The Flash – Finish Line

By: Stacy Miller

It’s the season finale of “The Flash” and the final battle between Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Savitar. Which speedster will win? As the episode opens, Barry is cradling the lifeless body of Iris (Candice Patton). In a rooftop across the way overlooking Infantino Street, Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) drops his weapon and sinks to the ground. He is devastated that his baby girl is dead.  H.R. (Tom Cavanagh) sees the shocked and saddend expression on Dr. Tracy Brand’s (Anne Dudek) face and says “Oh no.” Iris gasps for breath, but in something unexpected to Barry (and viewers) she uses technology which reveals that it isn’t Iris but H.R. On the rooftop, H.R. uses the same technology revealing himself as really Iris. She tells her dad, “It was H.R.” when Joe asks how this is possible.  Then, we see how it all came down: H.R. went off alone to rescue Iris (he didn’t want to tell Barry what he was doing for fear that Savitar would get inside Allen’s head and learn about the rescue). But when H.R. and Iris were cornered, as they tried escaping from Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) and Savitar, H.R. used the technology to exchange faces with Iris and told her “I’m the reason Savitar found you, I need to remedy that.”  So, when Killer Frost caught up, she recaptured Iris not knowing it was really H.R.

Back at the park on Infantino Street, Tracy runs to H.R. and asks why he did this when they just found each other. H.R. tells her that he didn’t want to be a coward.  He assures her that she will be brilliant, then sadly H.R. dies.  And a moment of silence from this recap to honor this hero of Team Flash.   Now back to our story.  Iris runs into Barry’s arms and Joe tells them Savitar took the Speed Force Bazooka.

Killer Frost is about to kill Vibe when Savitar stops her because he needs Cisco (Carlos Valdes) to build something for him. At STAR Labs Joe, Iris and Barry see the newspaper headline with the byline by Iris West-Allen from 2024 and happily realize the future has been changed. But, unfortunately, Savitar sees that Iris lives and realizes the same thing.

Back at STAR Labs, Julian (Tom Felton) learns that H.R. is dead. But there’s no time to mourn their friend now. Team Flash discuss the situation. Now that the future is changed and Iris didn’t die, The Flash never created time remnants, which means that once the time paradox catches up with him Savitar will cease to exist.  But they know that Savitar will make havoc until then; plus he stole the Speed Force Bazooka for a reason so must have a plan.  But there is good news, Julian tells the team about the cure to reverse Killer Frost’s Meta DNA and turn her back into Caitlin.

Savitar orders Cisco to fix the Speed Force Bazooka, but Ramon tells him that he didn’t name it and if he didn’t name it then he didn’t make it and therefore can’t fix it.  Savitar wants Cisco to alter the Speed Force Bazooka into an interdimensional quantum splicer. His Plan B is to open the Speed Force and Cisco shoot him with the altered bazooka then he will become fragmented throughout time. That way, the time paradox can’t get him because he will be everywhere at every second, every minute. Savitar tells Cisco that he intends to rule in the Big Bang for all of time. Cisco refuses to help Savitar.  But Savitar has another bombshell for Cisco: Julian has a cure to turn Killer Frost back at Caitlin. And if Cisco helps him, he can have Caitlin back and then Savitar will let them both go.

Barry talks with Iris that he’s used the power of anger in the past and has been so angry at Savitar for so long. He remembers something Snart (Wentworth Miller) said to him and tries a different approach. So, Barry arranges a meeting with Savitar and tells him that he wants to help him.  He reminds Savitar that the time paradox will come after him but if he lets Cisco and Caitlin go and comes back to STAR Labs with him, they can help him.  Barry tells Savitar that he knows that he (Savitar) remembers what it was like to have friends and people who love him. Then, Barry talks about a happy memory from his childhood of a great day he spent with his parents. Savitar remembers it, too. “I’m still in there, come home,” Barry urges Savitar.

Team Flash is not happy when Barry enters STAR Labs with Savitar. Joe warns Savitar not to make a move against Iris. “Killing Iris won’t save him now,” Barry tells Joe.  Julian demands to know Cisco and Caitlin’s location. “You show me that you can help me, and I will tell you where your friends are,” says Savitar. Iris walks towards Savitar. She touches his damaged face and tells him that they will help him. Julian sarcastically doesn’t know what they can do since Savitar is holding their two resident scientists hostage. Barry says that Tracy is their best bet at this point. That is when Dr. Brand enters. “So, you’re Savitar.  I hear you’re about to have a really bad day. Good,” Tracy angrily says “He stole my future. Why does he deserve one?” There’s no way she’s helping the person who killed H.R. Tracy Brand walks out of the room. Team Flash get Harrison Wells to talk with Tracy. Wells explains that he’s a multiverse version of H.R. He talks about how H.R. gave his life because he loved her and Team Flash and would want her to help.  Savitar asks Iris and Barry where does he fit in?  He remembers giving Iris the engagement ring, singing to her and asking her to marry him and now she will spend the rest of her life with the other Barry Allen.  Iris and Barry assure him that they will figure it all out. Savitar leaves the room. Team Flash discover high energy in the breach room. Barry asks Kid Flash/Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) to get everyone out of it and Barry gets Iris out before the breach room blows.

