Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 118

In which we further annoy Raphael before talking to more randos around the brothel.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 117

In which we continue exploring the brothel and the Erotic Library of Eleminster. We also rob Raphael for spite's sake, and round the day off by rescuing a nymph prostitute from a mindflayer. (Man! Those things are worse than roaches in this town!)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 116

In which the hunt for a serial killer takes us to a flophouse and a brothel. Strangely enough, we go to the brothel to try and get the real authorities on the case and not for the forbidden pleasures contained within.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 115

In which we meet with Jaheria's Harper contacts and wind up walking into another ambush.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 114

In which we explore Wyrm's Crossing, indulge the most annoying wannabe adventurer in Faerun for the sake of a magic item, and accidentally bluff our way into the Gortash inauguration through the power of bardery. (That is totally a real word!)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 113

In which, after exploring a little side camp with a good view, I showcase the many ways to sneak through the gate into the slightly more upscale district called Wyrm's Crossing.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 112

In which we continue disarming every trap in the basement and the Flaming FIst prove less than helpful in thwarting a plot to kill refugee children with exploding teddy bears.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 111

In which, after taking a quick look at our quest log, we step in to deal with some squatters and wind up helping them keep on squatting. This leads to an explosive investigation in the basement of their house.

Sensei Starman Surveys - What's Coming In 2024?

In which Sensei Starman shows off what is in his Steam and GoG libraries so that you - yes YOU - may help him decide what games he will make videos for in 2024.

Yes, we tried this last year, and wound up not doing any of the games that were suggested. Who knew Baldur's Gate 3 and the Sam and Max games would take so long?! But THIS time we will play some of these games that have been sitting there since a sale begging to be played!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 110

In which we return to the Circus of Last Days and test my love for Shadowheart under the watchful eye of a dryad. We also finally get to see Dribbles the Clown and get dragged into an entirely different sort of performance. This also causes us to take up the quest of figuring out what is up with all these severed clown parts. Officially.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 109

In which, after a brief side trip to the post office, we put that mad monk in the medallion to rest and uncover yet another mass grave left behind by our favorite serial killer.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 108

In which we stumble across the secret hideout of the Ironhand Gnomes and yet another encounter with Orin in disguise.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 107

In which we uncover a system of catacombs under Baldur's Gate and a number of murderous dopplegangers. This leads to more poking our nose in where it doesn't belong, casual thievery, and more dead clown parts.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Baldur's Gate Bloopers - Part 3

This clip, taken from my first attempt to record Episode 106, highlights the odd glitch that teleports half your party to the top of the Temple of Ilmater and enables you to solve the missing mail pigeon quest long before you learn of the missing mail pigeon quest.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 106

In which we level up the party and catch up with everyone at camp before encountering a most amusing glitch and an old friend of Gale's.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 105

In which, having stolen back our money from the Djinn and stolen the show from the rival bards, we step away from the circus for a bit and stumble across a murder mystery. We also discover that casting Speak With Dead on the victim is not standard practice in a murder investigation. (At least, not when the lead investigator is in a hurry to get to the bar.)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 104

In which my efforts to cheat a cheater get me an all-expense paid trip to the dinosaur-haunted jungles of Chult. We wind up richer for the trip, however, and are soon returned to the circus, where we get into a bard duel and converse with more of the merchants.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 103

In which, after fully investigating the bodies in the well, we explore the delights of the Circus of the Last Days. Because while the fate of the world may be in our hands, that's no reason not to get our face painted or to banter with a genie giving away junk magic items.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 102

In which we befriend a tribe of monster hunters after crashing a funeral and uncover a murder mystery. We also refuse the companionship of a poor, lost, orphan because she is clearly part of a doppelganger plot to infiltrate our camp. Or is she?!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 101

In which we FINALLY get to Baldur's Gate. Well, it's the actually the town of Rivington outside the main gates of Baldur's Gate. But still - civilization of a sort! Albeit civilization full of refugees and jerks pissed about refugees existing. We also get the first of many encounters with Orin trolling us.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 100

In which we come to the rescue of our guardian on the Astral Plane and make a shocking discovery. We then have more heart-to-heart talks with our companions, and Shadowheart changes her hair. I wish I could say I planned to have all this happen for the 100th episode, but that was just dumb luck.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 99

In which we start Act III and get to know Jaheria a little better... right before a bunch of Githyanki jump through a portal and start trying to kill us.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 98

In which, after discussing the changes brought about by Major Patch #3 and a brief backtrack to raid the treasure vault in the Gauntlet of Shar we never got around to earlier, we FINALLY get on the road to Baldur's Gate.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 97

In which, with a new magic mirror in our camp and 14,000 gold in our pockets, we level up our new party members, give Wyll a long overdue chance to vent, and discover something shocking about Shadowheart's past.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 96

In which we continue looting Moonrise Towers and talking to every last person hanging around the courtyard.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 95

In which we start catching up with our allies and further looting Moonrise Towers. Hey, we don't want to miss anything before starting Act III!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 94

In which we manage to talk yet another villain into offing themselves. Pity Myrkul isn't about to let us get away THAT easy.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 93

In which we continue exploring the Mindflayer colony trying to find Zevlor. We're not successful. But we do arrive just in time to overhear a meeting of the villains and learn just what in the Nine Hells they are planning...

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 92

In which we continue exploring the Mindflayer colony. It is oddly free of Mindflayers (not that we're complaining!) yet awash with Clerics of Myrkul. Funny that... We also help Wyll indirectly with an unwanted rescue mission.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 91

In which we offer a merciful death to poor Chop and fight a bunch of zombies. Maybe those count as merciful deaths too, even if they aren't technically alive?

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 90

In which we join the siege of Moonrise Towers, already in progress. Of course we still have time to loot the place a little before going into battle with Ketheric Thorm.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 89

In which, after leveling up to Level 8, Shadowheart makes a fateful choice and we rush to get the hell out of the Shadowfell before Shar gets even more pissed at us.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 88

In which, after pondering the mystery of the Salami that is also a weapon, and showing off everyone's new color schemes, we proceed into the Gauntlet of Shar and do battle with Balthazar for the fate of the Nightsong!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 87

In which, having talked yet another boss to death, we set about looting the Tollhouse and go on to rescue Rolan from himself. (Well, and a bunch of shadows, but mostly his own self-loathing.)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 86

In which we return to Moonrise Towers to explore the mindflayer colony, before back-tracking to check out the Tollhouse.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 85

In which we reap the rewards of having rescued the captives of Moonrise Towers and have to let Gale down easy. Again.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 84

In which the jailbreak is on, following a brief divergence into a mindflayer colony that just happens to be set up under the dungeon. Somehow.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 83

In which we start to explore the dungeon of Moonrise Towers and begin the least stealthy sneaky jailbreak in history against guards who are shockingly good at spotting a lone rogue on a catwalk 30 feet above them, yet totally oblivious to the mob standing in one corner.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 82

In which we liberate the enslaved gnolls in the kitchens of Moonrise Towers and continue exploring/looting this place of evil.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 81

In which we finally enter into Moonrise Towers and save the idiot goblins yet again. We also start wandering around the place and grabbing everything we can get our greasy mitts on, because Chaotic Good-ish.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 80

In which we explore the Waning Moon tavern and fail to bluff our way out of a fight with a mob of drunken zombies.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 79

In which, with the Spear of Night recovered, and the Three Trials complete, we abandon the Gauntlet of Shar to continue exploring the Shadowlands. Yay more zombie fights!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 78

