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.

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.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 9 - It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To

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

Plot

Barry's birthday party is ruined by the return of Bloodwork, who has plans beyond taking over the world involving Kid Flash and the multiverse. In order to save his friends and all reality, Barry Allen will have to turn to someone else... who has become something else.

Influences

Zero Hour (Bloodwork's plan to "fix" the Multiverse mirrors Parallax's mad plan.) and the previous annual The Flash/Arrow crossovers.


Goofs

Cecile says that Barry's first 30th birthday took place while the team was fighting Cicada all night. This is likely a reference to the events of 516. However, that episode took place on March 12, 2019 when Barry's birthday is March 14. (Possibly his party was planned for that night.)

This episode takes place on March 14, 2023. This means that it must occur before the last three episodes chronologically. However, that doesn't fit the timeline of the previous episodes, with Allegra telling Chester she loves him, which first occurred in 908 on April 5, 2023.

Bloodwork says he just escaped from prison, However, his escape came during the 2022 Earth-Prime comic series, meaning that he should have been on the run for at least two and a half months. 

Performances

Stephen Amell slips easily into the role of Oliver Queen one more time, but with a little more humor given the knowledge he has now as The Spectre.


Artistry

The special effects are fairly solid this time around.

Flash Facts

The title is a pun based on a lyric from the Lesley Gore song "It's My Party."

This episode continues the tradition of the annual Arrow/The Flash crossover taking place on the 9th episode of the season.

The episode features a special title card, in the middle of the episode.

This episode was directed by Danielle Panabaker, who plays Khione.

This episode marks the first time Barry's birthday party has been celebrated on-screen.

This is the first episode in which David Singh and Kristen Kramer have appeared together, despite Kramer serving directly under Chief Singh.

Barry makes reference to "the Hall" as a place to display Oliver Queen's bow. This seems to be a nod to the Hall of Justice which was established (without being named) at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Chester exclaims "Holy Duane Jones!" when encountering the Bloodwork zombies. This is a nod to actor Duane Jones, who played the lead role of Ben in the original Night of the Living Dead.

Oliver tells Diggle that his brightest days are ahead of him. This is a nod to the Green Lantern oath.


Technobabble

Wally recommends a drink made of dried sendru and honey to help Iris fight morning sickness.

The necklace Chester made Allegra contains a facial transmogrifier.

To stop Bloodwork's powers from metastasizing inside a breach. a massive ultraviolet pulse is required.


Dialogue Triumphs

(After Wally refuses to work with Bloodwork.)
Bloodwork: I understand your hesitation. No one has ever really believed in you, have they? You have been cut down your entire life, forced to watch your mother suffer. It is a pain that I know all too well. My mother was diagnosed with HLH, and I couldn't save her either, Wally. I had to watch her die. And we have that in common. Then you understand what it is that I'm trying to do... That it's about more than just stopping death. It is about ending the suffering that we have both endured, that, together, we can create a Multiverse where no one has to watch their loved ones die...

Ollie Queen: Oh, Barry, Barry, Barry... what have you done this time?

(Wally hugs Ollie, who, for once, returns it.)
Ollie: Okay. Let go. Barry, let go.
Barry: Wait. If you're here, that means I'm really...
Ollie: You're dead. Otherwise, why would I let you hug me that long?

Barry: But when we fought the Red Death, she thought she escaped from her timeline into an alternate one -
Ollie: She is from Earth-4125. 

Barry: You're numbering them?
Ollie: I've had a bit of time on my hands...

Barry: I fight some random mad scientist. I get three extra years to live. You know everything now, right, Oliver? Tell me, how is it right I'm alive and they're dead? How's that fair?
Ollie: Life is a lot of things, Barry. Fair isn't on the list. 

Barry: I don't know what my life would have been like if I hadn't taken that train to Star City.
Ollie: You still would have been a hero.
Barry: Maybe. But you made me a better one.
Ollie: You made me a better man. 

