Previously on "The Flash" (Part 5 - Finale)

Today, I will be wrapping up this series on my reflections on some of my favorite moments from the TV show “The Flash”.  As I said back in part 1, “The Flash” is actually a spin-off of “Arrow”.  “Arrow” featured the adventures of Oliver Queen/the Green Arrow, a character played excellently by Stephen Amell.  “Arrow” ran 8 seasons, and went on to have several other spin-off shows.  There was “Legends of Tomorrow”, “Supergirl”, and “Batwoman”.  Even Jefferson Pierce, the protagonist from the show “Black Lightning” appeared with Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen and the others a few times.  Someone dubbed this shared universe of shows the “Arrowverse” and the name stuck.  So the conclusion of “The Flash” truly marks the end of an era.

Season 8 thoughts I left off with season 7; on to season 8.  I could go on and on with examples of why I think season 8 is quite good.  I could discuss the episode of just as Barry’s late dad’s – Henry Allen – birthday rolls around, a man is wrongfully accused of a violent crime; no one but Barry believes he is innocent.  He saw it in the man’s eyes, as he had in his dad’s years earlier.  Barry uses his keen CSI mind to solve the case, and exonerate the man.  Or I could detail the events that led to (spoiler alert!) the shocking death of one of Team Flash’s own.  I really should describe the epic two-part season finale; but suffice to say, Barry ultimately defeated Tom Cavanagh’s Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash in a gripping and satisfying way.

But it’s the five-part season premiere from season 8 – titled “Armageddon” – that sets the stage for this fine season.  A being from the future named Despero (portrayed superbly by Tony Curran) tells Barry that he has seen how, in the year 2031, future Barry went mad and ushered in chaos and destruction, that is Armageddon.  This mysterious figure warns that if he sees this tendency in the Flash, he will end him.  Stunning negative event after stunning negative event subsequently occurs; it all makes even Barry himself start to believe the prophecy.  As it turned out, it was all Eobard Thawne, in a brilliant, manipulative plan to make Barry doubt his own sanity.  He travels to 2031 to see the coming Armageddon for himself, and the full scope of Thawne’s plan.  It takes a whole episode to untangle it all. 

In the concluding episode of the Armageddon saga, Despero warns Team Flash that Eobard Thawne should not be permitted to live.  Some on the team agree with him.  They all grapple with what the right thing to do is.  This was compelling as it reminded me of the “why doesn’t Batman kill the Joker” question.  Ever the hero, even after all the pain and suffering Thawne caused, Barry chooses to save Eobard Thawne’s life, by taking away his speed.  It’s the noble choice.  But of course, doing so sets up their next confrontation, which occurs in the two-part season finale.  I came across this quote from Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A; he once stated, “Each person’s destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice.”

Season 9 thoughts I should mention for the record that I haven’t seen any episodes of the 9th season yet, but I am very much looking forward to seeing this final chapter.  I came across an intriguing article that highlighted the guest stars that will apparently return again in season 9 (the article I’m referring to can be found at this link.  I couldn’t possibly name them all here, but the names Tom Cavanagh and Matt Letscher in particular caught my eye.  Candidly, after witnessing the epic story in the season 8 finale, I confess I was surprised to learn of Cavanagh’s Thawne returning.  But, first of all, the writers didn’t know at the time whether there would even be a season 9.  And second, how could you conclude the show without Eobard Thawne?  He is the main villain of the entire series. 

As for Matt Letscher, he played a prominent villain periodically throughout the series.  In season 8, he appeared yet again.  He was portraying the same character as always, but he was actually a good guy.  Thanks to multiple existences of this character in the multiverse (and the love of a good woman) there was a version of him where he was good and decent.  This story was another example of a good story in season 8.  So it’s interesting Letscher will be returning as well.  Assuming he will play the same character again, I wonder if he will be the good version of the character or the villainous one.

In conclusion, I don’t know what season 9 will look like, but ultimately Barry Allen’s heroic legacy will endure.  Is Barry perfect?  Hardly.  He’s not perfect, just as the writing for the show hasn’t been perfect.  Even so, I thought of Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen when I read this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson; “The purpose of life is not to be happy.  It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well” (quoted by Tim Tebow in his book “Shaken”).  May those words be descriptive of you and me both.

Kevin