The Flash Season 9 Episode 11 Review: A New World, Part Two
The Flash Season 9 Episode 11, “A New World, Part Two,” detracts from the positive momentum made from the last few episodes by taking Barry out of the equation most of the time. While the episode is slightly interesting, there are several moments where the suspension of reality goes a bit too far.
This episode takes place at the same time as “A New World, Part One,” showing us what happens to the others while Barry is off reliving his past. Team Flash attacks the issue of Barry’s disappearance by piecing together the few clues they have. The only clue of real consequence is the traces of cobalt.
Although I don’t like the approach taken, it makes sense. It’s good to know that Iris, Cecile, Allegra, and the others aren’t sitting on their laurels waiting for Barry to reappear. Their need to find their leader seems sincere.
For obvious reasons, Iris is the most concerned about her husband. Who could blame her? The woman is about to burst any second.
Unfortunately, this means that several different team members throughout the episode feel the need to give her a pep talk.
I’ve stated how I feel about these pep talks before, but these moments imparticular seem rather obnoxious. These bouts of dialog work best when they apply to the audience as well. That isn’t the case here; everyone just assures Iris that Barry will be back soon.
The not-so-lovable Mark reappears around this time. From the get-go, something doesn’t feel quite right about him peeking his head out of hiding at such a crucial time. It’s not much of a spoiler to reveal that he isn’t the good guy the team hopes for in their time of need.
It’s kind of sad that they have to reuse an angle they already tackled this season. It is the obvious choice for the former villain to fall back to his evil ways, similar to the alcoholic going back to the bottle scenarios often seen in other shows.
I would have preferred to see them throw in some red herrings and make Chester secretly the evil one. It wouldn’t have helped the episode leaps and bounds, but at least it would have felt less recycled.
Alas, at least they use Mark as a way to drive home somewhat of a moral to the story. The Negative Speedforce that is possessing Mark knows that Khione is stronger. Instead of a head-to-head fight, the Negative Speedforce attacks Khione’s self-esteem.
The Negative Speedforce knows that if it can get inside her head, it can defeat her before the fight even begins. Our enemies tend to do the same thing.
You see it all the time on social media.
A person with a flimsy argument goes after spelling errors, typos, or even physical appearances to defeat the person they are up against. They are hoping you back down from the point you are trying to make, force you into an apology, or even that you block them. It’s easy to be a keyboard warrior when the only real consequence is a couple of days of suspension from Twitter.
But now I’d like to bring it back to the character of Khione and what she finally discovers about herself.
Over the last several episodes, Khione has been experimenting and testing out her ever-growing repertoire of superpowers. These powers seem random at the least and uninspiring at best. I see her no more than a reimagined version of Poison Ivy.
Her confrontation with Mark helps her to understand herself fully. She isn’t a mere human or even a meta-human. Khione is a goddess.
And the collective audience lets out a groan.
This is typical for a final season. The writers throw random stuff at the wall and see what sticks. I’m not sure, but this one might top Lena’s supernatural reveal in the final run of Supergirl.
I’ve never connected to this version of Caitlyn, and this feels like the nail in the coffin for me.
While this twist is unique, it fails to grasp any amount of interest in the character. The Flash has always been grounded in science since day one.
Although the science sometimes proved to be a bit sketchy, I always chalked it up to my limited ability to understand the physics of the matter.
Particle accelerators, mutations, and lightning rods are all French to me, so I get that I can’t always add up what they are talking about. But introducing the idea of a goddess this far down the line seems nothing short of ridiculous.
Mark: You’re an abomination!
Not even Superman and Lois have gone this far off the grid with their over-the-top villains from places like the Phantom Zone.
I cry foul.
The worst part is that with only two episodes remaining, they can’t even fully flesh out this idea. We are just supposed to accept that fact and move on.
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I can do that.
Even though this episode is far from terrible, this reveal brings it down a couple of extra notches.
Combining this with my other complaints shows how far the show has fallen. If we can’t get more than a couple of good episodes in a row, then there is not much hope here.
Nonetheless, I’ll tune in to these last two episodes choosing to ignore the nonsense I’ve seen here today. Hopefully, they will choose to ignore this pathetic angle and focus on more interesting aspects like how Gilmore is somehow a revived Eddie.
Somehow I believe things will get more complicated before the credits roll for the last time. I pray there is at least something left to salvage at that point.
What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Where do you think these final moments are headed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
The Flash airs Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Charles E Henning
Charles E. Henning lives in a quaint town of Illinois with his ever-loving wife since 1998. He is new to writing reviews, but has over thirty years of fictitious writing for his own personal fulfillment. His interests range from science fiction to character-based dramas, but he is a sucker for anyone in a cape.