The Flash Recap: Unsteady Eddie — The Series Finale’s Stakes Are Revealed
This week in the penultimate episode of The Flash ever, Eddie Thawne reunited with Barry, in the year 2049 — after which the resurrected detective was faced with a pivotal decision.
In “A New World, Part Three,” the scientist formerly known as Malcolm Gilmore came to realize that he is very much the late Eddie Thawne, resurrected. But just as he debated Korber on what to do next, a singularity appeared in the 2049 sky and sucked away the CCPD captain.
Eddie made tracks for STAR Labs, to consult with The Flash. Arriving at the Flash Museum, he realized that Reverse-Flash managed to live on, even after Eddie sacrificed his life to “end” his descendant. Eddie then was nearly steered wrong by a version of Nora as his own, blonde daughter, but the real Nora whisked him away. Nora, along with future Allegra, Chester and Cecile (not exactly looking 26 years older, any of ’em!), wondered what to do with Eddie, since their Barry is busy in outer space.
After sending a message to 2049’s Barry via the time vault, Nora was next to be possessed by the cobalt crystal. She took Eddie back to Mercury Labs and began goading him into fulfilling his “purpose.” After all, the other Thawnes were “a pretty big deal,” she noted — or at least they were supposed to be. Meaning, Eddie threw his life away for nothing. Producing the cobalt crystal in her palm, Nora offered Eddie the chance to reclaim all he lost, but he declined.
For now.
After Eddie walked away, our Barry rematerialized there in 2049, once again yanked through time by dark energy. Or something. When Barry went in for a hug from Nora, she zapped him with the cobalt crystal. But before she could go in for a kill shot, Eddie interrupted. Barry got free and sped Eddie home — to the West house where Malcom Gilmore lived. Upon seeing a plaque about Malcolm transform into one about Joe, Barry explained that the Negative Speed Force had created this “false reality” of a home, as part of its bid to entice resurrected Eddie. Here, Eddie started getting a bit glitchy, taunted by the NSF in his head into lashing out at Barry for, among other things, stealing his would-be wife and his life.
Barry had to leave to tangle with a still-possessed Nora downtown, so Eddie decided to pay 2049 Iris a visit. Iris was quick to glean that he was in fact her Eddie, and they hugged. Eddie explained that he had a decision to make, and he couldn’t do it without first seeing Iris — even if it was for the last time. “I just want to do the right thing,” he maintained, but the “voice in my head” is confusing him. But when Eddie regarded a West-Allen family photo and saw it transform into one of him, Iris and Blonde Nora, he said he has decided to stick around.
Iris made clear she isn’t picking up what Eddie is laying down — “It was always Barry, I love Barry, and I love the life that we’ve built together.” “You’re going to regret that,” Eddie hissed back, before returning to his lab and being convinced by the NSF to “accept the power” of the cobalt crystal — inside of which we see Zoom, Reverse-Flash, Savitar and Godspeed “waiting” for him — “and end the legacy of Barry Allen forever.”
Back downtown, possessed Nora lobbed Barry around good, until 2049’s Cecile (aka a costumed “Virtue”) stepped in and blasted the Negative Speed Force out of Nora. After they returned to STAR Labs, Chester explained that the red energy-filled skies forming overhead was not lightning, but the timeline “fracturing.” And at a rapid pace!
Our Barry then stole a moment with 2049’s Iris, temped to ask so many things, including if she’s happy. “Yes, we’re happy,” she assured him. “Every day I love you more than I thought possible.” Alas, the dark energy then yanked Barry away, yet again….
Next stop, series finale! Watch the promo above.
Barry and iris could’ve chosen more diplomatic tones for their proclamations to Eddie. The poor guy died to save them. He deserved better.
Seriously!
It would have been nice if time travel came up and they were like, “Let’s try to contact the Legends” for an update. Oh well. One more ep to hope we learn about them and William. Also not sure how I feel about Eddie’s turn after his heroic sacrifice. Love seeing more of Rick Cosnett though, hope he gets another series gig soon.
