'The Flash' Recap: 'Finish Line'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

When we last left Barry Allen on ​The Flash, he was facing a dark and disturbing future. After all, the love of his life was lying dead in his arms, murdered in cold blood by Savitar and that act meant the the future that Barry was hoping to avoid, where he loses himself in sorrow and darkness was coming to fruition and it's safe to say that all of us were wondering exactly how the season three finale was going to play out with Iris now dead. 

Because such a twist implied that we were going to be treated to a low key finale, one that would serve as a powerhouse character study revolving around maintaining the good in one's heart to avoid evil and as it turns out, 'Finish Line' ended up being a season finale filled to the brim with incredible surprises and incredible heartbreak. Yes, it delivered upon the character study in question because Barry did have to make some fascinating choices when it comes to walking that fine line between good and evil, but the twists and the turns that came with this episode are what made it worthwhile, and it wasted no time in delivering those our way since we discovered in the opening moments of this particular tale...that Iris West was alive and well.

Following the mistake he made last week in telling Savitar where Iris was hiding, and the subsequent guilt that followed with said mistake, H.R. used his face changing technology to take her place, and sacrificed himself in the process to change the future and save dear Barry from a fate worse than death and holy cow, was this quite the heartbreaking twist. Especially when one considers that H.R. has struggled with his role on the team all season long, and to see him finally figure out how to be heroic, and find inspiration from Cisco to pull off such an act, was beautiful and tragic and it's a shame that his moment in the sun also cost him his life. But, his sacrifice was certainly not in vain. By changing the future, Savitar's days were numbered and H.R.'s bold decision along with Snart's advice, inspired Barry to try something new with the Speed God, and 'kill him with kindness.'

That notion guided Barry to meet his future self in an attempt to reach the good still within him, even going so far as to bring him back to S.T.A.R. Labs in an effort to find a way to save him from the temporal paradox that was going to wipe him out, but alas, all of this effort was for naught. Savitar had his own plans in motion to save his life and promptly destroyed the lab in the hopes of killing Barry and his friends in the process, leading to a final showdown where Jay was released from the Speed Force Prison to help in the fight to bring down the Speed God and after plenty of bumps and bruises, it finally came down to Barry and Savitar, and Barry had the chance to finally put the Speed God down in fiery fashion, giving in to the darkest part of his soul in doing so, but Barry chose the high road and oddly enough in doing that, he gave Iris the chance to save his life for a change since she ended Savitar's reign of terror, and it seemed that at long last, Barry and his friends were going to enjoy a little peace and happiness for a change. 

But that, was simply not the case. Because without a prisoner in the Speed Force Prison, the Speed Force itself became unbalanced and it unleashed its fury upon the world which meant only one man could set this mess right...Barry, and in a stunning and tear jerking moment, he opted to be the one to bring balance to the Speed Force by joining it and just like that, Barry disappeared into the great unknown, handing over his title to Wally West and well...wow, what a way to end Season Three. Just when we thought Barry would finally get the touch of happiness he's been searching for, he leaves it all behind...but for the right reasons. This act served as his ascenion to becoming a true hero. He's finally able to make the big sacrifices for the greater good, and he fully understands that this is his penance for messing with the timeline in the first place and well, who knows where we go from here, but it should be interesting to see how Barry's absence shapes Season Four when the show returns this fall and I know I'll be watching to see how this experience changes Mister Allen, and the people he left behind. Until then.

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