In which we explore the Silent Library of the Gauntlet of Shar and make a lot of noise fighting the guardians.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 77

In which we see the softer side of Withers, and start getting Shadowheart through the Three Trials! That's the Three Trials to be a Dark Justiciar, incidentally. Not the Three Trials to be a pirate. Different game.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 76

In which we wheel and deal with undead and demons, as I negotiate with the loathsome necromancer Balthazar and bargain for Wyll's freedom.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 75

In which we continue through the Gauntlet of Shar and deal with more of those damned Umbral Tremor portals. More combat! Joy!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 74

In which we continue exploring the Gauntlet of Shar and I literally talk a demon to death.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 73

In which we discover the secret Gauntlet of Shar (it's a maze, not a glove) and start fighting our way to the test that will help Shadowheart become a Dark Justicar.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 72

In which we find Arabella's parents, albeit a bit late to do them or her much good. We also have another encounter with Raphael, who gives us a cryptic warning before we explore the Thorm Family Tomb and raid it.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 71

In which we fight to save the Shadowed Spirit of the Land and uncover a secret Temple to Shar. We also catch up with our allies at camp, before planning how to best explore the rest of the Shadowlands.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 70

In which, after shifting inventory and catching up with our companions at camp, we head back into the Shadowlands to seek out the corrupted spirit of the land. This leads is to play hide and seek with shadows. As you do.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 69

In which our looted lute delivers the healing power of music and we watch Haslin's back as he starts trying to commune with the corrupted spirit of the Shadowlands.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 68

In which we seek out the House of Healing and talk another villain into killing themselves.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 67

In which we continue exploring the Mason's Guild and run into an unexpected ally in the Shadowlands. This leads to another side-quest and some too-honest talks with our apparently doomed companions.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 66

In which, after bringing in Haslin to consult on the blighted Fist, we exploring the rest of the caves hidden under the Last Light Inn and make our way back into the Shadowlands.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 65

In which we finally agree to let Volo perform amatuer surgery on us, with shocking benefits! And after some bonding with our companions (and earning an achievement for only using alcohol rations for a long rest), we get Dammon to help Karlach and run into an old friend at the Last Light Inn that we somehow managed to miss in our earlier visits.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 64

In which we start searching for the Selunite Resistance and a treasure trove of holy artifacts hidden somewhere under the Last Light Inn. (Makes you wonder how the heroes in the Inn never stumbled across this by now, eh?)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 63

In which, in a high-water mark for bards everywhere, we talk a mob of Absolute Cultists into killing themselves. This gives us the means to safely map the Shadowlands. Well, somebody has to!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 62

In which we execute our first save-scum, because Isobel sucks at defending herself and we really don't want her getting abducted by the Absolutists. We then prepare to take the fight to a cultist convoy navigating the Shadowlands.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Baldur's Gate Bloopers - Part 2

In which we speak with the legendary hero Jaheria and further convince her that we are not a threat. We also meet Isobel, the Selunite cleric responsible for keeping the Last Light Inn safe... right up until we botch the mission of protecting her!

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 61

In which, having shifted our inventory around, we deal with a strange ox, and start talking with people inside the Last Light Inn proper... including one devil who can't take no for an answer.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 60

In which we start exploring the Last Light Inn and talking to those who have taken shelter there. This includes the blacksmith Damon (Finally) but we get some bad news about the other refugees...

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 59

In which, after a heart-to-heart with our companions, we enter into the Shadowlands and discover just how cursed this blighted land is. The good news is we soon find refuge at the Last Light Inn. The bad news is we also immediately fall under suspicion because they've had their issues with the Absolute cult too.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 58

In which we finishing looting the Arcane Tower and Act I. We also meet the great wizard Elminister, who has some bad news for Gale.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 57

In which we raid the abandoned tower and grab everything we can.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 56

In which we go back to explore that wizard's tower in the Underdark, after letting Shadowheart vandalize a temple of Selune. We also do battle with a Spectator, another annoying Drow, and a magical minefield.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 55

In which, newly armed and armored with our new adamantine weapon and armor, we hit level 6 and uncover a missing Harper treasure trove amid a flock of Mimics. (What do you call a group of Mimics anyway?)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 54

In which we retrieve a cursed amulet and finally reignite the Grymforge. Unfortunately, we also awaken the guardian of the Grymforge...

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 53

In which we venture further into the Grymforge, and do battle with some animated armor.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 52

In which we continue exploring the ruined Shar temple, pay our respects to the fallen before looting their corpses, and make our way to the Grymforge.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 51

In which we continue exploring the ruins of the Temple of Shar and loot the place blind.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 50

In which, after recapping some nearly lost conversations with our companions, we set about trying to find that Githyanki Creche in a futile attempt to make Laz'el shut up for a bit. We then return to the Underdark to finish searching the lost Temple of Shar.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 49

In which we deal with the consequences of Wyll failing to kill Karlach. Which are more annoying for him than us, so that's okay. The better news is that we gain access to the Zhentarim stores and the best gear we've encountered to date.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 48

In which, after befriending an enslaved artist, we start tracking down that missing shipment for our new bandit buddies, and fight more gnolls.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Baldur's Gate Bloopers - Part 1

In which we accidentally provoke a fight with our new friends in Zhentarim by wandering into the wrong place while trying to find someplace to trade. This is a combat heavy chapter, made more tolerable by the eruptive finale.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 47

In which Wyll reveals something of his family. He is heir to a noble lineage, which we sully by continuing to loot the burning inn ruins before stumbling across a hidden bandit camp.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 46

In which, being sick of mushroom hunting in the Underdark, we return to the surface just in time to be Big Damn Heroes trying to save the people trapped in a burning inn. Of course we also find time to loot said burning inn, because what kind of Dastard would I be if I didn't?

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 45

In which, having looted all the swag we can from the slain slavers, we head back to deliver word of the liberated dark gnomes, and make the acquittance of an unusual pair of scholars.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 44

In which we cleanse the Grymforge of slavers with a modicum of violence and treachery.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 43

In which we speak with the dead for a time, but have little luck cracking the tollhouse safe. We then return to the Underdark, facilitate an uprising among the giant spider population, and start plotting how to rescue another Absolute cultists, so we can kill them.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 42

In which, after showing off an inventory trick I should have figured out long before, we get to know Karlach and help her deal with the fake paladins that are hunting her. Purely because she's a good person and not so we can finish looting the counting house. No. No. No.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 41

In which we start to explore north of the Blighted village and encounter a group of clearly fake Paladins. How do we know they are fake? They don't object to our looting a tollhouse in front of them! We then meet up with Karlach, who we really should have tried to recruit before now, but hey...

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 13 - A New World, Part Four

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

With Eddie Thawne embracing the identity of Cobalt Blue and assembling a brute squad of the worst evil speedsters in history, Team Flash will be tested as never before.

Influences

The Flash comics of Mark Waid and Mike Baron.


Goofs

Cecile wears her Virtue costume from the future in the fight with the evil speedsters. (While it's entirely possible she asked Chester to make her a suit based on the design she saw, it's unlikely he would have had time to make it in the space of time since Cecile saved Barry in the last episode.)

Cecile's being able to fly with her telekinesis comes out of left field, even if Virtue had that power in the comics. (Maybe Cecile got the idea while making mental contact with her future self?)  