(Ollie gets ready to leave the bar.)
Ollie: Okay, Mr. Allen, I think that I have done enough to upset the cosmic order for one night. Can you get this?
Barry: Are you kidding? You're a billionaire.
Ollie: Well, you... you can't take it with you. 


Continuity

As the episode opens, Team Flash is preparing a surprise birthday party for Barry Allen.

Cecile says that the first time Barry turned 30, the team was too busy fighting Cicada to celebrate.

Chester says that Barry is physically 30 years old, referring to his battle with Dr. Orloff in 816 and how it deaged Barry a few years.

Chester is in charge of the entertainment for the party, Allegra and Cecile took care of the decorations, and Khione is said to be out getting the cake.

The party attendees include Cecile, Chester, Allegra, Kristin Kramer, David Singh, Joe West, Wally West and John Diggle.

John Diggle appears for the first time since 818.

Wally West appears for the first time since 614.

Kristin Kramer and David Singh argue over who is the better Captain.

Diggle gives Barry Oliver Queen's bow, which ARGUS recovered from National City. Somehow, it wound up there after being presumed lost on Earth-38.

It has been three years since Oliver Queen died saving the multiverse.

Diggle makes reference to Caitlin's apparent death.

Barry tries to refuse it, but suggests maybe they could display the bow in "The Hall."

Chester makes Allegra a necklace that should hide her face whenever she is using her powers for their one-month anniversary. 

Wally is still studying with Bhikkhuni Amala in the Himalayas.

Wally tells Barry that after Iris told him about the Red Death, he began projecting his consciousness into the Speed Force to explore alternate timelines, hoping to find another version of himself who already found enlightenment whom he could learn from.

Wally says there's baggage he needs to get past, but doesn't talk about it more when Barry asks what his issue is.

Bloodwork was last seen in 617. However, his escape from ARGUS custody occurred during the Earth Prime crossover comic event.

Bloodwork is revealed to have put his blood into the champagne and cider for Barry's birthday toast.  Everyone except Chester (who doesn't drink), Iris (who shares Nora's healing factor) and Barry and Wally (whose powers protect them) are infected. 

Bloodwork reveals that his plan this time is to target Wally and break his mind through their connection then use his powers to travel the multiverse and spread his tainted blood around multiple Earths.

Bloodwork sees that the real reason Wally was exploring the alternate timelines was to try and find somewhere his ex-girlfriend, Jesse Quick, was still alive.

Chester flees to his lab and barricades himself inside.

Iris is able to lock herself inside the Time Vault, but is slowly losing control of herself.

Bloodwork gets Wally to kill Barry by vibrating his hand through his chest.

Barry wakes up in Purgatory (which looks like Lian Yu island) and is greeted by Oliver Queen.

Oliver Queen appears for the first time since A810.

Oliver confirms that he created Earth-Prime so that all his allies would have a single Earth to protect together. He also created the new Multiverse.

Red Death is confirmed to be from Earth-4125 rather than an alternate timeline.

Oliver explains that rather than traveling to alternate timelines, Wally has been traveling to parallel Earths in the new multiverse.

Khione saves Chester by freezing the water inside the bodies of Team Flash.

Khione says she felt a presence calling her, telling her she was needed back at STAR Labs, while she was waiting in line for the cake. This presence is later revealed to be Oliver Queen.

Oliver explains that he can only step in as The Spectre when the multiverse is endangered. This retroactively explains how he was able to help XS and Impulse fight Magog in the Earth Prime comic.

Oliver resurrects Barry and manifests, temporarily as Green Arrow one more time.

Khione is only able to safely thaw out John Diggle after removing Bloodwork's blood from his system.

John Diggle joins the fight against Bloodwork.

Barry is able to reach Wally and help him fight Bloodwork's control.

Oliver shoots an cosmic arrow into the breach, rewriting reality so that Bloodwork loses his powers. He also heals Bloodwork's HLH so he can live a long life in prison.

Barry and Team Flash learn that a new multiverse exists.

Ollie reveals that Khione's powers come from a connection to the natural world, which allowed her to expel Bloodwork's unnatural cells from the rest of the team.

