Objects in the Mirror are Faster than they Appear: A Look Back at THE FLASH Season One

It's been a week now since we bid adieu to the first season of CW's THE FLASH -- and we still can't stop talking about it! So rather than keep the discussion just around the Critical Blast virtual water cooler, we thought we should let our readers in on the conversation.

Have something to add? That's what the Disqus comments below are for. Please, throw your thoughts into the pot!

R.J. Carter: This is where it was all supposed to come together and make sense. And yet, I’m left with more questions than ever. Is Barry living in an alternate timeline ever since he stopped the tidal wave? Did he just disappear from that Central City? And if Eobard Thawne is out of the picture -- might we still see Harrison Wells in Season Two?

Tricia Delloiacono: I thought the same thing about Harrison Wells. Frankly, that was one of the reasons I was irritated Tom Cavanagh canceled for Atlantic City Boardwalk Con. I just wanted to ask him how he was going to be in Season 2. I’m hoping we finally meet Dr Wells for real, but I would hate to chance any guesses since the show likes to kick us around!

J.K. Elison: With Eobard Thawne out of the picture they’ve created a bit of a paradox. Does this mean the real Harrison Wells and his wife were never killed because Eobard never existed to go back in time to kill them? Does this means Barry’s mom is still alive? Does this mean his dad isn’t in jail? Does this mean there was never a reverse flash? Does this mean Barry never time traveled? Did the reactor never explode? Did he never become The Flash? Does Iris not fall in love with him? Does she love him or love The Flash or both? Will their relationship be less brother/sister if they never lived in the same house? Soooo many questions.  And how about, how will that big gaping hole affect Central City? And will it have an affect on the rest of this universe i.e. Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow? I got questions who has answers?

Chris Delloiacono: I'm so confident in the writing on Flash that I know there are going to be satisfying answers to all the questions you asked.  

Tricia: Gah… the questions! It makes my brain hurt. Each and every question is perfectly valid. It’s all the freakin’ butterfly effect. There’s no way Eobard is actually out of the picture, right? It’s Reverse Flash, for cryin’ out loud! Besides, this is the comic world, and Eddie’s dead body just got pulled into a wormhole, no way he’s not coming back evil with a goatee. Then everything will be back on track. Right? Am I right?

Chris: There is no way we've seen the end of the Thawne legacy on the show.  I wouldn't mind a break in season 2, but they have to bring back those who Zoom!

R.J.: Do you think they shoehorned enough 52 into this? One minute and 52 seconds… The ‘52’ on the signs behind Cisco as he’s reprising Silence of the Lambs with him in the Jodie Foster role? We get it, DC.

J.K.: I love that they are oddly specific when it comes to numbers… Is it really one minute and fifty two seconds? Why not one minute and fifty three or one minute and fifty one? This is something they established early on in the series with the number of tacos Barry needed to eat to get his energy back/maintain his current speed. I’m kind of glad it made a reappearance. I honestly get a chuckle out of it every time the throw out some important number that is strangely specific for no good reason.

Overall thoughts on the season finale as things unfolded:

