The finale to the first season of The CW's THE FLASH really delivered the goods by resolving at least one season long conflict and leaving us fans with a cliffhanger that perfectly sets up what we hope will be an awesome second season.
The plot of this episode turned on whether Barry Allen will use the Speed Force to create a wormhole to go back in time and save his mother, change history and thus save his father from years of prison. The down side is that Barry's life with the Wests will never come to be and in the process, he will be freeing DR. Harrison Wells aka Eobard Thawne aka The Reverse Flash from the future, who is the real killer of Barry's mother. Not the mention that creating the wormhole might also result the creation of a Black Hole that will devour the Earth-just for starters. Typical end of the world stuff.
But what is most memorable about this episode is the many heart to heart scenes between characters as Barry attempts to make up his mind whether the risk is worth it to change history and what the cost could be to those closest to him. Many viewers were wiping away the tears as Barry talked things out with his father in prison and with Detective Joe West, the man who raised him. But there is also a father and son scene of sorts between Wells and Cisco that was memorable in its own way; and who didn't love the unexpected wedding of Ronnie Raymond and Catlain, one of the many couples on this show who have been through a tough time.
In fact the first forty minutes of the show was very long on the drama, but not much on the action, but it more than makes up for it in the conclusion when Barry travels to the past to save his mother from the Reverse Flash. This is where things really pay off because the story does not go in the direction expected. I fully thought Barry would end the season stuck in some hellish future or an alternate universe where everyone has super powers. Instead we get a brief encounter with future Barry and another tearjerker scene where Barry makes peace with his dying mother, then it's back to the present day for a final showdown with Wells, where Eddie Thawne turns out to be the true hero of the whole season when he sacrifices himself to stop his distant descendant from triumphing. And of course there's a problem with the wormhole and the season ends on cliffhanger as Barry races up the side of toppling skyscraper to save Central City and the world.
Grant Gustin has been the perfect Barry Allen, but he's been backed up by a superb supporting cast: Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes (perfect as Cisco), Danielle Pennebacker, John Wesley Shipp and Tom Kavanagh. There are appearances by some of the season's best semi regulars in Victor Garber and Robbie Amell, who together make up Firestorm. And Wentworth Miller shows up briefly in the part of Leonard Snart/Captain Cold, this season's best villain after Dr. wells.
And having Jay Garrick's helmet fly through the wormhole was just too cool for words.
The finale sets things up for the series to delve in the DC multiverse next season and there have been rumors on Twitter that Tom Welling's Clark Kent/Superman from SMALLVILLE might make an appearance on the show. Even if that proves to be untrue, Season 2 should be awesome because the first season has been such a great beginning.
The plot of this episode turned on whether Barry Allen will use the Speed Force to create a wormhole to go back in time and save his mother, change history and thus save his father from years of prison. The down side is that Barry's life with the Wests will never come to be and in the process, he will be freeing DR. Harrison Wells aka Eobard Thawne aka The Reverse Flash from the future, who is the real killer of Barry's mother. Not the mention that creating the wormhole might also result the creation of a Black Hole that will devour the Earth-just for starters. Typical end of the world stuff.
But what is most memorable about this episode is the many heart to heart scenes between characters as Barry attempts to make up his mind whether the risk is worth it to change history and what the cost could be to those closest to him. Many viewers were wiping away the tears as Barry talked things out with his father in prison and with Detective Joe West, the man who raised him. But there is also a father and son scene of sorts between Wells and Cisco that was memorable in its own way; and who didn't love the unexpected wedding of Ronnie Raymond and Catlain, one of the many couples on this show who have been through a tough time.
In fact the first forty minutes of the show was very long on the drama, but not much on the action, but it more than makes up for it in the conclusion when Barry travels to the past to save his mother from the Reverse Flash. This is where things really pay off because the story does not go in the direction expected. I fully thought Barry would end the season stuck in some hellish future or an alternate universe where everyone has super powers. Instead we get a brief encounter with future Barry and another tearjerker scene where Barry makes peace with his dying mother, then it's back to the present day for a final showdown with Wells, where Eddie Thawne turns out to be the true hero of the whole season when he sacrifices himself to stop his distant descendant from triumphing. And of course there's a problem with the wormhole and the season ends on cliffhanger as Barry races up the side of toppling skyscraper to save Central City and the world.
Grant Gustin has been the perfect Barry Allen, but he's been backed up by a superb supporting cast: Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes (perfect as Cisco), Danielle Pennebacker, John Wesley Shipp and Tom Kavanagh. There are appearances by some of the season's best semi regulars in Victor Garber and Robbie Amell, who together make up Firestorm. And Wentworth Miller shows up briefly in the part of Leonard Snart/Captain Cold, this season's best villain after Dr. wells.
And having Jay Garrick's helmet fly through the wormhole was just too cool for words.
The finale sets things up for the series to delve in the DC multiverse next season and there have been rumors on Twitter that Tom Welling's Clark Kent/Superman from SMALLVILLE might make an appearance on the show. Even if that proves to be untrue, Season 2 should be awesome because the first season has been such a great beginning.