Wally decides to stop exploring the multiverse and look for the answers he seeks within.

Ollie gets a chance to stay goodbye to John Diggle that he didn't during the Crisis.

Ollie confirms that he is keeping an eye on Felicity, Mia and William, but that part of the rules of his being The Spectre are that he can't make contact with his family. He was, however, able to bend the rules for Diggle since he was there at the crisis point.

Diggle confirms he is watching over Ollie's family too, telling him that William has started college and Mia can already climb a salmon ladder scaled to her height.

Oliver confirms that there are Flashes on the other Earths, but Barry is still his favorite.

Ollie and Barry have their traditional post-team-up drink before Ollie disappears.


Location

Purgatory
O'Shaughnessy's Bar in Keystone City

Untelevised Adventures

Oliver Queen has been defending reality as The Spectre ever since Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The Bottom Line

Easily the best episode of this short season so far. Ignoring the lore involving the larger Arrowverse setting and all the nods to past episodes, Bloodwork is allowed to be far smarter than any villain in recent memory. This was a flashback to better days, no pun intended, and it is a shame that more of Season 9 couldn't be like this.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 8 - Partners In Time

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

Plot

Barry and Iris must puzzle out a mystery together, when a time-traveling thief infiltrates STAR Labs and starts causing anomalies. Meanwhile, Khione meets an old friend of Team Flash, as some ill-chosen words threaten to ruin Allegra and Chester's romance before it begins.

Influences

Doctor Who (the whole time-heist storyline) and Gail Simone's The Atom comics.

Goofs

This episode is said to take place on April 5, 2023, which was the same day it aired in reality. However, this conflicts with the date given in 906, which took place on Jenna West's fifth birthday, which was May 22, 2023. 

It is further impossible for this timeline to work, given Chillblaine left Central City at the end of 907, but was shown to be training Khione in using her powers in 906.

It seems highly unlikely that STAR Labs would go 100 years without any kind of basic safety inspection. (Lady Chronos says the 2023 date was the last inspection "before becoming a museum," so it may have had inspections since then.)

HR Wells opened a STAR Labs museum in 310, yet apparently managed this without the city requiring any kind of safety inspection beforehand. (This is honestly on-brand for HR, who was more of an idea man and wasn't the best at little details like filling out paperwork.)

The meeting between Khione and Carla Tannhauser takes place entirely off camera, which is anticlimactic given how much importance it is given in the early scenes.

Flash Facts

The title is a play on the term "Partners In Crime."

This episode introduces the Arrowverse version of Lady Chronos. In the comics, Lady Chronos was a Chinese woman named Jia, who was a former love interest of the Ryan Choi Atom. She became an apprentice to the first Chronos, David Clinton, and used his tech for herself. She later became the mother of the Atom villain Dwarfstar.

The Arrowverse Lady Chronos has a similar costume to the comics Lady Chronos, with a clock face painted on her face in makeup.

Little is revealed about the Arrowverse Lady Chronos, beyond her status as a time-traveling thief. She tried to rob The Flash Museum in 2123, but there's no indication she is native to that time.


Technobabble

The reason everyone in STAR Labs is trapped is because (for them) space and time have lost elasticity. Some kind of gravitation force, dubbed the Time Magnet, has created a zone they can't escape from and is pulling objects out of time.

Time Magnets must be paired with some kind of stabilizer to prevent anomalies. 

A time traveler might give off excess radiation.

Jane theorizes that time travel might induce temporary amnesia. (This was shown to be the case in Legends of Tomorrow.)

The Time Magnet has an identity matrix, which Lady Chronos reset to her biometrics. This will make it explode if it is taken from her.

The Time Magnet attracts temporal displacement particles, causing everything around it to transmogrify.  

Lady Chronos' chronobelt allows her to travel through time in a single location. This allowed her to access The Flash Museum weapon's vault., then escape by traveling back in time and posing as a safety inspector. Unfortunately, the Time Magnet wouldn't allow her to leave.

