The Flash wraps up with a heartwarming but lackluster series finale
By Ariba Bhuvad
Last night, we finally said goodbye to The Flash, which has been airing on The CW for nine seasons. The ending was certainly bittersweet, and I’m in my feelings about it, but not in the way you might expect.
The Flash struggled to keep my attention and keep me invested in the story I had spent a decade watching. The series finale, “A New World, Part Four,” felt lackluster. It felt like the show was running on a hamster wheel, which is the vibe it’s been giving off for the last few seasons.
It didn’t feel like it went anywhere, but we ended up somewhere. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it’s how I feel. The Flash spent a lot of its final season on characters that we had long forgotten about rather than its central character. I mean, I love Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett), but why were we focused on him more than Barry Allen (Grant Gustin)? And also, why didn’t Carlos Valdes return for the final season as Cisco Ramon? It just didn’t feel right!
And with that in mind, let’s break down The Flash series finale. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Flash brings back familiar foes for the finale
It was fun to see the sinister speedsters get back together again. In the previous episode, Eddie gave in to the power of the blue crystal, and as this episode kicked off, we saw Savitar (voice of Tobin Bell), Godspeed (Karan Oberoi), Zoom (Teddy Sears), and Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) get ready to take down the Flash.
It was a strange feeling to see all the foes that Barry has faced as the Flash over the years assembled together. In those moments, they were frightening, but somehow they didn’t pack the punch they should have. I’m not sure if anyone else felt the same way.
I also didn’t care about Eddie’s journey and the story involving him being reincarnated and then remembering what happened when he died (shooting himself in the chest, almost marrying Iris, etc.). It was a long-winded way of getting to the point, and I wish they would have cut it shorter.
Nora Allen is finally born!
A lot more happens in the episode, including a huge fight where Team Flash battles everyone and wins. There’s also a lot of time-traveling back and forth between the past and present.
All that leads us to the moment we’ve seen play out a million different ways: Nora Allen is finally born!
Baby Nora is super adorable, and she completes and starts the family we have all come to know and love. It’s a beautiful moment indeed!
Final thoughts on The Flash series finale
Another major moment is the return of Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) as Khione decides to leave her physical body and become one with the Earth and its elements. It was nice to see the OG character return. If only Cisco would have come back too!
I also liked seeing Joe (Jesse L. Martin) propose to Cecile (Danielle Nicolet). As she said, it’s about dang time! I didn’t even realize that they weren’t married already, to be honest.
I think perhaps the best part of The Flash series finale was the “post-credits” scene where Barry reveals the new speedsters to whom he has handed his responsibilities. This includes season 8’s Piper Curda playing Avery Ho, Max Mercury (Trevor Carroll) and Jess Chambers (Hana Destiny Huggins). He shares this reveal with baby Nora as he tells her that nothing is impossible.
And with that, The Flash takes its final bow. It was a rough journey at times, but the show will always have a special place in my heart. You will be missed, Scarlet Speedster!
Episode Grade: C-
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