• Reverse Flash... dude that was way harsh! Props for bluntness but damn harsh.
• Barry stop listening to Reverse Flash.
• Joe WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING????
• Barry and his dad **SOBS**
• It’s so good to see Iris and Barry laughing again. I LIKE them... as FRIENDS.
• Seriously Barry, stop flirting with the dark side... I know they have cookies, but be careful... they're poisoned!
• EVERYBODY stop listening to the Reverse Flash!!!! JUST STOP!
• A flash wedding! :D ... Wait that came out wrong
• Any minute now Doc Brown is going to show up and say "No one should know too much about their own destiny"
• Ikea sells time machines?
• Ohh poor Cisco....
• oh man this is sooo sooo messed up... Somebody duct tape the Reverse Flash's mouth shut... cause Sinceriously! (yeah I went there, thank you Mr. Amell for such a fantastic word!)
• Thank you Martin Stein! Somebody needed to knock some sense into Eddie... it's about damn time!
• Cisco knows the answer to life the universe and everything!
• One minute and fifty two seconds? Are you sure it's not one minute and fifty three or fifty one?
• Dust or black hole... great choices
• Awwwwww EDDIE!!! FINALLY!!!!
• You go Eddie! YOU GO!
• GO GET YOUR  WOMAN!
• Best new hashtag... #screwthefuture
• I'm seriously proud of Eddie!!! YAY!!! YEAH HE GOT HIS WOMAN!
• Wait until future you gets younger you... my brain just exploded... but the force is with Barry so hey that's good!
• Future Flash warning off Current Flash... what is your game rogue? I mean wise decision... but WHAT IS HAPPENING...
• Barry and his mom **SOBS**
• I feel like Reverse Flash is about to bust into a rousing rendition of you've got the whole world in your hands
• NO BARRY NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
• You go Barry! YOU GO!
• And let's call that a supersonic punch!
• WAIT... NO. WHAT IS HAPPENING
• EDDIE **SOBS**
• NO ... SAY IT ISN'T SO
• EDDIE **SOBS**
• **SOBS**
• **SOBS**
• **SOBS**
• My feels have exploded all over the place... please pardon the mess
• **SOBS**
• EDDIE
• **SOBS**
• My feels are broken…
• Bring Eddie back… like now
• **SOBS**
• My feels are still broken.
• The End.

Tricia: When that Flash logo came up at the end, I just stared at the screen, scraping my jaw off the floor. There CLEARLY had to be another scene after it since there always is, ‘cause the creators wouldn’t do that to us. That’s just cruel and usual punishment.

So, theories? Where does the show pick up in Season 2? Barry unravels the wormhole, comes back down to Central City and things are different? Heroes never go into time warps and everything’s fine afterwards. Maybe some people forget Barry is the Flash since everybody in CC seems to know his terribly kept secret?

Also, let’s talk Easter Eggs. Obviously, you have Jay’s helmet popping out of the wormhole, I don’t even think that counts as an egg. Besides that, when Barry connects with the Speed Force in the Accelerator, we see a glimpse of Killer Frost, the Flash Museum, the Legends of Tomorrow and a weird little snippet of Barry in handcuffs talking to someone through glass. Anybody got anything on that? They also mentioned Rip Hunter when talking about the TIme Sphere. We get allusions to Vibe. What else did we miss?

Mike Maillaro: I was assuming the Flash in handcuffs was a reference to the Trial of Barry Allen story where Flash ends upon trial for killing Reverse Flash in the comics.  

I thought this was a terrific finale and a terrific season.  Flash was far better than I was expecting (and I was expecting a lot).  It had a great sense of fun and wonder to it.  Grant Gustin and the rest of the cast absolutely killed it each and every week.  And I was amazed that Tom Cavanaugh had such a dark side to him.  I definitely hope he’s back for season 2, even if it means he would be playing a more heroic Wells.

Chris: I don't know if it was a reference to The Trial because Barry looks very young.  That would be interesting, though.  That was one of the first extended comic runs I ever read, and it cemented my love for Flash!

Mike: I also thought the effects were far better than any TV show I have ever seen.  Everything felt like a comic book brought to life, even more so than a lot of the comic book movies we’ve gotten over the years.  It never felt like a spectacle, everything just felt so real, which is incredible when you have things like Giant Telepathic Gorillas.

As much as I enjoy Arrow, Gotham, and Agents of SHIELD, The Flash left them all in the dust.  Definitely can’t wait for season 2...even if I am still trying to recover from getting my heart ripped out a few times during the finale.  I do have a question for the panel...why do we think “Future Flash” stopped Barry from saving his mother?  That question really intrigued me…

R.J.: Apparently “Future Flash” is older and wiser in the ways of time travel. Or maybe “Future Flash” did save his mother, went through Flashpoint, had to go through hell to undo it, and then when the battle with the Reverse Flash comes on “the day” (whatever “day” means in time travel) he went back to kill Barry, “Future Flash” knew to tell younger Barry, “Hey, don’t save her, it’ll be a continuity mess.”