The chronobelt requires a rapid kinetic generator to recharge.

Continuity

The opening scene shows a cloaked figure trying to steal a device from the Weapon's Vault of The Flash Museum. The scene ends with a focus on an inspection certificate with the date April 5, 2023.

Barry has painted Nora's crib purple and yellow - the same colors as her superhero costume in the future and her lightning.

Nora's favorite ice cream is cookie dough flavor.

Iris' favorite ice cream is a vanilla bean flavor made at an organic dairy farm in Coast City.

Iris gives Barry a gift - a mint condition copy of a North American Science magazine which has his father's picture on the cover. She remembered it after he mentioned losing his copy as a kid six months earlier.

Iris asks Barry to bring her some of Cecile's casserole when he comes home.

Barry scheduled a mold check at STAR Labs so it would be safe for Nora once she is born.

Barry sealed the Starchives and had Chester and Khione store all the other Team Flash equipment in the Time Vault, so their secrets are safe.

Carla Tannhauser, Frost and Caitlin's mother, expressed an interest in meeting Khione.

Khione is afraid that Carla will reject her, like Chillblaine did.

Barry's request for a mold inspection wound up triggering a full DOE inspection since STAR Labs adn't had any permits renewed since before the particle accelerator exploded.

One inspector is searching for mold. One inspector is measuring any device energy or matter that emits ionized radiation or particles. One is there to inspect the electrical systems.

Iris shows up, having not been able to wait for the casserole.

Barry is stuck for an explanation as to what the Speed Lab is for and why it is called that which does not involve The Flash.

The electrical inspector forgets the name for the breaker box. This is a clue that she is not who she says she is. 

As the inspectors, Barry and Iris try to leave the Speed Lab, they keep coming back to it.

A grandfather clock suddenly appears in the Speed Lab. It is identified as being from the 19th century, but looking as if it was built yesterday.

Nobody can get a signal on their phones.

Iris makes reference to being trapped in a time-loop with Barry (901) and the Dream Realm with Dreamer (907).

Barry decides to travel forward in time to figure out how they escape the looping rooms. He promises to bring Iris a snack with pistachios.

Chester and Allegra are playing board games on their day off. They start off with Scrabble.

Allegra makes reference to "going Nova" with her powers in 906 during the fight at O'Shaughnessy's.

Chester says "I love you" to Allegra, causing her to freeze up.

Chester invites Cecile to play Settlers of Cattan with them, after it becomes clear Allegra is uncomfortable being alone with him now.

The clothing of everyone in STAR Labs suddenly changes into historical garb from different time periods.

Barry reveals his secret identity to the inspectors to calm them as they begin to panic.

Barry recalls that his research for the Map Book of the future revealed a weapon's vault would be built into the Speed Lab in 100 years. He also thinks one of the objects in it is a Time Magnet.

Chief Inspector Howard is replaced with a statute.

Cecile senses things are awkward between Allegra and Chester and asks why.

Allegra froze up when Chester said he loved her because everyone she ever loved had something bad happen to them and she's afraid, on some level, that she's cursed.

Cecile sympathizes, having her own abandonment issues from her first marriage, but she says Chester is not the kind of guy to run.

Barry deduces Inspector Tao is the fraud because of her not knowing what a breaker box was. He later traps her in a lie, saying that check valves are probably to blame for the electrical wiring in STAR Labs going bad.  Check valves are used in plumbing to guide water flow.

Tao, revealed as Lady Chronos, tries to take Iris hostage.

Barry reasons with Lady Chronos, offering to recharge her belt so she can put the Time Magnet back, convincing her that she'll die if she doesn't.

The timeline is restored with one of the inspectors remembering what happened and Barry just convincing them the Speed Lab is named in honor of The Flash.

Khione tells Barry she could have told him that STAR Labs didn't have a mold problem, although she can't say how she knows.

Khione says she is eight weeks old at this point.

Khione says that Carla just wanted to get to now her as a friend and that she hopes to get to know her as a mentor.

