turning ,

and your mom threw that surprise party.

The whole block showed up,

and you were baking cupcakes for weeks,

and when the big night came,

before he could even take off his coat,

the pager went off.

They actually needed him.

- He had to miss his own party.
- And you were disappointed.

Of course.

But you understood.

He was helping save
people's lives, right?

Yeah.

But Henry, he was crushed.

He was worried that

he was missing all these
moments with you and your mom.

But I told him, "Those
cupcakes might be stale now.

But you'll have more
birthdays for both of them."

Oh, there were.

That was the last one
before it happened.

- Barry!
- Dad!

Stay out of the house! Barry!

Joe, the look in my
dad's eyes that night...

It was the same look in Birch's
eyes when they arrested him.

Look of an innocent man...

desperate not to lose his son...

Begging someone to believe him.

And you do.

Yeah, I do.

I just keep thinking about
all the time my dad lost.

[sighs]

All the birthdays we spent,

separated by plexiglass.

I can't let Birch and
his son go through that

if he's innocent.

[inhales deeply]

I don't know. Maybe the team's right.

Maybe I'm making something

out of nothing.

You think maybe I've had
blinders up this whole time?

Maybe.

Or...

You can see something they can't.

Look, what you went through,
I wouldn't wish on anyone.

But what it did,

was it gave you the ability to believe

in the underdog when no
one else is willing to.

So...

If your gut tells you...

To not give up on Birch...

Then for Henry's sake, don't.

Not yet.

[cell phone chimes]

[suspenseful music]



So what do you think?

I think the lede is in the
second graph, not the first.

But besides that, it is a very engaging

and beautifully written article.

I think it's going
to open a lot of eyes.

Seriously? You like it?

Yes, I do.

But Allegra, as strong
as that article is,

that's not what I assigned you.

I know, but I have a unique insight

into Lydia, and me
connecting with this story

so much is what's gonna make
it connect with our audience.

Agreed, but I wanted you

to make this special, and
to help support a colleague.

There's some decent
writing in Taylor's article,

but it's all surface.
There's no context.

There's no examination

of Rosie's influence on young women.

Allegra, you could've made
this story so much better


if you had helped her
like I asked you to do.

Yeah.

Iris, I'm so sorry.

The interview with Rosie
wasn't going anywhere.

So you abandoned it?

I followed my instinct.

I thought that's what
you'd want me to do.

What I want is for you to
learn how to be a supervisor.

That's why I'm trying to
teach you how to mentor her.

Instead, you did just the opposite.

But...

I have an obligation to our readers

to publish the best articles that I can,

and your profile on Lydia...

is amazing.

I think it's gonna start
an important conversation.

So... [sighs] We're gonna go with it.

But next time, please run any
changes this big by me first.

And another thing: I want
you to talk to Taylor.

You're her immediate boss,
so it's up to you to fix this,

not the other way around.



Chester, what'd you find?

You were right.

Yeah, check this out.

So I cross-referenced the heat signature

from O'Shaughnessy's to
the one in the alleyway

from the second victim like you asked.

Guess what I found.

Both signatures produced
an anomalous heat effect

created by non-composites
reacting to hydrogen isotopes...

Nuclear fusion.

What you're describing is cold fusion.

But Birch's powers come
from absorbing heat,

not nuclear fusion.

Meaning...

He's innocent.

Yeah, we get this data to
CCPD, you can clear his name.

Okay, Chester, put everything
you have on a drive.

I need to get this to
Captain Kramer fast.

I need to find Birch.

[suspenseful music]

Let's hope he doesn't
do anything else stupid

before we can clear his name.



Harold, I know this is tough.

But we're gonna find
you a place to stay.

I'm here to make sure your transition

is as easy as possible, okay?

Whatever.

I'm used to Jaco being a screwup,

especially since he got his powers.



I want my son!

Now!

Harold, get out of the car.

[tense music]

Get down on your knees with
your hands above your head.

I'm not letting you cart my son off

to a bunch of strangers.

Harold!

Birch, I said get down.

[yelling] Why won't you leave me alone?

