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The Flash 4.23 Review – “We Are the Flash”
Image Credit: The CW
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We’ve made it to the end of The Flash’s fourth season. Sadly, it’s the most inconsistent of the seasons. There have been quite a few highlights of course, but just as much (probably more) mediocre episodes. The problem is that the writing didn’t seem to know how to balance serious storytelling with comedy. The “funny” scenes of this season are the worst, generating little laughter. (Correction: there was laughter generated, but laughter at how laughably bad the comedy was.) Now, we come to the final episode, “We Are the Flash.” Thankfully, the comedy is downplayed for the finale. The comedy that is present is more low-key and subtle. While not an absolute 10/10 finale like Arrow’s fifth season’s “Lian Yu,” “We Are the Flash” nicely brings the DeVoe conflict to an end and builds anticipation for next season’s story.
The opening scene does an excellent job establishing tension. The Enlightenment is about to begin, and it starts with shutting down all power throughout Central City. This includes cars, and even cell phones. It puts the viewer in a scary scenario. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, a plan is hatched with the help of Marlize: go inside DeVoe’s mind. The idea is to find the remaining good part of the Thinker, and use that to drive out the bad. It’s an interesting concept, but the way it was brought up sounded a little cheesy. That’s a minor thing though. What nicely creates tension is the fact that Cecile is almost ready to give birth. You see, Cecile’s telepathy ability is what’s able to get Barry inside of DeVoe, so there’s a solid background tension because Cecile is on the verge of having a baby.
A good chunk of “We Are the Flash” is the battle inside DeVoe’s mind. The scenery is appropriately desolate, void of emotional attachment. This makes sense, as DeVoe has openly stated emotion to be weakness. Inside DeVoe’s mind, Barry finds Ralph. Ralph was one of the major reasons why Season Four is more on the mediocre side. The writing went overboard on him being the comic relief character. Worst is that his character arc bounced back and fourth: “I’m a hero!” “I’m scared!” “I’m a hero!” was pretty much Ralph. He, however, was actually decent in the finale, even solid. His comedic dialogue was more low-key; I actually had a couple of chuckles.
The action is not all inside DeVoe’s head. DeVoe himself pays a visit to the team. With no Barry, this creates an amazing tension. The two scenes with DeVoe coming to the team are excellent. One of the best scenes was DeVoe explaining why he’s fixated on the Flash. Because of the Speed Force, DeVoe figures he can have knowledge from the past, present, and future, thus acquiring true knowledge. Neil Sandilands is perfect in this scene, and all other scenes with the Thinker. There’s an arrogance and superiority that Sandilands expertly conveys, such as when he’s silently taunting Cecile.
Back in the villain’s mind, Barry realizes that if Ralph goes into DeVoe’s nexus, Ralph can regain control of his body. Of course, getting there isn’t going to be easy. Multitudes of DeVoes attempt to prevent Barry and Ralph from escaping. In a sequence that looks like something out of The Matrix (did anyone else get Agent Smith vibes here?), Barry runs through all the DeVoes, bringing Ralph with him. The result is that Ralph is able to regain control. In another great scene with Sandilands, DeVoe can’t fathom that Barry managed to beat him. DeVoe tries one last thing, but in the end, it’s Marlize that pulls the plug (literally) on him. DeVoe’s end is a bit anti-climatic, but adequate.
One major subplot is that Harry has lost just about all his memories, and become unintelligent. For once, this actually came off as emotional. Near the end, Marlize gives the team a device that can cure Harry. Harry is able to speak again coherently, resulting in a heartfelt scene between him and Cisco. This scene also features perhaps the most brilliant piece of subtle comedy; after Cisco and Harry quote Wrath of Khan, Iris says that comes from Star Wars. Barry’s facial reaction is so subtle, and hilarious. Back to Harry, although the cure worked, it didn’t work 100%; Harry has lost some of his intelligence. But, Harry isn’t sad. In fact, this is the happiest he’s ever been. He says that he’s always been known for just his IQ. Tom Cavanagh plays a changed man, a truly happy person, extremely well here. The big development is that Harry says goodbye to the team, and heads back to Earth-2. It seems like Harry won’t be a mainstay next season based on this. But, time will tell.
On a couple of last notes, Cecile succeeds in giving birth to a baby girl. The baby shower was nice, even featuring an unexpected appearance from Wally. The big cliffhanger is one you were probably expecting: the mysterious speedster girl is here. Well, she claims to be the daughter of Barry and Iris from the future, named Nora West-Allen. She tells them that she thinks she’s made a “big mistake.” This was a fantastic way to build anticipation for Season Five.
Overall, “We Are the Flash” concludes DeVoe’s story well. Neil Sandilands is a standout. While Marlize didn’t have many notable compelling scenes, she was great to have around. There’s fantastic tension, from DeVoe’s attack on the team, to Barry and Ralph fending off multiple DeVoes. The scene where Barry and Ralph find the lone good part of DeVoe dead is well done. The cliffhanger is exciting. Based on the premise, we should hopefully have something great to look forward to next season.
