The Agents of SHIELD can stand down . Constantine the Great can go to Hades . Daredevil got the turd kicked out of it . And Arrow ? You just got outshot by your short brother . The Flash finale was n’t quite utter , but it showed exactly why it ’s the best laughable rule book show presently on TV .
I know I ’m frequently guilty of hyperbole , so some of you may be mainlining cereal of salt aright now . That ’s fine . Again , let me emphasise that “ libertine Enough ” was definitely not unflawed , and suffered from some of the same problem that have chivy the serial all time of year . Also , since it was an episode in the first place about time traveling , it probably should n’t scandalise you to study that some of the plotting also did n’t make much sense . Crazy , I know ! And yet it still end up being my favorite hour of superhero TV all year .
If you were wondering what The Flash finish would be about , since Wells was captured last episode , and all the previews basically showed Barry trying to decide whether to run back in clip to redeem his mom — well , that ’s almost entirely it . The Crux Australis of the episode is Barry endeavor to decide whether he should use his power to save his female parent ’s liveliness . He mouth with Joe , his Father of the Church , Wells , Iris and the others in orderliness to come to a decision . On the one hand , he can deliver his momma ’s life ! Not only exculpate his father , but keep him from going to poky at all ! He ’s been trying to figure out a manner to prove his dad ’s purity his entire life , and suddenly he ’s come across he has to power to fundamentally save his entire family .
Of course , there ’s a cost , and it ’s one explored in the prolonged but excellent build - up to the sequence ’s flood tide . The first trouble is that it ’s choke to allow Eobard Thawne to return to the future , and giving a supervillain what he wants is never optimum . There ’s also the problem that if Barry does n’t reach at least Mach 2 when hitting the particle , he ’s dead as hell . And then there ’s the teensy problem that Barry will essentially be creating a wormhole which may turn into a singularity which will destroy the intact planet . I conceive it ’s jolly obvious that the prominent flaw of “ Fast Enough ” is that drama aside , Barry ’s attempt to economize his mom is obviously a terrible musical theme . The hazard of destroying the entire major planet is perfectly not worth the fortune of make unnecessary his mom ’s life , and Barry really should n’t be weighing his options at all , particularly given all the other issues rewrite the past could — and will — induce .
Unexpectedly , “ riotous Enough ” manages to outdistance ( eh ? Get it ? ) this plot trouble by bringing actual , emotional depth to Barry ’s myriad vista where he talks with his family , friend , and archenemy . This has never been The Flash ’s strength , as pretty much any scene between Barry and Iris this time of year ( up to Iris realizing the Flash ’s indistinguishability a couple of weeks ago ) has demonstrated . But here , somehow , every Barry scene rings honest — as well as the Barry - less setting , too .
Honestly , I feel like strain to recapitulate every conversation does them a disservice , because they ’re all so ripe . How about the everlasting rancour in Wells ’ voice when he explains to Barry how he can move back through time ? Or when Barry admit that bringing back his mom would erase his clip with Joe and Iris , and they have a dolorous so long ? Or when Dr. Stein gives a strangely authoritative peppiness talk to Eddie , because he ’s a “ waste identity card ” in these legal proceeding ? Or when Barry ’s actual father , played by John Wesley Shipp , begs Barry not to go back to alter the past , even though it would think of he never went to prison , because he ’s just so damn majestic of Barry in this timeline ? ( Jesus , all John Wesley Shipp does in this Flash series is schmaltz , and it gets me every metre because he ’s awing . ) Or when Iris , in what may be the first scene where she and Barry in reality seem like best supporter , assure Barry she ’ll support him whatever he decides ?
Hell , I was even moved when Eddie , empowered with the cognition that he ’s master of his own lot , decided to woo back Iris , and successfully at that — a welcome conclusion , because The Flash had definitely not earned a Barry - Iris match - up yet . About the only scene that fell flat for me is when Ronnie Raymond and Caitlin Snow conjoin outdoors of STAR Labs , as its quick , perfunctory , and strangely jubilant give the fact that Barry is about to either rewrite all of story or destroy the planet . It seems like the vista is essentially meant to serve to show Barry how his decision could substantially interpolate the life history of his Friend , and potentially plume them of the felicity they ’ve managed to reach in their life history . Indeed , Barry looks noisome throughout the intact ceremony .