Khione can also sense when Iris is hungry.

Khione, Iris and Barry go to get dinner at Helena's, which was revealed to have Iris' favorite cheese fries in 907.

Allegra tells Chester she loves him too and the two officially become a couple.

Location

The Flash Museum - Central City - 2123

Untelevised Adventures

The meeting between Khione and Carla Tannhauser takes place entirely off camera.

The Bottom Line

A harmless filler episode, but a rather odd one given how few episodes are left at this point in the season. It is clear this episode was meant to save the show's budget for the grand finale, with most of the action confined to one room and little in the way of showy superheroics.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 7 - Wildest Dreams

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

Plot

When Iris and Dreamer becoming connected in the Dream Realm, it falls to the rest of Team Flash to rescue them. Meanwhile, Chillblaine takes Khione out for a night on the town with ulterior motives.

Influences

Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (the dream realm setting and general dark atmosphere.)

Goofs

Iris' article places this episode as taking place on March 28, 2023 - one day before the episode aired in reality. However, the previous episode, 906, took place on Jenna West's fifth birthday, which was May 22, 2023. It is further impossible for this timeline to work, given Mark leaves Central City at the episode's end, but was shown to be training Khione in using her powers in the previous episode.


Performances

Nicole Maines is still a delight as Dreamer. It's a shame this was the best she could hope for after Supergirl rather than a full spin-off.


Artistry

The dream imagery is rather effective.

Flash Facts

The title is a reference to a Taylor Swift song. (This in itself may be a reference to Nia saying she is a Taylor Swift fan in S502.)

Technobabble

Gideon's biometric analysis determines that Nia and Iris were put into a deep REM sleep. Their cortical functions are totally siloed, keeping them from responding to any outside stimuli.

Chester notes that their neural functions in their cerebral cortexes are sinking and this could result in a permanent comatose state.

The Naltorian mystics had a word that means "angry sleep," referring to the phenomena when a dreamer spends too long in the Dream Realm and their body starts to feel intense strain.

At 106 degrees, organs shut down and a person can die.


Dialogue Triumphs

Chillblaine: I'm almost embarrassed. 

Khione: By your secret crush and the love you feel for them? 

Chillblaine: By my not-so-secret love of bourbon, which is why I fell asleep on monitor duty.


Continuity

As the episode opens, Dreamer has a vision where she is surrounded by people and a hooded woman. She sees Iris West, who tells her "It's all about control," before dying.

Iris is having cravings for cheese fries. She thinks this is where Nora probably got her love of that food.

Helena's on Third Street has gourmet cheese fries. 

Iris is still working on an article about the Red Death attacks.

Allegra suggests the title "Nightmare Under Red Skies" for Iris' story. This is the title of the story that Iris was told would win her a Pulitzer Prize.

Chillblaine has a dream about Khione manifesting ice powers and making out with him. This is revealed to be a dream sequence.

According to Khione and Chester, Chillblaine talks in his sleep. 

Chillblaine offers to take Khione out to give her a break from testing herself for powers.

Dreamer travels to Central City to meet with Iris.

Dreamer says that Iris is her idol as a writer. She makes reference to a story she wrote about being kidnapped by Cicada. (517.)

Dreamer reveals that she was trying to hone her powers, seeking out an ancient source of Naltorian dream energy in the Dream Realm.

Dreamer reveals that she lost her powers after her last vision and thinks, because Iris was in the dream, she can help her restore them.

The hooded woman from Nia's dream shows up, but Iris cannot see her. She sends the two women into a dream.

Iris' dream of being a cop is a nod to her original dream career before she withdrew her application to the police academy because of Joe not wanting her to follow in his footsteps, as revealed in 104.

In Iris' dream, she's a Captain, like her father.

Reference is made to Captain Cold and Golden Glider (aka the Snart Siblings) and how Iris took them down.

The door out of the cop dream takes Dreamer and Iris to C.C. Jitters.

Iris' dream of being a barista is a reference to her job in The Flash season 1.

