So first let me apologize for the delay in this review. I truly didn't have the words to express how I felt about it, and honestly I'm still not sure if I do. The Flash's finales have been pretty exciting all the way through- "Fast Enough", with its unstable wormhole and Barry's emotional decision to tell his mother he and his father are okay before letting her die. "The Race of His Life" gave us Barry racing the terror that was Zoom and unable to make peace with the sudden death of his father, then there was last year's "Finish Line". This one gave us the death of HR, Iris saving Barry from Savitar, and Barry saving everyone by sacrificing himself to the Speedforce. Heroism, emotions, and cliffhangers all gave these finales some punch. A finale doesn't have to be all doom and gloom, but it should make us feel something. With "We Are the Flash", I didn't feel too much- relief that this season is finally over and hope for a more even fifth season.
The Science/Movie Mash-up
As I watched the finale, I was thinking about all the science fiction movies I could see allusions to: we had The Cell, Inception, The Matrix Reloaded, and I am sure some other ones I didnt pick up on. My favorite part was the swarm of DeVoes that wouldn't stop coming at Barry and Ralph as the Agent Smiths did with Neo. The idea to go into DeVoe's mind to find the good was an interesting take from The Cell. In that movie, a child psychaitrist goes into the mind of an unconscious serial killer to find out where he is hiding his last victim. She looks for the good or abused child that he still holds onto to help her, but has to keep away from the demonic king-like version of himself that he has created.
As entertaining as all that was, I am still trying to unpack how Cecile's telepathy helped Barry. Cecile uses her telepathy on Barry and then the chair uploads Barry's consciousness into DeVoe's? Was it her ability to read Barry's mind that allowed the team to hear what Barry was saying? They never really showed her face as he was in DeVoe's mind so I couldn't tell what was going on. Because I was so confused, I went back to see what Harry's invention actually did for Cecile. It was created to drown out Joe's thoughts and dreams. Later the tech was enhanced to not only block out thoughts, but to make translate those thoughts into words. Using her powers to help may be where they landed with Cecile, but it just didn't land for me.
I am okay with not understanding all the science, but I should at least be able to follow the story, and I couldn't. A finale usually leaves questions unanswered, but there shouldn't be questions about issues that were "resolved".
Now onto Ralph. Though I'm annoyed that he is still alive and joining the cast for the new season, the explanation for him still existing holds t.v. land water. When DeVoe inhabited other meta bodies, the inner workings of his mind were never shown. That leaves room for the idea that as long as DeVoe was in someone else's body, those people existed in his consciousness. Once the body was on the verge of being destroyed and DeVoe left it, the person truly died. Because DeVoe had decided to keep Ralph's body, he ended up keeping Ralph's consciousness as well. Ok, not bad for comic book logic. Having Barry run into Ralph and having the chance to help him realize his hero potential was satisfying, but that still doesn't mean that I see room for him to permanently be on Team Flash. It's gonna take a lot more than that to get me on board with Ralph as a series regular especially when Cisco has been there, is Barry's self proclaimed BFF and is deserving of better story arcs.
Harrison Wells 5.0
I like Tom Cavanaugh; he's a good actor. That being said we don't need another Wells. It's obvious that the creative team is committed to creating several versions of Wells or they would have stopped this ever changing Harry thing after HR died. (I really think it's something that Tom likes doing and the writers just go with it.) They think it's cool and funny and a way to showcase the acting range of Mr. Cavanaugh. While that is true, giving him one character to inhabit and a story to grow with can accomplish the same thing.
Being the test subject for the enlightenment was a good start. The brash and prideful genius was reduced to not being able to form his own thoughts; how he deals with that would be a story line worth exploring. But because he went back to Earth-2, will we get a whole new Harrison? Sigh.