After a season full of a lot of unearned emotional moments , having these scenes hit one after another is reasonably stunning . So despite the fact Barry was endangering the entire planet to save his mom — a profoundly dumb musical theme — I was on the edge of my seat , waiting to see what would happen when Barry finally decides to lead into the past . What happen is this :
Barry enter the Speed Force — more on that below — and ends up in his theater the night of his female parent ’s slaying . He sees his succeeding self fighting the Reverse - Flash , but his succeeding self catches a glimpse of him hide in another room , and motions for him to stay - put . I had assumed that Future Barry was just telling Present Barry to wait until Future Barry and Future Reverse - Flash had left , but Present Barry knows that Future Barry is telling him he ca n’t change the timeline . And Barry is force to mind and wait as the Reverse - Flash kills his mother .
But at least this time , Barry is capable to talk with his mom in her finale moment . He unveil his identity , she of course is n’t regulate at the fact a grown - up version of her 10 - year - previous son wearing a full - body leather suit has broken into her house , Barry gets to tell her he ’ll be fine even though she ’s gone , and it ’s a goddamn emotional scenery , using Grant Gustin ’s tendency to meet these form of moments broadly to its full advantage . Here , Barry can call in joy at reuniting with his mom and gloominess at being push to lose her again and it work pretty much perfectly .
And then Barry go into the nowadays and plug the Reverse - Flash right in his face . Also his time machine .
Yes , if Barry ca n’t carry through his mom , he sees no reason why Eobard Thawne should get to return to the future as well . Flash battles Reverse - Flash throughout the corpuscle throttle valve as the SuperSTARS desperately try out to fold the wormhole ; they come through , but without Arrow and Firestorm , the Flash still ca n’t overcome Eobard on his own . So before he deliver the killing blow , the infuriated Reverse - Flash rent Barry know he ’s decease to kill all of his booster and family for destroying his fortune to go home , including Iris . So a hero rises .
It ’s Eddie Thawne .
Who shoots himself in the pectus .
In retrospect , I ca n’t believe I did n’t see this coming — it was foreshadowed understandably enough with Dr. Stein ’s pep talk — but it never occurred to me that Eddie would commit felo-de-se for keep Eobard , his descendent , from ever being born . It ’s a heroic move , but it ’s also the only way anyone has of hold on Eobard / Wells with the Flash defeated . And Eddie does n’t pause . He gets a final , touching , and incredibly wacky second with Iris , Eobard is rub out from reality , but the wormhole reopen and begins suck the great unwashed , buildings and prominent chunks of Central City into it . But there ’s not a destructive instinctive phenomenon the Flash ca n’t fix by run really fast , so he sprints up the debris ( which is pretty goddamn cool ) and start range count - clockwise , just as he did with the Weather Wizard ’s first crack in The Flash premiere . And that ’s where “ Fast Enough ” end .
So let ’s just get the dubiousness out of the way . If Eobard never existed , does n’t that mean he also never lead back to the past ? Is n’t the timeline going to be rewritten anyways ? Does this think the Flash ’s mamma is alive ? Does this intend the original Harrison Wells is also alive ? Will Barry return to a wholly different timeline than the one he left ? If Eddie only kill himself to delete Eobard , does n’t that stand for if Eobard does n’t exist Eddie does n’t need to kill himself , which think Eobard finally gets take over anyways ? Paradox !
Here ’s the fun part : I do n’t deal . Okay , I care in the sensory faculty that I desperately want Tom Cavanaugh to return in The Flash season 2 , either as Wells or Thawne , and I ’d be delighted if actor Rick Cosnett amount back , because I love how The Flash deny to make Eddie anything other than an unequivocally good guy . But all those time change of location query ? Whatever . Virtually any time traveling fib is going to raise these variety of impossibility , especially in The Flash , where the science is n’t so much fast and loose as it is “ ornamental . ” The Flash has always succeeded for me with its unfearing willingness to put the most mirthful Scripture - y of risible Holy Writ stories n TV silver screen — the Reverse - Flash , Grodd , all these prison term traveling shenanigans to name but a few — and as I ’ve always read , I ’m willing to suspend any amount of unbelief as long as I ’m being entertained , and The Flash is usually harbor as hell .
Where “ Fast Enough ” improves on most Flash episodes is by adding genuinely poignant dramatic event to its unabashed dear of superhero comic plot of ground . The fact that Barry is pain over the conclusion whether to not to save his female parent , and genuinely mourn the possibility that he might have to destroy his relationship with Joe makes the story about a dude running so tight he goes back in time so much more compelling . I hate to use a fastness pun — just kidding , it ’s remove all of my willpower not to flood this recapitulation with them — but combining the two helps put The Flash into another gear .