When Khione says goodbye to Team Flash, Barry says it has been one week since the battle with Cobalt Blue and his gang and, logically, one week since Nora's birth. The next scene opens with a title card reading "One Week Later," with Joe saying that Iris gave birth to Nora a week ago. By that point, it should have been two weeks since Nora's birth.

Performances

Jesse L. Martin steals every brief scene he is in.

Artistry

The montage of Iris remembering her life with Barry as Joe sings Baby Nora to sleep is nicely done.

Flash Facts

The subtitle of this episode is Finale, according to the title card, but the subtitle does not feature in the actual episode title.

This marks the final episode of the first and only four-part episode in the show's history.

The episode was supposed to feature the return of Cisco Ramon, but actor Carlos Valdes was unable to appear due to schedule conflicts.

The episode was rewritten at the last minute to give Barry a happier ending. The original plan had been for him to sacrifice himself to become the new personification of the Speed Force and replace Speed Force Nora. We can see vestiges of this in the final scene, where Barry shares his power with three new speedsters.

Barry's opening and closing monologues mirror his opening monologue in 101.

Jay Garrick steals the speed from Cobalt Blue. This is a classic trick perfected by the Wally West Flash, who could boost his powers by draining the kinetic energy form other objects in motion. 

This episode confirms that Chester Runk has black hole powers, In the Mike Baron Flash comics where Chester P. Runk was introduced, Chester was a morbidly obese man who became a living black hole capable of absorbing almost anything into his mass.

Chester's powers are generated by a consciousness-honed universally neutralized Kerr anomaly in his genes. This is a shout out to his codename in the comics, Chunk.

Upon learning that he has powers, Chester says "Dazzling Dwayne McDuffie." This is a nod to legendary comics writer Dwayne McDuffie, who is best known as one of the founders of Milestone Media and for his work writing the Justice League Unlimited show.

Barry shares the Speed Force with three new Speedsters. The first of them is Avery Ho. In the comics, Avery Ho is the Flash of the Justice League of China. 

The Arrowverse version of Avery Ho first appeared in 806, where she helped XS and Impulse to fix the timeline.

The second new speedster to be empowered is Max Mercury. In the comics, Max Mercury was an alias used by a time-traveling speedster  Originally the Quality Comics hero Quicksilver (no relation to the Marvel Comics character),Mark Waid fleshed out his background to make him an 1830s US Army cavalry scout who befriend several Native American tribes. Max has gone by many names, including Windrunner, Whip Whirlwind and Lightning.

The Arrowverse Max Mercury lives in modern times and is apparently a motorcycle enthusiast.

The last new speedster Barry empowers is named Jess Chambers. In the comics, Jess Chambers is the non-binary Flash of Earth-11. The Arrowverse Jess Chambers resembles the comic book version.

Technobabble

Barry tells Team Flash to execute delta maneuvers before they split up and fight Cobalt Blue's team.

Chillblaine determines that Chester's blood generates Hawking radiation at a molecular level. This is the same kind of energy found in black holes. 

Chester's genes contain a consciousness-honed universally neutralized Kerr anomaly, or CHUNK.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Reverse Flash reveals himself to Zoom and Godspeed.)
Zoom: You're Harry Wells. You're the man who helped the Flash defeat me.
Godspeed: No. That's Thawne. The man who helped the Flash defeat me. Any last words, Thawne? 

Reverse Flash: Never wear white after Labor Day. And Zoloman-- ( chuckles ) Love your work. Although slightly derivative, don't you think? Pretending to be the Flash's ally. Let's see. Who's playbook is that from? 

Zoon: Are you mocking me? 

Reverse Flash: Now, you're catching on. 


Khione: The more I embrace who I truly am, the more I see the natural order of things. You say balance is about violence and death, but it doesn't have to be that way. Nature is about more than balance. It's about coexistence. All things living together. Not in conflict, but in mutual trust. 

Barry: Khione, the last avatar I faced... I sat down. I stopped fighting. Thawne didn't. You want coexistence, but I'm sorry. It's impossible. 

Khione: Then you need to believe in the impossible because it's the only way to create a better world.

Continuity

Barry returns to 2023 and runs to the hospital where Iris is still giving birth to Nora.

Chester reports that there's no sign of temporal fracturing yet, but Barry says it has already started in 2049.

Zoom, who died in 223, is pulled out of time at the moment of his death, into the Negative Speed Force.

Eddie's  lair in the Negative Speed Force resembles Dr. Malcolm Gilmore's house, which was Joe West's home.

Godspeed is pulled out of time from an undetermined point. He says he was about to slit Impulse's throat.

Eobard Thawne, in the guise of Harrison Wells, explains that they are in the Negative Speed Force.

Zoom thinks Thawne is Harry Wells at first, but Godspeed recognizes him as Thawne in Wells' body.

Savitar appears next, apparently pulled from time just before Iris West shot him in 323.

Eddie Thawne reveals himself and explains that all four evil speedsters are dead, resurrected by the Negative Speed Force from just before the moment of their death. This is the first confirmation that Eobard Thawne finally died for good in 820.

Eddie says that Godspeed dies in 2052.

Eddie creates a suit of armor for himself and invites the other villains help him destroy The Flash and his legacy.

Barry gets to the hospital about an hour before Iris is expected to give birth.

Eddie shows up at the hospital calling himself Cobalt Blue. He brings blue flowers for Iris 

Eddie plans to kill Barry, which will kill the Speed Force, and allow for the creation of a new world where the Negative Speed Force will rule unopposed. Eddie doesn't care because, in this reality, he can be the hero Barry was and have the life with Iris he wanted.

Nora runs in and saves Barry. She says that Cecile telepathically called to her across time.

Chillblaine, Khione, Allegra, Cecile and Nora join with Barry to face Cobalt Blue, Savitar, Zoom, Godspeed and Reverse Flash. This collective of villains is later named the Legion of Zoom.

Barry faces Cobalt Blue

Cecile takes on Godspeed.

Chillblaine and Khione fight Zoom.

Allegra goes after Reverse-Flash.

Nora goes after Savitar. 

Savitar attempts to impale Nora like he did Iris in the future where Iris died. Nora phases through his blade, breaks it, and uses it to shank Savitar.

Godspeed creates multiple clones of himself to fight Cecile, but she brings him down with a telepathic attack.

Reverse-Flash goes to STAR Labs and attacks Chester with a lightning attack. For some reason, it doesn't kill Chester (although it does hurt him) 

Zoom is hemmed in by a CCPD roadblock set up by Chief David Singh, Captain Kristen Kramer and Officer Daisy Korber.  Apparently Khione called them in.

Reference is made to Zoom killing multiple CCPD officers in The Flash Season 2.

Barry confronts Cobalt Blue in CC Jitters.

Khione absorbs the lighting Zoom throws at her and throws it right back at him.

Reverse-Flash makes reference to Nash Wells and his relationship mentoring Allerga.

Allegra takes Reverse-Flash out with a major light blast. She then tends to the unconscious Chuck, who suddenly wakes up gasping.

Cobalt Blue threatens to kill the people in CC Jitters unless Barry allows himself to be killed.

Jay Garrick shows up and steals the speed energy out of Cobalt Blue. He says this was a trick his Earth-90 counterpart taught him.  (The Earth-90 Flash did the same thing to Barry in 609, so he could sacrifice himself in Barry's place.)

Cobalt Blue drains the Negative Speed Force power from the resurrected speedsters and retreats into the Negative Speed Force. As he does this, the temporal fracturing reaches 2023.

Jay says that is Cobalt Blue tries to absorb too much Negative Speed Force energy, he will overload and kill himself, like Eobard Thawne in 820.

