The Flash season 8, episode 20 review: Negative, Part Two

“I need more power!” Spoilers for The Flash season 8, episode 20 follow.

Iris is dead, the Reverse-Flash is back, and The Flash is seemingly powerless to do anything to stop him and the Negative Forces.

However, even when all seems lost, that’s never stopped Barry from standing back up.

Here’s everything that went down in The Flash season 8, episode 20 (the season finale) “Negative, Part Two”.

The Flash season 8, episode 20 review

Not dead yet

Starting off the episode strong, we have Reverse-Flash taunting Barry about killing Iris and, well, it quickly goes downhill from there as Barry suddenly turns into Emperor Palpatine and just shoots lightning out of his hands. Seriously, like, what? It feels like this singular moment is a metaphor for this entire season. Some good ideas that are immediately thrown out the window by something incredibly stupid.

But before Barry can kill Thawne, which would’ve been interesting as season 9 could’ve adapted the “Trial of Barry Allen” storyline, Nora and Bart arrive and stop Barry from killing Thawne. They then convince their father to let them handle it and try to get Iris back from the Negative Speed Force. Which, like, okay, but it goes nowhere because it doesn’t work and that’s when this episode makes it abundantly clear that it’s going to waste Nora and Bart – which it absolutely did. When the plan to get Bart and Nora into the Negative Speed Force doesn’t work though, Barry enlists the help of Meena to get her to share her speed with him so that they can enter the Negative Speed Force.

Seriously, the dynamic that Barry and Meena have is fantastic and one of the best parts of the season, but the fact that it’s been relegated to just the final few episodes is so disappointing that it ends up being another slight to the season as a whole.

Negative

As for Iris, she appears in a rather familiar alternate realm and the first person to appear to her is none other than Damien Darhk. As it turns out, he saved her, or at the least the Time Stone he used during “Armageddon” did. Because why wouldn’t we get a deus ex machina moment in here? We’re long past the point of caring about consistency. But hey, at least we get Damien Darhk back for a couple of scenes.

Really, only Damien Darhk could explain the stupidity of time sickness and make this storyline sound ever so slightly interesting because Neal McDonough can make anything interesting and just commands the screen whenever he’s on it.

However, even if that’s the case, explaining that Iris hasn’t died yet (despite having seemingly died so many times on the show) just because she’s a survivor is problematic. Don’t try to give this newfound plot armor more meaning because you’ve tried killing her way too many times. None of Iris’ storyline has made sense this season.

Opposite forces

Then, the Negative Forces begin to transform Thawne in the final order of revenge for Barry taking the Reverse-Flash’s speed away at the end of last season and “tipping the scales”. Like, okay? There’s a balance that suddenly needs to be achieved like in Star Wars now? What is happening? But really, all this does is literally transform Thawne into Lord Zed from Power Rangers. And Thawne just ends up murdering a good portion of Central City, until Barry turns back time by meditating and Thawne dies …again… before he eventually comes back, right? Man, this season was so bad.

At a certain point though, when all the Forces end up merging with Barry (after just getting back as Psych took the psychic power from Cecile, but that’s brushed over), it’s just impossible not to ask, “What is going on?” Nothing makes sense and it all feels like every rule that the show has made is being broken left and right.

The Flash season 8 ends in similar fashion to how it’s been all season, lackluster in most ways, and disappointing in others.

The Flash will now take a lengthy hiatus from The CW and return in 2023.

What did you think of The Flash season 8? Let us know in the comments below!