The other intellect The Flash has been such a delight is because of its willingness to at once appeal to comic book fans with easter egg after easter testis , while being restrained enough to keep them from being totally distract or baffling for non - nerdy - audiences . In that respect , “ Fast Enough ” was a master class in how to make a show that can appeal to mass audience while stimulate nerds absolutely suffer their turd . Here is just a brief list , because they ’re each too awesome to be relegated to Assorted Musings :
• When he ’s run into scenes of the yesteryear , present and future in the Speed Force , he very definitely catches a glimpse of Caitlin as Killer Frost .
• When he see his next version fighting the Reverse - Flash in the past , the succeeding Flash has his iconic white - background lightning bolt symbol on his chest . I do n’t just know how such a pernicious change take in such a remainder , but it look totally awesome .
• He also run across the Flash Museum , with the jumbo golden Flash statue out front . I honestly think the show is going to put all of the Flash ’s Silver Age insanity on screen , and I could n’t be happy .
• Eobard order that Rip Hunter would be impressed with Cisco ’s small prison term automobile , Rip Hunter apparently being the discoverer of the time car and and one of the approaching star of fable of Tomorrow .
• Dr. Stein thinks about yelling “ Excelsior ! ” if the wormhole works . The Flash , you are the best .
• Cisco postulate Wells about his Flash suit pack , but then decide he does n’t want to have intercourse . I love being completely safe in get it on that Cisco will have made a working Flash hoop by season 3 at the latest .
• And allow ’s not forget that Cisco ’s power to remember here and now in the alternate timeline means he has power he has n’t discovered . I love that this is n’t just a nod to Vibe , the superhero he will finally be , but that it in reality explains something I had simply assumed was a snatch of sloppy committal to writing .
• And last and absolutely not least , when Eobard is standing in front of the portal to the Speed Force , a certain fly hat flies out . It ’s the helmet of the Golden Age Flash , Jay Garrick , the one from the ‘ 40s . The idea that somewhere in the Flash ’s TV multiverse there ’s a world where the Flash came into being in the forties ( and lost his hat ) is astounding . You have intercourse what ’s even more awesome ? I honestly recollect The Flash could figure out how to bring Jay Garrick onto the show and have him not be utterly incomprehensible for fresh viewers . And that , my friends , is amazing all by itself .
possibly Daredevil is getting mettlesome , naturalistic superheroes proper . Maybe Agents of SHIELD has the weight of the mammoth Marvel Cinematic Universe behind it . Maybe Grant Gustin is n’t as perfect as Barry Allen is as Matt Ryan is as Constantine . And possibly Arrow is good at developing its extended form . perhaps Gotham … uh … also has some form of quality that has slipped my judgment .
But there is no superhero show on idiot box that is more fun , more nerd - accommodating and that better encapsulates what makes superhero cartoon strip so unique and democratic than The Flash . It is n’t perfect , but frankly , but it ’s so far ahead of the other mirthful book television receiver series it does n’t have to be .
It ’s tight enough already .
Assorted reflection :
• personal credit line of the night : EVERYTHING HARRISON WELLS SAID .
• Second Place Line of the Night : Dr. Stein , after Eddie tells him about the paper from the future : “ And I have a mug that read World ’s Best Boss on it . I doubt my teaching assistant would certify to its authenticity . ”
• Worst Line of the Night : Caitlin : “ What ’s a uniqueness ? ” Oh come on , Flash . You could n’t give this line to one of the many non - scientists in the room ? Caitlin would know what a goddamn singularity is . I love what a uniqueness is and I ’m an moron .
• Douglas Adams Reference of the Night : Cisco : “ So long and thanks for all the fish ! ” Like all rightful nerds , Cisco is drop dead to make Hitchhiker ’s Guide references whether anybody realize them or not .
• FYI , I grabbed that mental image of Jay Garrick ’s Helmet from Gamma Squad , who have a photo gallery of many of the episode ’s easter eggs . insure it out here !
• You know how we were told we ’d get our first smell at the Legends of Tomorrow legends in this close ? Well , we get a coup d’oeil of Hawkgirl sans extension , a Captain Cold slam , and that ’s pretty much it . Sigh .
• Eddie ’s trunk is suck into the wormhole , and the show make indisputable we see it happening . Well , I ca n’t reckon that wo n’t have ramification down the line !
Guys , it ’s been a genuine pleasure recapping these episodes for you ; I desire you ’ve enjoy them as much as I have . I ’ll see you hombre in the fall for the season 2 premiere . Until then , may the Speed Force be with you .
connect with the author at[email protected ] .
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