The Flash - The Race of His Life - Review: Forget Everything You Know
1 Jun 2016
DC Reviews The FlashThe Flash 223
Due to technical issues, I apologize for the lateness of this review and lack of photos.
This season I starting reviewing The Flash about half way through. The Flash is a show I adored for its lighter quality compared to the darker CW counterpart Arrow , though on the Arrow the tone fits with the show The Flash as Comic fans will know is always portrayed as upbeat .
The shows crossover's worked because Barry was opposite from Oliver. Barry had not spent time wallowing in all that pain and his upbeat personality and drive to prove his fathers innocence captured the audience attention. Despite all this he still had to defeat bad guys and having fun with his new found powers made for very entertaining viewing.
So what happened in season 2 , was it Barry felt helpless in trying to defeat Zoom? (a villain he feels guilty for letting into this Earth)
Did he not learn why things had to happen the way they did and make peace with his own demons in the speed force?
In the previous week's episode, we all saw Barry once again lose a parent, this time, his father. Barry thought he understood his purpose from his time in the speed force but once again is doubting himself. Even his friend's loss of faith in him leads to disastrous consequences when Barry considers Zooms ultimatum to race which will in turn power up a machine, the Magnetar , The force it will produce would destroy all the other Earths.
They lock up Barry in the S.T.A.R labs prison. Not the best idea when Zoom has already proved he is willing to murder his own time revenant to escape capture. Do the Scooby gang really think they can defeat him?
It's no surprise they fail and Joe West falls through the breach they created with Zoom to Earth 2. Yes, we know Zoom can just jump back we all know their plan was very flawed. Thankfully they didn't use the real Caitlin as bait but a hologram.
Wally isn't happy with everyone's choice and the fact they have locked up the Flash and now Joe is gone.
Joe meanwhile learns the identity of the man in the Iron mask. He is in fact, the real Jay Garrick from another Earth. A hero and another speedster. Who for some reason Zoom was unable to steal his speed force but used the idea of him being a hero and took his name on Earth 2. I love how Zoom tells the whole story to Joe as most maniac's tend to reveal their plans before the final showdown.
Zoom tells Joe he is being chased by time wraiths as he tried to manipulate the speed force when he poisoned himself with velocity 9 trying to get faster. He believes he has won !
Barry's is let out by Wally and convinces the others he can beat Zoom, he sends a message to Zoom with Cisco's help.
All the S. T .A.R labs Scooby's who previously didn't believe in Barry have a shift of faith to believing in him. People are so fickle aren't they!
Barry and Zoom Race which seems a pretty even match. While racing Barry seems to split in two, it is in fact, his time revenant. Barry and his time revenant frees Joe, capture Zoom and destroys himself and the machine before it can destroy all the multiverse.
The dementors , I mean time wraiths come and take Zoom giving him a ghastly look. I am glad it wasn't left for Barry to have to choose between crossing that line.
Wells and Jesse prepare to head back to Earth 2 and the Man in the iron mask reveal shakes Barry as he is a doppelganger of his late father( you may remember his dad said his own mother's maiden name was Garrick) He adopts fake Jays helmet much to comic fans joy.
Cisco who seems to be very apt at opening portals to multiverse sends him back to Earth 2 for now with Jesse and Wells who promise to help him return home.
Despite defeating Zoom Barry talks with Iris outside of Joe's place and says he needs to go away and become whole again before they can be together. Finally, we just get these two together only to have another obstacle in the way of their romance.
Sadly they share a bittersweet kiss as Barry rushes off and breaks every rule up to now he knows he shouldn't. Didn't his time in the Speed Force teach him nothing?
Barry goes back but unlike in season 1 when he stood by and let events happen he stops Eobard Thawne , Reverse Flash from Killing his Mum. As his other self-watches on and disappears we are left to wonder what the effects this will have when Barry returns to the current timeline.
We also know of the time masters thanks to Legend of Tomorrow, could this be setting it up for the big crossover we have been told about.
The speed force and its Time Wraiths won't be happy either. Barry has learned every little action can have a big effect, this one, well it will change everything as we know it.
Thank you for those who have stuck with me through the reviews, unfortunately, the timing hasn't always been the best and one of the reasons Pablo and I have swapped over for next season.
I am looking forward to reviewing Supergirl later this year .
I hope The Flash returns to form next season and with this finale it certainly will shake things up again but for the better who can say.
So what did you think of the finale ?
What changes do you think we will see next season ?
Please post in comments below.