TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Flash Season 9 Episode 11: A New World Part Two

If you recall a review from a few episodes back, you’ll remember how I said despite this being the last season of “The Flash,” there were several episodes that didn’t have Barry Allen in it, or, didn’t have Barry Allen suiting up at all to do…you know…Flash things. Tonight’s episode, “A New World Part Two” was the latest in that line…and it continues to baffle me how this team constructed this season with no regard for what a final season should be…or what the focus of the season should be.

I’m not going to start with the good stuff this time, as there was once again precious little. Instead, I’ll focus on one of the most frustrating aspects of this final season…Snow. Yes, her name is Khione, and just like many fans out there, I feel that name is cringe, and her whole character is cringe. And tonight? They cranked that cringe up to the next level. Her “revelation” that she’s a goddess is the most random thing ever, and it makes no sense on any level. How do you get a goddess from a pair of ice sisters? And yes, I know they hinted that Snow/Khione could be “different from the others” based on Icicles research, but if you were an evil scientist like her father was, why have a ‘second personality’ as a bodyguard when you can turn your child into a goddess? Exactly.

None of it makes sense, and her being the Macguffin to take on the Negative Speed Force via…wait for it…killing Mark and then bringing him back to life just because she “sent him back to mother earth” was just so lame.

As many other fans online have noted, the team seem driven to make “more powerful heroes than Barry” rather than showing off the growth and abilities of Barry himself. Allegra, Cecil, Snow, all of which are OC characters made by the showrunner or ones who were given an “upgrade” because of him and it makes Barry look weak as a result. During the Red Death episode, one of the promotional tweets for the episode said, “Even The Flash Can’t Win On His Own,” except…should he at this point? There’s a difference between being helped by allies, and relying on them, which is what Barry has had to do a LOT recently.

Adding to the randomness of Snow’s new powers was how everything was handled with the “Negative Speed Force.” As predicted, this appears to be a setup for Cobalt Blue, which may be the “reborn” Eddie Thawne…because…reasons… But the fact that the crystal only needed to be held by Joe last time, and yet at the same time as that fight (as shown by the episode that these events where happening at the “same time” Barry was away, Mark needed to have it embedded in his skin makes no sense. If that was the case, why didn’t the Negative Speed Force do that with the past version of Joe? Barry would’ve been forced to make an impossible choice, and not just knock the crystal away.

Oh, and Nora/Speed Force showing up but LEAVING because she was “weak”…? Why was she weakened again? She mentioned the Negative Forces…but she has the positive ones on her side so…why was she the only one weakened? But, of course, she “couldn’t save the day” despite the power we’ve seen with her and it HAD to be Snow? No. Just…no.

My gripes aside, there were some good moments, including Iris’ message to Barry and how he did (somehow…) show up right when the baby was about to be born. These two should’ve been the focus of the whole season…but nope, guess not…as Barry vanished AGAIN not long after.

And I don’t even want to talk about the Eddie storyline because there are so many questions and plotholes that are there that it’s just best to wait and see what they come up with. And yes, I know that he was engulfed by the wormhole at the end of Season 1. But we saw what happened with Ronnie/Firestorm and I’m afraid Eddie is about to meet a similar fate.

“A New World Part Two” did little to set things up for the finale which is in TWO EPISODES…and who knows what they’ll throw at us next.

2/5