Chillblaine and Jay think that letting Eddie kill himself may be the only way to save the timeline, but Barry thinks he can make Eddie see reason. 

Khione says she can get Barry into the Negative Speed Force.

Khione says that Barry needs to change Eddie's viewpoint and that they need to encourage coexistence between the Positive and Negative forces.

Barry confronts Cobalt Blue in a Negative Speed Force space that now looks like his and Iris' loft, but with photos of Iris and Eddie together.

Eddie punches Barry, shouting that he always wins. This echoes a line repeated by the Reverse Flash when he fought Barry in 123. This prompts Barry to point out that Eddie is becoming the very villain he sacrificed himself to stop.

Eddie smashes the Cobalt Blue crystal and agrees to remain the Negative Speed Force avatar in order to maintain the balance. He asks Barry to tell Iris he is happy for her.

Barry returns to the hospital just in time for Nora's birth. 

Jay Garrick confirms the temporal fracturing has stopped.

Chester says he feels fine, apart from being oddly hungry after his fight with Reverse Flash.

Chillblaine theorizes that when Chester bonded with a black hole in 601, some of the cosmic energy bonded with him. This gives him some passive ability to absorb energy.

Joe West, Cecile, Chester, Allegra, Chillblaine and Khione all wait at the hospital.

Cecile makes reference to giving birth to Jenna during 423.

Nora also joins the team, but wonders if she is breaking some kind of timeline rules by being present at her own birth.  Chester and Chillblaine say they think they are okay.

Timeless Wells, the original Earth-1 Harrison Wells, appears to Khione. He confirms the threat of the Negative Speed Force is past and it is time for Khione to ascend and become the protector of the natural order she is meant to be.

Khione says she has to say goodbye to her family first. 

Nora is born without complications.

Chester agrees to take care of Khione's plants.

When Khione ascends, Caitlin Snow is left in her place. It is presumed that Khione was just using Khione's physical body.

A homecoming party is held for Nora and Iris one week after Khione ascends.

Future Nora and Timeless Wells attend the party along with Jay Garrick, Joan Garrick, Chief Singh, Captain Kramer, and several of Iris' employees.

Caitlin is overheard talking to her mother on the phone and promising she will visit her soon, so she can run more tests to make sure she is fine.

Barry apologizes for destroying Caitlin's lab in 816.

Caitlin says she will carry Frost's legacy with her and that what she was doing trying to bring her back was unnatural. 

Joe proposes to Cecile. She accepts.

Barry is shown reading a copy of The Runaway Dinosaur. This was his favorite book as a child, as revealed in 221.

Barry creates lightning bolts to give three people a connection to the Speed Force: Avery Ho, Max Mercury and Jess Chambers.  He runs along the same landing strip at Ferris Air where he first used his speed voluntarily in 101 to do this.

Avery Ho was last seen in 806.

When we see Avery, she is calling in late to work, claiming she had car trouble despite not having a car. Barry Allen did the same thing in 101.

Barry made reference to Max Mercury in 815, as he was looking through time using the Still Force.

Untelevised Adventures

Reference is made to a fight between Impulse and Godspeed, in which Godspeed was about to slit Impulse's throat before he was pulled out of time.

Godspeed dies in the year 2052.

Jay Garrick met The Flash of Earth-90 at some point and learned how to drain the speed from other speedsters.

Nora says the 24 hours around Bart Allen's birth is even crazier than her own.

The Boomerang Factor

The resurrected evil speedsters are beaten far too easily.


The Bottom Line

A lackluster end to a lackluster season, drowning in nostalgia for better days. The best parts of the episode are shot-outs to the show's greatest moments, but those only serve to highlight just how bad this show became toward the end.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 40

In which we return to the surface world to make a Masterwork Weapon and make camp. We then have a wonderful night with Shadowheart that I swear we already had once before. Not that I'm going to object to sharing wine and making out with a snarky Goth twice.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 39

In which we continue exploring the ruined temple, before back-tracking to collect our reward from the Myconids and get a book about Flumph Mating Rituals. (It is not what you think!)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 38

In which we explore the ruined temple of Shar, make friends with some abused animals, and spend way too long trying to get down a trapped hallway.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 37

In which we slaughter our new ally Glut rather than be party to an act of treachery against the mushroom folk who have treated us fairly thus far. We then perpetuate an entirely different act of treachery to infiltrate the hideout of the dark dwarves and their Absolute-worshipping Master.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 36

In which we take on the Duergar slavers and ambush the ambushers... with mixed success.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 35

In which, after dispatching another Hook Horror, we set about rescuing a fool from an explosive mushroom field and claiming the materials we need to make a Masterwork weapon.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 34

In which we encounter some of the less friendly inhabitants of the Underdark, including Hook Horrors, a Bulette, and another insane Drow.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 33

In which we start undertaking a lot of quests to deal with various evils in the Underdark. There's enslaved gnomes to rescue, an idiot husband to rescue and a clan of dead mushroom people to avenge. A hero's work is never done...

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 32

In which, after determining that the first patch for the game has eliminated our entrance into the bandit camp, we start looting the place blind and sending everything to our camp. We then have some problems with the local mushrooms, even before we encounter the kind of mushrooms that can get up and walk around.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 31

In which we do battle with more giant phase spiders and determine that they are just as vulnerable to falling damage as everyone else. We then begin to explore the Underdark in earnest, starting with that Selunite Outpost we found earlier but ignored until now.

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 30

In which we take a long rest and catch up with our party. We also have an accounting with Astarion regarding his dietary habits, before going on to fight the mother-loving mother of all giant spiders! (Trigger warning for arachnophobes, yet again!)

Sensei Starman Plays Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 29

In which we start exploring the Blighted Village in depth, save a distressed Dark Gnome, discover a means of making a Masterwork weapon, and stumble across an entrance into the Underdark. (Trigger Warning for Arachnophobes!)

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 12 - A New World, Part Three

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

Dragged to 2049, Barry finds an unlikely ally in the resurrected Eddie Thawne. But how long will that last with the Negative Speed Force determined to make Eddie into its new avatar?

Influences

The Flash comics of Mark Waid (character of Cobalt Blue and mention of the Savothians), Gail Simone's The Movement (Cecile's new costume and Virtue codename), the Venom movies with Tom Hardy (a blonde man named Eddie is pushed around by an alien force that takes control of him.), and the Doctor Strange movies (Cecile pushing the Negative Speed Force out of Nora resembles astral fighting.)

Goofs

With the exception of Candice Patton having some grey streaks in her wig, no attempt was made to make any of the actors in the 2049 segments look 25+ years older than they are in 2023. Danielle Nicolet is looking particularly spry considering Cecile should be in her mid-70s at that point.

Daisy Corber shifts attitude from trying to arrest Eddie Thawne to trying to get him to a hospital so they can figure out how he's alive between episodes.

Allegra has a rapid recovery from radiation sickness off-camera and is somehow allowed to be near Iris in spite of having just undergone treatment for radiation exposure. Even allowing that her light-control powers may give her some shielding from radiation, the hospital still should have been reluctant to have her walking around, much less being in the maternity ward.

The establishing shot of the Flash Museum in 2049 shows a dark sky, but everyone acts like it is early in the day, what with the museum being open and Chester talking about finishing Cecile's new costume by that afternoon.