In this dream, Iris is the manager and Nia, Barry and Chester are her employees. 

Barry discovered Nia and Iris in Iris' office and takes them to STAR Labs.

Chester monitors them, while Barry and Cecile go to call the League, Cisco Ramon and John Diggle for help.

Supergirl, Martian Manhunter and Brainiac-5 are all said to be off-world.

Chillblaine takes Khione to O'Shaughnessy's Bar, despite Khione not drinking. Before that, he took her to play paintball, which she also did not enjoy.

Khione asks to do something more relaxing that will nurture the body and soul. She suggests the Arboretum, but Chillblaine suggests midnight roller derby instead.

Khione asks Chillblaine, point blank, why they aren't doing anything she wants to do.

Chillblaine says that gardens are boring.

In the dream world, Iris feels her body temperature going up. Dreamer says this is a sign their bodies are experiencing trauma from the strain of the Dream Realm.

Dreamer says the only hope they have of escape is cracking the code of Iris' dreams. She asks if there is anything worrying Iris about her life.

Iris tells Dreamer that she misses the freedom of her barista job and being in a world where she could clock out at 5 pm and have the rest of the day free.  This leads them to the dream where Iris died.

Dreamer is able to drive the cloaked woman away. This takes them to a staff meeting at CCC Media. Iris is accepting her Pulitzer, but her staff speak badly of her, saying that she only gets her stories because she is married to The Flash. Even Allegra calls her a fraud.

Khione asks Chillblaine if he wishes she was Frost. Before he can answer, the bar's karaoke host tries to get them up to sing Chillblaine and Frost's song, thinking that Khione is Frost.

Chillblaine tells Khione about his dream and how he thought maybe it was a sign they could be together.

Khione accuses Chillblaine of trying to turn her into Frost, again, instead of honestly trying to be her friend. 

Chillblaine admits she's right and Khione leaves him.

Iris realizes she's upset because knowing the future has her feeling like she didn't really earn her Pulitzer. She wants to be able to make her own choices, even if her future is everything she wanted.

Dreamer tells Iris that her choices led to her success and that nothing is preordained. She learned from her dream visions.

Cecile senses another presence in the room with Nia and Iris. She describes it as powerful and kind, like a guardian angel.

Nia leads Iris back into the space with the hooded woman and the random people. She says that she thought Iris was telling her to take control of her path in the dream, but she realizes how she is meant to give up control and trust her intuition.

The hooded woman reveals herself as the First Dreamer and the source of the power Nia was seeking.

Dreamer says the First Dreamer has restored and enhanced her powers and will teach her how to use them.

Everyone meets at Cecile's for breakfast the next morning.

Chillblaine talks to Khione and says he is going to leave Central City to find a new life without Frost.

Khione forgives Chillblaine.

When Khione returns to the breakfast, the table is frozen solid.

Location

The Dream Realm
O'Shaughnessy's Bar in Keystone City

Untelevised Adventures

Brainiac-5 is said to be off-world with Supergirl and Martian Manhunter.

Mention is once again made of the monthly brunches between Batwoman, Dreamer, Supergirl and Sentinel. Iris was invited to join them in 905.)

The Fridge Factor

Dreamer is far less confident in her abilities here, purely so Iris can inspire her.

The Bottom Line

More dull and confused than bad. The Dreamer subplot wouldn't be bad as a B-story, but the whole thing is contrived to make Iris into this inspirational figure to a depowered Dreamer. The Chillblaine story is uncomfortable, primarily because Chillblaine honestly seemed to have worked past his issues in earlier episodes and comes off as a real creep here, which is rough after all the show did to redeem him.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 6 - The Good, The Bad, and The Lucky

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

Plot

With Iris' pregnancy confirmed, she and Barry head out of town to finish up the last of their baby-moon plans. Meanwhile, Cecile and Allegra tackle an unusual case involving an innocent metahuman framed for attempted murder as Chester and Mark try to determine just what Khione's powers are.

