TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Flash Armageddon Finale

After everything that happened last episode, I honestly was worried about how The Flash would end Armageddon. It honestly felt a little like what happened with Crisis on Infinite Earths where the big bad was beaten in 4 episodes and what was left was the “fallout” and this episode played that card…and fell hard because of it.

I’ll start with the positive…because there wasn’t a lot of it. Seeing Joe back was great, and for most of the episode (save for one key scene I’ll get to), he was as great as always. Joe is a character that should NEVER die because he is such a key part to who Barry is. Even his talks with Damien were wholesome! Who knew?

Also, ever since DC Fandome, Grant Gustin has been teasing the arrival of the golden boots, the final piece of the classic Flash costume. Tonight? We got them, AND, they gave us a legit reason why they were added to the costume. It might not seem like the biggest of deals, but they’re appreciated.

The final good thing (and yes, I mean that) is that we FINALLY got the true origins of the Flash/Reverse-Flash feud. It’s a slight twist on the comics, but it felt right for this version of Reverse-Flash. And I REALLY appreciated how even with Barry promising to save him, he wasn’t going to “forgive and move on”, he would simply go and tackle his “life’s work” no matter what. That’s very Eobard…in any timeline.

Sadly…everything else pretty much sucked, starting with Mia showing up randomly and doing…nothing. A very sad recurring theme in this “crossover”. Ray was the most involved person in this crossover, and I hated part of his storyline if you recall. But at least he had a legit reason for being around when things started to happen. Mia showed up randomly, chewed the team out, got controlled by Despero, then admitted she did things wrong and that was her story! All of it!

Oh, and they tried to tie it into the “Green Arrow and the Canaries” failed series (still mad that didn’t get picked up, just saying) and yet it just raised more questions than answers. Like how it took TWO YEARS to even try and find William. Or how she refused to ask for her from her mother in the present day because, “she wouldn’t understand what I’ve done”…and then she admitted she didn’t kill anyone so…how was Felicity not going to understand? Did she forget that she was with Oliver in ALL of his darkest times? So yeah…no…

Speaking of pointless character cameos, let’s talk Damien Darhk. What was the point of his return? Seriously, I don’t know. Apparently he got “pulled in” to the ‘real” timeline at the cost of Nora…and was more than willing to vanish for her…but couldn’t…until he gave Joe the Time Stone…and then Nora took his place. But…that doesn’t make sense for various reasons. Not the least of which is that if Nora was “out” of the timeline, that would mean everyone save for Barry wouldn’t have known about her being alive…and thus she wouldn’t have been a Legend, or married Ray…and she certainly wouldn’t have shown up where Team Flash was…ugh…this is hurting my head…

This brings us to…Reverse-Flash. Because you’d think that Thawne with all his skills and powers and conniving would be able to figure out a way to stay alive and yet his plan is to…ask Team Flash to save him? And then, when it comes to doing that…he antagonizes EVERYONE to the point where they almost don’t save him. So…not so smart, you dig, Thawne?

But wait, it gets worse. Because apparently, all he had to do was remove his speed to stay in the timeline (which again, makes NO SENSE!!!!) Add to that, while OG Team Flash (Barry, Iris, Caitlin) were fine with letting Thawne die for legit reasons, New Team Flash (Allegra, Chester, Cecil) weren’t for it. AND THEN…Joe comes out of nowhere and demands that they save Thawne???? WHY!?!!??! This was one chat that does not make sense at all, for various reasons.

First and foremost, the tone that Joe took with Barry and Iris? Doesn’t make sense at all. Second, Joe talked about how it doesn’t matter if they’re good or evil, you save “everyone.” Except…Team Flash hasn’t…a lot. Zoom was taken away by Time Wraiths with Barry watching. Iris SHOT Savitar in the back to ensure he didn’t hurt anyone ever again. They literally trapped Davoe in Ralph’s mind and never attempted to bring him back out. And that’s just Team Flash! Do we need to talk about the various villains that Team Arrow, Team Supergirl, Team Legends, Team Superman and so on haven’t saved? But we HAVE to save Thawne? Because…we’re heroes…? Yeah, makes no sense at all.

Finally, and most tragically, was Despero. They framed him for about four episodes as being the “fallen hero” character trying to save a world after failing to save his own, and for the most part, it worked. But then, with Armageddon gone, he was adrift…and so they did the very Arrowverse thing in turning him into a one-note villain just so they could kill him.

Seriously, it was fine when he warning them about Thawne, that’s fair. But then they 180 his story and make him the dethroned despot, and yet continue to try and make it seem like he wants to “save the world”. But if he was a despot, why would he care for adulation when he could just rule them all? They tried to play him as two different characters, and he suffered as a result. Just as dumb, his death made no sense. They said that Barry (somehow…) severed his connection to the Flame of Pitar…and then he gets incinerated by it moments later? What…?

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that various factors led to Armageddon not being as “full force” as it could’ve been. But from a storyline standpoint, it was doomed from the start. From the crossover standpoint, it barely checked any boxes and absolutely wasted certain character appearances (Alex, Ryan Choi, Mia), and in the end, it played out like a basic episode arc. Where were the real stakes? What was the cost of Armageddon? Yes, superheroes do get happy endings, but nothing was really earned here, it just all…happened. Which is sad, because this could’ve been a great catapult for a shortened 8th season. Instead…we got 5 episodes of…meh.

2/5