"The Flash" finishes its run

This week, the series finale of the TV show “The Flash” aired.  Or as I said in the title, "The Flash" finishes its run (and there’s a built-in joke there; I hope you got it).  While I have not seen the entire 9th season yet, I did have the chance to see the finale.  I wanted to share some of my thoughts.  I do this because, from what I’ve seen online, the reaction to the finale seems to be lukewarm.  My opinion is that this series finale was good – not great by any means – but certainly not bad.  Let me begin to unpack why I think the reception has been mixed.

Number one: I think it is a possibility that there were casual viewers who knew the show was ending, so they tuned in, only to be completely lost as to what was happening.  To fully grasp how good Flash’s finale was, you had to have knowledge of prior storylines, some of them going back all the way to the first season! There was an episodic structure that took years to build.  Even the finale itself wasn’t really a standalone story; it was an epic four-part saga titled “A new world”.  It would be like trying to watch “Avengers: Endgame” with little knowledge of the cinematic universe that had already transpired.

Secondly, I think some tuned in expecting Flash to have an epic fight with his greatest enemy – the Reverse-Flash.  But that battle actually occurred at the conclusion of season 8 (don’t forget the writers didn’t know if season 9 was even going to happen at that time).  Yes, Reverse-Flash did appear in the finale, but in my opinion, his appearance was just a distraction.  Both he, as well as past evil speedsters from the series mysteriously reemerge, but they all felt like glorified cameos to me; they really did nothing but serve as a plot point for the main villain of the finale – the formidable Cobalt Blue.

Furthermore, once again let me state it for the record, the finale actually took four parts.  And part 1 of the saga, subtitled “reunions”, had Barry sent back in time.  While there, who should he run into but Reverse-Flash?  Incidentally, I think this first story is absolutely incredible.  I could go on and on with it, but I wouldn’t dare reveal any more surprises.  Ultimately, Barry outsmarts Reverse-Flash.  Therefore, someone looking for a satisfying standalone Flash/Reverse-Flash battle in season 9, should look no further than Part 1 of the finale, “Reunions”.

Number three: the last battle in “The Flash” was powerful.  Being careful to avoid spoilers, the alter ego of Cobalt Blue was a good man (I’ll call him John Doe just for a placeholder name).  ‘John Doe’ was corrupted by a dark entity that had promised him limitless power.  The last battle saw Cobalt Blue mercilessly pummeling The Flash.  But, our hero didn’t fight back, despite an unusual amount of his blood being shed (a Christ-like allusion perhaps).  Instead, Barry appealed to ‘John Doe’s’ goodness; to the man underneath, not Cobalt Blue.  ‘John’ listened to Barry’s words, and in an amazing moment of selflessness, this man rejected and destroyed the dark entity. 

As I contemplated this stirring moment, I was reminded of the wise words of Peter Parker in “Spider-Man 3”.  He said, “Whatever comes our way; whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice…It’s the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what’s right.”  Interestingly, this is also a message that Barry Allen has communicated to us so many times in “The Flash”.   

To sum it up for today, the series finale for “The Flash” was good.  No, it wasn’t as good as other shows, like the series finale for “Arrow” for example – which was great.  Flash’s finale had a few moments that were confusing.  For instance, in the final five minute of the show, Barry inexplicably tosses lightning into the clouds above, so that three random people would be struck, and presumably have superpowers.  And these characters were so obscure that even a superhero fan like me didn't know who in the world they were.  And I was left thinking, "Um…OK, sure."  But, despite its flaws, the finale displayed the truth that one person can make difference.  Best of all, you don’t even have to wear a mask to do so.

God bless,

Kevin