I’m still wondering why Eddie Thawne had more heroism than smarts. Yes, he figured out how to stop the lineage. I guess it just wouldn’t have played as well to the audience to have Reverse Flash start to disappear from the timeline, then cut over to a doctor’s office to have Eddie say, “You mean a couple of snips was it? That wasn’t so bad.”

I do know we’ll see Tom Cavanaugh again in Season 2. Notice that Reverse Flash’s face went from Wells’ to Thawne’s during the transformation -- because now he never killed Wells, and never assumed his form. Plus, he’s contracted.

J.K.: I’m just going to leave this here: http://olicityalways.tumblr.com/post/119460443898/eddie-didnt-need-to-die-he-could-have-just-shot

Chris: I definitely think we are going to see the good Wells.  Your explanation is spot on, RJ!  It could lend an odd dynamic to the show.  Will anyone remember the Reverse Flash?  I bet you Vibe, I mean Cisco, will remember Wells killing him, after all, he can sense the vibrations of the multiverse.  If Barry remembers too, well that's going to make for some interesting storytelling.  Harrison Wells could be 100% altruistic but will Barry and Cisco ever fully trust.

Tricia: As for the "Future Flash" and regular Flash interaction, I felt Barry had decided before he left he wasn't going to save his mother, just say goodbye. I don't think a simple shake of the head from his future self would be enough to stop him from his life goal if he was truly planning on saving Nora.

Chris: I agree.  I didn't think the older Barry stopped his younger self, but he may have cemented the feeling that the young-in already felt.  I just can't see Barry really letting Thawne escape to the future.  He seemed like he had a plan all along.  What a poignant scene too.  That moment when mom realizes who it is was so heartfelt and genuinely sad.  Just more great writing.  

Has there ever been a superhero show, or movie for that matter, that blended action, fun, and poignant character moments like The Flash?  Are we perhaps witnessing the very height of the superhero genre with this program?  Can you imagine if it gets better than this!

J.K.: I agree. The Flash has a great balance of all the things that make for fantastic television. But we have to remember that this is two plus years in the making. Big Brother Arrow has been a test pilot for The Flash. Arrow’s  success (and early rockiness) helped make it much easier for The Flash to have a much more successful season one. And if you compare The Flash season one finale to Arrow’s season one finale you’ll see quite a few parallels as well as a level of tension match. I don’t think it’s fair to compare The Flash season one finale to the Arrow season three finale. While the stories have intertwined at times, they are in very different places in their arcs. But in terms of emotional levels, Arrow season one finale was very much on par with the The Flash season one finale. That said, I’m still feeling the pains of The Flash season finale days later, so I think The Flash still edges out Arrow in that respect. But the thought that Eddie is The Flash’s Tommy kills me. I just can’t….

R.J.: I don’t know about just saying goodbye to Nora. I mean, we’re talking about risking a black hole, knowingly, just for the sake of sentiment? That seems irresponsible, even for the fledgling Flash who still leans heavily toward the naive. I think fans were primed to expect a change to reality, and I think they’re still going to get it -- just not through the rescue of Nora Allen (at least not the rescue we expected to see.

Can you imagine for  a moment, though, the mindset of “Future Flash?” He followed Eobard back in time, knowing that he was doing so just to stop his past self from saving his mother, knowing that the man he was chasing was going to kill her. And he still let it happen. If there’s a Reverse Flash to still happen, it’s going to be a wiser Flash taking on a less-experienced Reverse Flash.

I think the fact that we’re joining millions of others in discussing this series after its finale is indicative of why The Flash won the voting this year for Critical Blast’s Best TV Show of 2014!

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