It was on the board of their ideas but said no answer. I
Honestly, I am so sad, watching this show I loved so much struggle towards its conclusion, like a marathon runner whose body has betrayed him, and who has to crawl the entire last mile and three hundred sixty-five yards to the finish line. This entire season, from Joe’s abrupt departure, to Chester and Allegra to Khione and Mark(the most annoying character in the history of the AV,) has been an utter disappointment. Even Stephen Amell’s appearance in E9 was only a brief respite from the consistent drip-drip-drip of mediocrity. I’m glad Rick Cosnett got to come back to get some form of closure from the show that let him down so brutally; I’m just sorry he couldn’t have been welcomed by a better story. I had held out a sliver of hope we might get a cameo appearance from Carlos Valdes as Cisco, but I’ve lost any confidence I had. I’ll watch, because this is the end of the AV(Superman and Lois and Gotham Knights do not count,) but I’m afraid it will bring me no joy.
Joe leaving wasn’t a story decision, though. Jesse took another job. They fit him in as much as he was available for.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Flash was a great show the first few years, and this 60-year DC Comics fan really loved all the Easter eggs they tossed in from DC comics history.
But now it just sort of drones on and on, with stories that have no logic whatsoever. It really is a shame to see how much it’s deteriorated.
This storyline – and season – has been just terrible. It’s hard to watch this show struggle so mightily after it gave us so many fun seasons in the past. I’m just ready for this crap to be over with.
I noticed you left out the most useless part of the episode in your recap, Cecile being upset because she finds out she goes home to Joe only twice a year in the future. That was such a waste of time. I wonder if it was added to the episode because Grant had Covid and couldn’t film some stuff and they needed to fill time. I would have wanted more of the scenes between Barry and Eddie and Eddie and Iris. I wonder if future Barry gets Nora’s message, and we see 2049 Barry in the finale instead of him always being off world when we visit the future.
Did anyone else think that the practical thing to do for Cecile when she returned to 2023 is to point out Jenna is like in her thirties in 2049 and that while they may still own the farmhouse, it probably is an event to get everyone out there and that is probably why Cecile has only returned to the farmhouse at this point like twice a year? I mean, Joe might be fine with putting himself at sole risk and is back at their home in Central City (you know if he is still with us) now that he doesn’t have to worry about Jenna. I mean, I get the impression that Joe might have passed just because Jay appeared to play a big role in Bart’s life.
And I am still a little confused is this the actual Negative Speed Force or is it Cobalt Blue or is that just what Eddie will appear to be. In which case, shouldn’t some of his stuff have happened last week just to have two episodes of Cobalt Blue, Barry’s big nemesis that isn’t Eobard.
So I am watching Flash on Netflix for the third time through (4th if you count the original broadcast on the CW). So I like the show. Most forget that some episodes each year are a little uneven.
22 episodes a year are just such a crazy effort by the writers directors and cast that all 22 episodes can’t be great. Usually they are happy if 50% of them that they are really proud of and this show has had considerably more than that each year in my own opinion. Though I’ll also admit that % has been declining each season too.
We don’t have emotional connections to most of the remaining cast and we “want” all of these last 9 to mean something…but even hitting that 50% is all I ever hoped for so I have been just waiting on the finale and hope it ends well enough.
The CW has always had really smaller budgets but they have produced a great run with this show and many others that have shut down. I have appreciated the efforts of everyone involved even for the occasional episode that misses the mark.
I think they have all done what they could with this final season with the much smaller budget per episode and limited time to give it a final sendoff and I am appreciative of the CW’s new owners to at least allow this to happen at all.
Its been a nice run…….thanks CW for the great shows.
Grant has, of course, been amazing, but back when I saw the first episode of the show, I was startled that Rick looked a lot more like the Barry Allen of the comics, at least to me. So it was rather amusing to see him return at the end with a story line in which Eddie felt his life had been stolen. Also it was fun to see him do a reprise of the lightning in the lab scene.
Oh, and Jessica was wonderful as Cobalt Nora!
This show never makes much sense anymore, but they seriously couldn’t put any effort into making the characters look a bit older 30 years into the future?! All they did was give Allegra some glasses. 🤦♀️
Haha, yes, that was ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as speed force avatars, but pretty bad.