Cecile seems to take control of her future self far too easily. Shouldn't her future self, who is more powerful, be able to sense a psychic intrusion and fight back against it? (Maybe she didn't notice since she can't sense her past self being a hostile threat.)

The show seems to forget that Jenna West should be approaching 30 in the year 2049, so it is rather odd that Cecile expects her to still be living with Joe West. (Perhaps the housing crisis of 2023 is even worse in 2049?)

Nobody in Future Team Flash thought to call Iris West-Allen and let her know that Eddie Thawne was back from the dead?

The future Iris West-Allen shows a shocking lack of compassion for her former fiancee. 

Future Cecile just vanishes from the scene of the fight with the Negative Speed Force after telling Barry to call her Virtue.


Performances

While having to deliver some amazingly narmy speeches, Rick Cosnett still manages to convincingly portray Eddie Thawne's mental breakdown in a way that is generally plausible so long as he is interacting with other characters and not shouting to the void.

Flash Facts

The subtitle of this episode is Changes, according to the title card, but the subtitle does not feature in the actual episode title.

Mention is made of a villain called The Chronarch. There are two characters with the title Chronarch in the classic DC Comics books. One was the tyrannical ruler of 64th Century Earth, who was defeated by an unlikely team-up of The Flash and Abra Kadabra. The other was a 30th Century scientist named Circadia Senius, who was appointed head of the Time Institute during the time of the Legion of Superheroes. The Arrowverse version is probably based on the former, given it was mentioned in 704 by Abra Kadabra, and Allegra says she was trying to blast him back into the 64th Century. 

Mention is made of the 2049 Barry being on something in space called The Watchtower. This was the name of the Justice League's base of operations on Earth's moon in the comics during the Grant Morrison JLA era.  The name has since then been appropriated for various satellite bases in the cartoons ever since.

Chester makes mention of the Savothian freedom fighters. The Savothians were a race of aliens who appeared during Mark Waid's run on The Flash. The Savothians were a brilliant race of scientists and philosophers, but had no concept of how to begin a resistance movement after their planet was conquered by another race of aliens. Thankfully, they were able to pull Jay Garrick to them through the Speed Force (which they had studied intensely) and he was able to help free their planet.

Cecile's future supersuit design and the codename Virtue are based on a different DC Comics character. Created by Gail Simone and Freddie E. Williams II for the series The Movement, Virtue was the leader of the titular team. The original Virtue was a woman named Holly Ann Fields, whose Empathy based powers allowed her to read the emotions of others, project emotions on to other people, give herself increased strength and size by tapping into her rage, intangibility and flight.

Technobabble

Eddie Thawne is giving off high levels of Hawking radiation, which is only found inside Singularities. 

Chester says he thinks he can build a cuff to destabilize the quantum field around Eddie Thawne.

A Code Scarlet is the 2049 Team Flash phrase for an emergency.


Dialogue Disasters

The entirety of the opening scene, in which Rick Cosnett delivers the most restrained scream possible for someone watching someone else get sucked into a black hole.

The remix of Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" in the final scene is similarly at odds with the sinister tone of the acting.


Continuity

In the opening scene, Daisy Korber is sucked into a breach, while trying to convince Eddie Thawne he needs to go to a hospital.

Team Flash is trying to find Barry.

Iris is still in labor at the hospital, but Allegra is staying with her.

Cecile feels a wave of terror before Speed Force Nora manifests again.

Speed Force Nora says that Negative Speed Force was cloaking Barry, but she was able to briefly sense his presence in the year 2049. The crystal is also going to 2049.

Speed Force Nora says that if Barry dies and the Speed Force is extinguished, it will erase the timeline and everything in it forever.

In 2049, Team Flash is still operating out of  STAR Labs, despite it now also being The Flash Museum. (Presumably the levels with the command center are off-limits to civilians?) 

In 2049, XS has just taken over as the leader of Team Flash and led a mission against a villain called The Chronarch, who was previously mentioned in 704.

The Barry Allen of 2049 is said to be in space, on the Watchtower.

Future Cecile now wears a costume with a mask in the field and her powers have grown to where she can sense Barry Allen's emotions despite his being in deep space.

Allegra and Chester are married in the future and still madly in love.

Chester is working on a new super suit for Cecile. He says the nano-welding should be complete that afternoon.

The Flash Museum has displays for Ray Palmer's ATOM suit and Jesse Quick's costume, along with The Flash's costume.

Eddie Thawne watches a video on the Reverse Flash in The Flash Museum, which talks about how he returned time and time again to fight The Flash. This makes him realize how pointless his sacrifice was. 

Eddie is confronted by a woman who looks like Nora West-Allen, but with a blonde bobbed haircut. She introduces herself as Eddie's daughter and tries to guide him through a breach.

Nora runs upstairs after Chester detects an energy spike and pulls Eddie away from the breach. It and the blonde Nora disappear before she sees them, however.

Nora recognizes Eddie Thawne and takes him to Chester's lab.

Chester confirms that Eddie has the DNA and fingerprints of the Eddie Thawne who died 34 years earlier.

Team Flash theorizes that Eddie might be creating the breaches subconsciously. 

Chester makes reference to his developing the ability to open singularities in 601.

Nora unmasks herself. Eddie recognizes her as the woman he saw earlier, but guesses that she is Barry's daughter based on what he has learned.

Nora makes reference to 806, where she briefly met Eddie Thawne while time-traveling to 2013.

Eddie tells Nora about the singularity that killed Daisy Korber. She tells him about the large singularity that nearly destroyed Central City on the day of his death.

Eddie says he's thankful to be alive, but he can't help but wonder why when Iris, the best thing in his life, is gone and there's no way he can be with her given her life with Barry Allen.

In 2023, Team Flash is out of ideas on how to help Barry in the Future.

Chester suggests that since Cecile's powers allowed her to sense Barry in the past, albeit not with any degree of accuracy, that maybe she could use her powers to project her mind into her 2049 self.

The Watchtower is said to be on the Dark Side of the Moon, meaning it cannot be contacted for another 12 hrs and 52 minutes.

The blue crystal reveals itself to Nora and possesses her.

The Negative Speed Force possessed Nora tells Eddie that the singularities are tied to his emotional state. The idea that he killed Daisy Korber, coupled with the revelation that Iris went on to marry Barry Allen, just like destiny said, starts to push him over the edge.

"Nora" suggests they return to Mercury Labs since that was where he first started to regain his memories.

Cecile is able to take control of her future self's body

Cecile is horrified to learn that she apparently hasn't visited Joe and Jenna more than twice in the past year. The rest of Team Flash doesn't find this unusual, suggesting that her future self prioritizes being a superhero over her family.

Chester says Cecile was busy with The Cronarch Wars and helping the Savothians free their planet that year.

Cecile faints and her mind returns to the Present. She refuses to go back to the future again.

Chillblaine, Chester and Khione discuss trying to talk to Cecile. Khione says that Chester should be the one to talk to her.

"Nora" suggests that Eddie was brought back to life for a purpose and that maybe it had something to do with the other Thawnes in the future. This causes Eddie to remember his talk with Eobard Thawne, who told him that Eddie was the only Thawne to be forgotten by history, in 121.

"Nora" tells Eddie about the Negative Speed Force and how it needs a host, trying to build Eddie's resentment at how pointless his sacrifice was and how Barry got the life he wanted with Iris.

Eddie runs from "Nora," refusing to take the crystal she offers him, unable to believe this is all real.

Barry teleports into the lab at that point, when the Negative Speed Force attacks him through Nora.

