Wow – that was a finale. I’m going to jump right into spoilers territory here, so be warned.
1. HR?!?!?
On Sunday, a friend of mine called the HR/Iris switcheroo almost down to the smallest detail. “HR is going to feel guilty for revealing where Iris was, so he’s going to use that weird crystal thing to change his appearance, and he’s going to take Iris’s place.” Good work, Michal.
I have to say, this worked as a twist reasonably well, but I have one small gripe about it: Barry should’ve ran his ass to an emergency room instead of having him talk with everyone under the sun and bleeding out. I actually had a thought during the week that the single most effective use of Barry’s time would be to speed read medical books and watch lectures and learn to be a physician – at his speed, he could have probably saved HR if he knew exactly what was going to be wrong. He also could’ve studied where Savitar was going to stab Iris, and acquire the necessary tools/replacement organs, and do a super fast surgery.
But medical knowledge aside, HR’s sacrifice was a valiant one. His character started off as grating, and eventually found footing (and love), and seeing him go out this way was quite touching. The good news about having Tom Cavanaugh on staff is that you can keep bringing in more and more Wells to serve whatever purpose is needed. And, at least for the start of the next season, it looks like Earth-2 Harry is going to be part of the team.
2. Cisco, the leader
Much like Lost in Translation, I expected the whispered final thoughts between HR and Barry to be a point of discussion for years to come (I still think Bill Murray said “Beavis is Butthead’s son”), but we got it at the end of the episode: HR got his courage and strength from watching Cisco. Mr. Ramon has grown a lot this season, and HR’s admiration doesn’t feel misplaced at all. Before departing for the Speed Force, Barry tells Cisco he’s the leader now, and that he’s always been his hero.
This could’ve felt rushed or handled improperly, but it didn’t at all. Cisco has turned into a formidable presence, a hero with balls and intellect, and someone who can inspire and lead. While I doubt Barry is going to spend much time in the Speed Force (more on that in a bit), I do like the idea of Cisco taking more control of the team.
Also, I hope he and Gypsy get to have some time to get it on soon. Poor guy’s true love lives across the Multiverse.
3. A full scale effort
Speaking of the team, aside from Jesse, still patrolling Earth-3, just about every Team Flash member who isn’t currently on another CW show was here for the big finale: Jay, Wally, Gypsy, even Caitlin popping in for a bit at the end. I often complain – especially about Arrow that they rarely fully exploit the full power of the teams, and often leave key players on the sidelines. This was the opposite of that – the team came together in full strength to stop Savitar, even though most of the plan just involving stalling until the paradox caught up with him, a vague term explained even more vaguely, and executed in the vaguest of ways. I get that they needed to fill 44 minutes, but it felt a little like the show was stretching quite a bit this week. While I enjoyed most of it, that shouldn’t be how a finale is approached.
4. Caitlin’s new status quo
I like the ambiguity of where Caitlin was left at the end of the season – she’s not Caitlin Snow, but she’s not Killer Frost either. This almost feels like where she is in the comics right now, struggling with being a new hero. Next season seems to be a weird one for the Legends, but I think she might fit in well over on that show, where rehabbing an old villain is sort of their thing.
5. Into the Speed Force
Continued belowNow, I don’t think Barry is going to spend any significant time in the Speed Force, but I do hope that, unlike “Flashpoint” from earlier this season, we get at least a few weeks of Barry away from the team. I’d love to see what his weird version of the Speed Force prison is like – especially because it is presented as not a prison, but rather, a sort of heaven? I’d also like to explore more the idea of the team without his leadership.
But, after making a big deal about how the timeline is restored, and not killing Iris, there’s no way that Barry and Iris aren’t back in each other’s arms soon. I am glad that Jay didn’t pull a “well, back to hell with me!” speech and jump back in, but if there needs to be a speedster in there, I bet that Wally creates a time remnant, and that Wally goes into the Speed Force, and eventually turns into a villain.
Well folks, that’s it for this season. Thanks for watching along with me, and I’ll see you in the fall!