Influences

Roy Thomas' Infinity Inc. (character of Hazard) and Superman III (the slapstick direction of the chaos around Hazard is very Richard Lester).


Goofs

How does Becky Sharpe know about the Crisis and her death on Earth-1? (Presumably Cisco discovered she was alive when assembling his Who's Who Binder and helped clue her in to her bad luck powers and past history.)

Why is Becky Sharpe allowed out on the street given she's facing attempted murder charges? (Cecile and Captain Kramer probably pulled some strings and knew which judge to talk to about a hurried bail hearing. It's also possible Becky wasn't formally charged yet and was merely being held for questioning, given the rapid time frame of the episode.)

Granting that Chillblaine has good reason to be obsessed with the idea of Khione having cryokinesis and focusing the tests on that, why does Chester, passive as he is, go along with this?  Shouldn't the genius point out that maybe they should be looking for life or nature related powers given what Khione has displayed so far?

Performances

Sugar Lyn Beard brings life to a largely lifeless role as Becky Sharpe.


Artistry

The scene where it snows indoors is beautiful.


Flash Facts

The opening scene is a parody of The Flash season 1 opening, with Becky Sharpe in place of Barry Allen as the "luckiest woman alive."

The villain of this episode is revealed to be a gambler. This is a nod to the grandfather of Becky Sharpe in the comics, aka Steven Sharpe III, The Gambler.


Technobabble

Allegra uses her powers like a UV scanner to search Becky Sharpe's apartment for evidence.

Chester developed a combat dummy that can detect 56 different metahuman power sets, including pyrokinesis, telekinesis, technopathy and cryokinesis.

Chester notes that there are no fluctuations in Khione's core temperature or surges in dark matter readings when she tries to mimic Frost's ice powers.

The thugs who kidnap Becky Sharpe use a dark matter refractor to cancel out Allegra's powers. This crystal uses an asymmetric matrix to cancel out any metahuman power it comes into contact with. Reportedly Goldface started manufacturing and selling the devices on the Coast City black market, but they stopped selling after word got out the devices were only good for one use.

Chester and Mark determine that there are no dark matter or cold fusion traces in Khione's genetic code. More, she's missing 55 of the 56 common biometric signatures. This means she is not a metahuman like Frost, but she's also not a regular human like Caitlin.

Continuity

Becky Sharpe (aka Hazard) was one of the bus metas in The Flash season 4.  She was last seen on-camera in 414, albeit with The Thinker possessing her body.

Becky Sharpe was one of the lucky metahumans brought back to life as a result of Crisis on Infinite Earths, after dying on Earth-1.

Becky has gained enough control of her powers that her good luck no longer causes bad things to happen to the people around her unless she wants it to.

Becky is currently engaged to a man named Dominic "Dom" Stewart, whom she met after slipping and literally falling into his arms.

Joe West and Jenna are moved into their new home, with Cecile commuting to spend time with them on the weekends.

As the episode opens, Jenna's 5th birthday is one day away.

Cecile only uses organic pancake mix to make breakfast for Jenna.

Barry and Iris are taking a week off to travel to Coast City for a CCC Media expansion party.

Khione says there is going to be an early spring, saying she just knows this when asked how she knows.

Barry and Iris have agreed that Barry will not be using his speed to carrying them anywhere while she's pregnant, so they are driving to Coast City.

Allegra is having issues with her apartment, complaining she hasn't had hot water for days and her landlord can't get anyone to fix it until next week.

Chester offers to come try and fix it, prompting Allegra and Chester to both wonder if he's become her boyfriend. 

Chillblaine suggests they test Khione for metahuman powers, pointing out she clearly has to have some given her kiss bringing him back to life, her sensing Iris' pregnancy and her sensing the change of seasons. Chester agrees to help.

Cecile is called in to represent Becky Sharpe after taking a call from Captain Kramer, who says there is something about the case not sitting right with her, despite it being open and shut.

Like Becky Sharpe, Dom Stewart is lactose intolerant - a fact revealed in 403.

The apparent murder weapon is found in Becky's apartment.