Eddie returns and distracts the Negative Speed Force, allowing Barry to grab Eddie and run.

Barry takes Eedie to Joe West's house, which it turns out is Malcolm Gilmore's house in 2049.

Barry thanks Eddie for saving his life and helping stop Eobard Thawne.

Barry asks Eddie to help him figure out a way to save Nora.

Eddie says he wishes he could help, but he has no idea who resurrected him or why he was living the life of Malcolm Gilmore.

As Barry is looking at a framed award belonging to Malcolm Gilmore, it flashes blue and changes into a certificate for Joe West. Eddie says the same thing happened with his driver's license in 911. Barry says he's seen the same thing happen before and that it is caused by negative tachyons. 

Barry theorizes that everything created for Malcolm's life was made using negative tachyons, suggesting he was resurrected and manipulated by the Negative Speed Force, so that he would become its new avatar.

Cecile tells Chester about how her future self apparently has only been home twice in the past year. She rejects Chester's suggestion that maybe there's some tech 25 years from now that lets them keep in touch through VR.

Cecile fears she's lapsed back into her workaholic ways that caused her to miss her own mother's death.

Chester tells Cecile that he can't believe that her future self would neglect her family and that she should trust her future self because he trusts her now. He says her dedication to the ones she loves is a real virtue.

Barry thinks the Negative Speed Force needs Eddie to choose to become the avatar. He rejects this idea, as the Negative Speed Force starts talking to him directly and telling him that Barry is just trying to keep him away from Iris.

Eddie speculates that the Negative Speed Force can give him the life he should have had with Iris. Barry says that's not possible and asks him to consider what Iris would want to do.

Barry leaves Eddie alone to fight the possessed Nora.

Cecile agrees to try and reach her future self to help Barry again.

Eddie goes to future Iris West-Allen to ask her what he should do.

Cecile is able to push the Negative Speed Force out of Nora's body before it can kill Barry.

Cecile says her superhero name is Virtue.

Iris' talk with Eddie only makes him more determined to bond with the Negative Speed Force.

Allegra confirms that Team Flash in 2049 has no memory of the fight with the Negative Speed Force in 2023. Barry says this is because of the attacks happening simultaneously across the timeline.

Cecile says that Speed Force Nora says that all that remains of the Speed Force now lives in the West-Allen family bloodline.

Chester determines that the red lightning over Central City 2049 is not Negative Speed Force energy - it is the timeline starting to crack.

Future Iris asks to talk to Barry alone and tells him about what Eddie Thawne said to her.

Iris confirms that she still loves Barry in the future and that they had a good life together, just before Barry is once again trapped in blue light and teleported away.

Eddie Thawne returns to Mercury Labs, where he finds the blue crystal in a display case.

The Negative Speed Force gives Eddie a vision of Godspeed, Savitar, Zoom and the Reverse Flash before telling him they will end the Barry Allen legacy forever.

Location

Central City - 2049


The Bottom Line

A bit of a mess all around. Like the previous episode, this feels oddly padded out. Again, Barry is next to useless and has to be saved by a deus ex machina. It is even worse this time, however, with Cecile's suddenly being able to send her mind across time coming out of left field. The drama of Iris giving birth is also put on hold, which is just sloppy storytelling even if, logically, we know she and Nora are okay because of the future storyline. 

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 11 - A New World, Part Two

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

Team Flash searches for the missing Barry Allen, as an unseen enemy starts picking them off. Meanwhile, in the not too distant future. Dr. Malcolm Gilmore investigates the death of Eddie Thawne and why he resembles the dead cop so closely.

Influences

The Venom movies with Tom Hardy (a blonde man named Eddie is pushed around by an alien force that takes control of him.), Avengers: Infinity War (the effects for Khione cleansing Chillblaine look like the people dusted by the Thanos snap) and The Flash comics of Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn (character of Cobalt Blue).


Goofs

No attempt was made to make any of the actors in the 2049 segments look 25+ years older.

The security guard at CCC Media in 2049 makes no effort to stop Malcolm Gilmore from fleeing the scene after he breaks into Iris West-Allen's office.


Performances

It's subtle, but John Cor has a few moments that hint at Chillblaine's possession by the Speed Force before it is revealed, such as his rolling his eyes while burying his head in his hands as if he can't believe his own performance.


Artistry

The sequence in which Malcolm Gilmore has a breakdown on a rainy night, set to a techno remix of Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" is a fantastic bit of direction, even if it does look more like a music video than a scene from The Flash. It is at least visually interesting.


Flash Facts

The subtitle of this episode is The Blues, according to the title card, but the subtitle does not feature in the actual episode title.

This episode was the directorial debut of Kayla Compton, who plays Allegra Garcia. 

Cobalt-97 is not a real cobalt isotope. It's number is likely a reference to the year of Cobalt Blue's creation, 1997. 


Technobabble

Chester detects trace amounts of an radioactive cobalt isotope in Barry and Iris' apartment. This seems to be a signature of the Negative Speed Force in action, as Chester notes this kind of isotope does not show up naturally.

The specific isotope is Cobalt-97.

Continuity

In the opening scene, Dr. Gilmore takes the file he found in 910 to CCPD HQ. Several of the officers look at him in disbelief, apparently recognizing him. This includes Daisy Korber, who is wearing the dress clothes of a Detective rather than a CCPD patrol officer's uniform. This is the first indicator that Dr. Gilmore's scenes are not in the present day.

Iris assembles Team Flash six hours and 52 minutes after Barry disappeared.

Chillblaine returns, having spent the past seven months traveling through Tundi, the Arctic and Corto Maltese, volunteering at a few research facilities.

Cecile called Chillblaine in. Apparently Mark reached out to her a few months after he left. He asked her not to tell Khione, thinking he should give her some space.

Chillblaine and Khione go to inspect Barry and Iris' loft, while Chester scans for more cobalt radiation around Coast City. Cecile contacts ARGUS to see if they've heard anything, while Allegra and Iris go to check the CCC Media databases for anything involving cobalt radiation or mysterious disappearances.

Iris finds her old draft of the "Flash Missing - Vanishes in Crisis" headline from the pilot episode.

Iris tells Allegra about how the first version of Nora West-Allen from the future that she and Barry met in Season 5 was from a future where Barry disappeared during the Crisis on Infinite Earths and how she grew up without a father.  She's afraid that they may have only delayed the inevitable and Nora is destined to grow up without a father after all.

Allegra thanks Iris for taking her under her wing and teaching her to be a reporter and a leader.

 Iris' favorite tea is chamomile. 

Allegra is attacked by an unseen figure wielding blue lightning. Whoever they are, she recognizes them, speaking to them before they attack her and knock her out.

The unseen figure sabotages the fire suppression system for the CCC Media building. This results in a gas leak, which causes Taylor and Aariz to pass out.

Khione and Chillblaine respond to Iris' distress signal.

Khione tries to repair the damage to Taylor and Aariz's lungs by growing plant cells inside their body to generate more oxygen so they can breathe better. This has the temporary side effect of turning their skin.This terrifies them and makes them run from Khione, even though she says they should return to normal in minutes.

Iris finds the unconscious Allegra in the hall.

Allegra is taken to STAR Labs, where Gideon determines she is suffering from acute radiation exposure. Specifically, she was exposed to the cobalt-97 isotope.

Chillblaine asks if Khione can cure Allegra's radiation sickness. She can't, because she can only use her powers to cleanse people of unnatural influences. Since radiation is part of the natural order, she can't alter it.

