Barry did as coached and regained his heroic franchise.
Everything that has happened to us good and bad it has made us who we are.
And I dont think I would change it, even if I could.
Credit: Katie Yu/The CW
(They gave him their blessing to do so, a bit of grace that defied reason.)
), and fortunately, he didnt follow through.
Barry aborted the mission at the scene of the crime after being stopped by… himself!
Katie Yu/The CW
Not unless it was setting up something else.
In retrospect, we now see that The Runaway Dinosaur was a cunning bit of set-up.
It involved a whos-faster?
Katie Yu/The CW
A boggling but nifty concept.
Flash engineered Zooms destruction by siccing the Time Wraiths (the Dementors of the Speed Force) on him.
None of this was terribly surprising.
It was rather perfunctory, actually, although kudos to Gustin for an impassioned performance.
The shocker came after the battle had been won.
Reverse Flash and saved her, erasing most of his history in the process.
Flash might have the multiverse from Zoom, but Zoom won the battle for Barrys soul.
Barrys fall, spiraling from fury to hopelessness, was clearly and rigorously presented from opening scene to last.
And yet, I didnt buy a single damn moment of it.
The Good Dinosaur had settled something, didnt it?
But I dont thinkThe Flashearned it.
What good is a shared universe if youre not going to make logical use of it?
Perhaps Hunter and friends will play a role in cleaning up this mess this season 3 premiere.
(Theory: Barry didnt really change the past.
Perhaps season 3 will indulge the fun of imagining an alternate timeline created by Barrys actions.
(Think:Fringe, season 4; the sideways world ofLostseason 6.)
Regardless, I hope Barrys past is not lost to him.
Learning from his experience from his successes and failures is the true source of his heroism.
Maintaining continuity also gives this serial a feeling of saga.
Dont look for Barrys moral fugue to linger.
The sophomore season ofThe Flashwas certifiably slumptacular.
Earth 2 the bold idea that launched the season didnt live up to the hype.
The show lacked the interest or budget to fully realize it.
The emotional angle of the multiverse didnt always work for me, either.
Barry could be triggered to weird effect by confrontations with alt-world counterparts or lookalikes.
Neither position felt authentic to Barry, the former more so than the latter.
Maybe I just expect too much from near-genius superheroes.
His continued romantic fixation with Iris (Candice Patton) with his adopted sister willneverwork for me.
Shipp as Jay Garrick?
I thought that reveal diminished the sting of Henrys brutal exit.)
Id like to make some clarifications.
I erred when I identified Iris has Barrys adopted sister.
Joe never adopted Barry.
Yes, show canon says Barry never gave up the crush.
But this insistence doesnt mean we cant question it.
Isnt it likely Barry would have come to regard Iris more as a sister?
Its not an unreasonable perspective and its one Ive always had.
Regardless, I concede that its debatable.
Zoom was a bust.
He began as an alluring mystery but lost zip over time.
His motivations and madness went from muddy to banal, his tactics made no sense.
Other repetitions bothered me, too.
*Flashs powers are conceptually fascinating and can make for cinematically exciting spectacle.
I worry the show is running out of producible ideas for expressions of Barrys abilities.
The Flash needs an imagination upgrade.
But can the show afford it?
The Flashhas a great cast and winning characters, relationships and chemistries that can rock inspired material.
I wonder, though, if the show is running out of inspiration.
Barrys season was a repeating motif.
He lost himself, he found himself.
He drifted from strength (his powers; his community), he reconnected with it.
His choices in the finale suggest a break in form but only because of the finale.
Come next season, I suspect Barry will quickly snap back into shape.
you could only play the same motif so many times before becoming bored with it.
Is this all there is toThe Flash?
Flash, rebooted, over and over?
Maybe thats enough for you to keep watching.
I need something different.
But I need it earned.
