SPOILERS WARNING! This post contains details of the season 9 premiere of The Lightning on the CW.
The Lightning is almost done fighting crime in Central City, but not before one last villain comes to town.
The ninth and final season of the CW series kicked off Wednesday night, introducing some new hurdles for Barry Allen and Team Flash to overcome. The episode opens with Barry and Iris (Candice Patton) trapped in a time warp, revealing some of their fears about the passage of time and a lack of control over what may or may not happen to them. To get out, the couple must decide to face life together – instead of avoiding the problem and each other.
But just as things seem to calm down again, Barry faces another bump. Viewers will recall that at the end of Season 8, Caitlin is on a mission to bring back Frost after she sacrificed herself by transforming into Hellfrost to wipe out Deathstorm by absorbing his energy. Well, after spending an entire episode wondering what happened to both characters after the Season 8 cliffhanger, we finally have an answer (sort of). It’s not Frost or Caitlin who emerged from the Frost Room, but a whole new character who will likely join Team Flash.
The end of the episode is a double whammy, revealing shortly after that Captain Boomerang (who terrorized Barry in the time warp) is actually working for someone far worse… surrounded by red lightning. But who could it be?
Showrunner Eric Wallace dropped the Season 9 premiere and gave Deadline some answers about who the newcomers and fan favorites will appear in Central City for the show’s final episodes — and what it all means for the fate of Team Flash.
DEADLINE: How did you go about those final episodes and what did you want to give fans at the end of the season?
ERIC WALLACE: At the end of season 8, before we knew it would be our last season, we were still hoping for a ninth and tenth season up to 200 episodes. I had a master plan for those two seasons. Then we found out that not only was it going to be the final season, it was going to be a shorter season with 13 episodes, not 22. It really changed things and changed a lot of things about how we could really approach the story. The idea was to bring as many Arrowverse people as possible. Unfortunately, we have to tell the end of the Flash Family saga and we can barely do it in 13 episodes. So unfortunately it won’t be Arrow-centric. Even though we have a lot of guest stars, it’s going to be very bad Flash-central. That’s the most important thing to really honor Barry and Iris. Coincidentally, the plans I had for episode 200 were related to getting there. It became our series finale. So we can still tell this very emotional, very special epic story. It’s just a series finale.
Reporter: I’m glad you mentioned the guest stars. How did you come up with the right stories to repeat?
WALLACE: It all depends on what will work for the story we wanted to tell in Season 9. This season’s themes revolve a lot around Barry dealing with unfinished business in the past and Iris dealing with future events yet to come. , and the accompanying fears and worries. In Barry’s thematic journey, in dealing with the past, we only needed people from his past to speak at key moments in the 9 Rick Cosnett. We have to make sure they come back because in very different ways they make up such a big part of the show’s first season. One is sort of a mentor figure and the other is a close friend of Barry’s. Fortunately, everything went well. The same goes for many other people chosen to guest star, especially Javicia Leslie. Ironically, her storyline has to do with – this is not a spoiler – but future events that feed directly into Iris’s storyline. We knew after Armageddon last year that there was incredible chemistry between Candice Patton and Javicia Leslie and I knew I wanted to emulate that. When we decided to tell Iris’ story dramatically in this season of anticipation and fear of the future, it was natural for us to include Javicia.
Reporter: In the premiere, we see Iris and Barry get stuck in this time loop. It’s an interesting way to point out that they have very similar fears but just can’t agree.
WALLACE: It hits home. Barry and Iris shared the same fear, just opposite sides of the coin. He is afraid, how do I control my future? And she’s afraid of, ‘Oh my god, I have no control over the future – it’s going to happen, and it’s set in stone, and I’m almost a victim of it.’ This puts Barry in a rut, and Iris, the smarter person in the season premiere, rightly says, “The only way we can get out of this is if we’re together as a couple and we’re both in the moment. ” to stay. This is really the seasonal theme that runs through the rest of Season 9. This is a series about family and how families survive and thrive despite all the things going on in the world around them. They do not survive by wishing for something to happen in the future. They certainly do not survive or thrive by only thinking about past events. You have to stay together and act in the moment. You have to move forward moment by moment, second by second. We’ll see that with Barry and Iris throughout the season, and we’ll see them do it in a fun way. This episode is the introduction to her Babymoon adventures. Sometimes we see it on camera where they can go to an exotic location. Sometimes we hear it all over again, because at some point, let’s face it, they’re going to have to fight crime. You can’t gallop all over the planet all the time. So it all comes together to create what I call the Season of Romance. This is the greatest romance the Arrowverse has ever seen. I know Olicity fans (Oliver and Felicity) will have something to say about that, but for me it’s Barry and Iris.
Reporter: As I’m sure many fans will, I spent much of the episode wondering what happened to Frost and Caitlin. What can you say about this new character that will be revealed at the end and will Frost and Caitlin be back?
WALLACE: Well, Danielle Panabaker’s character says in the premiere, “I’m not Frost and I’m not Caitlin.” This is the truth. The question then becomes not only who is that person, but why are they here? Why now? And what will they do as far as feeding themselves The Lightning? People don’t have to wait long at all. In Episode 2, you’ll find out who this person is – what their name is, what skills they have or don’t have. But her season sheet is a mystery: Why is she here now? I talked to Danielle about it and she is very excited. I told her that her character is such an integral part of the series finale as we experience our last major setback. Flash can’t win the final battle against the evil facing Central City in our latest installment without the help of this new character, which is why she’s here now. But does she know it herself? This is the journey she is on. It is a journey of self-discovery.
Reporter: So let’s talk about the last scene. Is Captain Boomerang working for Thawne?
WALLACE: Did we learn the ending 901?
Reporter: I mean, it felt like it, but that’s why I’m clearing it up!
WALLACE: I was going to say see you next week because I don’t know if it was Thawne or not. Now you have come across something very important. Was that a red flash at the end? Certainly. No doubt. But who is the red flash? Well, the good news is for fans, you will find out next week. What’s so special about a short, fast 13-episode season is that we don’t have time to fool around. We need to get going pretty quickly. The mystery of who is the first main culprit this year will therefore be solved at the end of Episode 2. The question in Episode 3 and beyond is why are they here and why are they so mad at The Flash?
Reporter: What else can we expect from this final season?
WALLACE: I would say look for a lot more romance in season 9. One of the things we wanted to be aware of while working on the scripts this year was to give all of our characters a more emotional and human quality in everyday situations. So romance isn’t just for Barry and Iris. This can apply to all characters. So look for the same chills, thrills and action we’ve always had for past seasons, but I’m happy to report people have a rom-com [as well].
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
