Fight the Future

"And they say that a hero could save us; I'm not gonna stand here and wait." — Nickleback, "Hero"

"The Flash" ended its first season on Tuesday night. It's been a boon to the CW, helping it to one of its highest season ratings on record, and I think it's been one of the best new shows of the season. I love the way the characters have come together, the way its told stories, and the heart of the series — which is lighter than "Arrow."

In the finale, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) was offered a choice. He could go back in time and save his mother, but it would change the timeline forever. Since the series began, all Barry has wanted is to be able to save his mother and to free his father from an unjust prison sentence. But at what cost?

That is what Barry weighed. The process was not without its risks — not the least of which would be erasing his life up to that point and re-writing it. It was a a hard question, but one which Barry  — at least initially — was willing to take on. One of my favorite things on the show, and one of my favorite pop culture themes in general, is a debate about science, discovery, and how it should be used.

I love the line from Dr. Malcolm in "Jurassic Park" when he says, "Your scientists were so concerned with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." That's all I could think last night as Barry prepared to turn back time, likely forever.

In the end, Barry saved himself from himself. The other version of The Flash — his future self gone back to battle the Reverse Flash — stopped him. Barry watched his mother die, but he got one last moment to tell her of the man he'd become and to, finally, get some closure. And he did it all without altering the timeline.

It was an emotional moment, one well earned by the show after a season of growing its characters and building to this conclusion. Barry wanted to save his mother, but to do that he'd have to destroy himself.  His experiences as a child — both good and bad — helped shape him into the hero he's become, a hero his city needs. Perhaps the older version of himself recognized that, and, in a way, contemporary Barry did, too.

More than anything, watching the finales of "The Flash" and "Arrow" made me realize how clueless D.C. Comics really is. They want to build a cinematic universe, and they're doing it by recasting and disconnecting the TV shows from the movies. After last night, it's hard to imagine investing in anyone else playing The Flash.