‘The Flash’ Season 8 Finale Defined — What Ultimate Scene Means

The next accommodates spoilers from The Flash‘s Season 8 finale.

The Flash with its Season 8 finale noticed Eobard Thawne develop into extra highly effective than ever, because the Destructive Reverse-Flash. In flip, the constructive Forces resurfaced to equally supercharge Barry, as their very own chosen avatar. Iris in the meantime was revealed to have cheated dying, her consciousness discovering refuge within the time stone that Damien Darhk gifted Joe again throughout “Armageddon.”

Damien coached Iris to facilitate her personal escape by rediscovering her misplaced reference to Barry, after which she dematerialized at Joe’s home. Iris then discovered Barry mid-battle with Thawne and urged him to dial issues down, seeing as their fracas was constructing to, you understand, Armageddon. So, regardless of crackling with the mixed energy of the opposite Forces, Barry actually opted to take a seat out the remainder of the rumble, positing himself criss-cross-apple sauce on the pavement and meditating, a lot to Thawne’s  frustration. Thawne then summoned “extra energy” to slaughter his foe the place he sat, solely to wind up obliterated by his personal extra.

Within the coda that adopted, Iris reunited Tinya together with her rescued mother… Cecile found {that a} type of telekinesis has been added to her energy set… Caitlin’s “Frost” chamber malfunctioned, main Mark to an sudden discovery… and Barry and Iris loved a quiet, romantic second at residence, the place she defined how she rediscovered their spark, and he thanked her for de-escalating his combat with Thawne. Then, in a ultimate stinger, as Barry and Iris acknowledged that the Destructive Forces will at some point discover a new avatar, the digital camera panned a lab within the yr 2049, the place a (cobalt?) blue crystal was on show….

TVLine spoke with Flash showrunner Eric Wallace about planting the seeds for the time illness arc, whether or not we’ve now actually seen the final of Tom Cavanagh, why “WestAllen” has been put via the wringer, and what that ultimate picture meant.

TVLINE | I gave you a sluggish golf clap when Joe revealed that the time stone was in his cupboard, and we obtained the flashback to Damien handing him it. You actually performed the lengthy sport. What would you say was the very first seed for this time illness storyline?
It actually begins in Season 7 — in Episode 715, I imagine? — the place Iris appears to have the flu off-camera. Candice [Patton] was not out there for Episode 715, so we have been like, “I ponder why Iris just isn’t out there? Hey! What if this can be a diabolical grasp plan of some form? And what if it’s actually the dangerous guys, and never the flu? What in the event that they’ve given her a time illness and he or she gained’t determine it out for an additional six months? Oh my goodness, we’re going to have probably the most epic, concerned storyline ever, and we’re going to pay it off!” That’s the place it began. After which there’s a deleted scene that sadly didn’t make the lower on the finish of Season 7 — proper earlier than the vow renewal, it’s a scene with Iris and Nora—

TVLINE | TVLine really posted that deleted scene, with the necklace.
Sure, the necklace scene! I can’t bear in mind if we had the completed results there, however on the high of the scene you see Iris’ eyes glow inexperienced for the primary time. Regardless that she obtained it off-camera in Episode 715, that’s the place [the time sickness] would have been confirmed to the viewers. However as a substitute, we talked about it in [Episodes] 801, 802,803….

TVLINE | Did you by likelihood movie these new scenes with Neal McDonough the identical time as “Armageddon,” realizing this callback was coming?
No, however we knew we wished to deliver him again. Going into “Armageddon,” we knew, “Oh, this is how we’re going to remedy Iris’ time illness. It’s going to be in some capability utilizing the time stone, so I hope Neal is on the market to return again!” At that time I had seen the dailies of him working with the remainder of Crew Flash and it was simply magic. I assumed it’d make an ideal bookend, not solely to the top of the season, so far as wrapping up the time illness storyline, however wrapping up the “Armageddon” storyline.

What hopefully everybody will get is basically this has all been about “Armageddon” — the start of the season and the top of the season. Within the first 5 episodes, we couldn’t present Armageddon as a result of the hero prevents it. Then as quickly as we obtained round to [Episodes] 804, 805, we realized that if Flash solves the thriller and defeats the dangerous man, we gained’t get to see the good factor ever. “Effectively, I suppose we all know what our season finale is now!” It was great symmetry.