Chillblaine suggests locking Iris in the Time Vault, while the rest of them look for Barry.

In 2049, Daisy Korber tells Dr. Gilmore that he's the spitting image of Detective Eddie Thawne.

When Dr. Gilmore tries to show his ID to Daisy Korber, it is a blank card at first. It later changes to a government ID with the name Malcolm Gilmore on it in a flash of blue light.

Dr. Gilmore describes the events of 910 and how he found the file after being struck by lightning.

Daisy says she worked with Eddie Thawne as a rookie cop. She says there was never an official explanation for why he died.

Dr. Gilmore hears a growling voice speaking to him, telling him to "find her."

Khione is upset that Chillblaine apparently didn't want to talk to her but was willing to talk to Cecile.

Chillblaine says he needed time to come to terms with his grief over Frost, but that now he's scared of what Khione has become and calls her an abomination. This causes her to run off.

Chillblaine is revealed to be possessed by the blue crystal, as Joe West was in  910.

After giving Chester a sob story about wishing he had been there for Frost whens he died, Chillblaine offers to finish reprogramming the STAR Labs satellites so he can be with Allegra. This allows him to disable the satellites completely.

Malcolm starts having visions of Eddie Thawne and Iris West together. This leads him to start searching for Iris West, presuming she is the "her" he must find. 

Chillblaine knocks out Cecile to gain access to the Time Vault and lures out Iris.

The Negative Speed Force is about to kill Iris, but the Speed Force (in the form of Nora Allen) attacks her.

Speed Force Nora reveals that Chillblaine is possessed by the Negative Speed Force.

Speed Force Nora says the other Negative Forces are attacking her on the cosmic plane, to distract her from their plan. She thinks they took Barry, but their connection is disrupted and she can't find him anywhere in time or space.

Speed Force Nora says Khione is the only one who can help them fight back against the Negative Forces.

In 2049, Malcolm breaks into Iris West-Allen's office and starts looking for information about Eddie Thawne.  He recognizes Iris from a framed headline about her expanding her media empire.

Taylor, who is still working at CCC Media in 2049, calls for security upon seeing Malcolm.

Malcolm has more flashes of Eddie's life after seeing a framed picture of Joe West with Iris.

Iris uses Gideon to make a recording for Barry in case she doesn't make it.

Speed Force Nora summons Khione using some of the last of her strength.

Speed Force Nora says she can't help Team Flash anymore and Khione must step up.

Khione says she is inhuman and the Speed Force says that is true, but humanity is important to keep beings such as them grounded even if emotions can blind them.

Speed Force Nora helps Khione figure out exactly what she is.

Chester tracks Chillblaine to Caitlin and Frost's apartment.

Khione's arrival at Frost and Caitlin's apartment generates a shift in the barometric pressure equivalent to a hurricane. 

Iris goes into labor.

Khione turns Chillblaine into dust to remove the Negative Speed Force Crystal and then puts him back together.

The crystal disappears before Khione can take it.

Cecile detects a massive way of panic and joy right before Iris tells her she's in labor.

Barry reappears in STAR Labs at that moment, in a flash of blue light, apparently having just teleported there after vanishing in 910.

Allegra undergoes an iodine treatment for her radiation sickness.

Khione tells Chillblaine that she is a goddess. She says she is not connected to one Force or one element, but all of nature. She says she will need to explore what that entails but that she doesn't think her destiny is to protect just one team or one city.

Khione says she doesn't think she can stay with Team Flash, but she won't leave until after they stop the Negative Speed Force.

Barry is teleported in another flash of blue light from the hospital waiting room.

In 2049, Daisy Korber finds Malcolm Gilmore digging up Eddie Thawne's grave. 

They discover that there is no body in the coffin in the grave.

Upon seeing the empty coffin, Malcolm has a vision of Eddie Thawne killing himself to stop the Reverse Flash in 123. He also spontaneously develops the lethal shot through the chest that killed him.  He reaches into the wound to pull out the bullet, which he shows to  Daisy Korber.


Location

Central City in 2049


The Bottom Line

It makes sense that, after an episode focused on Barry, we should see what the rest of the team was doing in his absence. It does not make sense, however, that so much of this episode feels like padding. The explanation of Khione's powers works with what is given, but it still makes her into a literal deus ex machina to take the place of the Speed Force. The bits with Malcolm/Eddie are also good, but somewhat confusing given it isn't made clear until next episode that they take place in the future.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 10 - A New World, Part One

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

It's been several months since Barry Allen's birthday and big things are in the works for Team Flash, with Chester working on a super-suit for Allegra, Khione mastering her powers, and Iris receiving word of a long-awaited career milestone. But Barry Allen is nowhere to be found, lost in time and about to relieve the worst day of his life from another perspective.

Influences

The Flash comics of Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn (character of Cobalt Blue), Flashpoint (the theme of Barry spending time with his parents before their deaths) and The Flash Season One (Barry travels back to the events of the Pilot and the Season 1 finale.)


Goofs

While the cameo from Professor Stein is funny, by this point in time he would have had multiple encounters with the Legends of Tomorrow as a young man. As such, it is unlikely he'd be so quick to dismiss someone claiming to be a time traveler on the phone.

Due to a combination of archival footage being mixed with new footage, Barry is wearing the wrong Flash costume at several points during the fight with Thawne.


Performances

Grant Gustin gives one of his best solo outings as Barry Allen yet, playing up Barry's pain at being powerless to change the past but appreciating the chance he's given to enjoy one last meal with his parents.

Matt Letscher likewise delivers a masterful performance as the original Eobard Thawne that will leave you wishing we had seen more of him in the role over the last nine seasons.

Artistry

The use of the color blue as a theme in the opening scene is nice, from the flowers in Malcolm's home and his suit, the blueberries he eats, to the fact that he's humming Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues."


Flash Facts

The subtitle of this episode is Reunions, according to the title card, but the subtitle does not feature in the actual episode title.

This episode introduces the character of Dr. Malcolm Gilmore. His name, and repeated references to the color blue involving him, are nods to The Flash villain Cobalt Blue.

First appearing in Speed Force #1 in 1997, Cobalt Blue was the twin brother of Barry Allen.  On the night Barry was born, Nora Allen gave birth to twins. The doctor overseeing the twins birth, Dr. Gilmore, was negligent in his treatment of another patient, Charlene Thawne, who was also giving birth that night. To balance things, Dr. Gilmore gave the Thawnes the second Allen child, whom they named Malcolm.

Unfortunately, the Thawnes were an abusive family of con artists, who commanded a strange mystic blue flame. Everyone in the family had this power, except for Malcolm. His search for answers led him to Dr. Gilmore, whom Malcolm murdered after he confessed to taking Malcolm from his birth parents. 

Malcolm later gained access to the blue flame through a talisman crafted by his foster grandmother. Powered by his jealousy for his successful, happy twin brother, Malcom became Cobalt Blue and set out to ruin his brother's reputation by posing as him, having learned Barry Allen was also The Flash. 

The colorful patchwork costume Chester crafts for Allegra with a helmet that hinders her ability to see is a reference to the villain Crazy Quilt. Like Allegra, he had light-based powers, though his were based around a helmet.

Barry's parents take him to an Italian restaurant called Zatara's that is said to have the best pizza in Coast City. This is a reference to Giovanni "John" Zatara, who was DC Comics first magic hero and the father of Zatanna.


Technobabble

Barry baby-proofs his loft with proximity-based meta-dampeners, so Nora can't hurt herself by accidentally using her speed.