Allegra agrees to help Cecile investigate the crime.

Allegra uses her powers like a UV scanner to locate a retainer and a poker chip in Becky's apartment.

The retainer belongs to Becky, but the poker chip is an actual clue given Becky quit her casino job and Dom is not a gambler. The chip does point the finger at Dom's brother, Tony.

Tony claims that Dom had a secret gambling problem, which he asked him to hide from Becky, and that he owed money to some very bad people.

Cecile senses that Tony is very anxious when the chip is brought out.

Tony says Dom usually played at a high-stakes gambling night held twice a month at O'Shaughnessy's Bar.

The bartender at O'Shaughnessy's doesn't know who Dom owes money to, but confirms he was a regular at the bar's game night.

A group of thugs try to kidnap Becky while at O'Shaughnessy's. Cecile tries to use her telekinesis to stop them, but her powers backfire. Thankfully, Allegra is able to step in and drive the thugs off.

Mark tries to teach Khione how to focus an ice blast like Frost used to, but she can't do it, to his frustration.

Chester confirms that Khione has to have powers, as it is the only way to explain how Mark recovered from his injuries in 905.

Cecile can find nothing in Dom's bank records to indicate a gambling problem or him withdrawing large sums of money.

Cecile freaks out when she realizes she missed her 8 PM train and will not be there to make Jenna breakfast on her birthday. She blames Becky and her bad luck for jinxing her.

Becky is kidnapped by the thugs from O'Shaughnessy's after she leaves Cecile's office. The thugs hold up a device that stops both Allegra from using her powers. Again, Cecile tries to use her telekinesis, but the fire extinguisher she throws at the thugs comes back at her and explodes.

Chester can't find Becky with the STAR Labs satellites.

Cecile's powers are on the fritz, so she can't try to find Becky empathically.

Allegra finds a pillow and sheets in Cecile's office, indicating that she's been sleeping there rather than at home.

Mark is upset because Khione kissed him because that, coupled with the chills he felt when she did it, made him think that Frost was still alive in her, somehow, and trying to reach out to him. This was why he was so insistent on checking her for cryokinesis powers. 

Khione tells Mark that Frost is still alive inside him and that there's more of her in him than there is in her. This causes it to start snowing inside STAR Labs, for some reason.

Cecile admits to Allegra that she's been sleeping in her office because it's too lonely being in Joe's house without him and Jenna.

Allegra and Cecile figure out that someone must have put a dark matter refractor into Becky Sharpe's engagement ring and that is what is cancelling her powers out.

Chester accesses Tony Stewart's bank records and determines that he is the one with the gambling problem who owes money to the mob.

Tony's plan is to force Becky to work as a blackjack dealer at O'Shaughnessy's, so that her bad luck will result in him always winning against her.

Tony apparently attacked Dom after he learned about Tony's plan and tried to stop him.

Cecile frees Becky by pulling her ring off her finger with her telekinesis. After that, her powers enable her, Allegra and Cecile to fight Tony and his henchmen.

Cecile figures out her powers going haywire were because of her own lack of confidence - not Becky's powers.

Dom Stewart is said to be recovering after waking from his coma. He confirmed Becky didn't attack him, so they are free to live happily ever after.

Cecile asks Allegra to move in with her and use Joe's spare bedroom.

Team Flash throw Barry and Iris an impromptu baby shower after they return from Coast City.

Chester and Mark determine that Khione isn't a metahuman but isn't an ordinary human either, after a consultation with Dr. Carla Tannhauser.


Location

O'Shaughnessy's in Keystone City.


Untelevised Adventures

Iris and Barry spend a week in Coast City, attending a party in honor of the CCC Media expansion. 

The Fridge Factor

Cecile's power loss is explained away as being due to her being unable to cope with her daughter and boyfriend being away from her for most of the week.


The Bottom Line

A bland filler episode, neither outstanding nor awful, that doesn't do anything to advance any of the storylines. Normally, this wouldn't be too bad, but it is maddening given the shortened season for The Flash's final season.