Jessie Robertson reviews the season one finale of The Flash…
Let’s just start by saying this finale was awesome! I needed a change of pants after it was over. Not only did it deliver on story, gravitas, & emotion, but the special effects were of another stratosphere and the music was so damn epic, I felt like I was watching a big budget film at times. Kudos and 1,000,000 points to Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti.
As we open “Fast Enough”, we get a new age spin on the Old West faceoff; Barry opens the Vault under Star Labs and reveals Wells inside. But, in typical Flash fashion, instead of tough talk between two gunslingers, they break it up with levity; Wells is upset Barry didn’t bring Big Belly Burger (a Central City specialty) because “we’re out of cows in our time,” which we find out is 136 years later (that would be the year 2,151) This whole episode centers around one decision, and to the show’s credit, it’s the conflict at the epicenter of the whole show, from pilot forward: Barry, with Thawne’s guidance, can go back in time and save his mother. But should he do it?
As Thawne digs deep into Exposition-Land, I wrote in my notebook, “is Thawne Barry’s ally here?—> NO!” But, as the episode winds down, you do see a changed man, at least on the surface. As Barry struggles with the monumental decision facing him, he goes to the people he loves and cares for in his time of need: Cisco, Joe, his father, Iris, even Wells to a point. Besides the amazing special effects and THAT Speed Force scene (which we’ll get to), the moments with Joe and Henry are both heart-wrenching and some of the best work done this season (shout outs to Jesse L. Martin and John Wesley Shipp). Both men have played their roles with a dignity and weight that no other super-hero property can give and it’s a credit to the casting of this show to have these two involved. They’re both Barry’s father, in many ways, and both make the sacrificial decision: Joe says Barry should do it, which if it works, would erase their whole life together. Henry, on the other hand, tells Barry no; move forward, continue on the path the tragic event lead you on because he’s so proud of his son, even hoping Barry has his own children so he can know where Henry’s coming from. Such great moments and Grant Gustin’s reactions during both were spot on.
There are also some great moments with Iris, where Barry almost pleads with her to tell him what to do; and she does, in her own way. Again, just as with Grodd, Iris is Barry’s guiding light and he decides (so we think) to go through with it. Candice Patton, who’s a beautiful woman, hasn’t always had the best material this season, but she comes through more often than not. Iris and nice guy Eddie get a great reunion after Professor Stein tells Eddie he’s the most interesting piece of this messed up puzzle; despite what Thawne tells him, he’s the wildcard, which completely changes his outlook on his situation with Iris. I do love that Iris doesn’t take the prophecy that seriously; even joking with Barry about hyphenating her name and how it’s not her. She tells Eddie she believes she’s in charge of her own destiny, and now Eddie does too, which makes his ultimate sacrifice to finish Thawne off even that much more bittersweet of a moment. It’s a tremendous story arc for a great character that I’ve sang the praises of all season.
So, the plan is for Barry to run at Mach-2 speed, hit the hydrogen particle and travel back in time to stop Thawne from killing his mother; as he does that, Thawne will be boarded upon a time machine (another Cisco original) and jettison back to his time. Stein’s second loop-hole that this chain of events could open a black hole that they’ll need to close within 1 minute and 52 seconds (nice DC Comics nod there) or it will begin to engulf Central City and possibly the planet. I kept thinking, with all these negatives, “Just don’t do it!” But, Barry follows through in his plan. It’s kind of cool; there are so many doubts along the way but once he starts to run, Barry hits the MACH-2 speed needed right away. NOW….Let’s Talk about that Speed Force scene!
As Barry is running, he’s opening up a gateway to time itself. Thawne is guiding him, telling him to keep focus because all around him he’s seeing possible futures. What could be in those futures? Well, Easter Eggs abound: First one we see is Caitlin, transformed into her comic books super villain ego Killer Frost! Then, we get a look at the Flash Museum, a legendary place in Central City that houses all of the Flash’s trophies, memorabilia and history. Then, we get a shot of Barry in jail! Whoa, Season 2 maybe? It’s an amazing scene that only gets better when Thawne readies himself into Cisco’s time machine. He name drops Rip Hunter, who will be one of the stars of Legends of Tomorrow (which Barry also saw some of the action from the trailer during his run) but as Thawne readies himself to leave, we see a winged metal helmet come through the portal, which could only belong to yet another Flash, Jay Garrick, who’s actually the original Flash, but it looks like he’ll be the Flash of the future in the show! Great teaser.
When the big moment finally arrives, I was on the edge of my seat. Barry has to turn his head from the doorway, as future Barry tells him not to look, when his mother is stabbed by Thawne. Barry then cradles his mother, and speaks to her, and lets her know it’s him and everything will be alright. Barry lets her die, just as he’s supposed to. He sacrificed everything just to be able to say goodbye and become at peace with the way his life has turned out. It’s a beautifully tragic moment and really, again, separates this show from so many others with its mix of action, sci-fi and emotional heft.
Speaking of action, Barry hurtling through the black hole with a super uppercut smashing through the time machine and decking Thawne was Amaze-Balls! We do get another, quick fight between the two but it’s Eddie’s sacrifice that is able to erase Thawne from existence. Eddie tells Iris he’s finally the hero and as the black hole closes, it sucks Eddie into it. But, the black hole reopens moments later, becoming a “singularity” whatever the hell that is, and starts destroying Central City. Barry has but once choice; to stop it. And he super-speeds up a building and into the sky, literally running on air to close this thing as the season comes to a close. Those last few moments (as unsatisfying as they may be to instant gratifiers everywhere) were summer blockbuster epic, the music, the scope. If the CW was trying to end this show on a major bang, it did that in spades. It’s a strange ending though; because it could play into what happens next season, or it could have been just the last action piece to show off the Flash’s skills for the season.
The only thing that didn’t work for me was the rushed wedding of Robbie and Caitlin; he gives her a completely generic, ham-fisted “I love you “speech after having abandoned her for 6 months, then they get married on Star Labs Lawn? While Robbie’s in his zip-up hoodie he wore to breakfast? With Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over playing – very strange choice.
(Quick) Other Notes:
– Cisco was affected by the Particle Accelerator: great scene with himself and Thawne where Thawne tells him he suspected it all along, after Cisco recounts his horrifying recurring dream of Thawne killing him.
– Iris thought her moniker “The Streak” had pizzazz
– While walking through Cisco’s lab, we get a peak of a more rubbery Flash mask; next season?
– “So long and thanks for all the Fish”, Cisco utters which is apparently a line from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
– Joe’s quivering lip made a comeback for the finale.
– When Cisco tells Barry “May the Speed-Force be with You” I was like, Why hasn’t he said that yet????
Alright Flash fans, that wraps up Season One, which was epic. We’ll be back for Season 2 in the summer; stay tuned to our main page for updates on casting, story and other details as we learn about them. Thanks for reading!
Jessie Robertson
https://youtu.be/8HTiU_hrLms?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published May 20, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