Savitar returns to where he is holding Cisco and Caitlin. It is obvious that he had no intention of letting Team Flash help him. As Killer Frost is about to kill Cisco, Gypsy (Jessica Camacho) vibes in and rescues Ramon in the nick of time. But Cisco doesn’t thank her; he was about to get through to Caitlin when she “interrupted.”  Gypsy takes Cisco back to Iris and Barry’s loft. He’s happy to see his friends as well as Harrison. Cisco tells them he knows what Savitar is planning. Meanwhile, Savitar tells Killer Frost that they need to hurry as he must become immortal before the time paradox catches up to him. “Today I become a God.”  He speeds around and creates a Speed Force portal. “This is why I brought you here, the Speed Force doesn’t like it when speedsters mess with time. Get ready,” Savitar tells Killer Frost. A time paradox comes out of the Speed Force and Killer Frost turns it into ice. “The one thing Black Flash can’t fight, cold,” Savitar says, “Finally, to be a God.” Killer Frost shoots Savitar with the former Speed Force Bazooka now the Interdimensional Quantum Splicer and Savitar multiples. But only for a short time. Then, Jay Garrick (John Wesley Shipp) jumps out of the Speed Force. Barry, Cisco and Gypsy appear.  Cisco tells Savitar that he changed the Speed Force Bazooka into a Speed Force skeleton key. “You didn’t think I’d actually let you become a God now did you?” Cisco asks.  Savitar races off and The Flash and Kid Flash take off after him. Cisco has Killer Frost cornered and she urges him to go dark.  Cisco assures that he never will. But he gives her a choice, tossing the cure to her and tells Killer Frost to use it if she wants to be Caitlin Snow again. Savitar speeds back and grabs Cisco threatening to kill him for his betrayal. But Killer Frost saves her friend. “I knew you didn’t have it in you Caitlin Snow,” Savitar says. The Flash comes and knocks Savitar down.  Savitar tells Barry that he feels his life slipping away.  But before he dies, he will kill Joe, Iris and Wally.  If Savitar dies, he’ll make sure Barry is alone, too. When Savitar walks away, The Flash phases into the Savitar suit and knocks the time remnant Barry Allen out.  The time remnant Barry tells The Flash that if he kills him, he becomes him. The Flash comes out of the Savitar suit and Barry tells time remnant Barry that he’ll never let the darkness turn him into him (time remnant Barry/Savitar).  Time remnant Barry/Savitar races towards Cisco and Killer Frost/Caitlin, but Iris appears and shoots him. He dies…bye bye Savitar! “All these months you’ve been trying to save me from him. Look at that, I saved you,” Iris tells Barry.

Iris speaks at the funeral service for H.R. Cisco and Julian are surprised to see Caitlin. But she tells him that she’s not Caitlin or Killer Frost anymore. “I’m something else and I need to find out what that is,” she says. Later at their loft, Iris and Barry talks about their upcoming wedding. Iris tells him how still has the Save the Date cards, but never mailed them when she didn’t know whether she would be alive. Barry speeds off and delivers them. Iris laughs that she wasted so much money on stamps. Their happiness is interrupted by what appears to be an earthquake. They go to STAR Labs, which has been damaged. Team Flash realize that it’s not an earthquake, it is the Speed Force. When Barry freed Jay Garrick, the Speed Force prison lost an occupant so now it’s bleeding energy onto the Earth. Barry decides to give the Speed Force what it wants: He’ll take Jay’s place in the Speed Force. Iris cries that Barry can’t do this, she needs him and the city needs The Flash. Barry says Central City has one in Kid Flash. Iris reminds that Jay and Wally said the Speed Force was Hell. Suddenly, the Speed Force appears as Nora Allen (Michelle Harrison). “Barry isn’t going to Hell.  But like all runners, he’s reached his finish line. His race is over.” Barry tells Iris that he started all of this with Flashpoint. “This is my redemption,” Barry tells Iris going into the Speed Force. Will Barry survive the Speed Force? Find out next season.