This is what we’ve been waiting for all season; It’s time for the main event…okay, enough clichés.  The Thinker has unleashed “The Enlightenment” on the world, and it will send all of humanity back to simpler times…and simpler minds as well. Is it too late to stop the devolution of humanity? How in the world can Team Flash survive, much less beat the bad guy? Will the season finale reveal the identify of the mystery girl? Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

NOTE: This review of THE FLASH is posting before the show airs in the Pacific Time Zone USA.  If you haven’t seen this episode yet, STOP NOW and come back after you watch the show! You’ll be glad you did!

Barry has gotten his job back, at least according to a congratulatory message Singh is sending him…unfortunately that message never gets through, as the world falls apart! All technology has gone dark…even basic services like electricity are gone.  No cars work. All is dark (except for a purple sky), which is a bit ironic because it’s due to The Enlightenment!

S.T.A.R. Labs is barely functioning on emergency power. The team tries to get things together, while Cecile begins having contractions. She is ready to deliver just as the Enlightenment is starting!

In the Time Vault, Cisco finds the dark matter cartridge that DeVoe used to take over Gideon, but it appears to be far too late.  Their only hope arrives just then, as Iris arrives with…Marlize DeVoe!

Marlize has a plan – send Barry into DeVoe’s mind, using the Thinker’s chair and Cecile’s psychic powers. If Barry can find the “good” part of DeVoe, they may be able to stop this plan before it runs to 100% permutation of dark matter.

Barry is having trouble finding the “good” DeVoe, but he DOES find…

RALPH DIBNY!

Yes, he finds Ralph in DeVoe’s mindscape! Ralph helps him look for the “good” DeVoe, and they find him…murdered in the mindscape! All appears lost…

…until Barry realizes that finding Ralph still alive in the mindscape gives them a bit of hope. If they can free Ralph from the mindscape, he may be able to take control of his body back from DeVoe. From that moment, the battle is on.

It’s on with not just one DeVoe, but an entire army of DeVoes in the mindscape. Eventually, they do escape, and Ralph takes back his body from DeVoe.

Yay, let’s go home, right? Nope – over 20 minutes left in the show…

As Cecile delivers her child, a holographic version of DeVoe appears in the chair! He had even prepared for a “technological reincarnation”…but he didn’t prepare for Marlize ending that threat by turning off the chair itself.

Yay, let’s go home, right? Not so fast…still plenty of time left…

The satellites start to fall to earth, and one is headed straight for Central City. Flash gets up to full speed to stop the satellite…and just as he gets to it…

Time rewinds?!

It does, and this time when Barry goes to punch away the satellite, a second, mystery gloved hand joins him! It works, and the city is saved!

Here’s where we leave things…at least until next season:

• Harry has his intelligence (mostly) restored by a gift from Marlize. He’s no longer a top-level intelligence, but he has realized a balance between head and heart, and he’s happy with it. Harry decides to go back to Earth 2 to spend time with his daughter, but not before one last hug with Team Flash. Of course, this means we have just witnessed the annual exit of Harrison Wells – let’s see which version comes in next season.
• Team Flash offers Marlize a spot on the team, but she declines. She is going back to her original calling, to use technology to help people instead of harm.
• Ralph Dibny is alive and well and in charge of (at least) his Elongated Man powers.
• Barry apparently has his job back, though nothing is mentioned past the brief mention at the start of the show.
• Joe and Cecile welcome their baby girl (watch the show for the name).
• Wally shows up to meet his baby sister. He’s happy with the Legends but couldn’t miss this moment.
• The name of the new baby girl may make you think you know the answer to the mystery…but not so fast (pun intended)…
• Our mystery girl arrives, wearing the same jacket that Iris wore as a speedster. Everyone recognizes her from their earlier meetings. She announces herself as….
• Nora Allen, Barry and Iris’s daughter! And she says “I think I made a big, big mistake!”

…and that’s where we leave things until next season!

SUMMARY:

This season gave us a very wild ride with a blockbuster ending.  The Thinker proved to be a much more powerful adversary than I would have thought as the season began. The final battle was advertised as having an “Inception” like feel – though there also seemed to be a bit of “Matrix” thrown in for good measure with all the multiple DeVoes. We were introduced to a variety of new characters, saw a greater focus on Cecile, gained and lost (and gained again) Ralph Dibny, and had fun nearly all season speculating on the “mystery girl”.  This season gave us a great storyline that rebounded well from some of the concerns expressed about Season 3 and the Savitar arc.  We leave this season with hope – and an ending that is most definitely not a downer. I’ll give this finale a 10/10 – but that’s my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below – and see you next season!

Share