Things You Can't Outrun

"Things You Can't Outrun" is the third episode of the CW series The Flash. The episode was written by Alison Schapker and Grainne Godfree and directed by Jesse Warn. It was first broadcast on October 21, 2014 in The CW. The show is itself a spin-off of the show Arrow, where many characters in the series were introduced during the second season. The episode revolves about Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), a CSI forensic scientist working for the Central City Police Department. The S.T.A.R. Labs team is currently investigating the rampage of a man who seems to control gases and smokes to kill the people who sentenced him to jail. Meanwhile, Wells and Cisco consider using the particle accelerator as a jail for the metahumans, reminding Caitlin when her fiancée died trying to stop the explosion of the particle accelerator. Meanwhile, Iris and Eddie consider telling Joe about their relationship.

The episode received positive reviews, with critics stating that the series has found a balance after three episodes.

Plot
A crime family gathers in a restaurant when suddenly, a green smoke appears in the restaurant and kills them all. While investigating the scene, Barry Allen suggests to Joe West that a metahuman that can cause gases may be involved as the doors and windows were bulletproof and closed. Joe also tells Barry that he will reopen Nora's murder in order to free his dad from jail.

Upon seeing that Iron Heights Penitentiary may not hold the metahumans, Harrison Wells and Cisco Ramon propose using the particle accelerator as a jail, causing a trauma to Caitlin Snow. In a flashback to 9 months ago, the particle accelerator is successfully launched and everyone celebrates. However, wine began levitating and alarms were heard. In an attempt to shut it down, her fiancée Ronnie Raymond entered the particle accelerator but was killed in the process.

In a mall elevator, a woman is killed by a man using green smoke. Barry finds the man being formed by the smoke, rather than controlling it. He fights him but he transforms into smoke before he is attacked and spreads gas on Barry. Barry arrives at S.T.A.R. Labs and is forced to administer an antidote and take a sample from his blood. After investigation, they find the man is Kyle Nimbus, he was a hitman for the crime family but he was arrested and the family testified against him and he was supposedly executed when the particle accelerator exploded. This explains that the woman was the judge who gave the sentence and the family. They deduce that the officer who arrested him may be the next target. To Barry's shock, Joe is the one who arrested him.

Joe is visiting Henry Allen, who tells him that he reopened the investigation of Nora Allen's death and to clear his name. Suddenly, Nimbus appears and poisons Joe. Barry gives him the antidote and goes after Nimbus. The team deduce that if Nimbus keeps trying hard in catch him, then he will lose his power. Barry then lures him on a chase in the road, where he manages to overexert himself and Barry punches him to finally detain him.

In the hospital, Iris and Eddie prepare to tell him of their relationship but Joe reveals he already knew and although a bit upset, he gives them his blessing. Meanwhile, Nimbus is transferred to the new cells in S.T.A.R. Labs, which proves to be efficient in keeping him. Another flashback reveals that during the particle accelerator explosion, Wells entered in his secret room and saw camera footage showing Barry getting hit by the lighting. He states that they will see soon.

Broadcast
"Things You Can't Outrun" was first aired in the United States on The CW on October 21, 2014. It was aired alongside the US broadcast in Canada on CTV.

Home media
The episode, along with the rest of The Flash's first season, was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 22, 2015. Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel. On October 6, 2015, the episode became available for streaming on Netflix.

Ratings
The episode was watched by 3.59 million viewers with a 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demographics. This was a 16% decrease in viewership from the pilot, which was watched by 4.27 million viewers with a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographics. The Flash ranked as the most watched program on The CW in the day, beating Supernatural and also the most watched in the week, beating Arrow.

Critical response
"Things You Can't Outrun" received positive reviews from critics. Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.3 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "'Things You Can't Outrun' proved that this show can get by just fine focusing on the supporting cast as much as it does Barry Allen. Thanks to the copious flashbacks we learned more about what drives Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells and saw Ronnie Raymond make his big debut. It would be nice if the same level of attention could be paid to the villains one of these weeks, but hopefully it's only a matter of time."

The A.V. Club's Scott Von Doviak gave the episode a "B-" grade and wrote, "Three episodes in, The Flash remains the most likeable superhero show on television, but it's also flirting with becoming the most formulaic. It's way too early to say the show is stuck in a rut, and there is some forward movement on a few plot strands, but the general contours of 'Things You Can't Outrun' line up pretty closely with what we've seen already. We've got another freak of the week plucked from deep in the DC Comics vault, another pep talk for Barry when he feels being a superhero is too much for him to handle, and another tag scene with Dr. Wells being ambiguously futuristic and evil."

Chancellor Agard of Entertainment Weekly stated: "Superhero shows and movies live and die on the strength of their supporting casts. Because these stories are so larger-than-life, it's important the supporting characters be developed enough to ground the comic book action: Smallville had Lex, Chloe, Lois, and Clark’s parents, and Arrow has Felicity and Diggle. The main problem with The Flash — which, admittedly, is only three episodes in — has been how unremarkable the people around Barry (who aren't Detective Joe West and Dr. Harrison Wells) have been. 'Things You Can’t Outrun' takes some necessary steps toward solving this problem and also gives us a better sense of what The Flash's low-key episodes will look like."

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "With these first three episodes as an admittedly small sample, I would say the strengths of 'The Flash' trend more towards the fun than the angst — that's what 'Arrow' is for — but I also recognize the danger of making the show feel lightweight rather than light. Plus, the show has a bunch of good dramatic actors to work with, and the fact that there are clear stakes in turn makes the lighter and/or triumphant moments have more impact. It's a balance that Berlanti and company will have to carefully maintain going forward, but it's worked for the most part so far."