The Flash – The Last Temptation of Barry Allen, Pt. 2

By starrymag | December 9, 2019

By: Malasha Parker

 

 

Iris (Candice Patton), Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) and Cisco (Carlos Valdes) are getting up off the ground after Dark Flash (Grant Gustin) knocked them out. Frost tells them that Ramsey (Sendhil Ramamurthy) turned Barry into one of his blood brothers and Cisco runs to put a force field around S.T.A.R. Labs. Iris wonders why Barry would choose this and Frost explains that he may have thought that eternal life was better than Crisis. Ramsey wants to use Barry for something. 

 

Iris wonders why Ramsey didn’t have Barry kill them when he awoke. Cisco comes in with a photon emitter that delivers radiation that could destroy Ramsey’s infection. He hasn’t tested it and Iris is not willing to risk killing Barry over it. They hear a scared victim on the comms describing Ramsey and Cisco explains how Ramsey’s victims need to be afraid in order for the infection to take hold. 

 

Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) wakes in her office before Kamilla (Victoria Park) comes in asking about the internet and the lights that flickered off. They see someone pass by the door and Kamilla goes to check it out, but is pulled back into the room before he can get to her. The man looked just like how Joe (Jesse L. Martin) described an infected Mitch Romero. They have to get out. 

 

People infected by Bloodwork are running around Central City trying to infect more citizens. Joe is trying to get everyone to not take lethal action against them while he tries to talk down Bloodwork. He says Rosso had human plans and that his name is Bloodwork and he isn’t working alone. Dark Flash zooms in with another victim and a sinister smile. 

 

Joe tries to talk Dark Flash down, but he just replies that humanity is what needs fixing. Frost shows up to tell Joe that he didn’t do anything, because he isn’t Barry anymore. Bloodwork infects someone else while Barry stands and watches. He says he’s already cured death and leaves with Dark Flash. More infected victims start to surround them.

 

Mar Novu (LaMonica Garrett) tells Wells (Tom Cavanagh) that if he wishes to know all he has to show his allegiance. Wells says he doesn’t bother with false gods, but Mar Novu still tells him to bow down. The sewers began to shake and all goes dark. He takes out something to have light, but he turns to see an infected person growling at him. 

 

Kamilla is trying to get service while she attempts to calm a stressed Cecile, who has fallen to a crouch in the corner. Her powers are causing her to feel everybody’s fear, but Kamilla tells her to realize that she is their way out of the building. 

 

Cisco and Iris are in the workshop listening to the radios and working on the photon emitter. Barry’s voice comes through asking Iris to meet him where their life together began, where she said yes. She immediately tries to go, but Cisco tells her that he isn’t himself and she can’t trust that. She says she is willing to take the chance. All she needs to do is look Barry in his eyes. She thinks Barry is still alive in there. Cisco is scared that she’ll get infected or worse, but Iris doesn’t put the breacher back. “In sickness and in health,” she says, as she leaves to see Barry.

 

Iris calls Barry’s name in their apartment as she slowly approaches. When he answers that it’s him and so much more as his voice changes from Barry’s to Ramsey’s. Cisco frantically tries to get the audio to listen in. She asks why he asked her there and he says to offer her a chance to join him. He says Barry would want her to join him on this path. She tells him she isn’t saving lives, so she tries to reach out to Barry. She tells him, “I love you. And after everything that we have been through together, I know that this is not how our story ends. Come home to me.” He pauses for a moment,  but then violently flashes towards Iris grabbing her and asking why Barry would come home to her and what kind of wife is willing to bury her husband. She jerks away, but Dark Flash brings up a vibrating hand ready to put it through her heart yet stops. He says, “In good time. This is not over. Trust me Iris.” He then flashes away.  

 

Iris comes back to S.T.A.R. Labs with a stunned look on her face as she takes a seat. She tells Cisco she isn’t okay, but she has to try again. Cisco asks her to pause, but she doesn’t want to give up. He says they have to wait until the photon is done, but Iris doesn’t want to use that. He tells her they’ve actually been preparing for this for weeks, but she yells that they’ve been preparing for The Flash to die saving the world not helping to destroy it. However, Cisco says it doesn’t matter because Barry was going to die anyway. Iris believes she still has time and she’s not giving up on her husband. Cisco says Barry is already gone so there is nothing to give up on. When the photon is done he will use it on Dark Flash and Bloodwork. 

 

Joe and Frost are still downtown fighting off victims when one pierces Joe’s back with their claws. Frost blasts a group of them back when Allegra (Kayla Compton) comes to help her take Joe away. 

 

Kamilla and Cecile start to navigate their way out of the building while trying not to encounter any Bloodwork victims. They make it into the hallway before they encounter some, but successfully make it into the stairwell without getting infected. Only ten blocks to get to S.T.A.R. Labs.