The C-Net database that allows the police to look up unlisted phone numbers was not developed until 2002.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Barry has just realized he's in the year 2000.)
Barry: What did I do this time?

Nora Allen: Bart, do you believe in fate? Because I do. That's why I believe that there's a reason that we met, so that even for one day, you don't have to go through all of this alone.

Thawne:  Somebody's having a bad day. Unfortunately... ( laughs ) It's only gonna get worse.

Thawne: You can't walk away from what's about to happen, Barry.
Barry: I know. I can walk towards it. 

Thawne: You'd actually destroy an entire timeline just to save your own pathetic existence?
Barry: No, Thawne. I'm not here to save myself. I'm here to save you. 

Thawne: I don't understand. You saved yourself and let me kill her instead. Why?
Barry: I had no choice.

Thawne: (slowly, in comprehension) Killing your mother... it's a fixed point. You knew this was gonna happen. And now I'm stuck here in a hell where I get to watch you grow up and become the hero that I should have been! I swear... even if I have to tear the universe apart, I will find a way to destroy you and everyone you love! Because from this moment forward, my life's work will be finding ways to kill you.

Barry: (calmly) I know. And this night tortured me for decades. Not anymore. Because today I got to see my parents one last time and feel how much they loved me. 

Thawne: (desperate) This is the worst night of your life. I know it.

Barry: And today brought me the peace I've been looking for ever since. I have you to thank for that, Eobard, and I'll always be grateful. 
(Barry is suddenly seized by blue energy and pulled away screaming. Faced with no target to attack and the realization that he's doomed himself and totally failed to ruin Barry Allen's life in a meaningful way, Thawne screams in pure impotent rage.)

Continuity

The opening scene details the morning of a mystery man named Dr. Malcolm Gilmore, who works at Mercury Labs. The man is the spitting image of Eddie Thawne, who died in 123.

Allegra is still maintaining a secret identity in regards to her light powers.

Chester made Allegra a new costume, which she hates.

Cecile is still commuting to Central City while living with Joe and Jenna elsewhere.

Joe West makes a big dinner for Cecile whenever she stays the weekend with him and Jenna.

Khione is living in Caitlin and Frost's apartment. She has now mastered the ability to change her body into fog and back.

Khione is keeping a journal, where she writes letters to Caitlin and Frost, whom she considers her sisters.

Khione says it has been "nine months since she started her journey."  Presuming that 909 took place on March 12. 2023, this would place the events of this episode sometime in the middle of November 2023. This matches up with the presumed date that Iris' pregnancy would come to a close, since she discovered she was pregnant in February 2023 in 905. 

Khione refroze a lake for a group of school kids so they could ice skate.

ARGUS has been helping Khione catalog her powers. She says she is discovering a new power every day.

Khione has not talked to Mark in nine months, suggesting he has kept his distance since 907. Despite everything that happened between them, she does miss him and wants to talk to him.

Iris' article about the Red Death from 907, Nightmare Under Red Skies, is nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Barry disappears in a flash of blue energy. He finds himself, in pain, on the streets of Central City.

Barry figures out he is in the past when he sees a woman walking by wearing a portable CD player.

Barry figures out it is the year 2000 based on a license plate.

Barry tries to run back to 2023, but something blocks him from the wormhole portal. He crashes into the back of a Gambi's Cleaners van, just like when he first used his speed by accident while running in 101.

Barry goes to CCPD HQ and tries to talk to Joe West. 

Barry confuses David Singh by addressing him as Captain, when he is only a Detective in 2000.

Barry tries to get Joe West to help him find Dr. Tina McGee, who has an unlisted phone number in 2000. Joe, however, wonders how Barry knows about the City Registry as a civilian. He agrees to help Barry, but asks to know who he is.  It is then that Barry sees a desk calendar and realzies it is the day of his mother's murder.

Barry runs off before telling Joe anything more about the past.

Barry tries to call Professor Martin Stein, who hangs up on him, thinking his talk about being a time-traveler he hasn't met yet is a crank call.

Barry sees his parents while using a pay phone. He walks to talk to them, not paying attention, and is knocked unconscious by a streak of red lightning and nearly hit by a car. He is saved by his father running out into traffic to stop the car to treat him.

Barry wakes up in the hospital with his father, Dr. Henry Allen, watching over him.

Barry gives his name as Bart, when asked who he is.

Barry's parents treat him to a meal when he says his blood sugar is low. They take him to Zatara's, which was his favorite pizza place as a kid.

Joe covers the scene of Barry's accident and identifies him as the weird guy who was acting strangely in the CCPD HQ earlier that day. He tells Detective Singh about his gut feeling that Barry was running from something and in need of help.

Joe hears a voice calling his name. This takes him to a blue crystal, which he picks up. This causes him to be possessed by some dark influence.

Barry's parents offer to let him stay with them, but he runs off and has an anxiety attack.

Barry is discovered by Eobard Thawne, in his original body. This is a younger version of Thawne, who has just learned The Flash's secret identity. 

Thawne denies having anything to do with bringing Barry to the past. He thinks Barry showing up there may be the universe giving him one more chance to torture Barry before erasing him from existence completely.

Thawne takes Barry to O'Shaughnessy's Bar to have a drink and taunt him further.

Thawne admits he came to that point in time to kill Barry as a child. He says the only ways Barry can stop him are to kill him or to lock him up in Iron Heights. He says Barry won't do the former because of his moral code and he won't do the latter because it would cause a paradox. 

Henry and Nora talk about looking for "Bart" and both admit to feeling an odd connection with him.

Barry goes to his parents and tells them they reminded him of his parents and what he'd say to them if he had one more day. He tells them that their love made him who he is and he carries their light with them every day.

Barry is confronted by Joe West, who attacks him with a blue energy that saps his speed.

Barry realizes Joe is possessed by the Negative Speed Force.

One doctor takes the initiative in evacuating people as the Negative Speed Force knocks out the power ot the hospital. This doctor is Dr. Rachel Rosso, the mother of Ramsey Rosso, AKA Bloodwork.

Barry is able to knock Joe West out. This causes the blue crystal he is carrying to disappear.

Barry goes to his childhood home to confront Thawne. This leads to the battle seen in 101 and 123, with 2023 Barry in the place of the future version of himself that stopped 2015 Barry from saving his mother.

Thawne is left powerless and trapped in 2000, as in the flashback scene from 117.

In the final scene, Dr. Malcolm Gilmore is working late in Mercury Labs and is struck by a red lightning bolt. He is oddly injured and, when he stands up, he finds a classified CCPD police report regarding one Detective Eddie Thawne and his mysterious disappearance. Dr. Gilmore sees a photo of Eddie and realizes it looks like him.

Location

Cemtral City in November 2023, based on the date in Khione's journal.

Central City on March 18, 2000.

Keystone City on March 18, 2000 in O'Shaughnessy's Bar,

While it is not clear in this episode, Dr. Malcolm Gilmore's scenes take place in the future of 2049.


Untelevised Adventures

Reference is made to the first time Thawne and Barry met, from Thawne's perspective, in the year 2170.  This meeting has never been shown on camera, though Thawne made reference to it as the reason he hated Barry so much in 805.


The Bottom Line

A solid start to the finale, which builts perfectly on the Season 1 battles with The Reverse Flash.  The only problem is everything else involving the supporting cast feels tacked on, especially the bits setting up Cobalt Blue. Still, Grant Gustin and Matt Letscher sell it.