CCPD scanners have Birch

at Hastings Avenue and Nicola Lane.

Oh, man. Satellites just picked up

a city vehicle at the exact same spot.

It's a social services SUV.

He's trying to get his son.

Barry, CCPD still doesn't
know that Birch is innocent.

If he tries to take his kid by force...

We have to stop him.

Before he does something he'll regret.

Birch, listen to me.

No, you listen.

I just want my son.

Now get out of my way.



[whispering] Wait, wait. No, wait. Wait.

Harold, stay back.

She's right, son. It's too dangerous.

I'm not scared of him.

[rumbling]

Look, Harold. I know how bad this looks.

But I swear, I'd never hurt anyone.

What's wrong with you?

You get that you're
a total loser, right?

I am.

A total loser.

Have been since the day I was born.

Thought having powers
would change all that,

but all that did was make things worse.

And now they turn the only good
thing in my life against me?

- My own kid...
- [rumbling]

All I wanted when I
got out of Iron Heights

was a clean start, to
get my life together

so we could be a family!

[hard rock music]



- This is your final warning.
- Who cares?

No matter what I do, you'll
always think I'm a k*ller,

and now you wanna take
my son away forever?

Well, I won't let you!

[heroic music]

[panting]

You can't keep me from my family, Flash!

No one's taking Harold away.

I know you didn't k*ll anyone, Birch.

Your lawyer found evidence
to prove you're innocent.

But you have to stop what you're doing

before anyone gets hurt.

Okay.

All right?

[tense music]



[rumbling]

[car alarms wailing]

Oh, come on.

I'm not doing anything.

It's not what you're doing.

It's what you already did.

- [rumbling]
- [car alarms wailing]

Officer, get them to safety!



Thanks for the save!

Birch, your heat
abilities, they're connected

to the earth beneath
wherever you're standing.

Uh, yeah, science is not my strong suit.

But yeah, okay. I'll
buy that for a dollar.

He means emotionally.

Ooh... right.

Chester, can you scan for
thermal activity below us?

Yeah, yeah.

Merry Mack Gibson Jr.

Kay, there's a volcano's worth of magma

erupting beneath the city's lower crust.

When Birch was upset, he
must've absorbed so much heat

from the planet's core that
he opened up a lava channel.

Flash, if you can't stop
this in the next seconds,

Central City's gonna
turn into Mount Doom.



Officer, get them back!

Flash, you gotta do something.

I know this is all my fault.

You and everyone in this city,

my son,

he can't die because of me.

You gotta save him.

No, you have to save him.

Look, I've got an idea.

If it works, there's
gonna be a huge release

of pressure forming beneath us.

When that happens, I need you
to absorb the remaining heat.

I've never done anything
like that before.

You can do this.

I know you can.

Hey, ten seconds. Time
to ride or die, people.

[rumbling]



Let's rock.

[Loosely Tight's "Through
Thick N' Thin" plays]

♪ Whoa! ♪

Where'd he go?

I... I don't know, but
I'm detecting new activity

right under the surface.

meters down.

No, no, wait. meters down.

♪ Let me rock ♪

meters. meters.

Whoa, hey, Flash is doing
his thing underground, y'all.

So get ready.



Yeah!



♪ Let me rock ♪



Yes!

Yes. Yes!

You don't see that every day.

[heroic music]

Not that I'm complaining,
but how'd you do that?

I phased into the water
table under the city

then released it directly
into the lava channel.

That stopped a meltdown, but
not the massive heat exchange

that was being released...

One I couldn't stop,
but I knew Birch could.

Otherwise, everybody
within a ten block radius...

Would've been fried
like a bananas foster

in the French Quarter.

Mark and I are goin'
to Mardi Gras next year.

Okay.

Wait, so saving hundreds of lives...

Try thousands.

Saving that many lives
is what I just did?

Yeah.

Looks like you're the father
Harold deserves after all.

You okay?

You used your powers again.

I know.

- I know, I...
- To save us.



Thanks, Dad.

I love you.

I love you.



[sentimental music]



Okay. Okay!

Social Services is on
their way with Harold.