TVLINE | That was fairly a final hurrah for Reverse-Flash within the finale, however Tom [Cavanagh] has speculated through the years that when The Flash actually involves an finish, there’d should be a ultimate face-off. Do you might have any thought what that may appear like?
No, not but — as a result of once we have been writing the finale for Season 8, we thought that was the sequence finale. So we have been like, “We’ve obtained to have the best, most epic battle ever between Grant [Gustin] and Tom! That’s the way it has to finish.” And after the script was finished and we have been on the brink of begin prep, that’s once we obtained the information that we’d be getting a ninth season. So we have been like, “Oh crap, we simply did the last word battle. How are we imagined to ever high that? Then it was like, “Let’s simply kill him for now and fear about that later.” [Laughs] As a result of Reverse-Flash and the Destructive Reverse-Flash, identical to Frost, are useless. I imply, they’re useless. Now… having mentioned that… it’s a comedian ebook present, and I’m fairly positive that in Season 9, there’s some purpose that you simply may see Tom Cavanagh once more. I gained’t go into it, however that’s a fairly secure guess.

TVLINE | Speak about coordinating with Legends of Tomorrow on the sharing of Matt Letscher’s Thawne.
The Legends individuals had known as me and mentioned, “We now have this concept to make use of Reverse-Flash, however we don’t wish to mess with what you might have deliberate, as a result of it’s fairly radical.” [Legends‘ Jan. 22 episode established that the time wraiths had assigned Letcher’s Thawne to safeguard a fixed point in the year 1914.] After which I heard their pitch and went, “That matches in completely with the top of the Armageddon storyline.”

TVLINE | Your main girl, Candice Patton, has been a bit cordoned off from the remainder of the solid and the canvas in recent times, beginning with Season 6’s Mirrorverse arc and adopted by her storyline in Coast Metropolis this season after which being MIA for these previous 4 weeks. Is there a why behind that? And popping out of this finale, are you able to promise that Season 9 can be totally different on that entrance?
OK, OK, I hear the word beneath the word. Sure, I can unequivocally say that in Season 9 you will notice a lot, a lot extra of Barry and Iris collectively. Not simply collectively in the identical room, however collectively in all methods. It’s one thing that is part of the brand new strategy for the brand new season. Each season is totally different, and Season 9 goes to be very, very enjoyable and really thrilling.

The purpose we will do that’s due to what [WestAllen] have been via during the last season-and-a-half particularly, being aside and rising individually. As we see on this finale, Iris was the final individual to haven’t “leveled up” but, and we get to see it really occur within the episode. Now that she has accomplished her journey of leveling up, she and Barry can each face what’s coming in Season 9 collectively, as a pair. So you will notice rather more of them collectively, in contrast to what you noticed in Season 8 at occasions.

TVLINE | So, Iris’ perceived isolation was a mix of storytelling wants with perhaps a little bit of COVID protocols thrown in…?
Oh, with out query. COVID has been operating rampant on the planet as we all know and creating havoc with how everyone makes their TV reveals, not simply ours. And when you throw that in with simply the tales themselves, it created a sure storytelling model. And now that we’ve accomplished that journey, we will transfer onto one thing new.

TVLINE | How will the result of Caitlin’s experiment reconcile with the promise made to Danielle Panabaker that Frost is actually and sincerely useless?
Danielle advised the reality, and I’m conserving my promise to her. Frost is useless. However Danielle Panabaker remains to be an everyday on The Flash, and we heard her voice talking to Mark…. That begs the query, who’s in there? Is it Caitlin, or is it one thing else? That’s one thing we are going to see instantly on the high of Season 9 — and I believe everybody can be as shocked as Mark is.

TVLINE | Turning to the finale’s very ultimate picture, a glowing blue crystal inside a lab within the yr 2049. Ought to comedian ebook followers know what that was?
The hardcore comedian ebook followers know what’s coming; those that don’t, I’m not spoiling it right here, so it’s going to be  an enormous shock for them. However sure, we’re pulling straight from the comedian books right here, and boy is it going to be enjoyable.

TVLINE | Once we spoke final month, you didn’t but know the reply to this: Is Season 9 going to be the ultimate season?
I nonetheless have no idea. I have no idea. I hope it’s not. I’ve obtained loads of plans. The primary three seasons [I was showrunner], 6, 7 and eight, actually is one huge omnibus. And that entire story is now finished. I’m now formulating a brand new, shorter, two-season plan, for Seasons 9 and 10, so I positive hope I get to inform that story, as a result of I do know the place I’m driving to.

What did you consider The Flash‘s almost-series finale, and the promise of extra collectively time for WestAllen? Weigh in under!