'Harrison Wells', the Reverse-Flash is now in custody and it's time for Barry to get some answers. He killed Barry's mother because he hates the Flash, or at least his future self. From his perspective, they had been enemies for a long time. His actual intention was to kill Barry when he was a child and thus erase him from existence, but the Flash gets in his way. He got his younger self to safety, but left the Reverse-Flash alone with his mother, who then stabbed Nora Allen in the chest. Cut off from the speed force, it then became necessary to ensure the Flash's existence so he could get his speed back and return to his own time. 'Wells' tells Barry that he's grown fond of Barry over time to the point of admiration and respect, but Barry doesn't want to hear any of it. Then he convinces Barry he could run back in time and save his mother.
Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein (the other half of Firestorm), have stuck around after the fight in the previous episode. It's determined that if Barry reaches the speed of mach 2 and collides with a particle inside the accelerator, it would open a wormhole through time. If all goes well, he could go back in time and save his mother and return to the present in just under two minutes, while 'Wells' could at the same time return to the future. However, if the wormhole is unstable, it could swallow the whole city. Not sure what to do, he asks his Joe and then his own dad. Joe says he should go for it, since it's the only chance Barry might have to save his mom, even if it means losing the paternal relationship he has with him. Barry's dad, however, is thoroughly against it. The risk is too great. Unlike when Barry changed the past last time, there's a good chance that he would have no memory of anything that's happened since that night, and there wouldn't be a Flash. The Reverse-Flash would essentially have won, and Central City would never have its hero.
Meanwhile, with some encouragement from Professor Stein, Eddie decides to keep his relationship with Iris going, and she reciprocates. Despite his apparent insignificance in the Thawne family tree, the fact that Eobard ended up in the same city as his ancestor is an incalculable coincidence. Ronnie also decides to follow through on his initial engagement to Caitlin Snow, and Professor Stein officiates their wedding. It's a beautiful moment.
As the STAR Labs team makes the calculations and adjustments for the event, Cisco also confronts 'Wells' about how he killed him in the previous timeline, and 'Wells' realizes that this is Cisco's metahuman ability: he is aware of alterations in the time-space continuum. What previously seemed to be an easy excuse to make the heroes aware of Wells' true identity is suddenly something bigger, and I'm suddenly curious if Cisco has a comic counterpart.
They build a functioning time machine with the power source from 'Harrison's' wheelchair, and the attempt begins. As Barry keeps running faster and faster, he sees glimpses of events in the past and future. The Legends of Tomorrow, the Flash museum, and other Easter Eggs not necessarily noticeable on first viewing. I was fully expecting that Barry would have to fight the Reverse-Flash himself when he arrived in the past, that he would have to let his mother die in order to save himself. Instead, the Flash is already there. He notices Barry and gestures to him not to interfere, so he stands down as his future self saves his child self and the Reverse-Flash stabs his Nora Allen. With both speedsters gone, Barry then reveals himself to his mother, assuring her that her family is safe and her son has a future, which gives her peace of mind as she passes away. It's a thoroughly heartbreaking moment.
Meanwhile in the present, 'Wells' prepares for his departure. A silver helmet with gold wings falls through the portal, which he takes as his cue to leave. (The helmet is a nod to Jay Garrick, the Flash of the comics' Golden Age/Earth-2.) But before he can leave, the Flash returns to the present, destroying the machine with a single punch. (AWESOME!!!) A fight ensues with the enraged Reverse-Flash and things don't look good for Barry...And that's when Eddie shoots himself in the chest. With his ancestor dying, the Reverse-Flash is erased from existence, his face reverting back to Eobard Thawne's to deliver one last forboding threat to the Flash before he disappears.
This also has a devastating effect on the wormhile, which turns into a giant quantum singularity that will suck up the entire city. There's only one thing they can do: the Flash has to run fast enough around the wormhole to cancel it out, just like he did with the tornado in the first episode. The odds are thoroughly stacked against him, but he has to try, and the season ends has he runs straight into it.
This is an amazing finale. I can't help but be reminded of Smallville's first season finale, when a huge twister tore through the town and had you wondering what would happen next. Another parallel is Eddie Thawne who, like Lana Lang's first season boyfriend, Whitney, was written out after the first season (later revealed killed in Afghanistan). Unlike Whitney, however, Eddie came across as a good guy the whole time, and not just a jerk jock with a few good moments. His death came as a complete shock and a true testament to his character, someone who would do what he had to to protect the people he cared about, even at the cost of his own life. I get the feeling next season is going to be huge, especially when it's sharing a universe with not one, but two connected series. This has probably been one of the best superhero shows I've ever seen, and I can't wait for what the future has in store for not only The Flash, but for (Green) Arrow, and Legends Of Tomorrow.
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