They should be here any minute.

[sighs]

I can't believe they're
actually letting me

have custody of my son.

That evidence you found saved my ass.

Plus, Harold is almost ,

and Judge Hankerson let him
decide where he wanted to be.

And you know with his mom being...

MIA as always?

You and Harold are
getting another chance...

A real one, this time.

It's all because of you two.

And The Flash.

Yeah, but you're the one who told him

not to give up on me.

- I'm just really grateful.
- Oh, yeah.

Thanks. Thank you.

If there's ever anything
I can do for you,

just let me know.

Just be there for Harold.



You okay?

I will be.

Hey there, kiddo.

Hey.

Come on.

Dinner is on me.

We got a lot to catch up on.



Barry, they are gonna be all right.

I guess the real question is...

are you?



Come to gloat?

No.

Kind of the opposite.

I guess you saw the first article

for our new profile section.

You mean yours?

Taylor, I know how this looks,

and... I wanna apologize.

Yes, Iris loves the Sanchez story,

but we are running your piece
on Rosie Levin next week.

And our audience deserves to read it.

Thanks.

So tell me... what did I do to deserve

getting stabbed in the
back by my own supervisor?

Iris assigned you to
help me, not run me over,

which is exactly what you did.

I didn't mean to, and you're right.

I shouldn't have done that.

I just... I got excited,
and I guess I felt like

Lydia's story was something
our readers needed right now.

And that's how I felt about my story.

Iris did too, until you called
in a favor with the boss.

Guess you learned that in prison.

[chuckles]

You're right.

I got lost in a great story...

You stole my byline!

Taylor, we are still
publishing your article.

Because Iris is a journalist with ethics.

Something you are clearly lacking.

Fine.

Good to know.

Look.

I messed up.

I said I'm sorry.

It won't happen again.

But I am still your supervisor.

So I'm hoping we can get past this.

Okay?

[tense music]

I'm gonna destroy you.

Yeah?



Shouldn't we be toasting with champagne?

Mm-mm. Plain, old light beer.

That was Henry's favorite.

I used to give him hell about it.

I'd say, "You're a doctor.

You should have better taste,"

and he'd laugh, and he'd say,

"Oh, I'll drink something more
expensive when you buy it."

[laughter]

Do you guys remember
when Henry filled in

on Dad's softball team?

Oh, my gosh. What a disaster.

What? What happened?

Well, even as a kid, I knew that

you're not supposed catch a ball

- with your face.
- [laughs]

Oh, no!

No, really?

Yeah, right in the nose.

Good thing, as a doctor,

he was able to reset it himself.

[laughs]

[sentimental music]

Hey, baby, you okay?

Yeah, no, it's...

It's just nice to hear everybody

remember him this way.

What do you remember the most?

Oh, little things mostly.

[laughs]

Um, he never made me
clean my plate at dinner,

even when all I'd eat were carbs,

like mac and cheese

or those Hawaiian dinner rolls.

Mmm...

I kept asking him to read me

the same bedtime story over and over.

It was the one about the
hippo who went to school

and made cookies for everyone
and then became their friends.

I can see how ridiculous
that must have been now.

Well, I'm sure he enjoyed it.

Mostly, I just remembered being loved.

I still miss him.

Every day.

And that is okay.

Yeah.

Well, um, happy birthday, Dad.



So if Birch didn't k*ll
those two, then who did?

I've checked every
fire-based meta-human in here.

Everyone's either still at
Iron Heights or alibi'd up.

So what do we do now?

I know what Joe would say.

No suspects?

Then shift your focus

to where it matters... the victims.

But Stan and Donna were different ages,

races, and genders.

But they both worked at O'Shaughnessy's.

So the k*ller's a disgruntled employee?

Or they were chosen at random,

and we're still missing something.

[suspenseful music]

What are you thinkin'?

Chester, the cold fusion data
we pulled off the bodies...

Could your program those
variables into the satellites?

Sure. What am I looking for?

More victims.

If there's a meta
serial k*ller out there,

we need to find them...

Before somebody else gets hurt.
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