The Flash Season 9 Episode 10 Review: A New World, Part One

The Flash Season 9 Episode 10, “A New World, Part One,” keeps the uphill trend going making us look forward to the upcoming series finale. Barry’s adventures in time give him a newfound peace about the tragic night his mother died and births hope in us all. If we can look back at our most tragic losses in a positive light, we can overcome even the darkest of times.

As the episode begins, all the members of Team Flash seem to have hit a stride in their personal lives. Khione continues discovering her powers, Allegra and Chester further explore their relationship, and Cecile visits Joe at their new home. Even Barry and Iris appear to be making peace within the hustle and bustle of prepping for baby Nora.

Of course, this is simply the calm before the storm. 

I’ll admit, I was a little less than caught off guard when Barry is zapped into a different time. While time travel is a bit played out for The Flash at this point, I can’t say that it doesn’t make sense. So much of this series has taken place in other times besides the present that it seems appropriate to take us into the past one final time.  

The time, in particular, is the day Barry’s mother died. Yes, the day that formed nearly every aspect of Barry’s current life. The day that ultimately forged Barry into a hero.

In real life, we tend to do the same. We look to a certain day in our lives that we feel changed everything. A decision was made at that moment in time, and we are stuck wondering whether or not we made the right choice.

Should I have gone to college? Was it wrong for me to turn down that job? What if I asked her on that date?

At the time, the decision may have seemed minor. A simple yes or no question. A coin flip in the grand scheme of things.

Barry has always second-guessed what his role was in his mother’s murder. Should he have done something more? Could he use his powers to erase the event altogether? 

He has revisited that day repeatedly, starting with the Season 1 finale and continuing up to this moment. But this time it is different.

He doesn’t simply relive the events the way they happened. This time he spends time with his parents, enabling himself to say one last goodbye.

We will never find peace if we continue playing the same scenario in our minds time and time again. We must find new ways to explore the situation, discovering different paths that may have formed within the decision-making. 

Taking that job would have thrown a horseshoe into your schedule, leaving you with less time to pursue your passions. Attending college in another state would have put a damper on your relationship with your fiance, who is now pregnant with your child. 

Plain and simple, our paths are never straightforward. We get to where we are by making right and wrong decisions along the way. Sometimes we pay the price, but we always end up where we are supposed to be.

Thawne: We are going to have the most wonderful day together.

Barry was always destined to be a hero, and we are meant to be exactly where we are. We may not be where we want to be right now, but our current situation is a platform for what we are to become. 

Throughout this journey, Barry faces off with not one, but two villains. 

Thawne’s resurgence gives us a fair amount of closure between him and Barry. His plan is intriguing but fantastically fails before gathering much momentum. While oversimplified, we aren’t completely let down.

The tears in Barry’s eyes as he gives one final speech to his archnemesis speak volumes. It is hard to tell if they’re Barry’s tears or Grant Gustin’s. 

The introduction to what is most likely the final big bad of the series gives us enough hope that we can finish strong.

The writers have played it smart by not giving us a new face to contend with for the last four episodes, but instead, we get to see Barry face off with one of his greatest assets — family.

No matter how evil he is behind those eyes, the man Barry is contending with is Joe West — the man who raised him and instilled morals within him along the way. There is no possible way Barry could take down someone wearing that face — no matter the circumstances. 

Barry’s greatest weakness and strength collide within him giving him a temporary win over this wicked newcomer. The outcome seems more like a retreat than a victory, ultimately giving us a satisfying conclusion to the episode without jeopardizing the story arc. 

This episode sets us up for what appears to be an exciting conclusion to a far-from-spectacular season. One must wonder why they couldn’t have given us bits and pieces of this greatness along the way, instead of simply giving us filler week after week. After all, a little seasoning can add a lot of flavor to an overcooked piece of meat. 

What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Where will Barry end up next? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Flash airs Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW.

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