Caitlin/KF
Aside from delivering the baby, Caitlin didn't have much of a story in the finale. That doesn't really bother me because the groundwork for her story made its debut when it was revealed that she possessed the Killer Frost personality even as a young girl. Her father yelling "Honey no" and the utterance of Cecile about someone named Thomas are leading me to believe that Caitlin's family knew about or even contributed to her alter ego.
Looking back at the season three episode "Monster", Caitlin's interaction with her mother was strange to say the least. Her mother barely flinched when Caitlin froze her desk and she spoke very matter- of- factly about her condition. In fact, Dr. Tannhauser and her assistant spoke softly about what Caitlin's powers could mean for the work they were doing at the lab. Someone even reminded me of Julian going to her mother to help with the cure for her. How could her mom cure her if the dark matter created her? If this is the story they are pursing for Caitlin, I could definitely see myself getting interested in where it takes her. A dark path, a look into her past- these things could work if done well.
The Wests and The Allens
Joe and Cecile are cute, and I wonder if a marriage is in order for them? Maybe a dual wedding with Barry and Iris? Let me stop before the fandom kills me. In all seriousness, it will be nice to see family take center stage in the series again. The powerful scenes that Barry had with Henry and Joe are what kept me coming back to the show. With the introduction of baby Jenna and adult Nora, there have to be heart to hearts and tough conversations on the horizon for the families. Joeisms about parenthood and setting boundaries for your children will be needed by Iris and Barry. Cecile as the mother of an adult daughter can be there to help guide the new parents as well.
Barry as a father, who learned the hard way about messing with time, will be interesting. How will he be able to look Nora in the face and tell her that she should not have reversed time to help him? Iris as a mom, when she didn't have a mom will be emotional as it should be. There is so much to dive into this upcoming season for the Wests and Allens, and The Flash creative team has shown that they can do family right- I'm rooting for them to make the new season a stand out.
Other Things I Was Thinking as I Watched:
*Marlize would be a more useful addition to the team than Ralph. I could see her creating great tech with Cisco.
*The action sequences were very cool!
* Cisco needs more to work with and do if he is to stay on the show. Being Harry's sidekick isn't enough for such a great actor.
* Iris as team leader is starting to annoy and bore me. I am ready for her to leave the team in Barry's hands; she can best help him by giving him his last pep talk and sending him on his way. It's her time to shine as Iris West-Allen investigative reporter.
* This show is a Flash origin story. The pacing and story lines may not be to all of our liking, but it's about Barry's journey to becoming The Flash of the comics. Season five is the right time for him to begin to come into his own as a scientist and as a hero. He will always have lessons to learn, but he is equipped to handle them now. If he isn't "Runaway Dinosaur" came too early in the series.
*Nora had her journal in her hand when she popped into the house. The symbols should trigger something for Barry. What version of Nora is this? Is it different from the one who was at the wedding? At Jitters? At the loft door?
*Iris and Barry were too cute when she said "We're next." I love how she said "Hi handsome." It's the trope of the beautiful and more outgoing girl with the cute, shy and nerdy guy. It would be nice to let Barry compliment Iris sometimes though- just sayin.
*Wally finally voicing his rational for leaving Team Flash felt like KL's goodbye. I hope that's not the case.
*Joe West is a good father- flawed but good. He is so affectionate; the kiss he planted on Wally was precious.
*"It's you and me Iris"- Awww
*Nora reversing time legit reminded me of Thanos and Dr. Strange with the time infinity stone!
Of the finales we've gotten so far, this one let me down the most. I just didn't feel connected to it like I normally do with The Flash finales. I'm normally heart broken thinking about how long I have to wait to see the Wests and Barry again, but not this time. Maybe I'm worn out or the story arc just never quite landed for me. The time spent on Ralph really was a bit much, but I am hopeful that with the addition of the kids and Caitlin's more interesting origins, Flash fans will be in for a much better new season.
Season five of The Flash will return to the CW on Tuesdays in October.
What did you think of "We Are The Flash"? Please let me know. Thanks for reading!