 

Ramsey is still infecting people when Cisco comes and blasts him with the photon emitter. It’s working until Dark Flash runs through and breaks it. Bloodwork grabs him, but he throws him down before he can infect him saying that he still needs him. He plans to use the particle accelerator to grant all of Central City eternal life. He tells Cisco he knew he picked the right guy and then yells to Iris that he’s coming home. 

 

Iris and Cisco see that Barry hacked the the Particle Accelerator for Bloodwork. He was pretending to be Dark Flash for a reason. Caitlin and Allegra come in with a wounded Joe. Iris tells Frost to do something, but she she says she can’t and starts to back away. She turns into Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), but Caitlin tells her she doesn’t have the equipment to help. Frost is going to have to count to three and do it anyway. She comes back and uses her powers to help Joe. 

 

Wells fights off the infected man inside sewer when he finds a device to hinder him. However, it soon stops working and more are coming at him. 

 

Both Iris and Cisco’s plans failed. They realize that they need to figure out another option together now. Barry tells Cisco not to doubt himself and Cisco realizes something Ramsey said is the same thing that Barry said. Iris then realizes that Ramsey said he was coming home and she didn’t think she got through, but that’s what she told to Barry. Cisco thinks that Iris was right about Barry still being alive and Iris realizes that he could be trying to tell them what to do. They see that Dark Flash and Bloodwork are at the perimeter. Bloodwork says he’s come to fulfill his destiny. Dark Flash quips, “Iris. Cisco. Let the light in.” Iris and Cisco decide to do just that. 

 

They come with more Blood Brothers and Sisters as he tells them to find the others who rejected him. Cisco tells Allegra to help them spread the anecdote to the city. Bloodwork talks to Team Flash over the comms and says that he’s coming for them and his work will be achieved. He and Dark Flash get everything set. Dark Flash brings him Iris and Cisco. He throws Cisco down, but has Iris in a chokehold. Bloodwork tells them that his life blood is circling the accelerator and once the collision happens it will “cure” the city. Iris tells Barry that she trusts him and this causes Dark Flash to hesitate in killing her. He starts to twitch and Bloodwork snaps for him to kill her. He drags Dark Flash towards him trying to keep him in control, but Iris blasts Bloodwork with a gun and that weakens Dark Flash. Cisco goes to work on the system as Allegra comes in and finally blasts the rotation at the perfect time with her UV rays. We see the blast go throughput the city stopping all that have been infected. Wells thinks the blast was Mar Novu saving him. Iris calls out to Barry and he awakes with black eyes that quickly turn back to normal. They see that Bloodwork has fleas, but Flash runs to get him. 

 

Before Barry can take him, Bloodwork truly turns into the form of a huge blood monster. The comms are back up and Iris tells them that they can use the M.A.C. to hold Ramsey. Flash and Bloodwork are fighting. Flash tells him that he just wants to enjoy the time that he has left. At that moment Ramsey’s mother (Meera Simhan) appears agreeing with Barry, asking what he did. Flash brought Ramsey’s mother so that he could bring out that thought that was hidden deep inside of him. Barry let Ramsey infect him so that he could bring it out. She says that he fought so hard to save her so now he needs to let her save him from himself. Flash takes that moment to put him in the M.A.C. Barry falls to his knees weakened. Ramsey says that he’ll complete his destiny when he gets out. Iris stands with Barry as they watch on. They beat him and now it’s time for their next fight. 

 

Ramsey is in A.R.G.U.S. custody and the infections didn’t have any long-term effects on anyone except Ramsey– it’s permanent for him. Iris asks Barry what it was like being Dark Flash. He tells her he knew what was happening but it took everything he had to stop him. Barry thanks Allegra and she tells him he should also thank Frost. Caitlin and Frost have a talk and they decide that Caitlin should be around for whatever Crisis is about to take place.

 

The team along with Joe and Cecile sit in silence as they await the coming Crisis. Barry says he wants to give Joe his watch like Joe gave him, but Joe tells him to hold onto it. Cecile says that H.R. told her that Barry’s power wasn’t speed but hope. She tells him that the world is a better place for having him in it and Caitlin tells her that he saved her life when he came into it. Cisco says he missed the old times. Iris tells Barry that she had Cisco vibe her to the waterfront when he was stuck in the Speed Force so that she could watch their first kiss, the one that he had erased. She says that happy moments got her through. She tells him, “Our love story never ends, Barry, not even with Crisis. The only thing more inevitable than Crisis is us.” Barry tells the team that they have to hold onto their love for each other. He looks down as the clock strikes twelve and the sky behind them begins to turn red. They all rise to look at it. He and Iris turn to each other and grab each others hands. 

 

Wells thanks Mar Novu for saving his life and he tells Wells to submit and begin his life anew. The symbols light up and Wells presses the code. The barrier opens and a huge light blasts through capturing a screaming Wells in it before it closes.